I am sure this has happened to many other people, but this is the first time for me. I recently adopted a puppy and I was nervous to leave her home alone for the first time.in the midst of making sure I had gated her properly and removed any objects she could get in to, I locked myself out of my home.
Just moving in a month ago, I had not made arrangements to give someone a spare set of keys. I tried calling my landlord and he did not answer. So I had to call a locksmith. After several calls, I found someone who would come out for $55. I jumped at this price because all of the other people were saying it would cost between $120-$150 for the call.
The locksmith was supposed to be there in 15 minutes, but it was more like 45 minutes. He assessed the situation and told me that regardless of how he gets the door opened, it was going to cost me an additional $85.85. I was already upset, because this is more than anyone else was going to charge for the entire job.
Please keep in mind that their ad in the yellow pages says, WE WILL BEAT ANYONE ELSE'S PRICE. At this point, I was already responsible for the $55 service call, so I figured I might as well go through with the whole thing.
The locksmith tried to pick the lock and also tried those air pressure bags to force the door open. Neither worked. So, then he tells me that he is going to have to drill the lock out and there are several options for replacing the lock. I chose the cheapest option.
After he was finished, he said if I paid in cash, he would be able to call his supervisor to get me a deal. He ended up crediting me $25 for being late and not charging me tax.
Here is a breakdown of my bill:
Service Call $55.55
Breaking In (Drill) $85.85
Uninstall Old Lock $15.15
B-Level Door Knob $55.55
New Lock Installation $15.15
Cash Late Discount -$25
Total $200,
Was I ripped off! I know I was misled. Do I have a case to try and get some money back per their advertisement to beat anyone's price? Advise smb!
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