ATL: I think I was ripped off by a locksmith...!
Ask The Locksmith Question:I requested the service of a locksmith and was charged $254! I was charged $115 just for removing a deadbolt lock. Is this the typical price for this procedure?
Hi there...
Not even a tiny little bit. To be honest, you got off easy. These companies have charged as high as $1700.00 for the same service. See THIS link. (Yes, it's the same company that practices here in San Diego, under approx 27 unlicensed business names that we've found thus far.)
You were most likely hit by one of the many, MANY unlicensed, gypsy locksmiths that practice lock mutilation and customer ripoffs under the name "locksmith" here in town, and in most towns nationwide. Almost all of them are derivations of Priceline Locksmith aka Superb Solutions aka Dependable Locksmith out of the Bronx, New York. They advertise as "local", and have local or toll free numbers, but are in actuality an Israeli company under indictment in quite a few states for deceptive and unlicensed "locksmith" work. See these pages for more details:
http://www.sandiegolockandsafe.com/locksmithscams.html
-and-
http://www.sandiegolockandsafe.com/whylicensed.html
My suggestion would be to stop your check or call your credit card company and deny the charges. The bad guys won't fight it because they are almost universally unlicensed, and have no right to practice locksmithing in most states where they advertise. California and Illinois thus far have lifted any license they did have to conduct business as locksmiths. In fact, as an FYI, it is against the law here in California for any advertising outlet (online or print) to even accept ads from an unlicensed locksmith - State laws REQUIRE a locksmith license number to be prominently displayed on all advertising, business cards, invoices, vehicles, and for the pocket license to be immediately available, on demand. We're working on tightening up enforcement of this as well.
If you paid cash, unfortunately you're out of luck. They will usually NEVER return to the scene of the crime, so calling them back out under a pretext and having the police meet you (and them) there usually won't work, tho' it's worth a try. If you're in California, and you can get the police to come out and meet with you for a sting, or to take a report, you can cite California Business and Professions Code: 6980 - 6980.84, specifically 6980.33, as well as the California Penal Codes: 466 - 469.
As far as the work, there is usually NEVER a reason to "remove" a deadbolt, depending on the situation at hand, and the charge should never come close to that total, even if there was something terribly, terribly wrong with the deadbolt, at least it wouldn't with us - It's hard to say sometimes what the rationale for pricing in San Diego is even for some licensed locksmiths. I don't know what your situation was, locked out, broken hardware, etc., but a prime tactic of these companies is to go to a simple lockout and claim it's a "special" lock, and cannot be picked and must be "drilled". This ramps up your charges exponentially.
ALWAYS ask to see a valid locksmith license issued by the state before allowing work to be done, or paying any locksmith. If you feel threatened, call the police. The bad guys WILL run, they do not wish to go to jail. They may ramp up the threats until the police are almost there, but stand your ground, and they WILL leave.
This is a link to the licensing laws in California:
http://www.dca.ca.gov/bsis/bsislock.htm
On the same page you'll find the link to "Verify a License" or you can shortcut to it HERE.
Let me know what locksmith it was, and I'll be happy to run a check on a license and contact info for you, even out of state, and add this company to our warnings / scams page. We will not use your name. If you do, please let me know what the situation was, i.e., locked out, broken hardware, etc. This helps us warn other consumers.
Yell if you need help.
Kim
p.s. Wherever you are, I suggest getting your locks rekeyed as quickly as possible by a licensed locksmith. These bad guys could conceivably keep key copies and/or cuts and could sell them on the street - You and your family's safety should be the prime concern here.
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