I received a call last week from a woman who afterwards hired me to do what the first locksmith wouldn’t or didn’t know how to but still charged her $100 yet no work was completed.
She had recently hired a locksmith to come and repair a malfunctioning handle set on her front door. She called a locksmith company and asked them to send over a locksmith to repair the front door Handle Set. The caller had access to the house through a back door and the door was open so there was no locked-out situation just a removal of broke hardware and a replacement installed. The locksmith company she had called quoted $35 to come out. A locksmith came and removed the handle from the door. He then told her to “just pick a new one up from Home Depot”. When it came time to pay he charged her $35 for coming out and $50 to remove the latch handle. After tax the bill came to just under $100.
The handle was held in with 3 visible philips head screws. The work required was minimal and compatible pieces were readily available.
Bewildered as to why the technician could not replace the piece and on the advice of this “locksmith” my client then proceeded to Home Depot. The staff were helpful in trying to locate the piece but they did not stock one in the dimensions needed to cover the current preparation holes on the door. So not only did the locksmith charge without completing work, he also gave bad advice.
She then called me. I informed her about this common consumer scam and came over to access the situation. The next day I picked up the right piece from a supplier and had it installed in a half an hour.
It was a simple, typical situation. Malfunctioning handle sets are common.
This is the receipt from the phoney locksmith. Personal information and the company name have been removed:
For installation service and to replace malfunctioning hardware Contact Vancouver Mobile Locksmith.