TIPS TO AVOID LOCKSMITH SCAMS AND HOW TO FIND A LOCAL LOCKSMITH
Find a Local Locksmith Company Information
Your first though whenever you are locked yourself out of your Residence, Business or Automobile is to get a family member or friend to help you out of your situation, if we had a spare set of keys. Your next call will probably be to call a Locksmith, but before you make that call, consider this: According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, a lot of locksmith advertising in your local area, may not be local at all. They may not even have a professional training and what is even worst, some of them may use intimidating tactics to overcharge you.
WHEN "LOCAL" ES REALLY LONG DISTANCE
Consider this scenario: A company far away from your town chooses a name for its business that is very similar to the name used by a local locksmith company. The company advertises in your area using a local telephone number and a local address. When you call the number, you are actually connected to a call center in another city, what's more, there's no locksmith shop at the address listed and a lot of those companies pay top dollars for advertising to other companies that promise to put their business on the top search of any search browser.
Some who claim to be a "Local Locksmith" company may have multiple listings with different names, sometimes 10 or more separate listings in a single page when you are searching for a locksmith. However, the call to each of these number go back to the same central number in a distant city, where operators dispatch untrained individual, but not always to do the job.
Most of these companies will not tell you the total cost for the service you are requesting, because they subcontract local (so called locksmith) to whom they pay a low percentage, usually 30%, sometimes 35% or 40%. Some of them do not have a register company with The Division of Corporations. Here is a link you can click on http://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ByName or copy and paste in your browser, it will take you to the Sunbiz official State of Florida website. Once you're in that page, the entity or company name on the proper search box and conduct a search. If the company you're enquiring about is register, the company will pop up and it will said ACTIVE OR NOT ACTIVE. (Make sure is says ACTIVE} In addition, most of all those companies do not have an occupational license issue by the city of Naples or whatever city they may be operating on and if that is the case, those companies are operating and conducting business illegally, most of them if not all do not have insurance or a General Liability to cover any damages while performing work in your Residence, Business or Automobile.
Most of those companies send someone to do the job and they will show up at your place in an unmarked vehicle or in their own private vehicles and what is worse, they do not have the proper training or knowledge to perform the job in a professional manner. You may get a quote a low price on the phone, keep in mind that the price you are giving may only cover the service fee or service call. The one who actually determine the final charge for the service requested is the so-called locksmith who arrives to render service. He may want significantly more money in order for him to make money, because the percentage they get is too low. The locksmith also may accept only cash, in some cases some of them may have a register company with the State of Florida. Before the locksmith gets dispatch to your location, make sure you get a set final price, request a total charge for the service requested, if they refuse to give you one.........move on and find another locksmith company. Don't fall on the trap, (It is a SCAM and you will end up paying too much money for the service your requesting. Always check and compare with other locksmith companies, make a few phone calls, before you make your final election as to who you're going to hire to do the job, so you can have an idea if the price they are quoting you is fair or not.
I hope this article will help you in choosing the right locksmith company, in our company we have a fair price structure, if you need us call or text us at 1-239-687-6564, you can also email us at msuarez@colliercountylocksmith.com