Make sure your locksmith is local!

Don't get taken advantage of by phony locksmiths. These "scammer" locksmith companies have been giving the industry a bad name. Basically what happens is you need into your car or home, you go to the phone book or the online search engine of your choice. You type in locksmith from your phone and get a few of the local listings available in your area, or you start dialing from the phone book. If you are lucky you will find a legitimate locksmith, the odds are not in your favor though.  What happens is your call gets routed to a call center in some other city. You get quoted a rate that seems more than reasonable. When the "locksmith" shows up they might be able to actually do the job without damaging your vehicle or lock. Once again the odds are not always in your favor. Upon completion of services you receive a bill that has sky rocketed from your original quote. When you ask why there is a difference,  you will more than likely get some drawn out story about how the office quoted you for just the service call alone, and this and that had to be done to get you taken care of. There have been people that have been bullied into paying 3 or 4 times what they were quoted.

Ok, so who can you trust? How can you tell the good from the bad? Well the phone book or the search engine listing isn't always the best place to start. The best place to start is through a referral, call a friend or a couple of friends. We all know somebody who has locked themselves out at least once. Ask them who they used and how they thought the service was. Next thing you can do if you are going to use the internet is utilize services like Angie's List. Reputable services like this usually won't steer you wrong, and if there is a bad experience the company almost always tries everything in their power to make it right. Next thing you would want to try is check out local listings and see what people are saying about these companies. If the company has had a few good reviews from people that have used their service,  it is worth a shot.

Another thing to keep in mind is that if the price quote sounds too good, it probably won't stay that way. When the "locksmith" gets there, before he performs any service, GET THE QUOTE IN WRITING! A good locksmith will be able to give you an estimate and pretty much stick to it. The reason I say "pretty much" is that you don't always know what lies beneath the obvious, but they will confirm that you want the work done before proceeding. Legitimate locksmiths have been trained and had enough field experience to be able to predict worst case scenarios. So keep in mind that if you are getting quoted  an extremely low price, you running a risk of a hiring someone not very capable of doing the work right, or a final bill that looks quite different from the quote. Real locksmiths quotes will usually tend to be a little higher than the phonies, but you will be getting a competent technician. 

Make sure you locksmith is local and legit! Anyone needing service in the Indianapolis and surrounding areas give me a call. Click HERE for contact information to Hood's Locksmith Service. If  for some reason I can not solve your problem, I have no problems referring one of my capable competitors. I would love your business, but I am backed up or unavailable, I want to make sure YOU are taken care of professionally and promptly.