Losing your car keys is among the worst things that can happen in your life. It is unfortunate and requires you to react immediately. Numerous locksmith scammers aim towards car owners, especially during these urgent times. Looking for a locksmith online is not a crime, but it would help if you knew that many scammers are masquerading as ideal locksmiths. They do not own local shops, and you can find them miles away from your state. Some of them lack any training whatsoever for this procedure. If you are wondering how you can bypass these scams and get genuinely authentic services, visit 1800unlocks for the best services. Below we discuss how these scammers operate.
The scam commences with an ad for a company that does not exist. These fake companies have many ads advertising their services, and a shady scammer is behind that. It is hard to tell real ads from fake ones because all of them look legitimate. These ads even have pictures of their workers and clients, while others have reviews from their clients. They have high ranks on their sites and have fair prices compared to their competitors. Please be keen while contacting an online locksmith company because they are all very enticing.
After unsuspecting clients contact these enterprises for the service, they divert the call to a call center situated out of the nation in most cases. They offer you a hard-to-refuse deal and pretend to send a contractor who resides near you. Once the locksmith reaches your place, they might claim to have problems with the lock and open it. Since the lock is damaged, there will be an increase in the bill. Here, they say that the task is more difficult than they thought and charge close to ten times what you had agreed.
Here is how you can find a scammer without having to do a lot of research and save yourself from misery. Consider the following as red flags before losing your money to scammers.
Source: Locksmith Cannock
Contents
1. Ads are too enticing
You might have come across advertisements that seem to the allure. The main aim is to catch customer’s eyes. Scammers to that by publishing advertisements that mention cheap prices. Because people look for cheap services, it is a window of opportunity for the scammers. It is cheap to have an ad on a site, ranging from $15 to 25. These online companies might entail a photo of the front. It would help to conduct a reverse search to know if the picture belongs to another company. Cost, if you find such an advertisement, make sure to analyze the price they are offering. If the emphasis is continuously on the cheap price, the service is probably a big scam. If it isn’t a scam, it is still going to have hidden costs. So, check to confirm if the advert is emphasizing how cheap their costs are.
Source: Medium
2. They respond slowly
Professional services don’t make the customers wait. They have a strong team that caters to the needs of their customers. So, if you contact such services and don’t get a reply in the time they promised, the service is probably fake. For top companies, customer experience is everything. And when you have to wait for a longer time, you won’t have a good experience. Therefore, you should get suspicious if the staff takes hours to reply even if they promised to do so in 20 minutes. The delay in response might happen because they are not in your area as they had initially implied. There are higher chances that it is a clear case of scam.
Source: Ufhrd 2017 Home Blog
3. They lack consistency when they arrive
Professionalism is everything. The looks let alone the professionalism of a worker can tell you a lot about the company. So, when you ask for a service online, you expect the employee to be on his best professional behavior. However, if the worker lacks a proper look, uniform, or work identification card, there is a solid chance that something is fishy. When these scammers come, they will probably lack a uniform or an identification card that indicates he works professionally. Furthermore, you can check to see if the vehicle has the branding of their company. These small things can tell you so much about the scammers. Furthermore, a locksmith that is too friendly can also be a sign that he is a scam. A professional locksmith will mind his own business and don’t prolong the work by making small chats or making drills.
Source: Locksmith Winnipeg
4. They would insist to drill and replace the lock
Scammer locksmiths will continuously insist to drill your lock and replace the lock with their own locks. So, if they say so, make sure you don’t let them do that. It is highly likely that the scammers will install their system that will be a problem for you. Therefore, if a locksmith continuously stresses upon installing a new lock or drilling in the previous lock, know that something is not right about that locksmith. Also, a professional locksmith wouldn’t have to drill in to solve the lock issues. He can unlock any lock without ruining it.
Conclusion
Today with the increase of business online, you will find several scammers posting on the internet and claiming to be legitimate locksmiths. However, in reality, not everyone who claims to be a professional locksmith is one. Most scammers act as locksmiths but are actually scammers. So, before you choose a locksmith service online, it would help to conduct background research on the company before entrusting them with a task. With the above tips, it is easy to differentiate an honest locksmith from a scammer. So, when opting for an online locksmith service, keep your eyes and ears open.
