In one year in the US, there occurs 1.9 million burglaries. That is a staggering number, even considering the number of homes and families in the country. Having that many burglaries means that there is a burglary happening every sixteen seconds, and, by the time you finish reading this article, dozens of homes will have been broken into. If you don’t want this fate to befall you and your home, and your family, you need a secure lock on all your doors, to start.
But, where do you find a local trusted locksmith? Google (and other major search engines) have jumped on the local bandwagon. Simply typing in something like “locksmith services near me” will pull up plenty of local businesses. You can also add your location. For example, “locksmith services in West Palm Beach, FL“. Then comes the hard part… deciding which locksmith business you want to deal with.
Searching Online
Once you have assembled your preliminary list of options, go to sites like Yelp, Better Business Bureau, and other review sites to find what the majority of reviewers say about each business. Be critical as you read the reviews, there are internet trolls that write scathingly negative reviews — often without even being a customer. Most often, they are a competitor. It’s usually not difficult to discern which is which.
On the flip side, if you see a bunch of positive reviews that are a bit light on details or honest critiques, this could be an indication that the business is engaged in posting false reviews. You’d want to steer clear of those, as well, as it shows a certain unethical attitude.
You want to find a fair mix of reviews that discuss what’s positive about the business and what isn’t. If the majority of the reviews are 4 stars and up, with a few 3’s or lower, that’s a good bet that the business is on the up-and-up.
Steer clear of national locksmiths online. It’s usually an umbrella service for local guys. And, you don’t know what vetting the service does to ensure the locksmiths they send your way are legit.
Searching Offline – Or In Real Life
Naturally, you can reach out to friends and colleagues for recommendations on local locksmiths. This may provide you with a reliable and trustworthy option. The danger of this type of search is that you won’t likely get a large list of options. You might only get one or two locksmith businesses in the area. The benefit of this is that you know the person doing the recommendation, and you’ll likely be able to get a better idea of the business’s modus operandi.
Combine IRL Searches with Online Research for the Best Results in Finding a Local and Trustworthy Locksmith
Or, you could do both. You could shoot an email (or Facebook message) to your friends and colleagues in your area asking them for any locksmith referrals they might have in the area. And, do your own search. Look at the stranger reviews online and at the personal reviews you receive from your people.
But Don’t Stress Too Much About It
When it comes to locking up your house nice and tight, you want to engage the services of ethical and experienced locksmiths. But, you don’t need to dive too deep into your research. Doing a quick scan of online reviews, making sure they don’t have any BBB complaints, and getting personal referrals will be plenty of work to ensure your security.
We recommend you visit your potential locksmith in person. See what kind of a store they manage and how they interact with their customers. Get to know what products and services they actually offer. There’s no substitute for that.
Conclusion
All in all, the internet is a powerful tool when you need to find a locksmith near you, but it’s always an even better idea to trust your own eyes and an expert’s advice.
A-1 Locksmith of the Palm Beaches, Inc. (https://www.a1gmtlocksmith.com/) is a local company in West Palm Beach, Florida that has served the community in all their lock and safe needs for decades. They also manage a blog that discusses all things security related.FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedIn
