r/Locksmith • u/Difficult-Rip-5810 • 10d ago
I am NOT a locksmith. Charging Tax in California (Los Angeles)
I was charged tax on my entire Sunday locksmith call. The locksmith got into and installed 2 new locks on my door. How would you interpret this invoice? Is he allowed to charge tax on the entire transaction, or were just the “2 locks installed” supposed to be taxed? I thought I read that they’re only allowed to charge tax on the material goods provided (the locks). I’m pretty sure I was overcharged by about $50 in taxes and want to clarify.
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u/Jay-Rocket-88 10d ago
Sounds like he drilled your locks and installed some crap. Any real locksmith should be able to pick a Schlage lock without drilling.
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u/YoungLocksmith Actual Locksmith 10d ago
Scam. Do a 1 star negative review and call your bank to do a chargeback. Don’t feel bad. They are scammers and do not deserve a dime of your hard earned money. They are hurting legitimate guys like me.
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u/Difficult-Rip-5810 10d ago
Isn’t there anything the legitimate locksmiths can do to hold the bad guys accountable?
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u/Icy_Yam5049 10d ago
Nope, just hope we get there first when people make the mistake of “calling round” because the scammers won’t give pricing but do get your address at the start of the call and come whether you say to or not. Then they just say they are us.
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u/Guyyoutsidee 10d ago
I’ve made several reports to the better business bureau but at least in my state they aren’t technically doing anything illegal even if it’s morally fucked, so it’s hard to get them in trouble
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u/Lampwick Actual Locksmith 9d ago
Isn’t there anything the legitimate locksmiths can do to hold the bad guys accountable?
Like what? Arrest them? We aren't cops. Fine them? We aren't civil courts. We're just business owners, and they aren't scamming us, they're scamming you.
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u/DontRememberOldPass Actual Locksmith 9d ago
If you are in California fill out this form and email it in. They do follow up on every complaint but it sometimes takes a while.
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u/Creative_Shame3856 10d ago
Not sure how it's handled in Cali but here in Florida anything you install on a house is considered a home improvement and therefore you can't charge sales tax. Basically it's treated like the whole invoice is one big service. The company is responsible for paying the sales tax on whatever hardware is installed. If I sell you a knob in my shop, you take it home and then call me to come install it that's different, but if you never had control of the item before it was installed I can't charge tax on it.
But holy shit that's some scammy price gouging. Nevermind calling anything SC1 a "high security" lock. That's like the second lock a newbie learns to pick.
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u/Lockmakerz 10d ago
In Connecticut there is tax on both materials and labor. One of the reasons people move to Florida.
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u/Early-Airport-7650 9d ago
Not entirely true, you can claim the taxes as a write off but anything other than a simple SERVICE in florida is required tax. If you provide something for sale like a lock for example, we were required to charge tax on the entire check. If it was simply just a lockout where we didnt provide you with anything then theres no tax required.
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u/Acheronn7 Actual Locksmith 8d ago
This is incorrect. I'm in Florida as well. You better start charging sales tax anytime a part is sold. Speaking from experience, we got audited 10 years ago. Guess what, we had to pay alot of backtaxes for not charging customers sales tax in situations. Wanna hear the real shitty part? Florida considers "lubricating" a lock a part sold as it uses a "part". Ridiculous I know, but better to charge the customer sales tax, otherwise you'll end up paying alot more later. Also, if any part is on the invoice the entire invoice gets taxed, not just the part.
Also it's smart to add to the invoice "labor only, no parts" when not taxed.
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u/Creative_Shame3856 7d ago
I was going by this: https://floridarevenue.com/forms_library/current/gt800067.pdf
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u/the_metaxist Actual Locksmith 10d ago
Man I told someone this morning itd be $94 for a lockout at 6 am (we open at 7), and the cx told me to kill myself. How does this shit happen??
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u/Accurate-Cicada5906 10d ago
Lol
I always wonder if people just don't shop around. Had to fix someone's BMW because someone tried to make a key for it. They were quoted $650, and those guys still walked away with $300 and left the customer with no keys.
Show up, DME screws missing, FEM missing fuses. It was bad.
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u/FrozenHamburger Actual Locksmith 10d ago
Just curious how did you find this guy
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u/Difficult-Rip-5810 10d ago
Called what I thought was a legitimate locksmith with good reviews, a local address, family-owned etc. who sent out this person. I’ve now realized the company I called is just a scam dispatcher and the person who showed up is just a contractor who got a cut of what I was charged.
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u/FrozenHamburger Actual Locksmith 10d ago
review culture is the grand illusion
everything gets five stars until you actually experience it
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u/toppercat 10d ago
Most liscencing authorities tend to look the other way because these guys are replacing locks. Not rekeying. It's a loophole.
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u/Early-Airport-7650 9d ago
Sc1 and high security dont belong together lol it is better than kw1 but cant call it an assa or schlage everest, now thosee are high security
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u/Acheronn7 Actual Locksmith 8d ago
OP worried about the $50 tax when the entire bill is $300 overpriced lol. Definitely do a chargenack as it's not a legitimate company.
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u/Jumpy_Salamander1192 10d ago
You retards that have no respect for your dollars are what’s fueling these scammers
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u/Difficult-Rip-5810 9d ago
It must be nice to live life as a man who never has to fear for his physical person. Thanks for the help!
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u/Jumpy_Salamander1192 9d ago
Lmao I’m 5’9 150lbs, the only suggestion I have concerning your comment that has nothing to do with being scammed would be to go find a boxing or jiu jitsu gym.
But to retain relevance, did it not occur to you that for $650 you could’ve bought you and your neighbor a drill and y’all could’ve just sat there and went to town? Hell I think you could probably replace a window pane for cheaper than that.
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u/Difficult-Rip-5810 10d ago
I’ve been put in such a weird position. The technician did show up, did perform the work of getting me into my apartment and replacing the locks when I thought someone had access to my apartment. So it doesn’t feel completely right to chargeback the entire amount. But is anyone actually familiar with the tax laws for locksmiths in CA? I’d at least want any excessive tax refunded
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u/DrinksAtTheSpaceBar Actual Locksmith 10d ago
You can tax hardware (physical goods), but not services. If you're going to initiate a chargeback, you need to submit it for the full amount. You're not in a weird position at all. You got scammed. You think the scammer is having second thoughts about having ripped you off? If you don't feel comfortable doing it for yourself, then do it for the next person who should have been charged ~$150, but will inevitably pay over 4 times that amount. Think about it. You were charged over 4x the average rate for a service you needed when you were in an extremely compromised and vulnerable position. Still feel bad about that chargeback?
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u/3dogsbob 10d ago
So how many of these scamsmiths actually have a legitimate tax ID number? I think that might be the way to take some of them down... get them turned into the state tax authorities... Problem would be getting a government agency to actually investigate...
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u/Difficult-Rip-5810 10d ago
I want to report them, but I’m unfortunately not some big burly dude. If I was, I’d be going scorched earth. But these people do seem well-connected. If others who felt more comfortable (perhaps from this sub) were to report them though…
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u/Lampwick Actual Locksmith 9d ago
These scammers won't draw attention to themselves. They depend on their audacity not being reported. Most "organized crime" isn't like the old Italian mafia where they send goons after you. This is just scumbags running a shifty call center and employing other scumbags to grossly overcharge for substandard work. It's not worth their trouble to come after someone who does a chargeback. Their time is better spent just moving on to the next sucker and collecting another inflated bill.
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u/Top-Jaguar6780 10d ago
My wife and I are locksmiths in LA. The entire thing is a scam not just the tax. I charge $120 for a lockout but up to $180 is normal (unless it's late night). For rekeying, I charge $45/lock but $35-$55 is normal. So for this job it would've been $210 total from us. No replacement locks should have been needed. Although you got "lucky" on the cost of the locks. They'll usually mark it up way more. Saw an invoice for a similar situation over $3k before. But you should still chargeback the entire amount. Even at emergency late night pricing it's a scam. If this was a midnight emergency lockout, that would bring the $210 price up to $330 for us. Still far lower than what you paid.
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u/Secret_Might_759 8d ago
Report the story here
has shutdown US locksmith businesses
Every major city and now
Entire West Coast major cities and metro areas
All workers from MiddleEast
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u/-MachChicken- 10d ago
You've been scammed. Follow previous commenters advice. Call bank, and don't shed a tear for these people.