Locksmith Scams Abound On Pay-Per-Click Ads On Search Engines

If you are clicking on the paid advertisements for "locksmiths" on the major search listings, there is a better than average chance you are going to get burned.  Yes, when you click these "top-of-the-page" ads and go to the websites, they sure look professional.  Here are some things you should consider before calling them.

1.  Notice that these locksmiths are using 1-800 numbers.  That will tell you that this number is being provided for everybody in the United States as a toll-free number.  Do not suppose for a minute that there are any locksmith organizations large enough to have employees in every state and city in the U.S.  Although theses companies claim they do, be aware that these companies hire anybody with just a short phone call.  They do not test or train these "technicians". 

2.  Notice that there are no addresses on the website.  That's right!  Why? Because these companies do not want to be located.  One client of mine in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, called one of these companies a while back.  My client was charged $385 for an $85 job.  Once the bill was paid, the technician disappeared.  After my client realized she had been scammed, she tried to get her money back.  Without an address, how could she collect?  The company always gets half of the money collected by the "technician".  So, the "technician" jacks up the price of the job as high as he can; and he is usually an incompetent locksmith who may not even have a machine to make duplicate keys.

3.  Notice that there is a service call price of $14, $15, or $19.  That should be a red flag.  There are no service calls that low.  You can expect to pay a $45 to $75 service call in the Murfreesboro and Nashville, Tennessee areas.  Sometimes, however, A-Best Locksmith does not charge a service call.  This applies, however, when I am at the site and the customer is having volume work done.

4.  Notice also the general prices that are given for various services.  At first glance, you will think that they are reasonable; and some of the prices are!  However, they never charge that rate.  It always ends up being three or four times the amount; and the "technician" surprises you with a huge bill, tells you pay immediately, or be sued tomorrow.  At one childcare center on West Northfield Boulevard, the scam "technician" removed the locks from the doors at closing time because the manager did not have the cash in order to pay the bill.

5.  You should also know that there is a "technician" running around Murfreesboro, Smyrna, and Nashville, Tennessee who cannot do the work that is required by a real locksmith.  When he gets a call from the scam 1-800 center, he shows up, tells the customer he can't do it, and then asks for a $30 service call because he showed up.  Never, for any reason, pay a locksmith for not doing his job!  Also, before hiring a locksmith, you should always get the charges upfront and make sure they are solid!  A good locksmith knows what to charge for most jobs before he ever shows up.

6.  You will note that some of these paid search engine advertisements do not have a Tennessee Locksmith License number.  Although I think that you, as a consumer, should check out everybody who works for you, and that the locksmith license program is nonsense, you should ask for a locksmith license I.D. card.  If the locksmith doesn't have one when he arrives, ask him to leave.

Another reason you should never look for a locksmith on the paid advertising sections on the major search engines is because your local locksmiths are never in the top premium spots!  Google, Yahoo, and other search engines pride themselves in bringing to you RELEVANT search engine results based upon you inquiry.  Paid Internet ads circumvent the logarithms that ensure relevancy!  Basically, a locksmith goes to Google and says, "Well, I am not based in this geographical area, and my site is note relevant nor helpful. In fact, if left up to relevant search results, I will never be seen.  So, how about if Pay you $20 for every click?"  And the search engines agree to take the scam locksmith's money.  If you pay the search engine companies enough, they will sell anything to anybody.

Just remember to shop locally.  When I say "locally" I mean you should hire somebody who owns their own lock company within a 65 mile radius of where you live or run your business.  Also, if you are in doubt, call the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance and ask them about the locksmith you are using.  And, finally, never, never ask a locksmith to show up without getting some idea of what the ultimate bill will be; and never pay a dime if the bill he presents to you is not the same bill you agreed to before the work was begun.  If the locksmith threatens to sue you, call his bluff and refuse.  If he threatens to remove your locks, call the police immediately.

Just remember that there are thousands of people in the United States right now who would have loved to read this blog before they called a locksmith.

Masterkeying Problems - Your Incompetent Locksmith Has Filed Down Your Cylinders

Chances are there are some locksmiths in your area that are highly incompetent. They drive the vehicle, wear the shirt, and have the advertisements; but they have no real clue about quality work. In Nashville, TN, even some of the oldest locksmiths are destroying customers locks so that they cannot be master-keyed securely. You would be surprised by who it is, because they are highly regarded in the community. When an incompetent locksmith re-keys your locks, he removes them, puts the wrong sized tumblers in the chambers, and grinds the lock cylinder down on a grinder or he hand files them. When he does this, he is removing from .020 to ,045 of an inch of valuable metal from your lock. He is ruining your lock!

Now, let us say that you call another locksmith in to master-key the locks. When a lock is master-keyed, a master key works the lock and an individual, different key works the lock as well. In fact, a master key system can have more levels than just two. But the problem comes when your incompetent locksmith files the cylinder plugs down to fit his wrong tumblers. Why? Because there are master pins that start at .024 of an inch. If he files the plug down to .045 of an inch, you can see that a .024 inch master pin will float in empty space and jam your lock.

There is a way around this problem, however. Today I did a small master key job where a locally famous, incompetent locksmith preceded me. The plugs were all filed down and some of the chambers were mauled. Because the master key system was small, I designed it to take larger master pins. Instead of making small two-step increments in the system, like a #2 cut in the master and a #4 cut in the change key, I went to a #5 in the change key. The difference between the #4 and #5 was sufficient enough to compensate for the filed cylinder plugs. So, the difference between a #2 master key cut and #5 change key cut is 3. A 3 master pin is thicker than a number 2 master pin.

I will tell you just how prevalent lock cylinder filing is. A number of years ago there was locksmith school here in the southern part of the country. The owner told me to insert the pins, grind the cylinder, and that would take care of the job; and this guy was grinding away a fourth of the cylinder. His excuse was that the lock was not pick-proof anyway. What he did was to make the lock no longer fit to be keyed. He also made the lock easier to pick and made the chances greater that a wrong key could "jiggle" the lock open.

So, if you want your locks master-keyed, you will need to know if your locksmith has filed the cylinders down. If he has, and he won't tell you they have been filed, he will have to sell you replacement cylinders. The cost of your job will be double.

If you suspect that your locksmith is filing your cylinders, have another locksmith install a new cylinder and call the suspect locksmith to key it. Have the first locksmith inspect the work. If the lock has been filed, fire the old locksmith.