I locked myself out of my apartment. I called Champion Locksmith and asked how much it would cost for them to let me back in. The price quoted over the phone was $50, and I was assured somebody would be there within thirty minutes.
Forty-five minutes later, somebody finally arrives. It takes him approximately five minutes to undo the lock. What he didn't tell me is that whatever he did also destroyed the lock, so I needed a new one. He then said that the cost was $350 to unlock, and $125 for the new lock— the total cost was nearly ten times what I had been told over the phone. When I explained the quote I had received, he said, "Well, that's just the service charge." Apparently, you don't find out the real price until your lock has already been destroyed.
Then, he didn't want to take my Discover Card. I insisted, because their phonebook ad has the Discover logo on it. I signed the slip, with a note saying that the price didn't match what I was quoted. I acknowledge that I owe Champion a reasonable fee for the services legitimately provided, but lowballing the quote by a factor of seven is simply unacceptable, as is picking the lock without letting me know in advance that doing so would destroy it. If they don't resolve this on a consensual basis, I'll report them to the New York State and City Consumer Protection Agencies. I'll also dispute the charge on my credit card. Even if they succeed in ripping me off, I won't make it easy.
Don't use these guys under any circumstances.
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