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Note: Don't Call Emergency Locksmiths Late At Night
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 19, 2011
Modified Jan 19, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 19, 2011
Modified Jan 19, 2011
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The Awl points us in the direction of blogger Caroline, and the sad, all-too-typical story of her experience with an emergency locksmith one late night. Caroline called an emergency locksmith at 1 a.m. when she couldn't get into her apartment, and was handed an exorbitant $613 bill, which he demanded she pay in cash on the spot. We can attest to the ridiculous pricing, since we had a similar experience last Fourth of July (the price goes up even higher on holidays, of course). But after Caroline called the locksmith's bluff about bringing in the cops, what happened next is a bit surprising: by her account, the officer who arrived treated her like shit.
When I got home, I couldn’t stop crying and shaking for two hours. I was sick to my stomach. I was $613 poorer. I have never had so much as a speeding ticket. I have never done drugs. I never drank underage. I trusted that the officer would recognize the situation for what it was - a scammer, taking advantage of a young girl living alone, who obviously didn’t know better.
Read her whole account of the terrible evening here. The moral of the story is, whatever you do, don't call a locksmith in the middle of the night. Especially on a holiday. Instead, as The Awl says, "the answer is go sleep at a friend's house, or pick up someone in a bar and sleep at their house, or sleep in a park."
Tagged
emergency locksmith
keys
locksmith
scam
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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