Incompetent and Unprofessional. Took a set of simple car keys (old school classic) to have copies…read moremade. The first attempt to have them copies by a young woman at the Bothell location (who was unfriendly) resulted in not working on the car. I came back the next day and a young man attempted to fix them. Again, they didn't work. Not only that, but my good master key that opened the trunk, now didn't work. Obviously he copied the badly made key to my good key.
I called up Chris, who went round and round with me saying that this type of thing can happen and using ridiculous word salads. He said to fix it, they would need the lock cylinder in the car and that they would have to charge me $170 diagnostics fee, either in person or if they came to my location. After talking in circles with me and me telling him that I would not pay the fee because he ruined my keys, he said to bring them back and they would fix them. Of course, they could not because he ruined the good key!
So now I had to remove the trunk lock cylinder out of my classic car, which is not an easy process. Requires removing half of rear interior to gain access to trunk which is locked and can't be opened because they botched the job and ruined the good key.
So I came back again the next day with cylinder, only to be told to go to their location next to Fred Meyers In Lynnwood, because the woman in Bothell didn't know how to fix them and said Chris would do it at the other store.
So I went to the Lynnwood shop. They acquired that shop recently, which I always had quick and quality service on copies made prior to the new Wise Locksmith ownership. I wait in line for 15 minutes, while 2 people, one being Chris, are slowly doing something for customer in front of me. When it was my turn, Chris, acted like he never met me before and made me retell the story and the make of the car etc.
I give him (against my better judgement at this point) the lock cylinder to fix the keys. Now he says it will take the rest of the day to fix the keys. I come back later in the day and he finally has the keys. He made 3 copies. Says they work. Proceeds to show me the keys will turn the cylinder...the first key he puts in won't work....so he goes back to grinding, hammering (yes, hammering) and filing by hand for another 5-10 minutes.
In the meantime, while I'm waiting, I'm subjected to listening to VERY LOUD Rap music blaring from the overhead speakers. The Rap is very racist type with lyrics that constantly say the N word over and over, along with ho this and ho that. Very offensive. Listen to whatever you want in your own time, but why would you subject customers to that crap.
Finally he gives me the keys back. Now I get to go home and spend a couple of hours putting my car back together. Because it is a 54 year old car, metal is old etc. While reassembling latch, which hasn't been off of car for that many years, the metal fatigues and breaks where it mounts on one side.
Summary. All I wanted was 2 copies of old school replica keys (that cost money and freight). In return, I got 3 days of hassle, wasting gas, driving back and forth, disassembling my car, and putting up with absolute total incompetence, rude and arrogant phone conversations, dismissive and unfriendly interactions with employees at both locations.
This cost me quite a bit of money and time running back and forth, and now I have a broken mounting bracket inside of my trunk lid that I don't see how you can get in there and weld. Potentially may need another trunk lid and painting/bodywork, which will cost at least a grand.
All I wanted was 2 simple copies of simple low tech car keys. I would recommend driving for 50 miles somewhere else than to take even the most simple Locksmith 101 tasks to this outfit.
I've never written a Yelp review ever. But the way I got screwed on this deal, with absolutely no remorse on their part....I signed up just to do this review.
