Locksmith scams are more of an issue in America, but it doesn’t mean Australians shouldn’t be careful too.
Some of these scams include:
• Significantly overcharging customers
• Charging for unnecessary services. All good Locksmiths will charge a call out fee, which covers travel and the wages for the worker, if they do not charge a call out fee, they will make you pay for it in other ways (eg. Over charge you for parts or change entire locks rather than rekeying or destroying locks and replacing them rather than correctly unlocking them).
• Failing to give refunds for bad work or responding to customer complaints.
• Using the internet to impersonate other companies.
• Insisting that cash is the only payment option.
The best way to make sure a Locksmith is legitimate:
• When you call a locksmith on the phone, make sure they answer with their company name instead of giving a generic response in case they are impersonating another company and have multiple numbers redirecting to them. It has been reported in America that scammers have posted ads impersonating reputable companies with their own phone number listed instead.
• Make sure they list a real physical location for their head office on their site (not a PO box or a fake address).
• They should probably arrive in a well presented uniform with a branded van.
• Check to see if the company is a member of the Master Locksmith Association.
Our company TopLock Locksmiths in Melbourne, Australia strive to give our customers the best possible experience from your first point of contact with our phone being answered in our Northcote head office by our experienced Service Manager during business hours and qualified staff with any after hours calls that are made. All of our Locksmiths wear full uniforms and drive distinctive branded vehicles.
Our Locksmiths also accept multiple payment methods Eftpos, credit card, direct bank deposit , cash or cheque (only if you are an existing account holder with us).
