For most of us, a cheap and a good service is the desirable goal to get, but when an economical offer for a job which has always been pricey comes into our hands, suspicion should be activated. This situation is very common in the locksmith industry with customers choosing to work with cheap locksmith and then regretting all over about it.
The reasons why this is a truly bad idea is going to be exposed in the following points:
1. CHEAP SERVICES USUALLY MEANS LOW QUALITY OUTCOMES
Giving little you would obtain little, so it is not a surprise if you hire a cheap service that you get very bad quality results. If at the end of the job done by a locksmith, the price seems to be amazingly low, the consequences would be reflected in a very bad job and the rehiring of another locksmith to replace and/or improve the work done previously.
2. TURN INTO ANOTHER SCAM VICTIM
Most of the time, when a cheap locksmith offers the service, it would turn into an old scam of the bait and switch scam. In this situation, the offer seems very attractive at the beginning, but later on the locksmith changes the prices or argues that the job requires more investment. If there is a denial to pay the extra cost, they would leave the project unfinished leaving you with no other choice but to pay what they ask to get the job done.
3. MORE DAMAGE THAN GOOD IS DONE
Working with a cheap locksmith is not only about poor results obtained, but also there is the problem of an increased damage in the job asked to be solved in the first place. This risk is higher when the work is performed by an amateur with no clue of what has to be done. So it will not be a surprise to hire an expert in the area and spend more money than expected.
4. THEY ARE NOT PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED AND CERTIFIED
Although it is not the case with all cheap locksmiths, most of them are not professional. The lack of certification of the business would leave you unprotected for any legal action to take.
5. BIGGER SCAMS CAN BE HIDDEN IN A CHEAP LOCKSMITH
Beside the old bait and switch scam, a cheap locksmith would also ask for the whole payment in advance with the promise that they would only finish the job with the money in hand. Thinking that this is a gold opportunity to solve your problem at a very cheap price, you pay all the cash requested. The next thing happening is the disappearance of the locksmith and your money as well.
6. THEY ARE NOT USUAALY INSURED
If the locksmith you hired is charging way less than others in the same field for the same sort of job, you would get very suspicious about it since insurance of the job is not a cheap thing. If that is the case, they are not insured and that would be reflected in vulnerability on your side in case of a wrongdoing during the performance of the project. So, it is advisable to invest money in an insured professional and that would cover your back in case of something going wrong.
7. CHEAP LOCKSMITHS ARE UNRELIABLE
If a cheap locksmith is chosen to perform any project or repairing, then the dealing with a lot of unreliability is going to be done frequently during the time of the project. These can vary from unfilled deadlines to breaks of contracts that would be more expensive in terms not only of money but time and energy. A professional with prices ranging in the normal level would be hired, avoiding with this all the worries that a cheap worker would surely bring.
To avoid being trapped with this sort of services, there are some factors that would warn you about dealing with an unprofessional locksmith and get away from a possible scam. Be very careful if the following would happen:
· The name of the company found online is just a general geographic area.
The majority of the “locksmith services” are not real companies at all. Frequently they are call centers that sub-contract locksmiths as soon as a client asks for one. These “companies” with names like “Best Boston Locksmiths” appear on your research, consider it an alarming sign and avoid it at all cost.
· They try to avoid naming the company when the service is required.
At the moment you call any service company, the first thing you hear is the name of the company loud and clear along with the name of the person answering your call. If a company is not clearly identified at the moment of answering back a call, consider it a red flag and it is probably one of the conglomerates mentioned above. Since these call centers get under subcontract several locksmiths, you would never get a real name of any service of the kind and it would be messy to try to reach “the company” once again
· Getting transferred several times in a single phone call.
If at the moment of requiring the service your phone is delayed by several transferences to one person to another, you would be facing a scam and the service would be not in the high quality range expected. With legitimate locksmiths, a phone call would be transferred just once, not several times like with a cheap locksmith or a call center service.
To be sure that you are hiring a reliable service provider, be alert about all mentioned above and take the following aspect into consideration:
1. Be certain that the locksmith is you area or nearby.
2. Get referrals of the provider by family and friends.
3. Use the Internet, but be certain that you find a real company name online.
4. Assure yourself of cost and insurance of the locksmith’s services.
5. Always keep at hand, numbers of locksmiths recommended by others or those who has performed project for you before.
All these factors would help you get the desired results and would avoid any stressful situation, providing you a peaceful and relax state of mind.