another scam victim

Flam's just re-keyed the locks for a wonderful person who called because she just felt scammed by another Valley locksmith (Another one starting with an A).

She called them for a simple re-key on a Weslock handle set and the locksmith told her she needed a new lock, that what she had was no longer made and proceeded to install a new deadbolt and knob in its place.

She realized shortly thereafter that they probably took advantage of her and her friend told her to call Flam's. We told her to call and get the lock back and they returned and reinstalled it and then we went and rekeyed it. The lock was not broken, it did not need replacing and they charged her almost $300.00 of which they are only refunding $97.00.

She also said the locksmith they sent out called her back yelling and calling her names and left her so scared that she wouldn't call the police or push for a larger refund.

Like she said, this was a very expensive and harrowing lesson.

Tip #1:Locksmith Scams

Complaints about locksmiths have increased by 77% since 2007 and the articles about scams are abundant to back it up.

Who are you handing your keys to and who are you letting hand you your new keys?

When you call a locksmith is your first question "how much do you charge?" OR "who are you?"

It's your life and property-do you know what credentials are required? Do you take their word for it or ask them to fax you a copy? Are they a mobile service, here today and gone tomorrow?
Do you think all locksmiths are equal?

Think about it, you wouldn't be calling in the first place if you didn't have a security concern, right? Then it makes sense that your first step in protection is the "who" not the "how much"!