Sadly, in the past few years, the security industry has been infected with companies claiming to be Locksmiths and other security professionals with nothing more than a yellow pages ad to show for it. These companies put multiple listings in the local phone book under the "Locksmith" category, often times using false addresses indicating that they have a retail location in the community when many of these streets and addresses to not even exist (or in some cases even belong to other businesses!). These people are NOT locksmiths or security professionals! Incoming phone calls go to a headquarters in New York or Florida and local employees are dispatched to do the work.
Because these employees are not trained security professionals, they do not know the best way to open a house or repair a lock. We have heard countless stories of these "scammers" drilling out entire locks to open a door instead of simply picking the lock (and then leaving the drilled out, broken pieces in a heap on the ground)! These "fake" locksmiths then charge anywhere from 150 to 260 dollars and leave the customer with a broken and drilled out lock that will need to be replaced. We have heard stories of 200 dollar service calls to open vehicles and then causing damage to the linkages inside the car door. Often times, these "scammers" will not quote a price over the phone and will not confirm a price until the work is done and it's too late.
Please be aware of these "scammers". Our industry is trying hard to bring to light the problems these corrupt businesses are causing, but as with any big task, change moves slowly. Regardless of the security professional you choose, please make sure that they are qualified, and actually part of the community so will be around should any problems arise.
Vrana Lock and Safe, LLC
BEWARE OF "SCAMMERS" AND "FAKE" LOCKSMITHS!!!!
