NY Fraudulent Locksmith Sued In Wisconsin

NY based Locksmiths Inc. has been sued in Wisconsin for doing business under 113 different business names, listing a different, fake address for each business name and a different phone number for each listing, all which rang through to the one company.

Majority of customers wouldn't do business with a company that uses misleading and false advertising techniques, but most of them aren't aware that it's even happening. Arizona has been inundated with fraudulent locksmiths using these same practices. Our local phone books and internet listings are riddled with hundreds, if not thousands, of business names that list false addresses and whose phone numbers ring to an out of state call center. Finding the reliable, local locksmiths among these fraudulent listings is a time consuming and almost impossible task for a consumer, many of which are in an emergency lock-out situation and don't have the time or resources to figure it out. They believe that the printer of the phone book or the host of the internet listing site has "policed" their listings, which majority of the time is not the case. Many of the phone books and internet sites purchase their listings from another source, where the fraudulent listings are already posted, spreading their poison even further and causing more harm to the local locksmiths that are being robbed of revenue.

The article states, "The single company in New York gave the illusion of being many local companies by advertising in telephone directories and internet listings, a practice that has come under scrutiny of consumer investigators across the country".

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/article_4e39500a-cb2c-11de-bde2-001cc4c03286.html

Find your local Locksmith Shop NOW just to be safe!

Check out our past posts or our website for consumer tips on making sure you are choosing a local locksmith! Feel free to call us or even come by our local Mesa Locksmith shop to share your story if you've been a victim of these wannabe locksmiths.

Lock Bumping - 90% of America's Home ARE AT RISK!

We are an authorized Mul-T-Lock dealer! Mul-T-Lock is a patented secured keyway offering you an affordable high security option to protect your family or business, that is truly bump proof / resistant!

Following information is courtesy of http://www.lockbumping.org/:

-Lock bumping can open 90+% of American homes which use an old style cylinder lock which is vulnerable to lock bumping key.

-Your home's door lock can even be bumped by a 10 year old child.

-Anyone can make bump keys in 5 minutes or less.

-When a lock bumping key is used to break into your house then there is no signs of forced entry or damage to the lock. This makes the insurance companies very weary in paying for the claim.

-You could loose everything and not get compensated because of a lock bumping key.

-With the digital underworld abuzz about this new home security threat, safety experts say it's time to protect yourself against lock bumping and bump keys.

Fraud in AZ - 3 On Your Side, Gary Harper "Valley Woman Locks Horns with Locksmith Company"

Right here in the valley, unsuspecting citizens are being victimized by these unscrupulous thieves. Here is an excerpt from an article where Gary Harper, of 3 On Your Side from Channel 3 KTVK here in Phoenix, Arizona did an undercover sting on a so called locksmith....

Remember Lisa Mendez? She was prepared to pay $55 plus labor for a locksmith to unlock her front door. She wound up paying $300.
So, 3 On Your Side went undercover and called the same locksmith.
Locksmith rep: "Locksmith. How can I help you?"
Producer: "Yes, I locked my keys in my car. How much would it cost to unlock, say, our car door?
Locksmith rep: "It's a $55 service charge."
Producer: "Fifty-five dollars, that's it?"
Locksmith rep: "That's the service charge for the technician to come out."
Producer: "OK, are there any additional charges?"
Locksmith rep: "To open up the lock, it could be $20 to $50 more.
So, according to the verbal quote, we're prepared to pay up to $105. That includes the service call.
Within 20 minutes our locksmith pulls up in a brand-new unmarked Honda and before he ever pulls out a tool, he talks money.
Locksmith technician: "It's a $189 credit or debit or $175 cash."
Harper: "One hundred eighty-nine dollars?"
Turns out he says he's not even with the company we called. We called Lock and Key, but he claims he's with a company called 24/7.
Regardless, he stands firm on the $189.
Locksmith technician: "Every car is different. Some cars are more expensive than that. But we go by what it costs to break a window. To break a window on any car can be twice as expensive."
I never had him unlock our car door, but I did go ahead and pay the $55 service charge for coming out. You could call it a $55 lesson.
As for Mendez, she wants you to learn from her mistake
"This has got to stop because this is a rip-off," she said.
By the way, I called the company numerous times looking for comment on my report. They never called me back. I even went to their address, the one listed in the Yellow Pages, but the address doesn't exist.

State to state, city to city - this is same story time and time again, only thing that changes is the amount you're overcharged and their so called justification for doing so!

We here at AMERICAN KEY & SAFE offer ALL INCLUSIVE pricing, meaning the price we quote you is the price you'll pay, there are no hidden fees or charges! Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed!!!!





http://www.azfamily.com/news/3oys/stories/KTVK3OYS20060821_locksmith.21b44d9b.html