Keeping our customers informed.
Keeping our customers informed.
Date- March 27, 2023
Subject – FOBS, REMOTES, DUPLICATE KEYS - CUSTOMER RESIDENTIAL PRODUCTS
Before you order any product online for your car or house, it would be wise to find a locksmith that will agree first to cut your keys or do your programming. Most locksmiths do not cut customer keys or program customer products. This is especially true for a mobile locksmith like us. Mobile locksmiths must charge a service call for their time and expense to come to you. Locksmiths that have a public shop open to the public can save you from that service call by you driving to them. But even then, all locksmiths have the same problem in verifying the quality of the product they receive from a customer.
No company is exempt from shipping a defective product and most are made overseas. It can be time-consuming and difficult to get your money back. Locksmiths usually carry extras for this very reason. Some locksmiths will tell you they will use your product under the caveat “they cannot be responsible if it doesn’t work.” In my opinion that only creates a no-win situation. The customer is frustrated and the locksmith feels he failed to give his customer a good experience if the product is faulty. Locksmiths cannot be expected to check out customer products for free because the customer did want to buy the product from them. (You don’t take your hamburger to McDonald’s for them to make it into a Big Mac.) Why would a locksmith want to program your key fob because you save money that he plans on making as part of his business model? Additionally, if a locksmith uses a defective product and doesn’t know it, it always brings up the issue of whether something is wrong with the car as well. We choose to avoid that debate by prequalifying our customers, the condition of the car, and our products so that we can deliver.
The same holds true with residential products. People often buy electronic locks that are very expensive and want a locksmith to install them. We will not do that for the same reasons above. Word of advice. Call a locksmith before you purchase anything to see what he is willing to do.
Another word of advice. If you are a do-it-yourself person, be advised that we do not work on cars or locks after the customer has attempted to do it themselves. The problem is we have no idea what has been done and if it was done correctly.
Here at Sure Locksmith we have decided not to do customer products and focus on other areas of service we can control and where the customer is pleased with his experience.
Be smart and spend wisely,
Mark Stuart