Is Your Locksmith Licensed?

Locksmith  or  Mocksmith?

Did you know that almost 90% of all locksmiths found online or in phone books are NOT licensed to operate as a locksmith in California?

If you call a locksmith to make keys at your home or business, you owe it to yourself to know if they are properly licensed. All licensed locksmiths must pass a FBI background investigation. The unlicensed locksmith may or may not be a skilled locksmith, and if they can't pass the criteria, don't let them make a key to your property.

Unskilled "locksmiths" are called "scammers" and have very little locksmith training or skills. They normally drill out your locks and try to sell you new locks at very inflated prices. They almost always quote a very low price and escalate the final price to ridiculous amounts. When you question them about the higher price, they usually become agitated and rude. They threaten to call the police and have you arrested for theft of service. Do you think that this won't happen to you? It occurs to millions of people everyday. Don't be another victim!

Read or watch some of these horror stories

Unlicensed Locksmith Videos

How Do I Find a Reputable Locksmith?

The unlicensed or scammer locksmiths can generally charge less that a legitimate locksmith because they don't pay rent, workers comp, licensing fees, surety bonds, and the multitudes of other expenses that the legitimate locksmith needs to pay every month.

Most of the time, the work they perform is sub par so you need to remember that the cheapest price is not always the least expensive.

A great way to find a licensed locksmith is to select one from the Better Business Bureau website. We are a BBB accredited shop with an A+ rating.

https://www.bbb.org/san-diego/business-reviews/locks-and-locksmiths/a-1-lock-safe-in-carlsbad-ca-1021973

Even some legitimate locksmiths DON'T have a Contractor's License. If your locksmith only works on cars, they do not need this license. If they work in or on any structure in the state and the job totals $500 or more, the Contractor's License is required. It is a misdemeanor to bid or perform a job of $500 without this license. To get this license, one must pass a test and obtain a surety bond. You can click on the State of California Contractor's License Board (CSLB) website to see if your locksmith currently has this license and see if there has been any corrective actions. A-1 Lock and Safe's number is:

726174 - click on the number and you can check our status

Here is a link to check on any other locksmith:

https://www2.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicenseII/checklicense.aspx

You can check by name or license number.