Pop-A-Lock Provides Leadership to "Fight The Scammers"

Here is a great post from the corporate office of Pop-A-Lock. It is very important if you are a consumer to verify your locksmith with the BBB at a very minimum.



An issue of concern that threatens to defraud consumers is the widespread proliferation of “Scammers” in the Locksmith industry. Legitimate locksmiths are concerned about the potential harm to consumers and are working together to combat this problem. Pop-A-Lock® is the largest locksmith provider in the country serving more than 4,000 communities in 40 states and is currently working with state, national and industry agencies to establish stricter guidelines and increased accountability within the locksmith industry.
Robert Reynolds, Director of Operations for Pop-A-Lock®, has been on the front lines for many years working with others in the locksmith community to crack down on the “scammers”. Joined by the largest locksmith industry association, The Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA.org), Pop-A-Lock® has been pursing action to cure the problem of “Phony Locksmiths”. ALOA has presented evidence of the problem to various state agencies and at an Attorney Generals’ conference. ALOA and Pop-A-Lock® have also been archiving customer complaints and providing information to consumers and locksmiths who have been affected by these scams.
The Better Business Bureau issued a nationwide warning regarding questionable business practices of certain multi-regional companies operating as locksmiths. The report indicated that the BBB experienced a 75% increase in complaints against locksmiths in a 12 month period.
The two main unethical / illegal practices most troubling for those who are interested in protecting the public are:
1) Massive listing of phone numbers associated with fake addresses. For example, in a recent Austin , TX utility phone book, over 13 pages of in-line phone listings were added to the locksmith category of the phone book. The vast majority of addresses were either fictitious or were not associated with any locksmith business, often to the frustration of the actual tenant of the address. The false address issue is a direct effort to overwhelm a potential consumer with choices…choices that all lead to the same company.
2) The practice of giving incomplete and often misleading pricing at the time a customer requests service, then adding huge amounts to the bill upon arrival or at the end of service. The ‘price switch’ problem takes advantage of a trick of language on the expressions “service call” or to “come out”’, particularly when an emergency service is involved. The scam goes something like this:
-The customer contacts a phone number associated with one of the phony addresses (thinking the technician is right around the corner).
-The customer indicates that they are locked out of their home, vehicle or business, and the dispatcher informs them that a technician will be dispatched out.
-If no price is asked, none is offered.
-If a cost for services is asked, a vague response of “It is _____ to come out and $10.00 and up to open it.”
-What happens then is the technician shows up at the call and produces an invoice for several times the amount that was quoted, usually with the excuse that the vehicle is difficult to open and that is why the service cost so much. For reference, it is an accepted industry practice to charge a higher amount to open certain vehicles, usually because of specialized tools or training required to open the vehicle. A late model BMW with a deadlocking feature is an example of such an instance. However, most standard vehicles such as Ford, Chevy, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan etc. can be quoted ‘sight unseen’ and have very little variance in difficulty.
-In the case of accessing a house or business they often have not been trained to perform lock bypass techniques such as picking or other form of lock manipulation so they produce a drill, destroy the lock and then charge hundreds of dollars more than the original quote.
Consumers should establish a relationship with a locksmith before they need one to avoid the confusion and misleading information that the scammers rely on. Ask for referrals and check out your next locksmith with the Better Business Bureau and ALOA (ALOA.org).
A complete list of ALOA approved Pop-A-Lock® locations and phone numbers can be found at the company’s website, http://www.popalock.com/, or by calling 1-800-popalock.
For more information regarding the efforts of Pop-A-Lock® and ALOA to fight the “scammers”, contact Rob Reynolds 337-316-3693 or by email http://us.mc319.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=pop@lock.com