When You Call A Locksmith, Will A Con Man Answer?

National Public Radio, in this mornings Morning Edition radio show played a story about the continuing saga of scam locksmith companies infiltrating the industry.

Sandy Hausman, a respected reporter with NPR wrote a story and interviewed some locksmith companies discussing the continuing drama that is affecting many sections of the trade in the greater Virginia regions.

In the story, Sandy writes about locksmiths across the country joining ALOA (The Associated Locksmiths Of America) to finance the fight against illegal immigrants and scam companies that are directly affecting the livelihoods of locksmiths and the security protection of consumers at the same time.

Where as I would like to think that ALOA is doing something about the issue, the truth is they are not. Yes they have a lobbiest on their payroll. But ALOA have been more about convincing governments to enforce greater regulations on the locksmiths across America. Licensing locksmiths has never been a successful method to rid the industry of these scam operators. Licensing only increases the cost for legitimate companies to exist. The end user or consumer is forced to pay increased service charges for projects. There is little to no enforcement by authorities of illegal/scam operators. What is the point of licensing if there is no enforcement?

Check out and listen to the radio spot in the source below.

(source...)