$15 Locksmith? It’s a SCAM.
When looking for a locksmith have you ever seen an advertisement for a locksmith for $15? It seems like an unreal low price, doesn’t it? As the old adage goes “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”. Unfortunately when we are in an emergency situation we are desperate for answers and sometimes did not have the best common sense about us. It’s because of this these fake advertisements work. No locksmith is going to do work for $15 and stay in business. That’s just the bottom line. In his advertisements on search engines work is; a large company buys national advertising for locksmiths and then calls locksmith’s in local areas and asks if they would like to participate in a cut rate advertising program that can promise them lots of business and they can charge any price that they like. The advertisement might say $15,but if this is just the price for the locksmith to arrive to your vehicle or home. Once they are there they will tack on various beliefs and drive up the overall price of the service to usually over $100. This situation puts the customer in an awkward position. The customer is desperate to get back in their vehicle or home, and thinks in most situations there is no way to back out and revoke the service that they ordered. And in many situations the unscrupulous locksmith attempts to bully the customer into paying the inflated service charge. It is only the customer with the most steely resolve that will stand up to this bullying and say “No” I will not pay for this overpriced service.
So what can you do if you find yourself in a situation where you believe you are being overcharged for a locksmith service. First off, always call a local company, if the number is not local or if it is an 866 prefix number is most likely a call center that dispatches unscrupulous locksmiths. Next, has to locksmith how much the total charge will be for services rendered. If they can and haul or say they cannot give you a price then tell them that you do not want their service. Do not be afraid to question the price of services for law or any other service that you feel you’re being overcharged for. Also you are not obligated to pay for services that you have not signed a contract for. If you pay for services that you believe you are overcharged for, call your credit card company or your bank and ask to stop payment. Another remedy if you feel you are being bullied or threatened by a unscrupulous locksmith is tell them that you are going to call the police and start to dial a phone. Remember, if you pay for a fraudulent service and you do not take action chalking it up to a “learning experience” you are only keeping the scammers in business to scam more people. Stand up for your right.