Charles Engel
17000 Robert Drive
Fort Bragg, CA 95437
707-357-5340
David Escola
ESCOLA'S LOCKSMITHY
P.O. BOX 2735
FORT BRAGG, CA 95437
707-964-4703
Dear David:
This letter is about the work you performed for me on October 24, 2023. You responded to my call for assistance within a few hours. You have not responded to multiple calls since then. I was seeking assistance in determining how to best deal with the loss of my mailbox key. I simply needed to replace the $10 lock that came with the mailbox. Your bill of $270.27 amounted to approximately three times the cost of the entire mailbox assembly. I believe that I am the victim of financial elder abuse. I mistakenly trusted the judgment of an established locksmith. I believe you have financially exploited others before.
You asked me to watch you do the work for reasons that didn't make sense to me. You asked me to stay nearby so that I would be assured that you did steal anything from my locked mailbox. This didn't make sense because most mailboxes are not locked anyway. It wasn't until after you left that I figured it out. You apparently wanted to demonstrate to me how difficult it is to change the $10 lock on my mailbox. You spent between twenty thirty minutes and attempting to make a replacement key rather than simply drilling out the old locking mechanism. Your initial attempts were a complete failure as well as inherently foolish.
Then you changed your strategy. You decided to drill out the old lock. The drill you used was an underpowered Craftsman. It was apparent that the drill bit was dull. It spun in the chock because it wasn't sufficiently tightened. Again, it took between twenty and thirty minutes for you to drill out a lock that anyone else could have replaced in a matter of minutes. In retrospect, it appeared as though you believed that I was a gullible senior citizen, a neighbor that could easily be exploited. You charged me $45 additional for the half hour you spent doing a job that I could have accomplished in less than ten minutes.
It wasn't until you were finished that I learned that you had installed the most expensive lock possible, a lock whose keys could only be replicated by you. You informed me that the lock was of the same quality as locks used on safe deposit boxes. You didn't inform me of other options prior to installing it. You told me that you were the only person in town that could replace the new keys due to their unusually angled teeth. I asked how I could copy the keys if you were to retire. You don't have a physical address and none of this made sense.
The final bill listed the price of the lock (to replace a standard $10 lock) at $127.00 (lock and two keys). You promised to send me additional keys and I haven't heard from you since. You informed me that it would be difficult to impossible for anyone to drill out the lock you had installed without my permission. The labor, in addition to your standard $85 fee was $42.50. The "basic zone fee" was $85.00 with an additional fee of $4.50 for three additional miles. Total materials were $127.00. Total labor was $42.50. Basic zone travel and service fee was $85.00 plus $4.50 for the additional three miles. The total of my bill was $270.27. I paid my bill in cash. You have informed me that the lock you used requires a code to be copied and you are the only person that has the code.
A good neighbor and/or an ethical business owner could have advised me to try drilling it out myself and to call if there were any problems. Apparently, business integrity is not one of your priorities
I am sending a copy of this letter to the City of Fort Bragg as well as the Maintenance Manager at the hospital. You informed me, after you installed the lock, that you had done similar work for the hospital. They may have a few questions for you after reading my letter.
I am posting this letter on the Mendocino Community Announce List. Several neighbors have expressed an interest in my experience as well as the outcome. Please be advised that I will file a complaint in Small Claims Court if you don't respond within 30 days of receiving this letter. I would be claiming financial exploitation of a disabled senior citizen.
Sincerely,
Charles Engel
Cc:
~Maintenance Manager, Adventist Health Mendocino Coast, 700 River Drive, Fort Bragg, CA 95437
~City Manager, City Hall, 416 North Franklin Street, Fort Bragg, CA 95437 read more
