Proposed FEDERAL LAWS regulating Locksmiths

[cledry]

Sinifar, you should relocate. Move to sunny Florida where the economy is booming. Seriously we cannot keep up with the volume of work we get and our shop pays for itself easily. Rent is $1400 but that takes less than a week on average of shop business. Our shop consists of four areas, the showroom that is well stocked with safes, locks both commercial and residential as well as a huge assortment of novelty keys and little spur of the moment purchases. We have the front shop area where we are always facing our customer, we have an office area that has room for all of our on site files, two computers, two desks and shelving for all our catalogs, and we have the back which is very well stocked.

If someone comes in and asks for 48 padlocks with long shackles keyed to their key, chances are they get it that day. Likewise if they need 20 grade 1 storeoom levers set to a specific master key system they likely can pick them up later that day or the next at the very latest. In this age of instant gratification that is what we try to deliver. If you turn away someone because you don't have the stock then that gives them the opportunity to buy elsewhere. If you think your customer is loyal then I've got news for you, they want what they want, when they want it and are usually more concerned about time then money. A shop allows you to walk to the back room and produce the goods for instant customer gratification.

Lastly I would add, whilst not having a shop doesn't make you less legit. How many of these scammers actually have a shop? Think about it. If these scammers make the news more and more and people realise that scammers don't have a shop then who are the customer's going to prefer to deal with? We get calls quite often since the TV airing shows about these scammers, they comment how they used GOOGLE maps to look at the address of a locksmith and it showed an apartment complex so they assumed it was one of those fake addresses the scammers use.

[ARF-GEF]

Wow Sinifar that was a sad read

[lockstar5000]

Jeez Evan--

I have seen you say "you cant, you won't, you shouldn't....be in business unless it is done Evan's way". You really need to maybe be happy with the way you are running YOUR business (Oh trust me we can tell that you are) and stop telling everyone else how to run THEIRS. Your way is not the only way. If someone prefers to run a mobile business and it works for them, then who are you to tell them it's the wrong way??? Really? I know a couple one man operations (mobile) who are so very happy, relaxed, and don't take work home if they don't want to, and are making a real nice living. The main point of this thread I think is ALOA dictating that a mobile business = scammer, and that any real locksmith will never need to drill a lock. I joined ALOA and now think I may have been better off with SOPL. Do good business and you won't be seen as a scammer, even if it is a mobile business or you might have to drill a lock once in a while. The point is, there is more than one way to run a business based on what works for you and your customers. People making broad sweeping statements about what works and what doesn't and what is the right way to run a business doesn't really help anyone. Whether it is an individual (Evan) or an organization (ALOA).
Regards

[averagejoe]

Evan, you seem to have strong feelings about this subject which you've described here. I'm curious if this is based on experience or theory. Have you ever worked for a retail locksmith shop? Have you ever owned and operated your own locksmith shop?

[Evan]

The main point of this thread I think is ALOA dictating that a mobile business = scammer,

That is not just the ALOA saying that, it is public opinion because of the tens of thousands of examples of people who operate mobile businesses of various kinds from the fake locksmiths to the general contractors and roofers who rip people off and disappear only to move on to somewhere else and operate under a different name...

Would you trust a bank that only had a mobile branch that would come to you ? If you can not see how it is not what you think you need or how honest you run your business that matters, it is how the public who would be your customers perceive you that matters... This seems to be where you have the disconnect between what I have to say and your thoughts about my opinion... With some types of businesses the physical presence of investing in an office where your business is based out of makes you look legitimate...

You can be the most honest and skilled technician out there but if you are mobile only and the public thinks mobile only businesses in the field are dodgy/scammers then you will more than likely not do well...

~~ Evan

[Evan]

Evan, you seem to have strong feelings about this subject which you've described here. I'm curious if this is based on experience or theory. Have you ever worked for a retail locksmith shop? Have you ever owned and operated your own locksmith shop?

No... I have dealt with many over the years though in various employment responsibilities and have witnessed enough to be able to say that some locksmiths cause their own problems with employee turnover or customer complaints and that we can leave it at that...

Yes... I have strong feelings about what businesses should do to be legitimate... Like the example of the mobile bank above, would you trust a used car dealership that hauled its wares around on a semi car hauler and whose only contact info is a P.O. Box and cell phone ?

I mean as much as it is cliche to say it, most people aren't that stupid anymore and many if not all of the people who get ripped off were out looking for a bargain that should have been detectable as "too good to be true"... Customers web search everything using smartphones these days, even in big chain retail stores, spending hours of their time to save a few bucks... This is the business reality of the day, a few negative comments or reviews about your business out in cyberspace combined with public perception of mobile = fly by night scammer can really damage your business in irreparable ways...

~~ Evan

[lockstar5000]

A mobile bank or mobile car dealer??? Is this really part of your argument against mobile locksmiths?

[MBI]

Evan, you say there is "no excuse" for not having either a storefront or a commercial office. That is a blanket statement that can't possibly even begin cover every situation for every single mobile locksmith in the country. It's one thing to say you personally feel there is less credibility, or that you have less trust if a locksmith doesn't have a storefront or an office in a commercial district, but to say there is "no excuse" for not having one is just plain silly. There are plenty of legal and practical alternatives to having a dedicated office or storefront, without "stealing" time from the customers you are working for during the day.

[Evan]

There are plenty of legal and practical alternatives to having a dedicated office or storefront, without "stealing" time from the customers you are working for during the day.

That is just the point MBI, its not stealing time from the customers, but also from yourself...

You can't do two things at once -- like working on a service call while booking the next customer, or driving to your next appointment while dealing with invoices or accounts payable..

There is more to it than "stealing time" from the customers, since you can't multitask while doing actual work, you have to consume more of your personal time to deal with those issues later on when you are not busy with performing work...

a lot of the small businesses that fail do so because while the person operating the business may be a good honest hard worker, they aren't a businessperson and get buried in trying to catch up on organizing paperwork or balancing accounts in binges and purges and don't realize how badly they are in trouble until it is way too late...

This is NOT my personal opinion but fact...

So by "saving money" and not having an office somewhere (I never said you needed a showroom, just an office in a legally zoned place for it, which as others have noted will look legit when a potential customer Google searches it) and an assistant who can help keep you organized and answer your phones so you can actually spend all your time at a customer's location doing work for that customer, you tie your hands and create a situation where getting lazy/behind can have dire consequences like the failure of your business...

Think of it this way, you can pay someone once a year a lot of money to figure out your business finances and prepare your ledgers/taxes and get just that service OR you could be paying an assistant all year long to keep on top of such things while also, answering your phones during business hours, ordering stock to keep you able to serve your customers efficiently and promptly, receive deliveries at your business address, open your mail and process any payments coming in and account for any bills due, deal with customer inquiries regarding billing disputes for past work done promptly to keep the customers happy and paying on time (how do you deal with that as a mobile guy? do you carry all your outstanding invoices around with you or do you have to call the customer back later/the next day ?)...

How come it seems like all the larger/well established shops that do well seem to have dedicated employees like an office manager or billing clerk who stays on top of such important things like this ?

Playing the one-man-band game might be enjoyable as far as the work goes but it is a significant investment of your time and requires a lot more skills in the business management and organizational aspects of running a company... How many of the people who operate a one man mobile business actually keep accurate track of the time they spend on doing these things, so they can calculate the real cost of their business, rather than working time on customer service calls ? I.E. you may spend 9 hours doing customer work in a day but if you have to spend 3 or 4 after hours doing paperwork, are you factoring that in ?

~~ Evan

[MBI]

Now you're just backpedaling.

First you said there's "no excuse", also that it might be illegal, and that "you shouldn't be in business" if you don't have a showroom or a fixed office location. Pretty bold statements for someone who has never run a locksmith business. Now it seems you've changed your tune to say that time management is difficult as a one-man, mobile locksmith. Make up your mind.

[lockstar5000]

EVAN-

Please STOP telling everyone what they CANT do, What DOESNT work, when clearly it WORKS for lots of locksmiths. IT WORKS FOR MOST OF US. I don't know what planet you are from where your opinion is the law of the land, but you are being so narrow-minded and opinionated and your mind is closed to everyone who has a different opinion than you do. Is your EGO so HUGE that you cannot accept anyone else's view of the world around them because it doesn't match what you THINK is the only way it can possibly work???? Unbelievable. You are being a pompous ass

[lockstar5000]

Thanks MBI for calling him on his BS.

[Evan]

Now you're just backpedaling.

First you said there's "no excuse", also that it might be illegal, and that "you shouldn't be in business" if you don't have a showroom or a fixed office location. Pretty bold statements for someone who has never run a locksmith business. Now it seems you've changed your tune to say that time management is difficult as a one-man, mobile locksmith. Make up your mind.

Yes.. I stand behind that statement...

There is NO EXCUSE to operate a business if you do not have an office...

Call if whatever you want, but it doesn't look legit to most people...

And to the one-man mobile business guys out there who say it is ok, you have to realize that life happens and if suddenly you were deprived of your vehicle without notice or your consent...

Call it BS if you like, that just proves that you are running on a shaky business plan and any number of pretty likely occurrences could totally derail you without any warning...

One does not need to have run a locksmith shop to be able to see risky and sloppy business practices and call them out...

~~ Evan

[ARF-GEF]

Play nicely people.
We are all entitled to our opinion let's not force it on anyone. Either way.
Luckily there is no need for everyone to agree so why not agree to disagree?

[Squelchtone]

Take a walk outside everyone, right now. fresh air, it's good stuff.



Let me make a couple points about forum rules and one more observation about running a business.

1st. keep the post on topic and relevant, we were talking about a new federal law and it's now derailed into having an office or not. I can see how one led to another, but please help each other when you see someone going off on too far of a tangent.

2nd. I encourage good healthy debate, discourse, and exchange of differing opinions and experiences, but I do not tolerate personal attacks. "I disagree with your opinions _insert_member_name_here" is ok, but "hey _insert_member_name_here_ you are a dick or pompous ass" is not OK.

I sometimes see people on forums or on news websites commenting in the comments section, and they say one of my least favorite insults "you sir, are an idiot" It's like, let me be polite while I tell you to F yourself, and I never understood where the whole 'you sir, are a _insert_offensive_name" came from. I like to use the example of "would you say this to my face if we were at a bar together having a beer while at some lock or hacker convention. I know it's easy to get irate via a keyboard, we all lose our cool, I'm not immune to it either. Just try to be nice to each other, it doesn't take much effort.

People often complain to me about all the rules on this forum. Where do you guys suppose they come from? It's from having to deal with one situation or another, and then needing a rule in order to prevent the event from reoccurring. I guess that's why they only put stop signs at an intersection after a bunch of car accidents happen there.

Time to lock this for a while, like I said, take a walk everyone, go get some air or something. I will unlock it in a couple days once everybody hugs it out.

Thank you citizens for your cooperation. Beatings will continue until morale improves,
Squelchtone

PS. I fix people's spyware at their homes on their computers for cash, sometimes check. I do not have an office, but people wont stop calling me to come over and help them. I dont like the idea that since I dont have a storefront or an office somewhere that you dont think my business model is not stable or reputable.