When locked out of your house or car late at night, you want to ensure that you choose a mobile locksmith that will be reputable and that will get you back inside quickly and safely. Because you may need someone to show up right away, you may not be thinking of how to choose the best locksmith and one that won't take advantage of you, so it's good to note these points long before they're needed.
Remember these considerations if you ever find yourself locked out of your home or car, especially late at night.
1. Check reviews
If you're able to access the internet through your smartphone or tablet when you're locked out, you might take a few minutes to check reviews of locksmiths if possible. You can typically find these in your internet search; many search engines list them right below the website of a business. Even if it's late at night, it can be a good idea to scroll through until you find a locksmith that has positive reviews listed from consumer websites.
2. Ask how they open the locks
This may not seem like a necessary question, but an unsavory locksmith might show up at your location and say that they would need to break a window in order to open your car door or front door, or else they would need to charge you more than the price they quoted over the phone. This is a common scam run by locksmiths who want to take advantage of people that are stranded, but if you ask them if they might need to break a window while you're still on the phone, they will know that they cannot attempt this scam with you.
3. Ask if they take credit cards
Even if you don't want to pay with a credit card, it can be good to ask a mobile locksmith if they accept credit cards. Why? Because credit cards often have built-in fraud protection so that a consumer can get their money back or stop a payment when they use their card, and if a locksmith doesn't accept credit cards, this can be a bad sign.
Disreputable locksmiths may know that credit cards have this fraud protection built in, and this may be why they won't accept them. Ask if they take credit cards when you call and if possible, pay with your credit card so you can protect yourself from fraud when you need a locksmith.
