#ABC The Lookout - Exposes Renegade Company Posing As Locksmiths Ripping Off Consumers

We have warned consumers many times over the past 5 years about the slew of scammer companies posing as locksmiths ripping off victims, all across the United States and Canada.

These perpetrators are now invading many other countries operating similar scam operations in Australia, New Zealand, Great Brittain and other European countries.

This news is not really news to the locksmith industry but thanks to the Network Television companies, like #ABC, prime time television now has provided a much wider net to expose the shenanigans.

My good friend and colleague, Mike Bronzell of All Hours Locksmiths in Chicago, has been one of the leading voices exposing these crooks for the last 10 years. I joined Mike about 5 years ago in Chicago to watch a case filed against Dependable Locksmiths by the Illinois Dept Of Professional Regulation. that prosecuted one David Peer for running a similar scam company. (the court found the company guilty of fraud and fined them and cancelled their business licenses, but they simply popped up again under a different name to continue their victimizations. Just this year, in February we discovered that all charges against this company had been dropped and the judgement overturned due to improper court procedures)

The leader of the company operating these scams has finally been exposed, thanks to the in depth investigation and reporting by the team at #ABC's The Lookout, a highly acclaimed television series developed to provide the marketplace with expose's on many ripoff artists scamming consumers across the USA.

Meni Agababayev is the name of the owner of this company. (see the video after the jump)

Fingersafe - Protecting Your Fingers

Security products often involves not just protection systems designed at mitigating or reducing unauthorised entry. Often safety products are combined with security products to provide products and services aimed at making all our lives safer and more secure.

Fingersafe® is one such product designed especially to attach to entry doors (or just about any swinging door) that closes the gap on the hinge side of the door, preventing injury from fingers jammed in the hinge side.

Especially produced with a concertina/accordian like design, the product attaches to almost any hinge side door jamb and prevents your child or anyone from a world of pain.

Liability costs for business owners are skyrocketing. Awards in the United States have been as high as $750,000 for a child’s amputated fingertip. Retailers, restaurants and child-care facilities are the most common types of businesses at risk.

Fingersafe® is Underwriter's Laboratory (UL) approved with a fire rating of four hours. It can be installed on any fire door and has been tested and complies with the following standards: NFPA 252, UL 10B, UL 10C, ASTM E-152, CAN4 S-104, and UBC7-2 (1997).

Fingersafe® was awarded a United States Government contract and is the recommended door safety product for US Government and Military child care facilities.

Applications for Fingersafe® Door Hinge Guards include schools, youth centers, fast food restaurants, hospitals, ships, factories, universities and churches. 

More and more standards now require door safety devices in recognition of the need to eliminate this type risk.

Fingersafe® is available in White, Black, Brown and Gray and in various lengths. e.g. 80 inches, 83 inches and 96 inches. It can also be produced in additional colors and lengths on special order.


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New Window Film Offers Smartphone Controllable Shading

 We have discussed security film here before and we also sell and install the high quality Shattergard product made by Global Security Products. The Shattergard product is the type of product that strengthens glass windows making them significantly harder to smash, thereby increasing the security of your premises without detracting from the ambience of your living areas.

Sonte are a company that have recently introduced a long sought for solution for transition windows. Transition windows are windows that include the ability to alter the opaqueness of the window. This enables you to have a clear see through window and change it yourself to provide privacy.

There are companies that make dedicated windows that can be transitioned from clear (see through) to frosted (privacy mode) but they are very expensive and time consuming to install.

The pictures here display the difference between clear and frosted look.

Sonte have taken technology further than the dedicated transitioning glass companies and produced a window film product that enable you to apply the same transitioning technology to existing windows, but using your smartphone as the controller. (See the installation video after the jump)

Canon Security Products - Radio Vault

Canon Security Products recently introduced their new Radio Vault, which is a smart looking clock radio speaker system that includes an iPod/iPhone dock, enabling a high quality speaker sound system combined with a hidden biometric vault drawer.

Features

• $349.99 in Black
• Biometric Fingerprint Scanner
• Hidden Drawer for securing your valuables
• High Contrast LCD
• Easy to use Keypad
• Visual display of date
• FM Radio with Presets
• Dual Alarms
• Superior Sound Quality
• Time Sync
• WORKS WITH MOST MP3 DEVICES

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Cowdroy P697 Keyed Pocket Door Lock - Additional Inventory Discovered

We recently discontinued this product line due to the concerns about using a double cylinder product on entry doors. The international building code suggests that the use of double cylinder lock products potentially could cause life threatening issues if someone was accidentally locked inside a room. Life Safety codes in the USA, also require that all door locks require the ability for any person inside to be easily able to escape.

We just cleaned our inventory room and discovered (to our surprise) 2 in Satin Chrome and 2 in Polished Brass.

We are pleased to make these available to the first people who contact us requesting so, by email. They are $125.00 each + shipping.

2013 Best Of Home Advisor Award Winner

What is this award?

We just received notification of being a recipient of the 2013 Best Of Home Advisor Awards.

We have continued to be a proud member of the Home Advisor (formerly Service Magic) group of professionals.

We take this opportunity to thank our customers and clients for nominating us for this honor and pledge to continue offering our services to the best of our ability. 

IQ - Intelligent Key Management Alternative

The IQ Key management system is a robust and superior key control and access management system similar to the Traka product that is used widely by many automobile dealerships and hospitals.

Simple to configure and competitively priced to Assa-Abloys product, the IQ system offers an alternative that concerned security management controllers should look into to compare possibilities.

The video (after the jump) shows how simple the system is to use. It includes options for proximity card access and/or PIN access control.

August Lock - A New Bluetooth Key System

This is the August Lock Adaptor. It is a product similar in concept to the Lockitron product we have mentioned before here.

This classy looking gadget works similarly to the Lockitron product, using Bluetooth to pair with your selected mobile handset.

This is an add on product that installs to the inside of your existing deadbolt lock. It offers convenient keyless access to your entry. It is designed to work with many existing brands of single cylinder deadbolt locks.

Similar to the much touted Lockitron product (which is currently 6 months overdue for release), you simply replace the inside turn button with the August Bluetooth adaptor. The product works just like your existing turnbutton.

Here you can see a depiction of what it will look like on the inside of your door.

Once programmed, you can invite selected users to use their personal phone to access your door. No more handing out keys or worrying about surreptitious duplication.

The product uses a proximity sensor to detect an authorised user's presence and automatically unlocks the lock.

It is important to remember that this is only designed for the deadbolt. many people also use a locking handle or knob on their entry doors. If you do use a locking knob, the August product becomes irrelevant.

Realistically, locking knobs are not a secure product anyway and often the only real security you have on your door is through the use of a deadbolt lock.

While the merits of keyless entry are obvious, I think that many people will forget to lock the door as they exit, leaving your property unsecured.

Other features of this product include notifications (logs) of entry and exit that you can view on your computer or mobile phone.

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