Beware of professionals who say they will be there quicker than makes sense. Most likely they won’t and will simply use this time to keep you from calling a different locksmith while making excuses about being delayed. When you are in a rush or emergency specifically, oftentimes you are not very likely to do any research on the company you choose. 

Make certain to ask the following questions and research these areas to avoid a locksmith scam or being overcharged.

1. “What is the name of your company?” Beware of companies saying there name is “Locksmith Service” “KC Locksmith” or generic names you cannot do a search online about.
2. “Is the price you quoted me the final price or are there charges on top of your initial quote?” Oftentimes, you’ll see ads online saying things like a $15 lockout service call. The exact verbiage is important to pay attention to. Advertisements like this are saying they will charge you $15 for the service call. In other words, fifteen dollars to come out to you, then a different charge to perform the service. Oftentimes though, consumers will simply pay instead of calling a different locksmith since they’ve already waited an hour or two for their vehicle to be unlocked.
3. “What Kind Of Experience Do You Have?” Since locking mechanisms have only gotten more complex, many locks are much more than simply tumblers and bolts. You will need to make certain that locksmiths you hire know how to work with the hardware you want.
4. “Do You Offer Guarantees?” Well respected locksmiths will always offer some kind of guarantee against their work. Following up by asking if there is any warranty, the locksmith industry standard is a minimum of 30 days.
5. “What Are Your Rates You Charge?”Some locksmiths will charge an hourly rate while others charge a flat fee depending on the locksmith service they are providing. Be aware if your locksmith you called charges a seperate trip fee, this is fine and fair but not so much if it’s not disclosed before they come out.
6. “Are You A Local Locksmith In My City?” This can be an important question to ask since sometimes you could end up waiting two or three hours for a locksmith from a major city that is quite a bit far away from you.
7. “Do You Offer Emergency Locksmith Services?” When you need an emergency service, you need a locksmith company that is immediately ready to dispatch a locksmith to your location. You might have a stove on inside your locked home or child locked inside a vehicle with the keys in it. Most emergency locksmith services will respond in as little as a half hour or under, especially if you describe the circumstances.
8. “Are You Licensed, Bonded And/Or Insured?” Less than 15 states actually require locksmiths have a license to operate. You will want to know that your local locksmith also carries insurance in case something breaks during a repair that they can’t replace or fix afterwards.
9. “Do You Conduct Background Checks On Your Employees?” Check with the company the name of the locksmith coming out. If their name does not match the one on their ID then you should not work with them. Best case scenario is when the locksmith pulls up in a clearly marked work vehicle. They have their name present on their uniform and it matches the one on their identification they show you upon arrival.
10. “Are You Well Reviewed Online?” This question serves two purposes, usually a locksmith will explain any bad reviews if there are only one or two. When they start lying about their reviews though or trying to mislead you, then you know to steer well clear of that locksmith. You can also do a quick and easy search for their name to see what experiences past locksmith customers have had with this company.
11. “Do They Offer Any Discounts?” Often you will find that you can get a AAA, veterans or senior citizen from a good local locksmith. Obviously they don’t have to but this is another great sign you’re working with the right locksmith.