Sun Valley Lock and Key... Mr. Hostility Rip Off Artist *REBUTTAL

I dont know this company or the locksmith involved, but I have seen this same story many times. First understand that it is my belief that the conduct of the locksmith in question, as reported is wrong. Had this been one of my techs disciplinary action would have been taken. The rest of my response is an attempt to add some thought for others to consider.

First the initial author stated that they normally used a locksmith that was on vacation at the time service was required. The realtor in this case was used to this locksmith, the locksmiths service procedures and pricing. The realtor was now in a situation where service was required without their usual provider. The realtor then asked her husband for a recommendation of an alternate locksmith. The husband had knowledge of the locksmith that had just rekeyed his office. It seems to me, that the husband must have been satisfied with this locksmith or he would not have recommended him to his wife. I believe that, other than the behavior issue previously mentioned, the problem revolves around two things consumer education and business practices.

In this case the realtor, being familiar with the practices of her regular locksmith, assumed that the replacement locksmith had similar policies and practices. This, if the case, was a wrong assumption, as in any industry, there are many variables in the way locksmiths and locksmith companies establish their pricing. I dont know how the realtors regular locksmith set his pricing, but if my shop had been called for this service our charges would have been similar to those charged. This was a Sunday service call which means double time charges on everything but parts. This policy is similar to most service industries, such as plumbers, electricians, etc. The original report uses some confusing language so I can not determine what the realtor really needed. She mentions Rekeying charges and then mentions a repair of a lock to include replacement of a broken bolt. Assuming that she meant that the lock was repaired and the bolt replaced our charges would have been $80 for a service call on Sunday, $105 for the labor to repair the lock and replace the bolt, plus the cost of the bolt and any local taxes, surcharges, etc. Not knowing exactly what was eventually done I have estimated this as a time and material job. This may seem like a lot but consider that the locksmith was receiving overtime pay, maybe plus a commission. The fact that it was a Sunday call may have caused the locksmith to drive a longer distance than he would have during a normal work week. In this case the locksmith may have had a service vehicle at his home, not at the shop or he may have had to make a special trip to the shop to pick up the service vehicle, either case usually means more travel time and thus more expense to the company and ultimately to the consumer. What many consumers fail to realize when situations like this arise is that the business has many expenses that must be covered by the charges to be able to stay in business and when the call is on a Sunday those charges are higher due to the added costs for the circumstances. If a business does not recoup these charges they will quickly be out of business.

Locksmiths, like other businesses, have business expenses that must be paid. Expenses for insurance, telephone, lights, heat, gas, maintenance and repairs and others must be covered by the prices they charge the consumer. Like other business many locksmiths figure these costs and set a standard hourly rate for their services which subsequently converts to a price list for standard services based on the time those services normally take. Unfortunately, in the locksmith industry and others, there are individual locksmiths that are not all that business savvy. They may be great locksmiths or technicians, but they do not have great business skills. There are others, especially in the locksmith industry, that have retired from one career and see locksmithing as a way to pick up some extra money. With their existing income, the income from locksmithing does not have to cover the expenses that other business must cover, such as education, new equipment for new technologies, etc. They set their goals to just offer services that require basic equipment and skills. This is not to say they are not skilled at what they do, but they are not looking to get into areas that have higher expenses. This being the case they can also charge much less as well. These issues, and others, must be considered any time a pricing complaint is raised. Too many times the consumer is not adequately aware of the true costs of locksmiths, unfortunately some locksmiths are not aware of the costs either. The consumer must be aware of this discrepancy. Pricing from one company to another is seldom the same. The one thing that concerns me with this case as far a pricing goes is the realtors comment that The usual rekey is 35-50 dollars. This may be her experience for a rekey, but the way this case is stated the locksmith did not do a rekey, but did repair a lock and replaced a bolt. The two services are very different, thus the increased time to complete the job.

This brings me to business practices. In this case the locksmith, based on the information given, did not do his job very well in regards to the business side of this industry. First and foremost the locksmith failed to realize that most consumers are either not aware that weekend charges are more that those during regular business hours and did not consider the possibility that the consumer was used to a different pricing formula used by her regular locksmith. This, in my opinion, in addition to the reported behavior, was the major cause of the problem. Failing to disclose his prices before setting the appointment, especially on a Sunday, was a mistake. This, added to the reported behavior, set him up for complete failure. There was no way this consumer was going to be happy, and in my reading of the situation, the consumer should have been dissatisfied. The locksmith did not do this industry any good. The locksmith may have been the greatest technician, but he created problems anyway. One topic that many locksmiths fail to consider is consumer education and this is the usual result, a dissatisfied consumer.

My advice for the realtor in this case is to ask specific questions when ordering a service, especially when using a new service provider. The locksmith in question must ensure the consumer is fully aware of the charges involved before the service is performed. Based on this report I also advise him to examine his behavior. My advise for others reading this complaint, this reply and other replies is to educate themselves on not only locksmithing, but on business practices and costs as a whole. This case is a good illustration of how complex some issues can become once they are analyzed.

I dont know this company or the locksmith involved, but I have seen this same story many times. First understand that it is my belief that the conduct of the locksmith in question, as reported is wrong. Had this been one of my techs disciplinary action would have been taken. The rest of my response is an attempt to add some thought for others to consider.

First the initial author stated that they normally used a locksmith that was on vacation at the time service was required. The realtor in this case was used to this locksmith, the locksmiths service procedures and pricing. The realtor was now in a situation where service was required without their usual provider. The realtor then asked her husband for a recommendation of an alternate locksmith. The husband had knowledge of the locksmith that had just rekeyed his office. It seems to me, that the husband must have been satisfied with this locksmith or he would not have recommended him to his wife. I believe that, other than the behavior issue previously mentioned, the problem revolves around two things consumer education and business practices.

In this case the realtor, being familiar with the practices of her regular locksmith, assumed that the replacement locksmith had similar policies and practices. This, if the case, was a wrong assumption, as in any industry, there are many variables in the way locksmiths and locksmith companies establish their pricing. I dont know how the realtors regular locksmith set his pricing, but if my shop had been called for this service our charges would have been similar to those charged. This was a Sunday service call which means double time charges on everything but parts. This policy is similar to most service industries, such as plumbers, electricians, etc. The original report uses some confusing language so I can not determine what the realtor really needed. She mentions Rekeying charges and then mentions a repair of a lock to include replacement of a broken bolt. Assuming that she meant that the lock was repaired and the bolt replaced our charges would have been $80 for a service call on Sunday, $105 for the labor to repair the lock and replace the bolt, plus the cost of the bolt and any local taxes, surcharges, etc. Not knowing exactly what was eventually done I have estimated this as a time and material job. This may seem like a lot but consider that the locksmith was receiving overtime pay, maybe plus a commission. The fact that it was a Sunday call may have caused the locksmith to drive a longer distance than he would have during a normal work week. In this case the locksmith may have had a service vehicle at his home, not at the shop or he may have had to make a special trip to the shop to pick up the service vehicle, either case usually means more travel time and thus more expense to the company and ultimately to the consumer. What many consumers fail to realize when situations like this arise is that the business has many expenses that must be covered by the charges to be able to stay in business and when the call is on a Sunday those charges are higher due to the added costs for the circumstances. If a business does not recoup these charges they will quickly be out of business.

Locksmiths, like other businesses, have business expenses that must be paid. Expenses for insurance, telephone, lights, heat, gas, maintenance and repairs and others must be covered by the prices they charge the consumer. Like other business many locksmiths figure these costs and set a standard hourly rate for their services which subsequently converts to a price list for standard services based on the time those services normally take. Unfortunately, in the locksmith industry and others, there are individual locksmiths that are not all that business savvy. They may be great locksmiths or technicians, but they do not have great business skills. There are others, especially in the locksmith industry, that have retired from one career and see locksmithing as a way to pick up some extra money. With their existing income, the income from locksmithing does not have to cover the expenses that other business must cover, such as education, new equipment for new technologies, etc. They set their goals to just offer services that require basic equipment and skills. This is not to say they are not skilled at what they do, but they are not looking to get into areas that have higher expenses. This being the case they can also charge much less as well. These issues, and others, must be considered any time a pricing complaint is raised. Too many times the consumer is not adequately aware of the true costs of locksmiths, unfortunately some locksmiths are not aware of the costs either. The consumer must be aware of this discrepancy. Pricing from one company to another is seldom the same. The one thing that concerns me with this case as far a pricing goes is the realtors comment that The usual rekey is 35-50 dollars. This may be her experience for a rekey, but the way this case is stated the locksmith did not do a rekey, but did repair a lock and replaced a bolt. The two services are very different, thus the increased time to complete the job.

This brings me to business practices. In this case the locksmith, based on the information given, did not do his job very well in regards to the business side of this industry. First and foremost the locksmith failed to realize that most consumers are either not aware that weekend charges are more that those during regular business hours and did not consider the possibility that the consumer was used to a different pricing formula used by her regular locksmith. This, in my opinion, in addition to the reported behavior, was the major cause of the problem. Failing to disclose his prices before setting the appointment, especially on a Sunday, was a mistake. This, added to the reported behavior, set him up for complete failure. There was no way this consumer was going to be happy, and in my reading of the situation, the consumer should have been dissatisfied. The locksmith did not do this industry any good. The locksmith may have been the greatest technician, but he created problems anyway. One topic that many locksmiths fail to consider is consumer education and this is the usual result, a dissatisfied consumer.

My advice for the realtor in this case is to ask specific questions when ordering a service, especially when using a new service provider. The locksmith in question must ensure the consumer is fully aware of the charges involved before the service is performed. Based on this report I also advise him to examine his behavior. My advise for others reading this complaint, this reply and other replies is to educate themselves on not only locksmithing, but on business practices and costs as a whole. This case is a good illustration of how complex some issues can become once they are analyzed.

I dont know this company or the locksmith involved, but I have seen this same story many times. First understand that it is my belief that the conduct of the locksmith in question, as reported is wrong. Had this been one of my techs disciplinary action would have been taken. The rest of my response is an attempt to add some thought for others to consider.

First the initial author stated that they normally used a locksmith that was on vacation at the time service was required. The realtor in this case was used to this locksmith, the locksmiths service procedures and pricing. The realtor was now in a situation where service was required without their usual provider. The realtor then asked her husband for a recommendation of an alternate locksmith. The husband had knowledge of the locksmith that had just rekeyed his office. It seems to me, that the husband must have been satisfied with this locksmith or he would not have recommended him to his wife. I believe that, other than the behavior issue previously mentioned, the problem revolves around two things consumer education and business practices.

In this case the realtor, being familiar with the practices of her regular locksmith, assumed that the replacement locksmith had similar policies and practices. This, if the case, was a wrong assumption, as in any industry, there are many variables in the way locksmiths and locksmith companies establish their pricing. I dont know how the realtors regular locksmith set his pricing, but if my shop had been called for this service our charges would have been similar to those charged. This was a Sunday service call which means double time charges on everything but parts. This policy is similar to most service industries, such as plumbers, electricians, etc. The original report uses some confusing language so I can not determine what the realtor really needed. She mentions Rekeying charges and then mentions a repair of a lock to include replacement of a broken bolt. Assuming that she meant that the lock was repaired and the bolt replaced our charges would have been $80 for a service call on Sunday, $105 for the labor to repair the lock and replace the bolt, plus the cost of the bolt and any local taxes, surcharges, etc. Not knowing exactly what was eventually done I have estimated this as a time and material job. This may seem like a lot but consider that the locksmith was receiving overtime pay, maybe plus a commission. The fact that it was a Sunday call may have caused the locksmith to drive a longer distance than he would have during a normal work week. In this case the locksmith may have had a service vehicle at his home, not at the shop or he may have had to make a special trip to the shop to pick up the service vehicle, either case usually means more travel time and thus more expense to the company and ultimately to the consumer. What many consumers fail to realize when situations like this arise is that the business has many expenses that must be covered by the charges to be able to stay in business and when the call is on a Sunday those charges are higher due to the added costs for the circumstances. If a business does not recoup these charges they will quickly be out of business.

Locksmiths, like other businesses, have business expenses that must be paid. Expenses for insurance, telephone, lights, heat, gas, maintenance and repairs and others must be covered by the prices they charge the consumer. Like other business many locksmiths figure these costs and set a standard hourly rate for their services which subsequently converts to a price list for standard services based on the time those services normally take. Unfortunately, in the locksmith industry and others, there are individual locksmiths that are not all that business savvy. They may be great locksmiths or technicians, but they do not have great business skills. There are others, especially in the locksmith industry, that have retired from one career and see locksmithing as a way to pick up some extra money. With their existing income, the income from locksmithing does not have to cover the expenses that other business must cover, such as education, new equipment for new technologies, etc. They set their goals to just offer services that require basic equipment and skills. This is not to say they are not skilled at what they do, but they are not looking to get into areas that have higher expenses. This being the case they can also charge much less as well. These issues, and others, must be considered any time a pricing complaint is raised. Too many times the consumer is not adequately aware of the true costs of locksmiths, unfortunately some locksmiths are not aware of the costs either. The consumer must be aware of this discrepancy. Pricing from one company to another is seldom the same. The one thing that concerns me with this case as far a pricing goes is the realtors comment that The usual rekey is 35-50 dollars. This may be her experience for a rekey, but the way this case is stated the locksmith did not do a rekey, but did repair a lock and replaced a bolt. The two services are very different, thus the increased time to complete the job.

This brings me to business practices. In this case the locksmith, based on the information given, did not do his job very well in regards to the business side of this industry. First and foremost the locksmith failed to realize that most consumers are either not aware that weekend charges are more that those during regular business hours and did not consider the possibility that the consumer was used to a different pricing formula used by her regular locksmith. This, in my opinion, in addition to the reported behavior, was the major cause of the problem. Failing to disclose his prices before setting the appointment, especially on a Sunday, was a mistake. This, added to the reported behavior, set him up for complete failure. There was no way this consumer was going to be happy, and in my reading of the situation, the consumer should have been dissatisfied. The locksmith did not do this industry any good. The locksmith may have been the greatest technician, but he created problems anyway. One topic that many locksmiths fail to consider is consumer education and this is the usual result, a dissatisfied consumer.

My advice for the realtor in this case is to ask specific questions when ordering a service, especially when using a new service provider. The locksmith in question must ensure the consumer is fully aware of the charges involved before the service is performed. Based on this report I also advise him to examine his behavior. My advise for others reading this complaint, this reply and other replies is to educate themselves on not only locksmithing, but on business practices and costs as a whole. This case is a good illustration of how complex some issues can become once they are analyzed.

I dont know this company or the locksmith involved, but I have seen this same story many times. First understand that it is my belief that the conduct of the locksmith in question, as reported is wrong. Had this been one of my techs disciplinary action would have been taken. The rest of my response is an attempt to add some thought for others to consider.

First the initial author stated that they normally used a locksmith that was on vacation at the time service was required. The realtor in this case was used to this locksmith, the locksmiths service procedures and pricing. The realtor was now in a situation where service was required without their usual provider. The realtor then asked her husband for a recommendation of an alternate locksmith. The husband had knowledge of the locksmith that had just rekeyed his office. It seems to me, that the husband must have been satisfied with this locksmith or he would not have recommended him to his wife. I believe that, other than the behavior issue previously mentioned, the problem revolves around two things consumer education and business practices.

In this case the realtor, being familiar with the practices of her regular locksmith, assumed that the replacement locksmith had similar policies and practices. This, if the case, was a wrong assumption, as in any industry, there are many variables in the way locksmiths and locksmith companies establish their pricing. I dont know how the realtors regular locksmith set his pricing, but if my shop had been called for this service our charges would have been similar to those charged. This was a Sunday service call which means double time charges on everything but parts. This policy is similar to most service industries, such as plumbers, electricians, etc. The original report uses some confusing language so I can not determine what the realtor really needed. She mentions Rekeying charges and then mentions a repair of a lock to include replacement of a broken bolt. Assuming that she meant that the lock was repaired and the bolt replaced our charges would have been $80 for a service call on Sunday, $105 for the labor to repair the lock and replace the bolt, plus the cost of the bolt and any local taxes, surcharges, etc. Not knowing exactly what was eventually done I have estimated this as a time and material job. This may seem like a lot but consider that the locksmith was receiving overtime pay, maybe plus a commission. The fact that it was a Sunday call may have caused the locksmith to drive a longer distance than he would have during a normal work week. In this case the locksmith may have had a service vehicle at his home, not at the shop or he may have had to make a special trip to the shop to pick up the service vehicle, either case usually means more travel time and thus more expense to the company and ultimately to the consumer. What many consumers fail to realize when situations like this arise is that the business has many expenses that must be covered by the charges to be able to stay in business and when the call is on a Sunday those charges are higher due to the added costs for the circumstances. If a business does not recoup these charges they will quickly be out of business.

Locksmiths, like other businesses, have business expenses that must be paid. Expenses for insurance, telephone, lights, heat, gas, maintenance and repairs and others must be covered by the prices they charge the consumer. Like other business many locksmiths figure these costs and set a standard hourly rate for their services which subsequently converts to a price list for standard services based on the time those services normally take. Unfortunately, in the locksmith industry and others, there are individual locksmiths that are not all that business savvy. They may be great locksmiths or technicians, but they do not have great business skills. There are others, especially in the locksmith industry, that have retired from one career and see locksmithing as a way to pick up some extra money. With their existing income, the income from locksmithing does not have to cover the expenses that other business must cover, such as education, new equipment for new technologies, etc. They set their goals to just offer services that require basic equipment and skills. This is not to say they are not skilled at what they do, but they are not looking to get into areas that have higher expenses. This being the case they can also charge much less as well. These issues, and others, must be considered any time a pricing complaint is raised. Too many times the consumer is not adequately aware of the true costs of locksmiths, unfortunately some locksmiths are not aware of the costs either. The consumer must be aware of this discrepancy. Pricing from one company to another is seldom the same. The one thing that concerns me with this case as far a pricing goes is the realtors comment that The usual rekey is 35-50 dollars. This may be her experience for a rekey, but the way this case is stated the locksmith did not do a rekey, but did repair a lock and replaced a bolt. The two services are very different, thus the increased time to complete the job.

This brings me to business practices. In this case the locksmith, based on the information given, did not do his job very well in regards to the business side of this industry. First and foremost the locksmith failed to realize that most consumers are either not aware that weekend charges are more that those during regular business hours and did not consider the possibility that the consumer was used to a different pricing formula used by her regular locksmith. This, in my opinion, in addition to the reported behavior, was the major cause of the problem. Failing to disclose his prices before setting the appointment, especially on a Sunday, was a mistake. This, added to the reported behavior, set him up for complete failure. There was no way this consumer was going to be happy, and in my reading of the situation, the consumer should have been dissatisfied. The locksmith did not do this industry any good. The locksmith may have been the greatest technician, but he created problems anyway. One topic that many locksmiths fail to consider is consumer education and this is the usual result, a dissatisfied consumer.

My advice for the realtor in this case is to ask specific questions when ordering a service, especially when using a new service provider. The locksmith in question must ensure the consumer is fully aware of the charges involved before the service is performed. Based on this report I also advise him to examine his behavior. My advise for others reading this complaint, this reply and other replies is to educate themselves on not only locksmithing, but on business practices and costs as a whole. This case is a good illustration of how complex some issues can become once they are analyzed.

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:

Their email: shortrib1@MSN.com
Their name: Gordon R. McGee Sr. (R.L.)
Their phone number: (602)689-7638
Their relationship to the company: Consumer Suggestion

Rebuttal:
This may be a wierd analogy, but it's like trying to compare a true Muslim with the fanatics in that religion. I am a very proud Locksmith that have been in this business for 32 years, I love the work that I do for my customers and potential customers. I don't know how long this guy has been in business, but if he keeps up that type of business practice he won't
last very long.

We (the dedicated locksmiths) can by no means apologize
for the actions of one who should know better if he is involved in the craft of locksmithing and in the public eye. It seems that you had no prior problems until your regular locksmith went on vacation. Please accept my apology for the fault in others in our trade.

Thanx Mac