I locked myself out of my apartment this morning and I used my neighbors phone to call information. I was in a hurry to get a business, so they put me in touch with "A Certified Locksmith". I got a phone call from a guy who said he would be at my place in about 30 to 45 minutes.<br />
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Before I get into the details, a local company who I should have called in the first place helped me get into my apartment 2 years ago when I locked myself out. They charged around 85 dollars, which was reasonable. So with this in mind, the guy arrived and in 3 minutes, he had the door open. <br />
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He told me to come down to his van and he said well since this was a complex lock and this was an emergency call, he would have to charge 140 dollars!<br />
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I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I told him that the price was ridiculously expensive. He said well since this was an emergency, he needed to charge more. I told him that I didn't tell anyone that it was an emergency, I just wanted to get into my house. He said well if you made an appointment it would have been cheaper. And I said what is the difference between calling a locksmith to come and open my door, and making an appointment for one to come to open my door.<br />
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I was extremely angry but wrote him a check anyway and he went on his way. This whole situation didn't sit with my right, so I did some research. It turns out that "A Certified Locksmith" is a dispatch company that basically farms out independent contractors across the country. The company when I talked to them never said that this would cost more because it was an "emergency" and never told me that if I made an appointment it would be cheaper. <br />
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I decided to call the department of consumer protection in Connecticut and gave them the guy's name that came to my place. They said they had no record of him and that he was not registered to do work in the state of Connecticut. That is against the law and a big deal. <br />
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I am going to file a complaint with the state and hopefully I will make some progress on this.