How to Spot & Avoid a London Locksmith Scammer - London Locksmith Services

If you have locked yourself out of your home or car by accident, it is probably the most annoying thing. You would be worried, embarrassed, and stressed out. In a situation like this, you will not be as attentive to details as you will be in a normal condition while searching for a locksmith in London. This will lead you to ignore certain red flags from a dodgy London locksmith scam. The scam rate is higher than you think, but that doesn’t mean you should have to go through it too. The awareness of scam locksmith operations can save you from getting affected. 

Please read below the tips for avoiding a locksmith scam, how they do it, how to spot a locksmith scam, and how to avoid a Locksmith Scam. By reading this, you will be able to expose scam locksmith operations.

How the Locksmith Scammers Works

The scam starts with an advertisement of a nonexistent company. Usually, you will find many fakes websites and ads. They can be a product of a shady company or a suspicious individual scam. But they will all look alike real. Some of them even have good pictures and customer reviews. There Google's ranking is higher than others, and they offer reasonable rates. All of these will hook you up tightly. Firstly an unsuspecting person calls one of these companies asking for a locksmith, setting the second phase of the scam into motion. The call will be answered by the leading company’s call center based in London. A female operator usually answers the calls. She will offer you irresistibly low rates, a quote you can’t refuse, and then they will contact a sub-contractor in your locality to dispatch them to you. Now, the third phase starts after the locksmith reaches your location. Upon arrival, the locksmith will claim that he has found the problems in your lock and will end up drilling your lock. The now is destroyed, and the hefty amount has added to your bill just substantially. After finishing, he will claim that the job was more complicated than initially anticipated and will ask ten times more than your original quote. No one said you had to react in a typical fashion, though. So don’t let him take advantage.

Ways to Spot a Locksmith Scammer

There are some main points consistent with all the locksmith scammers, and you should be signaled red if you came through these.

The Ad is Too Good to Be True

The rates given in ads are meager; £39 to £59. There might be a storefront picture, but if you dig in, you will find it stolen from a legitimate business. The ad will feature the cheapest rates and claim they are affordable.

The Vague Call

When you contact the given numbers, the scammers don’t answer with an official business name. Instead, they will call themselves 'locksmith' When the female operator will tell you a price, they will quote you a meager price like “£39 and up.” No locksmith can survive or stay in business by charging such a low rate. Give importance to the red flag to avoid being a victim of a locksmith scam

They Don't Response Timely

They will promise 10 to 30 minutes but will take hours for a locksmith to get there. Because they are not close enough as they make you believe, you should be suspicious.

No Official Appearance

When the fake London locksmith reaches you, he will likely be in a casual outfit, not wearing a uniform or have any ID to support his instance of being a London locksmith. The vehicle they bring will not be an official vehicle, and the business markings will be missing. It may have magnetic signage, but that is also not common in a fake locksmith

Real Locksmith Won’t Make Excuses

When the fake locksmith shows up, they will make you believe that you have a ‘high security lock’ or “commercial lock” that can’t be picked easily. He will pressurize you to let him drill the lock. He will destroy your lock and replace it with a lower quality cheap lock but charge you a hefty amount. Just for your information, a real skilled, professional locksmith will always be able to pick a lock without destroying it. The real locksmith mostly don't recommend drilling a lock

Demanding Cash

The scammer will demand cash as it is hard to track. They will try to avoid accepting credit cards because they can be easily tracked. They will charge you a big bill and much more than the original quote.

You Won’t Be Able to Make Contact after Service

Once the work is done and the locksmith left, you won’t hear from him or the London Locksmith company. You cant reach the company, and if you luckily get in touch with them, they will always blame the engineer, saying that they have set prices, you’d only hear them saying that they have fired the technician and nothing more can be done.

Work with a Locksmith You Can Trust

The London Locksmith has been proudly serving residential and commercial services for decades. The practice of unregulated trading within the locksmithing industry has affected the industry a lot. If you are searching for a trustworthy locksmith service provider, The London Locksmith is the best in the business. Contact us on 0203 189 1283. We have your back and will be there for you to regain your security.