Just because a company has an advertisement on the internet doesn't guarantee you professional service. First, I will tell you what people looking for locksmiths online have experienced by clicking on paid advertising and then I will tell you how go about making sure you are safe before you schedule an online-advertising locksmith.
Here is what can very easily happen to you.
1. You get a company run by people who do not do lock work. These companies only run advertisements in the top Internet slots and hire people they have never met to do the service. These "locksmiths" have been known to be under-trained. In one case, the locksmith had no key machine, gave the only key he had to the customer after the re-key, and the key would not even copy. I was called in to clean up the mess. Do you want somebody re-keying your home or business who cannot be found tomorrow?
2. The top Internet ads always advertise a low service call fee. You will see $14, $15, or $19. When you see this, run! You should know that nobody can cover costs with a fee like that. The lock company will lead you to believe that your service project is going to be done inexpensively. In the end, however, what should have been an $85 job ends up costing you $375. (Actual example from a business on Middle Tennessee Boulevard in Murfreesboro, TN.)
This is what you can do to protect yourself when hiring a locksmith online.
1. Ask for a firm price and do not sign the bill beforehand. If the locksmith jacks the price up in the end and tells you that he already did the job, do not pay. He will threaten to sue you, but simply tell him that you did not agree to the charges. Because the locksmith is "shady", he does not want legal involvement. He will usually relent.
2. Ask for his locksmith license number if your state requires licensing. Or, tell the locksmith before he arrives that you will need to record his driver's license number before he begins to work.
3. Check his references and do know that references can be part of a scam.
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