About 4 years ago, the Missouri Attorney General was instrumental in catching a gang of crooks deliberately scamming consumers by impersonating locksmiths.
That particular gang became well known across the country for willfully ripping off unsuspecting consumers.
The locksmith industry is one of the oldest industries in the world. There are a small number of qualified locksmiths across this country who still do business with ethics and morals, but they are seeing the trade brought to disrepute by sheisters bent on ripping people off.
In June last year, #ABC's The Lookout played a segment where they caught and filmed the leader of the scam operations, who has since escaped the country without paying fines and taxes owed.
But the scammers continue to trick customers into using them with nefarious search engine tactics. In fact, if you type "Locksmith Your City", replacing "Your City" with the name of your town, and press search, you will be bombarded with ads that point you to these companies.
(after the break, we will list some of the companies and their websites. we'd appreciate anyone reading this article to list other scammer companies in the comments) All comments are subject to moderation.
Most genuine locksmith companies do not use Google Adwords to promote their businesses, in part due to the ridiculous over priced cost of clicks. When Google first rolled out Adwords about 6 years ago, the cost for clicks was in the pennies. Many companies signed on and then Google began auctioning the top spots to the highest bidder. The cost spiraled out of control for little return for many players, partly because the scammer companies, mostly Israeli's who are experts in Internet search engine optimisations and building websites, managed to use black hat techniques to trick Google's system.
Google eventually wised up and installed some security parameters because click fraud was rampant and companies would receive incredibly high advertising bills for little to no return on investment. The scammers worked their best to click on the ads, multiple times daily from different ip address locations across the country, running up a companies cost.
Then, after those companies pulled their advertising from Google Adwords, these scammers came in and effectively stole the top positioning.
With Google continuing to depend more and more on advertising revenue to bolster their many billions of profits, ordinary small business people, who for years and years continued to operate ethical and moral businesses, employ many workers and pay taxes and contribute to the local economies, lost out to these scammer operations with huge advertising budgets and nefarious tactics, causing many small locksmith businesses to close down and terminate many workers.
The scam operations always advertise the lowest prices online, but must change their prices mid-job to maintain their businesses, hence why they will rip you off. In all industries this is known as bait and switch and is a con job aimed at defrauding you.
The source below, shows an article in the Riverfront Times about the story.
Genuine locksmiths will be able to provide an accurate total cost prior to beginning your project
Many of the genuine locksmith companies you will find online are prepared to list their physical address on their sites, but recently the scammers have decided to include bogus addresses to fool customers into thinking they are local and legitimate. Dont Be Fooled! or be prepared to lose a fortune.
Some of the scammer companies are:
www.locksmith-st-louis.com
www.crevecoeurlocksmith.com
www.locksmithofstlouis.com/locksmith
www.247locksmithstlouis.com
www.americaslocksmithservices.com
www.stlouislocksmith.org
www.locksmithsaintlouis.net
www.captainlocksmith.com
www.locksmithconnections.com
www.247locksmithinstlouis.com
www.stlouislocksmithsolutions.com
www.lockjocksmo.com
www.locksmithgenie.com
www.speedy-locksmith-saint-louis.com
www.prolocksmith.mobi
www.locksmithstl.com
www.247-local-locksmith.com
(source...)
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Testimonials
Danny was very professional and friendly at the same time. He not only gave me the quote and fixed the exterior door and explained his work. He was prompt and upfront about the work and did the work. He came in time took care of it on the same day. (Sasheethn K St Louis MO) June 2018d out problems but assured not urgent. Please feel free to have Danny pass out my number for my total experience review 314-351-5553
Charlie M. (St Louis, MO) November 2015
Danny was pleasure to meet and was very knowledgable. He explained several lock replacement options but I decided none of them were a good fit for a storm door, however, I did replace a lock on my entry door with a type of lock I had never seen before. I would highly recommend this company.
Patricia J (Bridgeton, MO) March 2014
They were prompt and showed up when he said he would show up. He knew his stuff. I had ordered new handles and he was honest enough to say that we don't need them that he can fix the doors and he did. Made me lock and unlock my doors to his satisfaction so that I knew what to do. Am very, very pleased with the service and cost.
Joyce K (Glencoe, MO) May 2015
Showed up on time for appointment. Was very knowledgeable about the project and offered a solution beyond what I asked to be done.
Stephen G (Chesterfield, MO) May 2015
Daniel was right on time, assessed the problems I had with two doors, made the repairs, and explained what caused the problems to begin with .... He is a "door expert" and a true professional. I highly recommend him.
Vince V (St. Louis MO) May, 2015
Danny was fabulous! He went over my concerns and he provided me with more than a fair quote. He was there when he said he was going to be there. I would highly recommend Danny. Cheers!
Denise S (Imperial, MO) May 8, 2014
Hired Danny to re-key locks on "new" house purchase. He advised to replace with new deadbolts & door knobs on 3 entry doors instead which I agreed with. All doors have 1 matching key & the safety of excellent quality product & workmanship. He also added new strike plate to door frame to complete project.. I recommend as your 1st & only call to a Locksmith.
Denise F (St. Louis, MO) April 3, 2014
Danny was very helpful in solving a pretty complex problem involving many lock.
Scott C (Eureka, MO) March 27, 2014
Needed patio door track to run smoothly. Arrived early, fixed door and explained what he was doing during repair. Quick and easy. Door works great, my wife will now speak to me, and I've become a better dancer.
Mike W. (Arnold/Oakville MO) July 2013
The owner spent a longtime with me on the phone helping diagnosis the problem. He was on-time, friendly and helped resolve my issue. I will definitely use him again!
Chris C (Lake St Louis, MO) July 2013
I had a very pleasant experience with Master Key Systems. They came out, did the job (which took longer than expected) and they did not change the price they quoted me. Now, I am not certain that it was a great value for the money because I don't have a comparison, but they did what they said, when they said, for the price they said. Enough said!!!
Antonio B (Saint Louis, Missouri) March 2013
Professional.. Upfront about charges. Fixed the sticky door within 20 minutes. I will recommend Master Key for exterior door issues.
Muthu R (Ballwin, MO) July 2012
Danny was a master craftsman, knowledgable and professional. I will be calling on him again in the future as well as passing on his services to friends and family.
Marsha L (Saint Louis, MO) July 2012
Danny was excellent! I called him on a Monday to fix a sliding glass door. He happened to have the exact part we needed (and it was not an easy find - we had looked everywhere) and he came over Tuesday evening. He stayed until 8:00 until the job was done, and cleaned up afterwards. He was courteous, professional, and efficient! I could not be happier!
Rachel P Maryland Heights, MO (July 2012)
He did an excellent job. Got there on time and quickly solved the issue. Was very pleasant and explained the situation and how to keep the door from sticking in the future. Would definitely use Master Key LLC again!
Neil F. (Saint Louis, MO) April 2012
Danny was very friendly and knowledgeable, although his apprentice seemed to do most of the work, Danny kept an eye on him to make sure it was done right. He had very reasonable pricing for re-keying.
Greg D (St Louis, MO) October 2011
He was extrememly fabulous and helpful and did a wonderful job. He was very professional.
Shannon M. (Arnold, MO) October 2011
Growing up spending so much of my time in Italy, the uniqueness of the Nova Classico left quite an impression on me. To be able to have and enjoy them in my own home here in the states is a nostalgic indulgence I'm enjoying beyond words. Thank you Danny for coordinating this transaction.
Joseph M (Chicago, IL) September 2011
great job. hired on the spot and he did job right then at great price
Ron B (Arnold, MO) July 2011
I searched the internet and found your services. I received three phone calls within several days. A service call was scheduled. Two gentlemen arrived promptly, analyzed the problem and fixed it.
James & Florenc M Saint Louis, MO July 2011
The repairman was on time and did an excellent job of fixing a very stubborn door lock. He was persistent and cleaned up the work area afterwards. I would use this service again.
Brenda F (Saint Peters, MO) June 2011
Danny at Master Key Systems has succeeded in making the purchasing of our Meroni door locks, from Italy, an absolute breeze. Even though I live in Australia with a 16hr time difference and was ordering door knobs from Italy that weren't in stock, the whole process was faultless. Danny was prompt and efficient with all his emails and made sure we had covered every possible variable so that the product I received was exactly as required. I would have no hesitation in recommending Danny for your next purchase.
Patrick Carr (Canberra, Australia)
Patrick Carr (Canberra, Australia)
Your product really helped because I needed to secure a nurse's station adjacent to a waiting room and needed a pocket door. Unfortunately, no real options were available to lock a pocket door effectively that would keep me compliant with HIPAA and secure an area that stores medical supplies. This was vitally important as this particular waiting room was for "waiting detox patients". Thank you very much.
Randall R The Fritz Clinic (Birmingham, Al) March 2011
Danny was very polite and knew what the problem was and how to fix it. He also gave me some information about other issues that could arise with my door and locks. Will hire again if I ever need that type of work done.
Jason M Imperial, MO March 2011
I had an exterior basement door that dragged when opening and closing. The hinges were not fitting properly and the door frame had shifted, probably due to the age of the house.The screwswould not go far enough into the wall without hitting stone...even using a special drill bit. Dan worked a long time drilling and sanding to shore up the door as best as possible. I know it will never be perfect. He could have easily sold me a new door and the same issue would happen. He was honest, thorough, and did an excellent job without charging me a fortune. I'm satisfied with the door now. If you want an honest, experienced man, Then Dan is the man
Roger M Saint Louis, MO March 2011
I purchased the Cowdroy P697 Pocket door lock with key over the internet. I emailed questions before my purchase and was provided with the answers quickly by return email. The purchase was quick and easy and the lock was shipped immediatly. Installation is quick and easy. But you do need to convert millimeters to inches (use the internet) in the installation instructions. And the lock looks great and works great. I will do business with them again. THANK YOU
Ed D (February, 2011)
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Locks210.com, established in 2006, offers residents and businesses of St Louis Locksmith premium quality products and services. As the Premier Bilock Extreme Security Dealer in The Mid-West,
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