Few situations are more stressful and frustrating than having to search for emergency locksmith services on your smartphone because you’re trapped outside of your house, business, or car. In such urgent situations, you usually don’t have the time to find the best locksmithing professional in your local area. Unfortunately, there are some low-quality, expensive professionals out there who know that their clients can’t do much without them, and who take advantage of that fact.
Instead of finding yourself stuck with a lousy locksmith service, wouldn’t it be better to have a proper professional’s number saved in your phonebook? Here are a few tips to help you find the best locksmith service ahead of time so you won’t have to deal with any shysters.
1. Check With the Better Business Bureau.
Finding local locksmith services isn’t hard — just do a quick search online and jot down the first five that come up. Once you’ve got those names, call your local Better Business Bureau and ask about each’s history of complaints. They shouldn’t have any unresolved complaints, because you need to be able to trust them.
2. Check Their Certifications.
Just because they have a certificate doesn’t mean they’re necessarily qualified. That locksmith service might have just taken a correspondence course rather than having gone through the Associated Locksmiths of America or a similar organization, that actually tests skills before granting certification. The testing is key — it’s one thing to have obtained the knowledge, and another to actually have certified experience employing it.
3. Ask For Details About Their Business.
First of all, all locksmith services should be insured. If they damage your property during the repairs or their faulty work winds up losing or damaging your property, they should have sufficient insurance to cover you. Secondly, ask about how many employees work at that particular business. Are they each certified, bonded, and covered by the aforementioned insurance?
Once you find a business that passes all of these tests, keep their business card in your wallet or their number saved in your phone. That way, you’ll know just who to call when you’re in trouble. If you have any questions about finding a good locksmith service, feel free to ask in the comments.
