Tried to SCAM a senior citizen. Avoid at all costs. These guys are aggressive crooks and have been reported to Fullerton PD.
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I called because my older neighbor needed help finding a locksmith to open a locked standard door.
Called the number from yelp (909) 281-5005 and was told that a technician would be contacting me back with additional information and an eta. I asked that he contact my neighbor (as it is her house) and proceeded to provide her phone number, name and location address.
10 minutes later (958am), I get a call (he was supposed to call my neighbor) from the "technician" (562) 254-5221 saying that he would be here in 20 minutes. He then asks "Is she Asian? Is she waiting outside? How will i know which house?". He refuses to give an ballpark estimate via phone so I confirm her address and inform him that she is his point of contact and she is waiting for him.
2 minutes later (10am), I call the dispatch number to again confirm that we'd be getting an estimate and to confirm that a check would be an acceptable form of payment. I was assured that it would be fine so we waited for the technician.
The technician arrives in a light blue/grey Prius, wearing a white t-shirt and black joggers without any identification) at 1045am and proceeds to the back of the home with my neighbor where he does not give her an estimate and opens her door. He then tries to invoice her for $279 without the estimate being given first. My neighbor comes over to get me and says that the technician will not accept check (after it had been verified over the phone and via texts sent at 1007am).
I go to the back of the house and ask why work was done without approval and why it was so expensive. We never agreed to the service that was performed at the price and he was adamant about being paid. I immediately called the service center at 1049am and was told a manager would be calling me back. None called. Instead, the technician argued with us in the street and called his supervisor who tried to lower the price to $180. We refused and added that we'd be calling the authorities for assistance. Suddenly, they agree to $100.
Since our neighbor just wants the door open and for the person to leave, she offers to pay but they insist on cash only. My neighbor now had to leave to get the cash to pay. As she leaves to get the cash (while we are waiting at her home for her), the technician proceeds to follow her to the bank (this is extremely dangerous for so many reasons). The neighbor realizes that he's followed her to the bank so she asks him to go inside with her for her safety. At first, he refused but decided to go in because she would not pay him till she felt safe.
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All in all, this was a complete shakedown and scam. How does service to unlock one bedroom door go from $279 to $100 in cash? How does the approval for payment via check suddenly change to cash only? And why are you following an elderly neighbor to the bank???
AVOID AT ALL COSTS! read more