10:30pm driving southbound 880 and we hear something loud and next thing you know tire pressure light comes on. It goes from 36 to 28 to 4 by the time we get off the freeway! Husband contacts Geico and this company is the assigned agent to come out. Almost immediately Ken from Pop-a-lock calls and asks some questions. In 5 mins he is on his way and in another 7/8 mins he has pulled up behind us. It was cold and windy and I really didn't want to wait the 45 mins the Geico app said it would be. So I was very thankful for his speedy arrival. Ken was quick, knew his trade, popped out the old tire and popped in the new with deftness and speed, and did it all with a smile. Thank you Ken, and thank you Pop-a-lock for service that felt like the good old times! read more

If you get assigned Pop-A-Lock as your service provider by roadside assistance, I highly suggest you cancel. By far, the worst experience I've ever had with any service provider. I drove home with a nail in my tire and it wasn't until the morning after that I noticed it was there because my tire was flat. I requested a flat tire service on the Allstate app and they assigned me Pop-A-Lock with a tech coming from Oakland. An hour later, the tech arrives in his personal vehicle, not wearing a uniform, and smelling like weed. No greeting, no smile, just pulls out his jack from his trunk. I should have known at this point this was not going to go well. He used his personal floor jack to unsuccessfully jack up my car 3 times. The 4th time he had the jack further in towards the center of the car and finally jacked the car. He changed the tire with the spare. At this point, it's been 20 minutes into the service because his movements were so sluggish. He tried to lower his jack but he kept having to go underneath the car as if to free it from something. Ten minutes pass as he maneuvers the jack from side to side, up and down, trying to set it free. He finally had to borrow the jack in my trunk to jack up the car again in order to set his free! It took 30 minutes for a simple tire change! But that's not the worst part. I go on to start-up my car because I wanted to drive to the mechanic to get my tire fixed right away. And gasoline comes gushing out from underneath my car!!! And I mean gushing, like an unsafe, fire-hazard amount of gasoline is on the pavement. I called his manager Jackie who came to inspect my car and take photos and then had the audacity to tell me that the jack couldn't possibly have caused the damage and to go through insurance. As if I had driven home with gas spewing out of my car... Now I had to get a tow and the mechanic quoted me $1000 to fix a broken fuel line and cracked canister plus labor. Pop-A-Lock refuses to acknowledge it was their fault and Allstate complaint manager says they can't be 100% certain damage is caused by negligence. Guess who's paying out of pocket for this because both Pop-A-Lock and Allstate are irresponsible jerks and left me hanging. Stay away from Pop-A-Lock, you've been warned! read more

Extremely disappointed with the potential service of this company . They should be able to give you the correct ETA , not to waste potential clients Time by letting him know how long it can take and actually going way above what the quoted ETA for me to be very extremely unhappy and went with a different company instead. They need to give property arrival times or none at all. read more

Called by GEICO. Was promised a 57 minute arrival time. It's now been an hour and a half and I was just told it'll be another 30 minute wait. Bad company! GEICO... bad on you too!!! I could have Uber's home, 30 min away, gettin my extra key, and drivin back!!! When I called they said... oh, well... sorry. Don't use this company. There are better companies out there!!! read more

Estimated time of arrival was 2 hours longer than I was told. I sat around and waited. While waiting I called customer service for a status update and the man was extremely unhelpful. He said "ok let me tell him to call you. he should be on his way." And then hung up on me and then I never received a call back from my driver! Terrible service in my experience. I hope others have had better experiences. But I wouldn't recommend them. read more

These jerks never showed up for their appointment for my car. stupid yelp demands i keep writing read more

I waited for 2 and a half hour only to have no one show up and no apologies. All I got was, it'll be another 45 minutes and was blatantly told "I don't control what happens." Not even a single apology was given by the lady who I spoke to multiple time. You figure she would've had the courtesy to try to find out what was going around. Lazy service and non reliable. Literally left me out in the cold. Can't believe Geico contracts with them. PLEASE AVOID. read more

Pop-A-Lock Locksmith Bay Area - The day literally transition into night. Thank god I was in a well lit place. Useless service - Keys & Locksmiths Near Me

I just wanted to rate my experience that I had yesterday with a 5 star review. My insurance company assigned Pop-A-Lock once I reached out regarding my flat tire. The ETA given online was about 48 minutes initially. I called the company directly to verify some info, but in actuality, instead of waiting almost an hour, I only waited about 15-20 min to my surprise. I haven't had to deal with roadside services for quite awhile, and wasn't looking forward to the whole ordeal, but Xavier was great! He gave me a heads up courtesy call that he was on his way, which I appreciated. When he got there, before automatically charging me (I thought I had to pay OOP, then get reimbursed), Xavier double checked my insurance coverage, and found out it was completely covered! That alone gave me confidence that this is a trustworthy company. He was very friendly and thorough. In the end, my tire was replaced with my spare very quickly and I'm so glad that my insurance chose this company to work with! read more

Absolutely AWFUL service from them. My insurance, USAA, called them to help with a jumpstart and I was given an ETA of about 30 minutes to an hour. I was in my car for 2 and a half hours with NO COMMUNICATION from them. I had to call multiple times and each time the customer rep was unprofessional, rude, and on my last call cussed and yelled at me causing a panic attack. When attempting to call them back to try and get at least an ETA or the driver to call me I would be hung up on and if I did connect with someone different I would be hung up on anyway. If your insurance contacts them, call your insurance and get someone else to help you. I have never been treated so poorly in my life by someone working in customer service. read more

I'm considered a regular. They can rekey a whole car in timely manner. Always use them to make key copies that always fit on the first try! Mobile service too! read more

Pop-A-Lock is the best!! They changed a tire for me in October and today gave me a jump. Each time they have told me what to do to help the situation in the future. They are prompt and so nice!!!! read more

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 8:05PM (Time requested for service from Geico) I'm not going to call the guy a douchebag. Heck, I'm not even going to call him an a**hole... cuz you know I'm not gonna let a mofo steal my peace. Besides, my yoga instructors would be really disappointed cuz they're all about "choose not to react." So as much as I'm tempted, I'm going to hold back from calling tht guy who supposedly came to rescue me a douche. Totally not a douchebag. I was on the 880 freeway from Castro Valley to San Jose when I got a flat tire. My cell phone had 15% battery and I couldn't find my Geico card. Luckily, I pulled to the side of the freeway by a "Freeway Assist" sign. I called my sister first to look for me, just in case my phone died. The 511 phone number I dialed transferred me to Geico. Geico sent their service provider, PAL of East Bay and texted they would be there in 60 minutes, ETA 9:05pm. All these horrific thoughts came to my head as I sat there waiting, feeling my car jump up and down as the fast cars on the freeway drove by. I'm surprised I didn't cry, I just breathed in and out of my nose. Then I freaked out thinking I didn't have a freakin' will. Dammit!!! All these stories about unexpected deaths clouded my brain. What's going to happen to my daughter??? I panicked so I wrote a will on a napkin while I waited. Sheesh. My sis and bro-in-law arrived between 8:45 and 9:00. The guy called at 8:51 saying he was close by and he was coming. At 9:04pm, he was trying to figure out where I was, and 9:09 pm I called and he was even more confused. At 9:21, I didn't hear from the guy so I called the PAL of East Bay to find out where he was: The guy who answered put me on hold for a few times and asked, "Uhh. Is there traffic?" "Yeah." He put me on hold again. "Umm. He's stuck in traffic. Yeah that's it." "There's no HEAVY traffic!!! The cars are moving fast!!!" Totally not a douchebag either. I tried calling the guy who was supposed to be my savior, and this time he said, "Yeah, I see you guys. I know where you are." How long has he been watching us?!?! I've been trying to find him! "You are in a dangerous place. You need to call a tow truck!" "WHAT?!?!?" Apparently, Geico just called a company to change a tire. "I've been waiting for an hour and a half?!? The tire is on the passenger side, AWAY from the traffic." "I'm not going there.It's too dangerous. Call a tow truck!" "I've been wai....." "Call a tow truck!" What a wuss! OH wait, did I say that in my loud voice?? I didn't mean that, I have to remind myself that not everyone does yoga as much as I do. Not everyone has Bengal Tiger strength and bulldog determination. I am grateful that I had called my sis and bro-in-law and they found me first. My brother-in-law angrily jumped out of his car and changed my tire. At 10:05, I was on the freeway driving with a spare tire, and at 10:38pm I was finally home, just in time to sing happy birthday to my daughter and to see her blow out the candles on her cake. Even though the service I called (and pay every month, I might add) to help me out was useless, It turned out well in the end. So, I don't really need to call that guy from PAL of East Bay a douche. Totally not a douchebag. read more

Pop-A-Lock Locksmith Bay Area - The guy Geico sent didn't want to change my flat tire cuz it was "too dangerous" Does this look dangerous?!?!?!? - Keys & Locksmiths Near Me

GEICO connected me to this place to fix my flat tire. First tech was sent to the wrong address 3 miles away and canceled without telling me. 2nd Tech also couldn't find me until I waved him in but now comes my favorite part... I HAD TO TRAIN MY GUY HOW TO CHANGE MY TIRE!! YELP needs to start offering negative stars... No one should ever call this place again, ever. read more

Called them through Progressive for road side assistance (jump start). They gave me a 57 ETA which was not met. Called them and they go: sorry, high demand at the moment, will get there in another 107 minutes. You gotta be kidding me. What a joke of service! read more

Requested vehicle lockout service through our insurance and the first company didn't show up after waiting for over an hour. After contacting insurance again, we got an estimate that Pop-A-Lock would arrive in 1 hour. "Great, another hour." Plus, it was already almost 2 AM! *eye roll* Went on to read the Yelp reviews while waiting and was a bit nervous after seeing that customer service was a hit or miss. Much to our surprise, Brock arrived in only 10 minutes! He was really friendly and helped us get back into our car in less than 5 minutes. Super speedy and pleasant service at 2 AM. I'd request him again in a heartbeat! Don't let the other reviews scare you! Thanks again Brock!! read more

My car's battery died and I was waiting for someone from Pop-A-Lock to come jumpstart my battery. They sent someone over but I was in the bathroom when they arrived. I called back within 4 minutes of their original call and they had already left. It was quite frustrating given that we are expected to wait long times and they leave within 4 minutes of their original call. I'm hoping that they can afford us some of the same patience we are expected to have when waiting for these services. read more

FRAUD ALERT Was connected to them through Geico when my car needed a jumpstart. When they came they told my battery was dead and they can replace it. Seeing the corrosion on my old battery decided to go with replacing it. Next day again the battery died. This time took the car to a mechanic where I was told the battery I was sold is an old battery which is dead. Their customer care is not responding now. Will complain about them to geico, but help yourself by avoiding this scam of a place. read more

"I'm not from around here..." "Send me a screenshot of your map." No uniform or marked car. Every. Damn. Time. :/ read more

Sent by the rental car company for a vehicle lockout. They never came. I had to call 3x to follow up and they finally said that they do not have a locksmith who will be able to unlock my car. They could have said it right away so I didn't have to wait for too long! Found another company who came right away and unlocked my car. read more

Yesterday I was out doing errands and stopped to eat lunch in the car. Kept the fan and AC on, and my battery died. Fortunately, my car insurance includes roadside service. Unfortunately, they use Pop a Lock. The estimated time was 60-90 minutes, a nasty long wait for a jump. At the 100 minute mark, the insurance rep called them and Pops said 20 more minutes. At 2 hours I called, was put on hold listening to their ad about how speedily they fix your problems! Called back, was told they had car breakdown problems(!) , 30 more minutes. Then my phone finally died too. At the 3 hour mark, somebody came and jump started my car. He said some customers were waiting longer than me. Three hours waiting in the car or on the sidewalk. Things happen, but lying to your customers to keep their business is atrocious. My insurance company would have used another provider if Pop a Lock had been honest. I would have called around and paid out of pocket. Then I remembered other times when Pop a Lock arrived an hour after their estimate. So if you need help in under 3 hours, pop your business someplace else. read more

My car tire blew and I called them for roadside assistance. Before they were dispatched, I provided them with all of my car information. However, when they showed up the driver did not have the proper equipment to service my vehicle. The dude actually was YouTubing how to take off my tire. Even the dispatcher was very unprofessional and not nice. I will NEVER deal with them again!!! read more

Drover over a pothole that popped my tire and needed to get it replaced. I contacted roadside and they connected me with Pop-A-Lock. This company is fast and reliable. The given wait time was 32-62 minutes and of course, I complained because I had to get to school and didn't want to wait that long. Thankfully, Jonathon was really fast and came within 20 minutes and changed the tire in less than 10. Extremely grateful for Jonathan and the company. You can 100% trust them if you need roadside assistance. read more

Pop-A-Lock Locksmith Bay Area - A hard working Jonathon. Thank you. - Keys & Locksmiths Near Me

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Bad experience. I do not appreciate when people are not honest. Got routed to Pop A Lock Eastbay at about 11:15pm to Myles (Miles?). I called at 11:35 to check in on ETA. He said 49 minutes. I told him I'm a woman alone out at night and there are no businesses around for me to head to and if there is anyway for a sooner unlock and he said no. I called my roadside club and asked if there was anything sooner and they said no. I called back to Myles again to see if the wait was any shorter and he said my unlock was cancelled. When I pressed for info on it he said it was my roadside club that cancelled which I immediately knew is a lie. He insisted I needed roadside to schedule again. I thought this was really suspicious. I asked why it was cancelled and who cancelled and he kept repeating I needed I called back roadside and they said my unlock was not cancelled and still shows as active. They have placed a note on the business for the strange activity. read more

Watched their little company truck merge 4 lanes at once to catch an exit and almost cause a massive wreck. Watching, stunned the driver then flips me off. Does he not know he's driving a branded company truck? Or does know, but the company leadership won't care. read more

You will have to sit around waiting for hours. If you call the number provided and ask for an update you'll be disrespected and hung up on. Garbage service, call literally anyone else if you need help. read more

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY FOR ROADSIDE HELP!!!!!!! If you get them for roadside assistance from your insurance company - BEWARE! This company is FRAUDULENT! My insurance company called this company to assist me with a simple battery jump. My battery died because I was using power while the car was parked. A simple jump is all that was needed. My headlights worked, my radio worked, lights in the car worked. The car even slightly turned over but couldn't get enough to start - it just needed a jump. Pop-a-Lock technician showed up with a typical jump starter device. The technician applied the starter but my car still didn't start nor did it add any power to my car at all. He then proceeded to tell me that my battery was totally dead and that he could sell me a battery. (REALLY! No charge at all dude? - battery at ZERO! Really!! Total SCAMMER! -my electricity in my car worked dude!! That's hardly a totally dead battery ). I told him that his charger was probably dead - he said no it wasn't but wouldn't let me see the reading on his charging unit. Then he said if I wouldn't buy a battery from him, then I would have to call another tow truck and then left me there are the side of the road. WHAT!!! TOTAY LIES!!! So I called my insurance again who sent another tow truck (NEMO Towing - which is an excellent company!!) - the new tow truck had exactly the same type of charger and my car started instantly with no effort at all when he applied the charge. I told the new driver what had happened to me with Pop-a-Lock and he said that there is no way that the Pop-a-lock charger would not have started my car unless it was dead. (EXACTLY what I thought.) I am DISGUSTED with the LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM, LACK OF CARE AND ATTEMPTED SCAM of the pop-a-lock technician. I am sure that I am not the only one they have done this to. It was night time, I was alone, and pop-a-lock had ZERO concern for my safety and only trying to scam me for money for something I did not need. I truly hope this review reaches everyone. This is scamming at his highest!! I have reported them to my insurance company as well as the Better Business Bureau. read more

I'll be honest, I think the service was poor, not based on the quality, but based on the time and the way they communicated it. I had requested road side assistance through Geico (a simple jump start because I had started my car in a few weeks). I was assigned Pop-A-Lock and the initial estimate from them was 45 mins. After 1h I called and they said it would be 4 more minutes. After another 20, I called again and I was given another estimate of 20 mins. I called again after the 20 and was given a third estimate of 20 mins. I called one last time to ask for another estimate which was 10 mins this time, but as I was on the phone, the service arrived. Honestly, I understand that delays happen and I don't want to be unreasonable, but I wish I would have just gotten an estimate of 2+ hours so I didn't have to waste my time and wait by the car. The handling of the time estimate was unacceptable to me. The jump start service itself was fast and efficient and I don't blame the employee, they did a great job. I blame the system, which is highly inaccurate. Thank you. read more

Don't use them!!! Beg your insurance company to send another company. We've been waiting now for almost two hours - only to find out that somehow our call was deleted from their system. No information on us for some odd reason - the dispatcher said it was human error. Not cool when your standing outside in a dark parking lot for two hours - not cool at all!!!! I don't blame the driver at all - but the dispatch service because they were very dismissive and didn't follow through and check when I called the first time. read more

Ameriprise Auto Insurance dispatches these guys to customers for routine roadside assistance. Unfortunately, I have had to use these rascals a few times for flats. Most of the occasions have been without incident--nothing special one way or another. Today I had an appointment at a shop to have a tire repaired, but when I got to my car the tire was completely flat. I called roadside assistance to get the spare put on. No one contacted me in advance so the first point of contact with pop a lock came once the driver was already on the street. I needed the driver to make a concession which may have been granted if we had a conversation beforehand but since we didn't he arrived ill informed with zero patience. Instead of being helpful or polite he left without any further communication. In fact no one from pop a lock bothered to contact me. I had to call roadside assistance back and make a request for another tow company to be dispatched since pop a lock refused to accommodate my request. I'm giving these guys Zero stars for abandoning a customer after coming to the site, hiring drivers/dispatchers with heartless attitudes, and their lack of communication. Needless to say I missed my tire repair appointment. read more

Summary: use Micki's Towing in east Oakland instead. You're welcome. Do NOT use this company. If your insurance assigns you Pop a Lock, you need to call and speak to someone about getting *any other company* to answer the call. 0 for 2, Pop a Lock. And never again. First experience: it's the beginning of Covid, April 2020. I get a flat in Alameda. State Farm sends me Pop a Lock to put on my spare. Pop a Lock sent me a sedan-driving teenager, who didn't even have his own tire iron. I watched as he STOOD AND JUMPED on my tire iron because he couldn't get the lug lock key to work. He broke the key. So, this child who came unprepared and untrained turned my 45 minute tire change into a TWO DAY ORDEAL because now I had to get my car towed at the end of a business day to a closed tire shop. Oh, and I had to get an Uber. I had to pay to get the locks ground off, and I had to pay for the Uber, all which took FOREVER for State Farm to make right. I was done with Pop a Lock then, but, oh, Geico just couldn't resist giving me one more experience with them. Second experience: Yesterday. I get a flat in Alameda again. Pop a Lock gets assigned to me, again. 75 minute ETA. At 40 minutes I get a call from my Pop a Lock driver that he's on his way and 15 minutes out. Sweet, I'm thinking. Nope, not sweet. 25 minutes later I attempt to call the guy and there's no answer. The second call goes straight to voicemail. So I call Pop a Lock and the dispatcher puts me on Hold before hanging up on me. I call back, and a different dispatcher tells me they're trying to get a hold of my driver, puts me on Hold, and hangs up on me, too. The THIRD TIME: It's now past the 75 minute ETA and I get a different dispatcher who puts me on Hold and then just transfers me to Geico. Like... WTF? What in the actual, Pop a Lock? IT GETS BETTER! So Geico sends out a new ticket that is answered and has a truck out to me in 10 minutes. GO MICKI'S TOWING! My Pop a Lock driver calls me as the Micki's guy is removing my flat, and he's acting like he didn't call me over an hour beforehand telling me he'd be there in 15 minutes. It was 30 minutes past the 75 minute ETA. He wanted to confirm the address and tried arguing with me as I laid out what he had just done and told him he needed to call his company before I hung up on him. He called me again, and I didn't answer. He left me this weird voicemail about how he had come upon a "couple of people in a bad situation" and mumbled some excuse out. He didn't have that excuse ready when he called me the first time. I honestly don't care why he never showed, but I certainly hope he had that crappy story hammered out a bit better by the time he called his boss. So, this company employs untrained children and liars. I hope this "business" goes under soon. read more

Raphael showed up 45 minutes earlier than expected to change my flat tire. Upon arrival we discovered that my spare tire was damaged. He went above and beyond the call of duty to help me come up with a solution and saved me hours and $$$ instead having to call a tow truck eternally grateful! read more

I don't know if it was this pop a lock in Oakland or the one in San Jose that contracts with onstar. but pop a lock left me stranded for over two hours in 90° weather, they kept canceling! first claiming that they could not find me in spite of the fact that I was waiting on a major street in a well known area. And then they claimed I didn't have a spare, of course I have a spare! And then they asked onstar if I would prefer a tow instead of fixing my flat. So obviously they're looking to make more money. Why would I two when I just needed my flat fixed??? And then they refused to come claiming they needed more info, and then they kept hanging up on onstar... pop a lock is crooked! read more

I would give this place ZERO star if I could. I got a flat tires and called my insurance for road side assistant. They sent out this guy named Mike from Pop-A-Lock. First, he called me and said he's right at my car. I said to him I don't see him because I was standing by my car. He was not even at the right car. Second, he thought he was coming out to pop a lock, not to change my tire. So I told him that I am not locked out. I have a flat tire that needs to be change. And his respond was " whatever, I'm here" I have never experienced anyone so rude in my entire life. He asked me for certain tools and I have no idea what those tools are. So I opened my trunk where my spare tire is at and asked if he can help me take a look. He said NO, it's not his job and that he's not allow to look in my car. So, I asked if he can describe to me how the tool looks like he started laughing at me. He wouldn't even help me carry out my spare tire. I am a 90lb girl, and he was laughing when I asked if he could help me. What kind of man does that? At this time, I called one of my co worker to come out and stand there with me because I was worried for my safety. Mike spoke very rude, he has no manners. He said he cannot change my flat tire because I don't have a lug nut tool in my car. So he left. I called my insurance company and reported Mike. And they said that he could have done this job even if there is no lug nut, if he has a power drill. Seems like he has no idea what he's doing and did not care to help. I will make sure everyone I know will never use this company for anything. read more

Pop-A-Lock Locksmith Bay Area - Keys & Locksmiths Near Me

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Progressive dispatched pop a lock for an unfortunate flat tire near Oakland around midnight. Was told someone will arrive in 30 minutes but took more than 2.5 hours. The person arrived and couldn't undo the hub cap and left saying we should ask our insurance company for help. We were able to get the hub cap off ourselves and called the insurance company who ended up dispatching pop a lock again. We were told they would reach in 30 minutes but after another hour of waiting we learnt that the vendor is unable to complete assignment. More than 4 hours wasted while still being stuck on the road. This is the most unreliable and unprofessional roadside assistance experience can one can have. Beware of this company. If your insurance dispatches this company, keep looking for other options. read more

We were assigned to them by State Farm when my mom needed a jump start. We scheduled a day out for early the next morning, and I was actually shocked when they pulled in at exactly 7am. Rarely is anyone on time these days! When they realized my mom was headed to the dealership to get a new battery they offered to do it on the spot. It was quick and probably cheaper than VW. I'm impressed. read more

My request for roadside assistance through Geico was forwarded to Pop-A-Lock Eastbay. The technician, Mike, was not only on-time but also called to let me know he was within 5 minutes of arriving. My experience was GREAT, and Mike offered feedback for all of my concerns. To Mike at PAL: thanks again for everything!! read more

Frank was awesome and showed earlier than expected. He is very friendly and knowledgeable., had a second service with David , my battery died. He was awesome !! This just speaks to the company and ownership... they hire great people. read more

Poor service and Connor communicate with their customers. Have all the excuses in the world why they they Connor perform their services.

Came and got me on the road again in 10 minutes. I was only 10 minutes from their office BUT they jumped up right away a executed superb service. I won't call any other place ever again read more

We were locked out of our car late tonight and were serviced within 15 mins by a technician whose name we didn't catch (serviced by # ending in 1224). He was amazing, friendly, and efficient. Very recommended for roadside assistance! read more