The main targets of locksmith hackers are house and auto owners which are in desperate need of help or in some emergency situations. The main reason why these categories of people are targeted is because you never look closely to a find a reliable local locksmith, until you need one in emergency and the time is very short to do some preliminary researches.
The biggest common mistake around locksmith scam victims is the fact that when buying a lock, they search through the Internet for a local store. BIG MISTAKE! Never do that again! Nowadays, the skill level of hackers is so high that they are able to fake a truly complex legitimate local locksmith store.
To avoid hiring a scammer or an unskilled worker to solve this nasty problem, you should always take your time to research the provider locksmith company, a trust company like KEYFAST.
Follow these very easy steps that I will present you further in order to not be a victim of lock-counterfeiting.
1. What to Ask a Locksmith Before Hiring?
For any respected business, these should be just some usual questions and simply to answer. If the company approached by you is not able to give you short, accurate and concise answers, don’t hire them.
- Where are you located?
- Should I provide you a picture of the lock?
- Can you give me the name of the locksmith who will be coming?
- Do you require a specific method of payment? (cash / cheque / credit card)
- How will you get into my house? Can you explain me the whole process? Will you drill my lock?
- What factors are involved in price computation? Can you estimate the price of the job?
Don’t let yours to be scammed by anyone. If you think that you are overcharged or you don’t feel comfortable near the locksmith, don’t hesitate and call your local Garda.
2. Search For a Trustworthy Locksmith
If you are conscious and want to find a reliable “local” locksmith, call them in advance, ask them some questions related to their work and, very important, check their reviews.
Also, a very good way to confirm your locksmith agency is to search for their local address and to check it. If the business uses a local phone number, the probability of being a fake one is very low.
3. Check the ID of The Locksmith
This should be a golden rule for everyone having problems with their locks. When your locksmith arrives ask for it’s ID card.
4. Always Ask For a Cost Estimate
An often occurred situation among locksmith scammers is to bait customers with low price services, claiming at their arrival that the job is more complicated and it will cost more. You should ask every time for estimation of the price before any work starts. Never hire a locksmith if he refuses to provide you an estimative price of the job.
5. Additional Charges That May Apply
Before you agree to have the work performed always ask about additional charges. For rush or emergency hours, or mileage service calls it would be normally to have the price lifted up a little.
A very often used trick among scammers is to pretend that your house lock is broken and it needs to be replaced. They can charge you more for an “enhanced” security lock, and they will place you a low priced one, probably weaker than the original one you had.
A legitimate locksmith should be able to provide you an estimative cost of the job and in the situation in which the lock needs to be replaced it should give you some options and alternative from which to choose the right one that fits you.
6. Avoid Getting Your Lock Drilled
Be aware if the locksmith hired by you insists on drilling your lock. Usually, this method is required only to break high-security locks. For a locksmith that respects his position in the society, he should posses the skills and tools required to unlock almost every type of usual house and car doors.
Typically, if drill is required, it means that the lock on the house / car door is from the high security category, which means that the owner should be very familiarised with the whole lock concept.
7. Take Care of Fluctuation Bids
Some of the scammers will charge you more than established on the phone call. In this case, don’t allow the work to be done. You are your own boss and no one can tell you what to do.
As expected, a reputable locksmith company should never drastically change their price, no matter what situation occurs. Contact us TODAY.