Is your locksmith qualified???

In many states, Michigan included, Locksmithing is very poorly regulated. It can be difficult to figure out if your talking with an actual locksmith, or just a handyman calling himself one. In many situations, these “locksmiths” will over charge, or go about the entire job incorrectly and end up costing the customer much more than is needed. For example, if you are locked out of your home, a real locksmith can usually pick open your lock without damage, in about 5 minutes or so. Many of the scam locksmiths will not even attempt to pick the lock, they will drill it or simply pry it off the door, then charge the customer for the “opening” as well as a replacement lock, which is often a much lower quality than the original. Some very important questions you should always ask are; are you insured? If so ask for a description and amount. Are you a member of any upstanding security associations I.E. ALOA or the LSA. How long have you been doing this? do you have references? Are you uniformed or in a clearly marked service vehicle?