HOW TO SPOT A FRAUD LOCKSMITH
Locksmiths are invariably honest and trustworthy, there is a small minority however that may try and fleece you out of your cash. we at Locksmith Training Merseyside, hope that this article will help you make the right choice whenever you need the services of a locksmith.
• Shop around. By shopping around you can compare prices and make the right choice. If one is charging a £100 and one £500, it is safe to say that the latter is a fraud. Many locksmiths will only quote after seeing the work, but they will be able to provide their labour rates.
• Do your homework. By finding a good locksmith now could you save a lot of hassle in the future. By keeping note of a good emergency locksmith in your phone, should you need one to get you into your house, then the number is always handy.
• Make two calls instead of one. If you find yourself locked out, especially late at night try and contact two locksmiths just to give you an idea of price. A fraud locksmith will try and get as much money out of you as possible by taking advantage of your situation. An emergency locksmith will have a call out charge and an hourly rate. So you will at least have an idea of cost.
• Bad customer support. If you find the work carried out by a locksmith is of a poor standard, they should come and make good the work. If they do not, or come up with excuses or in some cases become abusive, then the chances are they are a fraud.
• Qualifications. If you are about to hire a locksmith do not be afraid to ask them about qualifications and experience and ask for a written quote with a breakdown of materials and price per hour. If you are not happy with either response it could be a fraudster.
• Previous work. Do not be afraid to ask about previous work to obtain recommendations. If the locksmith is reluctant or hazy about it, then he could well be a fraudster. Why would a good locksmith be afraid about pointing you in the right direction of a happy customer? And let’s face it, just because you have asked about previous work does not mean you actually have to contact the previous customer. You are after a reaction after all.
• Pushy. Good locksmiths do not have to pressure you for a price as being good at what they do they are always in demand. Many love their work and do not need to pressure you into a response. If you are getting ‘the hard sell’, he or she could be a fraudster.
• Destructive entry. Most locksmiths go out of their way to get you into your home without breaking anything. This is a matter of professional pride and is a last resort. If a locksmith wants to do this without spending much time trying to do it through lock picking, it could well be a fraudster as they can charge additional fees for repairing the door frame and earn out of an extended hourly rate.
The difficulty for the public lays in the fact that locksmithing is an art known only to those who practise it. When a locksmith tells you he or she needs to do something you tend to believe it because they are the expert. Hopefully, if you follow the above points, you can avoid the fraudsters that give locksmithing a bad name.
If you feel you have been a victim of a fraud locksmith, then contact Trading Standards and report them immediately. Recently, a fraud locksmith was jailed for four years due to an investigation by Trading Standards.
