January 17 Avoiding A Locksmith Rip-Off
Reporting
Susan Barnett PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) Have you ever locked yourself out of your home or car? You might call a locksmith to help, but it could cost you a lot more than you expect. As CBS 3's Susan Barnett reports, there's a common scam that's on the rise.
Getting locked out is not only nerve-wracking, it can be expensive.
Carol Pintar knows. She got locked out of her car while it was running. A locksmith quoted her a fee of $55, but that didn't get her back behind the wheel.
"He said, 'Oh, no. That 55 dollars is just for me coming here. You owe me another 95 dollars, '" said Pintar.
Carol only had forty extra dollars, which he took.
"We're hearing from consumers across the country who have been swindled by unethical locksmiths, " said Alison Preszler of the Better Business Bureau.
Some locksmiths sound legit and use local numbers and addresses.
But the Better Business Bureau says, when you dial, you're transferred to a call center that could be thousands of miles away.
"They're not forthcoming at all about where they're located, " said Preszler.
We checked on the addresses of five locksmiths in our area listed in the Yellow Pages. We found all of the addresses, but none of the locksmiths. One location turned out to be an Olive Garden in Cherry Hill.
We called a Pennsauken locksmith with an odd name: A 1 2 3 24 Hour A Locks and Lock. An operator quoted us a $39 service fee and $15 to get back into a locked car. But when the locksmith arrived, he quoted our undercover producer something else.
"Ok, for this car, it's $39, another $110 to get back in the car, " said the locksmith.
Then he reduced it to a flat $100.
"Usually only cash, " said the locksmith.
"Only cash?" our producer asked. "What if I don't have a hundred bucks on me?"
When he saw our camera, he told us to call the office. We asked to see his locksmith license.
"Okay, I don't know anything about this, I only work in the office, okay, " he said.
He's really with Dependable Locks, based in New York City. Dependable has a history of complaints with the Better Business Bureau.
So what can you do? Do your research and find a reputable, local locksmith before an emergency.
And Andy Good of the Philadelphia BBB said, "If it's a locksmith and it has the word 'solutions' in its name, 'A 1 24 Hour Service, ' some derivative of that, give the BBB a call. Find out if there's a local experience with that locksmith."
We called Dependable Locks, but no one returned our calls.
The BBB also says be wary of servicemen in unmarked cars, without uniforms or ID. New Jersey requires locksmiths to have a license, so ask to see it.
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