Top News

• Feb 19, 2007 11:15 pm US/Central
• Digg | Facebook | E-mail

  Close WindowE-mail This Page

  I-TEAM: Locked Out And Marked Up

  Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

  ---

  • Recipient E-mail:* 
  • • Your Name:* 
    • Your E-mail:* 
  • Add a Message:
  •   Send me a copy of this e-mail.

  • Type the characters in this picture:* Click here to refresh with new letters

  ---

  The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

  Send E-mail

  | Print

I-TEAM: Locked Out And Marked Up

(WCCO) Nearly 20 percent of the calls made to AAA last year came from drivers locked out of their cars.

When you don't have a car club membership like that, you have to rely on locksmiths to help you out. The I-TEAM found the price you're quoted isn't always what you'll pay.

Realtor Debbie Nelson has learned a lot about locksmiths.

"They quote a lower price on the phone so that you engage their company," she said. "They told me that cost would be $55, including the service call, and $19 thereafter per hour."

But once the locksmith arrived, the fees on the two home door locks she needed kept rising.

"We ended up paying $95," she said, "but the kicker of it is we had to purchase a new lock, because after I argued with him and wouldn't let him up charge me for putting the lock back on the door, he stripped the screws."

The I-TEAM decided to check it out. We locked our keys in a van then called several local locksmith companies to help, including one of the services Nelson used.

We ask over the phone how much their service was going to cost. Each call center quoted us a $55 service fee, but when the locksmiths arrived, the prices jumped.

In one case, we were charged a total of $115. Another locksmith handed us a bill for $150. When we confronted both about the $55 quote, they both responded that figure was merely the service charge.

"I don't know, I don't decide about the rates," said one locksmith, answering our queries.

"I play the games. I just follow the rules, I don't determine what the rates are," said another.

One of the locksmiths we called tried to work us a deal with someone back at the office. We were offered service marked down to "$80 to $85 ... like, $80" for the misunderstanding.

The other offered us a 10 percent discount if we paid cash, which we didn't have. Only later did we realize we'd been charged even more: $160 instead of the $150 on our receipt. It's the kind of practice many people assume can't happen here.

"Our state is such a consumer oriented state, such a strong state with our rules and laws that you don't see it as often in Minnesota," said Nelson.

Surprisingly, Minnesota law actually protects some of these practices. It is perfectly legal for businesses to charge customers a service fee. Many companies do it, and they don't have to give you a complete quote over the phone.

Where it becomes a problem is that they make it appear as though they're local. One of the locksmiths we contacted claim they are located in Eden Prairie, but when we went to check the address, we found it was actually the address for Qwest.

It's a way of doing business that started along the East Coast but has now spread into Minnesota. The Associated Locksmiths of America, a national trade group of security professionals has issued warnings about this.

Certified Master Locksmith Explains What To Look For

Dana Lee is a Master Certified Locksmith and is the education coordinator for the ALOA in the Twin Cities. He's been unlocking cars and homes for 27 years, 21 of those with Floyd Security Locks.

"Every meeting somebody comes up and has a horror story," he said.

According to Lee, you should look for someone who is certified. You should also be wary if the person on the other end of the phone gives a generic business name like locksmith.

Even though they don't have to, he says many locksmiths will give you a price range.

He also suggests people look for locksmiths that are certified by the Associated Locksmiths of America. These locksmiths must be bonded, they must undergo a certain amount of training every three years and they must adhere to certain ethical rules set up by the organization.

Lee said there are plenty of good locksmith companies out there, but it is important to remember that locksmiths in Minnesota do not have to be licensed.

"Without a regulation, anybody can be a locksmith," he said.

The Minnesota attorney general is concerned about this trend. It is illegal in Minnesota to misrepresent your geographic location by taking what appear to be local phone numbers and addresses. The attorney general has taken companies to court for this in the past.

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)