Local Consumer Reporter Sting operation Exposes Crooked Locksmiths.

[doosey]

Local cable station had an undercover consumer report exposing crooked locksmiths. What a riot!

Case #1...

Toyota Camry 4 door with the key in the ignition owner "locked out".

Roadside assistance (they didn't say who) sends a Locksmith, NOT a dragon wagon, but a Locksmith. They hid the company name on his van, but it did say Locksmith. He quoted her $140 to open the door. He arrives on site, looking like he just rolled out of a flophouse.

The lady (really a reporter) has to keep asking him to repeat himself because he doesn't seem to be speaking English. Phrases/words like "yooose" "we is" "I is" and so forth seem to be a staple of his vocabulary. I got the feeling he knew his sister very well.

I also notice she (the reporter) keeps her distance, more than likely because the stench of the smith is unbearable.

So anyway he starts to work on the door which is really funny because the idiot never bothered to check to see if any of the other doors were open.

In fact the passenger rear door WAS unlocked and the reporter brought this to his attention after he unlocked the car (50 minutes BTW with a Pro-Lok kit) this boy must have been very dense.

When confronted with the evidence the smith says "you should have told me the door was opened"....

Even *I* couldn't believe that one.....

Case #2

An owner locked out of her apartment on the ground floor of a garden apartment complex. Smith arrives and totally ignores the fact that the window to his left is completely open, no screen, nothing. Oh he glances at it and smiles, but never offers to climb into it or even point it out.

Charges her $210 to drill out the locks and then gives her his card so he can sell her replacement locks.

This guy just left when confronted with the fact that he was caught.

There you have it. Locksmiths in action.

And I used to think insurance salesmen and used car dealers were crooks......

Personally, I wonder if these guys were really crooks?

I think they were just brain dead, like most locksmiths are.

We should never lame the retarded because they can't help themselves.

[hallerb]

There are rip offs in all industries

most locksmiths are like most of us just trying to make a living

[Red Neckerson]

"doosey" wrote

What's the matter with you little boy?

Did your daddy anal rape you and force you to perform fellatio on him in your younger years? And he just happened to be a locksmith? Or you THINK he was a locksmith because he kept breaking into your room when you locked the door? He just used a hanger.

Is that why you have such a hard on for them?

And just because you change your screen name doesn't mean we don't know who you are.

Why don't you just shut the f*ck up! Your daddy wasn't a locksmith. He was just a child rapist, so stop blaming locksmiths for all of your angst.

Dipshit....

[--Shiva--]

YOU DO KNOW.. that NO ONE can 'prove' they own a vehicle, dont you?

I pointed out a flaw in the system to a cop once and he had a SERIOUS AH HA moment.. followed by a look of OH CRAP..I was right. this can apply to an apartment as well..

--Shiva--

[doosey]

Moron.... Without DNA or fingerprints, nobody can prove they own ANYTHING... Think about it.... The best that can be hoped for is reasonable proof. IE: when they open the car/house/etc they find documentation (license, reggie, etc) that gives reasonable creedence to the claim.

However, most smiths aren't smart enough to check this out. They just want to grab the cash, head for the nearest gin mill and be done with it.

[Red Neckerson]

"doosey" wrote

I thought I told you to shut the f*ck up.....

[doosey]

Another redneck with a foul mouth......... How's Springer these days?

[--Shiva--]

NOPE- thats the error.. as the cop discovered..YOU CANNOT PROVE IT AT ALL- regarding a car.. an apartement REQUIRES the landlord..nothing else will do.

--Shiva--

[doosey]

1. Learn to read.
2. Go to law school, or hire a good lawyer.

A landlord is useless...

Like I said, fingerprints or DNA...that's the bottom line...

If you provided either when you bought your car/house you can prove you own it, Otherwise? Preponderance of the evidence will decide.

[--Shiva--]

no you cannot..there is a flaw in the system.. --Shiva--

[cornytheclown]

I can get into any car without having to do anything to the lock...and I can also get any car rolling down the road running in about 10 minutes though the steering wheel will be slightly damaged as the lock must be broken.

I could make a fortune at the mall or wal mart on weekends but I do it for free.

not a locksmith either.....

any man who cannot get into a car and drive off within a few minutes without keys is not really a man is he ???

[Peter]

And what about the cases where the locksmith did a professional job at a reasonable price. As for the 'roadside assistance' one, they probably hire the cheapest 'locksmiths' they can lay their hands on.

An what about customers who bilk locksmiths, such as by calling out several for one lock-out, or contacting the police or fire departments after contacting a locksmith (in communities where these departments render this sort of assistance).

[dnoyeB]

ROFL.

[PLONK_THE_TROLL]

Doosey the Troll, Unless you can give us the station , time and date of the "news cast" your comments are nothing more than urban legend, Thanks, it was interesting to hear your version of what you think locksmiths do.

Due to your extreme level of ignorance and general rudeness,

You have beeen included in the difficult and ( fairly exclusive) to join club " The Plonked"

PLONK

[hallerb]

Got Ripped off by midas muffler once too:(

That doesnt mean every muffler shop is a thief.

In the case of midas muffler I finally got my $$ back after speaking to ron moore the actual president of mdas. within a few months he knew his franchise was a crook, after the media did some secret shopping:)

The local midas shops never really recovered from the news coverage many closed:)

[mm]

What do I care if he speaks English well. I'm not entering a Scrabble contest with him. Snob.

Funny, I got that feeling about you.

Have you ever had a business? The car owner should have, in almost every case would have, checked all the doors before they had someone come out. Now that he's out there, it's better for all concerned if he opens a locked door. He'll get his money without the customer's complaining, and the customer won't feel like a jackass.

I used to fix tv's as a hobby for 15 dollars, 20 for color, and I'd do it while the customer waited if possible. Well I did that a couple times, and even though I was by far the cheapest guy in the city, the customer wouldn't want to pay me the full amount because it took me so little time. So I learned. I didn't fix anything until after they left, and I didn't call them for at least 3 hours. No one complained after I started doing it that way.

It was a shame. Because of the cheapskate jackasses I met early on, everyone had to make two trips to my apartment, even if they could have waited a half hour and taken it with them.

"After". What good does that do? It's a stupid test.

He's right.

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.

[Peter]

A *real* locksmith would have probably quoted $200, found the door was unlocked and possibly charged minimum callout only. This is tricky, since if the customer accepted a quote (as distinct from an estimate) of $140, the locksmith would be entitled to the $140 no matter how easy the car was to open, but conversely the customer would be entitled to pay no more than $140 no matter how long the opening took (perhaps there were exceptional circumstances, such as if someone somehow fitted Medeco locks to the car).

A locksmith would be wise presumably to 'hedge' the quote with something like 'unless there were unusual circumstances'.

[Red Neckerson]

Your momma watches Springer.

I was just tellin' her the other day when I was shaving her back while doing her "doggie style" that she needs to do something about you and she assured me that she was going to give you your GameBoy back so you would stay off her computer.

Or do they have computers in your middle school?

Ask your your Dad next time you are blowing him. I bet you he confesses that he is NOT a locksmith....

[mm]

What city, what area, was this?

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.

[Bubba]

Not very picky who you "DO" then, are you Red? Bubba