A woman blogs that she found herself locked out of her apartment because her keys were getting stuck and the lock wasn’t working. So she called an emergency locksmith who arrived 15 minutes later, drilled off the cylinder, replaced it, and presented her with a bill for $613. When she refused to pay, the locksmith called (what were presumably) the cops. When they arrived the said, “Pay the man now or you’re under arrest.”

The emergency locksmith ripoff is not new. A normal locksmith would have charged around $60-$80 for this deed. Often shady locksmiths will snare you in by advertising the lowest price in the phone book. This is why it’s important to:

• Agree on an estimate before they start services
• Find a local reliable locksmith before you need one, and put their number in your cellphone.
• If you can’t come to an agreement before services begin, sleep at a friend’s house and wait until morning when you can call the regular local hardware store or locksmith guy.

Eventually the woman walked to her bank ATM, followed by the locksmith and the cops in their cars, where she withdrew the money and paid him the full $613.

This is Something That Happened To Me [No Great Illusion] (Thanks to Elle!)

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