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Real Estate News Releases
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(EMAILWIRE.COM, August 16, 2011 ) Houston, TX - A recent flood of unlicensed and out of state Houston locksmiths prompted leading Houston locksmith and Safe Cracker, Houston Safe & Lock's Fred Trotter, to advise Houstonians to hire only reputable, bonded, licensed, insured and local Houston Locksmiths.
"For your safety, please ensure that you only use a reputable, licensed, bonded and insured local Houston locksmith and security company with a physical office in Houston that is available to help you after the initial service is provided," warns Mr. Trotter.
High demand for low cost Houston 24 Hour 24 Hour Emergency Locksmith services has led to this overpopulation of “fly by night” locksmith companies. Such companies will quote you rates as low as $15 for their service, but will try to scam you for as much as $300.
When selecting a Houston Locksmith for your home or business, Mr. Trotter highly recommends using the following guidelines to ensure you are not taken advantage of in an emergency lockout situation or standard lock work in your home or place of business:
1. Select a reputable Houston Locksmith with a physical brick and mortar office location in Houston. Call only local numbers; avoid 800 or 888 numbers as those tend to be call centers located out of town, out of state or in some cases, out of the country. Be advised that several Houston locksmiths are serious scammers and even put phony local addresses in their advertisements.
2. When you make an initial call to a locksmith in Houston, make certain that the company is insured, licensed and bonded through The Texas Department of Public Safety (TXDOT), as required by law. Mr. Trotter includes that “Since State licensing and bonding information is available to the public and is covered by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), use your resources and check the TXDOT website to ensure the company’s license and bond is still active and has not expired or been retracted due to unsavory business practices. Always know your rights as a consumer; trust but verify. If the company you call refuses to give you their State License number, then refuse to give them your business.”
3. All locksmiths are also required by State law to carry a “Pocket Card” on their person at all times. The pocket card is issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety and has the locksmith’s name, photograph, registration number and expiration date. Always ask to see the pocket card if it is not visible. If the locksmith does not have one, send him away. If he insists payment or refuses to leave, call the police.
4. Beware of “Bait and Switch” pricing, especially over the phone. “All locksmiths, Houston area or not, have a set fee for the initial service trip charge for coming out to your location. The actual services rendered, including labor and parts, are added on to the trip charge. Scammers will mislead you into thinking that the trip charge will be the only payment due. Beware of any locksmith that quotes rates that are too good to be true,” cites Mr. Trotter. Scammers will often quote a substantially low price to get your business and upon arrival to your location they will find reasons to charge you excessively. When calling a Houston locksmith, “Ask the technician how the total price will be calculated, then ask again when the locksmith arrives. Though legitimate Houston locksmiths are not entirely able to quote an exact price over the phone, always remain cautious of outlandish price increases,” Mr. Trotter directs.
5. Last, but not least, always triple check the invoice or receipt given to you by a locksmith. In Texas, the company name, address, phone number, and license number must be printed on the invoice. Mr. Trotter suggests that “you should never hesitate to file a complaint with the Texas Department of Public Safety if you encounter any discrepancies with a Houston locksmith.”
About Fred Trotter and Houston Safe and Lock:
Fred Trotter is a leading Houston Locksmith, Safe Cracker and Security Consultant. He and his company have been keeping residents and commercial customers of Houston safe for over 35 years. He is a current member of Texas Locksmith Association and has several affiliations with State and local law enforcement agencies, as well as Houston area Fortune 500 Companies.
Houston Safe and Lock serves the Greater Houston area including:
Southwest / South Houston - Memorial City and Town & Country Mall Area
Northwest / North Houston - Willowbrook Mall and Greenspoint Area
West Houston / Katy - West Oaks Mall and Katy Mills Area
Sugar Land / Missouri City - Fort Bend County and First Colony Mall Area
Inside 610 Loop - Museum District and River Oaks Shopping Center Area
Uptown - Galleria Mall Area
Bellaire - Meyerland Plaza Area
For additional information about:
- Houston Locksmiths
- Houston Fire Safes
- Houston Gun Safes
- Houston High Security Locks and Deadbolts
Contact Houston Safe and Lock (281) 497-5555, visit www.houstonsafeandlock.net or e-mail Fred Trotter
Online Marketing Hotline
Press Relations
(281) 497-5555
press@onlinemarketinghotline.com 
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