Getting locked out of a home or vehicle is very common and can happen to just about anyone at anytime and the situation can be a real hassle especially if it happens right in the middle of the night. The first reaction is most likely to call up a relative or a friend to deliver a set of spare keys. But if neither of them is available the only thing left to do is to call up an emergency 24-hour locksmith to help you open the door for a certain fee. However before just dialing a random locksmith’s number,
one should be aware that we could be putting ourselves into a real danger while calling just about any emergency locksmith .
Over the recent years there have been many cases and complaints of fraud by unlicensed and phony locksmiths in different areas. The complaints included overcharging as well as intimidation tactics. This article will help you identify these criminals posing as locksmiths and in finding the genuine service providers
Locksmiths gain access to your property and the most important reason why you should never trust a locksmith completely is that when you hire a locksmith to unlock your door they get access to your property and some locksmith companies may be fronts for thieves and could be targeting your home when you call them up asking for locksmith services. So the most important precaution to avoid such criminals is when the locksmith arrives at your place never forget to ask for identification, including a locksmith license where applicable.
Get an estimate quote before any work begins, including emergency service and ask about any extra charges for things like emergency hours, mileage or service call minimums before you agree to have the work performed and if the on-site price of the locksmith doesn’t match the phone estimate, don’t allow the work to be performed. If the locksmith hesitates or tries to inflate the figure walk away from the deal. If the locksmith gets angry or starts threatening, don’t hesitate to call the authorities
If you find a locksmith through the phone book or through the Internet or through any directory assistance and a business address is given always confirm that the address belongs to that locksmith. Some dis reputed companies list street addresses to give the impression that they are local. But the addresses often belong to other businesses or vacant lots that is if they exist at all. These addresses can be verified through websites that allows matching phone numbers with street addresses. Whereas it is quite possible that some legitimate locksmith companies do not include a street address in their listing maybe because they operate a “mobile” business or maybe because they are operating their business out of their home and may be they are reluctant to list that address. residential locksmith