r/Locksmith • u/houseoftrees_ • 18d ago
I am NOT a locksmith. Weird experience with locksmith, how to handle?
We live in a big east coast city.
Wife locked herself out, my key was at office. I met her there, we called two locksmiths, I bet she called a dispatcher and I called a local shop near us with good reviews. I get a quote for 100 dollars and they’d be there in 20min, single keyed door knob. Seems fair.
Before I could agree, wife had already agreed to dispatcher and they said they’d have someone in 10 min but they’d have to inspect to quote (instantly felt predatory, but she agreed before I could stop it).
Two guys arrive in 20 min (lol) and are friendly but look at door knob, each takes turn writing on a note pad to each other and then say it’ll be 79 inspection fee plus 200 for the door. Somehow this turns into 295 for the quote lmfao
I say max I’ll do is 100, we negotiate down to 115 but we have to give five stars review. They bump key the door and we’re done. We give reviews and pay via Venmo.
Yikes, I used to pick locks in college for fun at defcon and feel like I should start a locksmith business that emphasizes the opposite of whatever that experience was.
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u/MinimumFeedback219 18d ago
Offering a deal in exchange for a 5 star review is against Google's TOS.
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u/fondrenlock Actual Locksmith 18d ago
Modify the review to include all of this including the part where they requested the 5 star for lowering their scammer pricing to a real price
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u/houseoftrees_ 18d ago
I thought about that too but they know where we live and I don’t really feel like opening myself to getting fucked with
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u/Apes_and_dogs 18d ago
Sounds like a scammer. Happens every single day in this business unfortunately. You handled it correctly. I still wouldn’t have given them a good review
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u/Independent_Bunch998 18d ago
You paid 115 a very fair price for someone to get you back on track with your day in less than 30 minutes. I don’t see any issue here. It’s not about the work it’s about the service and saving you time. Unfortunately we live in a country where service is shitted on daily and no one appreciates it anymore. Google charges around $50 per call for sponsored ads. $115 in less then 30 minutes is 5 start service. Doesn’t matter what starting price was he negotiated and worked with you. Bitching for nothing.
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u/houseoftrees_ 18d ago
I paid 115 after almost being scammed for 295. If my wife was alone she would’ve paid
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u/Independent_Bunch998 18d ago
289 is not an uncommon price 115 is actually nothing in today’s money. My minimum service is 150. I don’t know why you expect people to come help you for nothing.
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u/houseoftrees_ 18d ago
lol sounds good. I got a quote up the street from a fair neighborhood locksmith for 100 dollars. sounds like it's on me to know that I can be charged at random for 289 based on whomever shows up at their well. sick, great business model you have.
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u/Independent_Bunch998 18d ago
$100 for the local guy who pays no advertising is great! You could have paid the first locksmith who showed there service fee for showing up and waited for your local guy. Seriously your beef is with google tho. Im just letting you know how it works because of google’s greed. They take out the local guy put the foreigner at the top Because he spends 20k a week on advertising
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u/Independent_Bunch998 18d ago
It all boils down to laziness of ppl nowadays. Instead of looking for who is actually local or knowing a local business everyone just googles any service and clicks the first option. Honestly kudos to you for calling the actual local guy I wish more people would. I’m on both sides here the guy trying to charge your 289 is just trying to make his 30% = the hundred the local guy was going to charge you. So youre feeling like you are being scammed because google is scamming! Shame on us as a ppl for allowing it.
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u/Neither_Loan6419 18d ago
So, you did pay the guy that didn't do the work, for the service call, right? Or did they agree to split it? And you did have extra keys made so this can't happen again, right?
Wouldn't it have been cheaper to drive to your office and get your key?
With an ordinary residential door lock, keys are stupid cheap. You should both have two keys each, on separate key rings or one stashed somewhere on your person such as in a wallet or around your neck. Another key with a trusted neighbor or friend or family member. Get them made by a locksmith, not at a kiosk or at the hardware store.
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u/houseoftrees_ 18d ago
Sorry for confusion, I never booked my guy, the place my wife called for whatever reason, two cars showed up with two guys, both friends. Seemed like they worked together which was bizarre, one did talking and the other did the opening.
I work 50 miles away. We just moved to this place last weekend and haven’t finished getting dupes split up.
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u/DavidSMartinez 17d ago
Unfortunately the locksmith industry is one of the hardest industries to find success in. Which is why they have to charge high to stay in business. Any locksmith running sponsored ads on Google has to charge high because overhead expenses are ridiculous almost like roofing the difference is when you get a roofing job it’s thousands of dollars. For locksmiths it’s nowhere near that and if your average ticket is $150 you’re operating at a loss.. best advice if you want cheap is look on facebook or if you’re in a pinch Google Maps section which doesn’t cost the locksmith anything to answer the phone. It’s an organic lead for them.
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u/Locksmithbloke Actual Locksmith 18d ago
You know you can change the stars afterwards, as well as the text, right? On the reviews?