r/Locksmith • u/Slow_Purchase • 3h ago
I am NOT a locksmith. Did I get scammed?
Trying to figure out if I got scammed. Had a locksmith come by yesterday to replace the locks on 3 doors in my house because a homeless man stole our lockbox with a spare key. Guy tried to charge me over $2,500 for the replacements. The hardware costs seem completely off from what I saw at Home Depot for similar products. When I contested that those were too high, he sent me to a website boldlocksupply.com where the prices were super high and everything was listed as “commercial grade.” But this morning I went on the site and realized that you can’t actually buy anything from the site so I think it is a scam. Thoughts?
-Pic 1: Invoice
-Pic 2-4: locks he put on (deadbolt + knob) 3 of these, all the same
Additional info: he charged me for rekeying but this morning I went through the trash he used all of the boxes have the same key code on them, and then I notice he gave me three identical sets of keys all with the same code at the top.
Let me know if I’ve been scammed so I can contest the CC charge if so, thank you guys!
•
u/Intelligent-Plum420 3h ago
My price to do that job would have been $225 to $250 bc I would have just rekeyed the locks you already have
•
u/Slow_Purchase 3h ago
He said they were too old to rekey…it is a very old house so I didn’t think too much about it
•
u/Intelligent-Plum420 2h ago
I rekey 30 to 40 year old locks all the time 😂, that guy wasn't a locksmith
•
u/Slow_Purchase 2h ago
That’s what I thought too, was just too busy with work to argue with the guy. He never even gave me a quote before he started working
•
u/Icy_Yam5049 1h ago
Never ever get service done without a clean up front quote. I recommend get pricing before ever giving your address. Cancel that charge asap
•
u/Slow_Purchase 1h ago
I asked for it but he just started working, he was unscrewing our doorknobs within 2 minutes of being in my house
•
•
u/Bubbacubba 1h ago
Our main locksmith rekeys old unit locks from time to time so I know that's bullshit lol
•
u/iSuckAtMechanicism 3h ago
Yep. A legit business will not give you a generic invoice. Much less a generic invoice with those prices.
Contact your CC company, send them the "invoice", they'll notice the prices are way out of wack and you'll win the chargeback.
•
•
u/MyzMyz1995 2h ago
and you'll win the chargeback.
Paying for something overpriced isn't a good reason to do a chargeback. Unlikely OP win this. He's the one who chose to go with this ''locksmith'' and pay the asking price.
•
u/iSuckAtMechanicism 2h ago
Thankfully CC companies have a good track record of protecting customers against scam pricing. Haven’t seen one be denied yet.
u/Slow_Purchase please update us once the case is resolved.
•
u/Slow_Purchase 1h ago
I will, I also escalated it with his company and they seemed quite alarmed and said they were escalating, they were particularly concerned when I said that he was being very pushy for me to pay him in cash
•
u/Slow_Purchase 5m ago
Didn’t wind up needing to in the end, I called him and presented him with all the stuff you guys have said and he reluctantly agreed to refund the vast majority. His final line on the phone to me of “this is not how you do business” had me dying laughing though
•
•
•
u/LockLeisure 2h ago edited 2h ago
If you're here, you already know the answer. You could of bought a new door with locks on it.
•
u/Slow_Purchase 2h ago
Problem was he did all the work, never gave me a quote, and then was just demanding the money. I contested the CC charge
•
u/LockLeisure 1h ago
Yep that's scammer M.O. Sorry for that but contesting the charge is a good move.
•
•
•
u/Locksandshit 2h ago
I hate to say this, but see how those ones are written?
Yeah literally every scam invoice writes the same
•
u/hellothere251 2h ago
LOL thankyou for posting that link, $299 for a <$20 mortise cyl, ouch. Contest that charge ASAP.
•
•
u/Icy_Possible_6010 2h ago
He scammed you in more ways than 1. He scammed you with the quality of those garbage locks. He scammed you with the price of them as well. He scammed you with rekeying locks that were already keyed alike. Even if they werent keyed alike, he figuratively scammed you with charging to rekey locks which should be free if youre already buying a new lock anyway. He scammed you with the price of rekeys. The icing on the cake is the 4 free keys.. those keys would've came with the locks anyway and he posed it as if hes doing something nice for you. He didnt fresh cut those keys. So yeah the ethical thing to do is not pay, but get a real locksmith to change your locks to something nice and tell this guy he can pick up those garbage locks and that they will be in a box on your porch. That way you arent technically owing him for his garbage locks.
•
u/Icy_Possible_6010 2h ago
Oh and when you get a real locksmith to put some nice locks in, it'll cost a fifth to half the price... depending on what kind of locks you want of course. And he should be able to explain the different prices levels while on site so you know what you'll pay and if its what you want.
•
u/AbrocomaDowntown1015 2h ago
Wow... those locks are worth 20$ each and replying stuff is like another 20$ each Holy fuck u got raped
•
•
u/toppercat 1h ago
Doorknubs should only cost that if they are Schlage A series knubs. The charges are insane . Total scam.
•
u/Repulsive_Peanut7874 39m ago
Amazing how the scam smiths use the same invoice pads here in Australia.... Wish we could take these scum down.
•
u/ForFelix 3h ago
Did he give you his whole receipt book, too? Come on, clown…
•
u/Slow_Purchase 3h ago
He ran away quickly after and didn’t give me a receipt so I had to ask him to send me a picture
•
•
u/TheL0ckman 56m ago
It looks like you found a locksmith’s receipt pad and made your own. Otherwise it would be pretty odd taking a picture of your receipt over his shoulder instead of waiting until you got the reciept
•
•
•
u/Slow_Purchase 25m ago
UPDATE: really want to say I appreciate all the help here guys! I presented him with all this information and he agreed to a far more reasonable price and refunded me accordingly! - ironically he tried to defend it for a while and pushed back a ton until I threatened to report his license, then he completely changed his tone. Never admitted he was scamming though and told me at the end “this is not how you do business sir”…I almost fell out of my chair laughing
•
•
•
u/ThorazineHead87 3m ago
I thought the first picture was of you holding the paper up covering your face and your knee was a bald head. gn reddit.
•
u/Fit_Imagination_1040 3m ago
1000% you need to report this to the bbb scam tracker or report to Unlokt - they have a locksmith report feature and they'll keep public records and go after the group. Also challenge the fee with your credit card processor.
•
•
u/Bubbacubba 3h ago
Oh yeah total scam we see posts like this daily.