Scammer Locksmith In My Town

[billdeserthills]

Found something new and ugly while checking my mail a couple days ago, the postman accidentally placed two copies of my Locksmith Ledger in my mailbox--The second copy was addressed to www.locksmithcavecreek.com
His address is being supplied to him by the local pawn shop & if you call his phone number you'll hear "Call Center" I think anyone who has ever called a scammer locksmith will recall hearing that same sound, on the other end of the phone. He has bought the top positions on google, and I'm assuming he is also the reason why my business has fallen off so badly, with his $19.00 advertised service call, that we all know is a pile of BS. Of course the client doesn't find out the truth until after it is too late to change their mind.

I just don't know what I am going to do next, I suppose calling him to come and do a service call and dispatching him isn't going to end well for me--Anyone have a better idea??

[Squelchtone]

undercover sting on the local news station, and you'll be the local real locksmith expert who they actually recommend after they bust the scammer on hidden camera.

your scammer has 55 other "locksmith" websites registered and hosted on a hosting server at 192.185.76.68
http://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/web-s ... eb-server/









there are so many more of these videos on youtube its funny and sad at the same time.

[mseifert]

We have a lot of those "false" locksmith businesses here in Austin... I will not call them .. I will only call one that I have been to the shop and to be honest it is usually the Mom and Pop operations because the Chain Style shop we have in town is crappy.

[ltdbjd]

I hate watching these videos. It brings back horrible memories.

My very first job out of locksmith school was for one of these scam companies. I was the only actual locksmith working there. Nobody else even knew how to pick locks; which is what they preferred. Because, like in the video, they would drill the lock, charge a crapload of money, and then replace the lock - charging a fortune for the new lock. Like in the second video, they didn't train people how to be a locksmith - they trained out to scam people.

My experience was like the second video, even owned by the same ethnicity. I was told that there were two kinds of people in the world, "People who get screwed, and people who do the screwing. And it's better to be the latter." I was told that if the customer didn't argue, I left money on the table. They'd quote a $19 service charge for anything, but wouldn't give any further details. I'd watch them charge $350 for a lockout. If the customer argued enough and threatened to call the cops, they'd call into the dispatcher, who pretended to be the manager. After some bad acting to try and make the customer feel like they won, they'd slash the bill in half. Only $175 for the lockout.

I asked them about repeat customers. I was politely told to f*** them. People rarely need a locksmith, so it's not worth it. "Screw them when you can." I walked in the shop one day and everybody was giving each other high fives. I asked what it was about. One of the owners dinged a kid $499 to originate a metal (non-transponder) key for his car. It made me sick to hear that.

I called in one day because I had a customer with a mortise cylinder that was spinning in the cassette. It had a stripped set screw and I didn't have a new one. I was told to take the lock out, get a new screw and put it in, and then tell the customer he needed a new lock. Put the old one back in claiming it was new ... And get this, charge him $750 for the lock. PLUS, the service call, rekeying fee for the "new" cylinder, new keys, etc. I refused to go down that route.

I asked what I would say if the customer wanted to keep the old lock. I was promptly ripped a new one for not keeping a broken lock in my van to give him.

I HATED it. I quit as fast as I could. I was nearly evicted from my apartment because the job was commission based to encourage employees to rip people off. And I wouldn't do it.

Job hours were 6 days on, 1'day off. 10 hours a day. On call all 6 days. I needed permission to go on a date or do anything else that would delay a response time. And there was no overtime paid.

Here's the kicker. I asked what would happen if an employee came after them or they were sued. They looked at me like I was an idiot. They explained that they had three other companies already set up and ready to go. They'd close the current business that night, and reopen the following morning under a different name.

They actually paid an employees kid to take a laptop all over the county and post fake reviews to counter the all the negative ones. They wanted the reviews from different locations in case somebody was able to discover they all originated from the scammers shop.

I quit and went to a new company with the help of the director of the locksmith school - Anaheim & Orange Lock and Safe (they bought and owned a few different shops - Crest Lock and Key, Covina Lock and Key, Greens Security Centers, etc). I was so much happier there. Day one I'm being trained in the shop and somebody brings in a nice Trilogy that's broken. The tech messes with it a while, and tells the customer he'd probably need a new one. Quotes a standard Trilogy price - which is still a lot.

The customer leaves, the tech messes with the lock some more in the back and finally gets to the problem - a broken spring. So he calls the customer back and tells him he doesn't need a new lock, just a spring. I was amazed - I found a place that treated people the way I thought people should be treated. They were up front about everything; the customer was never surprised. The owner was clear about his business plan. We weren't the cheapest locksmith. Rather, we were on the high side. But we were up front with our prices. His philosophy was that we had great employees who were very knowledgable, great equipment, provided great service, and were trustworthy. That meant word of mouth advertising and return customers. And people liked knowing they wouldn't be ripped off. That being said, we did mostly commercial work. Most residential customers didn't want to pay our $69 residential service charge (which included the first 30 minutes of labor), when another company was only quoting a $15 service charge. Little did they know they'd end up being charged 5 times what our bill would have been.

Scammers - I hate everything about them.

[Squelchtone]

I also encountered scammer locksmith in Charlottenc NC.

Never use this locksmith service. This company is a complete scam. When you call they give you small quotation and them charge you an $300 for 2 min job. They reach my place after 2 hours 30 minutes and on call they told me that technician will reach in 20 minutes.

Their website is [SNIP! As a brand new member posting a link to a locksmith business, good or scammer is not really allowed here-Squelchtone]

Next time I will call locksmith company after checking their reviews.

[kwoswalt99-]

I always found it surprising that there isn't any legal action that can be taken.

[GWiens2001]

I always found it surprising that there isn't any legal action that can be taken.

Oh, there is. But the scammers tend to scare the customer into not taking that action.

Gordon

[kwoswalt99-]

I always found it surprising that there isn't any legal action that can be taken.

Oh, there is. But the scammers tend to scare the customer into not taking that action.

Gordon

What if you weren't a customer of said scammer?

[GWiens2001]

If they are fraudulently doing business, they still need to be reported to police.

Personally, if I had a business whom they were falsely portraying themselves as being a part of (using your business address/picture in their online listing, etcetera), then you have legal grounds to file criminal charges of fraud, and seek legal financial punitive damages, and for defamation/loss of business.

Most of the time, they just disappear, and reopen their business under another name.

Gordon

[Robotnik]

I always found it surprising that there isn't any legal action that can be taken.

Oh, there is. But the scammers tend to scare the customer into not taking that action.

Gordon

What if you weren't a customer of said scammer?

Without having yourself suffered demonstrable harm, it'd be tough to claim you have grounds for legal action. Not saying there isn't other action you can take (lobbying Google to better control fraudulent ads, getting the word out in your own community, etc), however.

[Tyler J. Thomas]

I always found it surprising that there isn't any legal action that can be taken.

Oh, there is. But the scammers tend to scare the customer into not taking that action.

Gordon

What if you weren't a customer of said scammer?

Ever played that game "Whack A Mole"? One goes down, another pops up. Years ago they tagged a local scammer kingpin in Georgia with a six-figure fine and ordered him to close the business. He still owns a $1.3 million mansion in an upscale Atlanta neighborhood and more than likely still operates multiple businesses.

I stopped worrying about them years ago. They prey on residential and the occasional small business owner. Set your business model to commercial and don't try to beat them at their own game (just like we don't try to compete with Home Depot). Consumers aren't completely helpless. There is plenty of press across all mediums that alert them of this problem. If they still get taken its hard to feel bad.

[mariawatson]

Is there any action taken for scammer locksmith websites?

As they waste our lot of time (In emergency we need quick service) and steal our money.

[Squelchtone]

Is there any action taken for scammer locksmith websites?

As they waste our lot of time (In emergency we need quick service) and steal our money.

action from or by who? local police don't care, and the better business bureau can't do much either.

If you got scammed, best thing to do is call a lawyer and have them do the research and legwork of tracking down who owns the site and then try to take them to small claims court, but they'll disappear in the night and you're screwed.

In an emergency, you should plan ahead and visit a real local locksmith shop or a real lock mobile locksmith with a legit van that has some signage on it, not some guy working out of his Honda Accord and keep their phone number in your phone or wallet so when you get locked out again you know you're calling a real locksmith. Or get a AAA auto club account and call triple-A to get you into your car or house, your membership allows for a certain number of lockouts.

Squelchtone

[mseifert]

I think like the videos say .. you can report them to your local regulatory agency, but I would probably not expect a lot of action.. If you run a honest business and don't screw over customers. I believe that word of mouth should spread and people will come to you instead.

These shops/people seem to prey on the people that are in an emergency or stuck .. I don't run a business but I think I would pass out business cards, present a clean professional appearance, and make sure that you make people feel at ease when dealing with them (Show ID cards, Offer Locksmith/Business Licenses number). Also educate people on what and why you are doing something .. It appears that most poeple get scammed because they don't know what is the right way things should be done.

Just my 2 cents

[tjohn]

The BBB is first & foremost a advertising agency. We get yearly official sounding calls that go like this "Why yes hello this is Mr./Mrs. so-so with the BBB Id like to take a moment and speak with the owner about something"
Owner hesitantly "Hello" *while thinking, dang homeboy did get pissed enough to call the BBB cause I wouldn't cut him that high security key"
Then they bounce off into the spiel "What I'd like to talk to you about today (still kinda ominous, then it changes to happy voice with) Great news, your company hasn't had any complaints and as a result you have been selected to be a member of our little <ad agency> exclusive club because your excellence of service, it will only be $300 a year BUT don't forget having our symbol of trust ensures future business"

so yep, that's the BBB