You may have heard of a locksmith scam in Malaga, or perhaps unfortunately you have been involved in one yourself. If you’re afraid it might happen again, here are some tips to help you play it safer.
How to avoid locksmith scams
Unfortunately, such situations occur more often than we would like. People acting in bad faith damage the image of any guild. In our case, when a locksmith rips you off, it affects us negatively because some customers always think that they are being ripped off or that prices are being inflated.
Most commonly, scams occur in emergency services. People who have left their keys locked or lost them and need to gain access to their home or business. The poor customer comes to regard the locksmith as a “hero” because he has saved him from a distressing situation. However, he immediately realises that he is being asked for an exorbitant fee for the work that has been done.
Each locksmith decides his fees, he has the right to charge for travel, obviously for materials if necessary and even a bonus for emergency or 24 hour service. However, there are cases of invoices with figures that are difficult to justify and are clearly a scam.
We are going to give you some tips that will help you to avoid paying more than you should for a locksmith job.
Tips to avoid locksmith scams in Málaga
Requests for emergency locksmith services are the most common scam. In other work, the client is usually not in such a hurry and usually asks for a quotation. But when we are in a hurry we let our guard down and grasp at straws. To avoid falling victim to these fraudulent actions, it is important to follow certain preventive measures:
- Ask the right questions: don’t hesitate to enquire about the breakdown, it’s not about being annoying but simply finding out if the person who is going to help you knows how to do their job or is just interested in emptying your wallet. Any professional who is passionate about his or her work has no problem in resolving some issues. Many even enjoy illustrating possible solutions or ideas to prevent the problem.
If they are unable to answer your questions or adopt an annoying or defensive attitude, watch out because you may be dealing with a scammer. They are people who tend to do little work and of poor quality, they have simply entered the trade to make money and care little about training or doing quality work. - Ask for your locksmith accreditation: Perhaps you didn’t know it, but as it is a delicate job due to its relation with security, it is necessary to have an accreditation to buy certain locksmith material and tools. It also guarantees that the professional who attends you undergoes continuous training to keep up to date with the latest techniques and technology. Working with an accredited professional is undoubtedly a better guarantee and will help us to fight against intrusion and scams.
- Ask for a quote: This is very basic, but it is true that when we are in a hurry we assume we are going to pay a little more. However, when you get ripped off, the bill is much higher. Therefore, always ask for a quotation or indicative price to avoid surprises. Even when you are on site, insist again as they may argue that the situation is more complex than we have explained or any other excuse to inflate the price.
- Check the reviews: If you search for locksmith benalmádena, or in the town where you live, you will see a list of professionals offering their services. Checking reviews from other customers can be a good idea. However, always think critically, as in any other sector there are also false reviews simply to damage or improve the reputation of the locksmith.
We hope you find these simple tips to avoid locksmith scams in Malaga useful. If you need a good locksmith in Fuengirola, Mijas, Benalmadena or any other town on the Costa del Sol, do not hesitate to contact us, call or send us a whatsapp.
