24/7 DC Locksmith

I’m so upset with myself for not doing my research before selecting a locksmith. I realized on my way home that I had left the key to my house in my car that I had left overnight at the repair shop and my husband was out of town. So in desperation I called the first locksmith I saw in my google search. HUGE MISTAKE. The guy shows up promptly as promised and almost immediately the price starts going up from the $ 29 + labor fee that is quoted on their website. It started at around $ 180 to just pick the lock and then went up to $ 244 to replace the lock plus the cost of a new lock. The guy was a typical bait and switch scam artist. By the end of the night I wound up spending about $ 420 for an extremely poorly done job of unlocking my door. The guy wound up having to completely destroy the deadbolt and damaged the door. He also damaged our garage door lock in a failed attempt to try to unlock the garage instead of the front door. He replaced what was obviously a very secure lock with a cheap looking lock that I’m sure didn’t cost anywhere near the exorbitant price he charged me for it. I seriously question whether this guy is really even a locksmith because he failed so miserably at unlocking what I think is probably a pretty common brand household lock. It took him over 2 and a half hours to complete the job. I actually felt sorry for him after about an hour and a half of struggling a sweating trying to unlock my door. At one point I seriously considered just calling the police and letting them kick the door in. It would have been cheaper. Next time I’ll just stay at a friends house or a hotel if I’m ever in that situation again. Or at the very least I’ll do some serious research before calling a locksmith.

They fixed my broken lock tonight when I couldn’t get OUT of my house. Very professional and actually used pieces of the old lock to save me money.

They charge you $ 275 for a $ 30 job!!! Do not use!!! Hire anyone else! Im reporting this company to everyone i know. Plus, I am reporter for the local news. Im writing a story on them right now.

I had accidentally locked my parents’ bedroom on my way out and needed a locksmith to open it after two hours of trying to get it to open. My boyfriend decided to call the first locksmith that popped up on Google. Unfortunately, it had to be this company.
Two stars for getting the job done, but the technician had a serious attitude problem.
My dad was out, but he was aware we called a locksmith, wasn’t too happy about it, but knew.
The tech had told us that without my father’s permission, he couldn’t open it.
Fine, I called my dad & he spoke to him on the phone. Cool.
He kept giving my boyfriend & I side comments that were just not cool. We’re both adults & he kept talking to us like we were children trying to break in my father’s room. I told him politely that I work for an HVAC company and understand company policies and the importance of it, to let him know I’m not playing and definitely not a child.
We already had told him the story of what happened, but even then, when he finally opened our door, he looked at us & was like «there! get whatever you needed! isn’t that why you called me?» NO, it wasn’t why I called him. Like I had told him before, I was on the way out of my parents’ room and had locked it.
Also, when we spoke to the company on the phone, we had asked if they take American Express, which they said yes, but when we were going to pay, he said they didn’t, but he’ll try it anyways. It went through & my boyfriend signed it, but to make sure my boyfriend asked «oh, it went through right? just making sure» & the tech was like «well you signed it, didn’t you?»
Being how we are, we just awkwardly chuckled at all of his comments.
We don’t believe in giving attitude or being rude back for the sake of us all being human beings and we don’t know his life.
Granted, he gave us $ 29 off, which we were extremely grateful for.
But seriously, get better technicians who can be polite.

This is a fraudulent business, be warned. They seriously damaged my entry-​way while replacing my lock after a lock-​out (in retrospect, they also likely swindled us into an unnecessary lock replacement). A day later the replacement lock was broken — and they tried to charge me to repair their shoddy original work.
It only gets worse from there: I told them I would like to file a claim with their insurance company for the damage they caused. For three weeks they dodged my calls, obfuscated, and ignored my follow ups.
Tonight, no surprise, the lock was again broken and I couldn’t get in. They again balked at repairing.
Be on the look out: a lot of these companies are total scams, with no actual companies– they’re just Unilocal listings. And they use third-​party dispatchers but you’ll get the same scammy technician. Here are the ones I dealt with: David Itaron (goes by Ronnie with some of the companies). I’m contacting the DC Attorney General tomorrow morning.

An article appearing in the Business Section of the New York Times for January 31, 2016 outlines, in detail, the practice of businesses just like this. In fact, a lawsuit is now proceeding to recover losses from these bait-​and-​switch operations.

Rip off! Do not use this service. LIARS!

One of the worst mistakes I ever made. DO NOT USE this company.
The charged me $ 262 tonight when I locked my keys in the car. The website says lockouts starting at $ 29!!! WHAT A JOKE!!!
You would literally have to be an idiot to call them after reading this review.
The locksmith shows up in about an hour… No problem. He goes over to the car and in 3 minutes, it’s open. That’s when the problem begins.
Service call $ 49. Emergency lock out service $ 199. 6% tax. $ 262.00!!!
I protest. I call the office. The guy on the phone sounded baffled as well. Said he would call me right back. LIAR!!! I called them… Remember ²⁴⁄₇? No answer… No Answer. … No Answer…3 hours later no answer. I guess they know my number!!!
I can not in good conscience publish all my words and thoughts about this company. What I can say is I hope that they reap every single thing they have sowed today and continue to reap until they are forced to close their pitiful, sorry doors.

Do not hire them! Its a scam! They overcharged my friends and then try to hustle them for more money. Better getting a reference from a trusted source, specially if you don’t much about locks and aren in need of someone to really help.

Contrary to other people’s experiences I didn’t have a bad one! I got locked out of my apartment and my land lord didn’t answer the phone. The locksmith came within 30 minutes. He quoted me $ 188 which yes, is expensive, but one I have never used a lock smith before and two, I would rather just get it done with an get inside. The locksmith tried to pick the lock for about ten minutes but ended up having to drill it. Overall it wasn’t a fabulous time (does anyone really have a great time locked out of their apartment?) but it wasn’t bad. They weren’t rude and they came through for me when I was stuck outside. I do wish it was cheaper and that my lock wasn’t ruined but I can’t really know if someone else would have done it differently. I would call them again!

Absolutely abysmal. I was locked out of my house with my roommates out of town. This locksmith arrived and immediately quoted me $ 150/​door to get into my house. (I live in a DC row-​house where my front door has a gate, a first door, and a second door after a small foyer area.) Realizing that it was going to cost $ 450 just for me to get inside, I started to panic but, as this was my first locksmith experience, I couldn’t be sure that that it was abnormal. I asked if he could take check or card. He said, «No, only cash». When I said that I didn’t have any cash, he offered to drive me to an ATM. When I declined, he said he could do a card but that it would be 10% extra.
Payment and pricing issues aside, he also did a terrible job opening the doors. He spent a long time trying to open my front gate. Finally, he said that there was no way he could open it and he would have to drill it and that that would cost extra. I told him that that wasn’t an option because I rent the house and didn’t feel comfortable putting holes in the owner’s door. The locksmith then pushed me to call my landlord (I had already tried this to see if I could use his key). When I declined again, he called his manger and put me on the phone. His manager tried to talk me into drilling the hole. I firmly declined again and was met with «Well, then what are you going to do since you can’t get into your house and it’s getting dark?». It was clear they were playing on how desperate they expected me to be and trying to scare me into letting them do it. I told them I would stay with friends for the night and call a different locksmith in the morning.
Faced with the prospect of walking away with just a service fee from me, the locksmith said he’d give it «one more try» and immediately got the gate open without drilling any holes. I definitely wanted him gone at this point because this was so clearly a scam. I had to pay him $ 150 for the gate he opened plus $ 25 as a service fee.
I was visibly upset as I begrudgingly paid him to make sure he left without incident. After I signed, he opened up his receipt book to show me that earlier in the day he charged other people more money ($ 165/​door, $ 180/​door, etc.) and said that he gave me a good deal. So I guess he was trying to make me feel better because he could have scammed me out of more money?
I wish I hadn’t paid him anything but, as a young woman standing alone on a dark street with a man who can easily break into homes, I didn’t want to risk starting an altercation.
Completely untrustworthy company. Choose any other locksmith in the area.

I really dislike giving bad reviews but this place deserves negative stars if It were possible. BEWARE, it’s a scam.
I locked myself out of my apartment and in an act of desperation I gave them a call. They were the first ones that came up on my google search. I was so annoyed that didn’t even bother to check reviews– big mistake!
They quoted me $ 35 on the phone and then «a little» bit more depending on my lock. They also said they would arrive in a half hour and they took an hour and a half. After the «locksmith» got to my place, he said it would be $ 125 plus a $ 25 service fee. He said my lock had a high security component and thus the extra charge. He also told me I didn’t know anything about locks, only he did. I started feeling uncomfortable and told him I didn’t need the service. He said he wanted to help me and started negotiating. We ended up agreeing on $ 70 but they don’t take credit cards. I had to go to the ATM to get cash.
In the end he ended up opening my door with a credit card! So much for high security. All in all, I’m still uneasy and I wish I hadn’t called.
Do yourself a favor and avoid this place.

I very, very, very rarely write bad reviews, but this business truly warrants one. Got locked out of my car (2012 Chevy Camaro) and called them over. Though I couldn’t get a quote over the phone, they said rates begin from $ 35 in addition to a $ 15 service call.
The guy comes over to my locked car, looks through the glass for less than a minute, then quotes me at $ 200 to unlock my car. $ 200? To unlock a car? I’ve never seen anyone pay more than $ 50-​$ 60 to unlock a standard car lock even on a newer car. The technician’s excuse was that because I had a newer car, it’d cost more. I knew they were trying to rip me off as soon as I heard $ 200. I politely declined and apologized for calling the technician out here. Then immediately, he says «ok, how about $ 185?» It just got sketchier and sketchier after that.
I again declined politely. I was confident that there was a locksmith somewhere in the DC area that wouldn’t charge me $ 200 to unlock a standard car door. The technician drove to the other side of the parking lot and stayed there (while he stared at me and called his boss or his mom or whoever). Then the company called me and asked why I declined. I explained everything and I told them that another company even GUARANTEED me no more than $ 60 to unlock the car. They put me on hold while they «talked to their manager» (for less than 10 seconds) and came back to say «oh hey, we’re so sorry, yeah, so I guess there was some confusion on our part! To make it up to you, how about we offer you the „membership price“ of $ 65?»
$ 65 is reasonable, not going to lie. But by this point, I realized that I don’t want to be served by such a sleazy, dishonest company. The initial $ 200 quote wasn’t the result of any «confusion», people. It was just another case of a dishonest and sketchy business trying to take advantage of a customer by assuming that all 24 year olds don’t know any better.
I declined the service, but I was apparently still obligated to pay the $ 15 service call fee. Technically, I’m not obligated to pay anything and I knew it. But out of pity, pure pity, I paid them the $ 15. As soon as the technician left, I called the other locksmith company and got my car unlocked for $ 53 even with no BS at all. Go figure.

I had an Issue at home and your company sent a lock smith. The starting price told me over the phone was $ 25 and lock smith came and asked for $ 120 for a simple door lock because he knew I and my family was in trouble and it was cold outside. I called customer care at that very time and support person agreed on $ 90 but lock smith refused to take that and speak to the customer care. I had no other option to pay because of the difficult situation. I am highly disappointed with the service and cheating. I really, did not call any one else because i got a cheaper price from you over the phone and eventually paid higher than many others.

I called District Locksmith because I was locked out of my condo. This locksmith shows up claiming to be from the company. He was from there, however this company is not District Locksmith but a company called ²⁴⁄₇ Locksmith.
When I called the company they answered District Locksmith, and the locksmith that showed said he was from District Locksmith several times, but that was all lies. This company misrepresents who they are, cannot perform locksmith services like a typical locksmith, and charged me triple what an actual locksmith or the actual company District Locksmith would charge.
The actual District Locksmith, could have picked my lock for $ 100. This company initially quoted me $ 125 to pick the lock and another $ 45 if they had to drill it. I assumed they would just pick the lock because the last time I called a locksmith they simply picked it that was that. However this locksmith could not pick the lock, he tried for a minute but it didn’t matter because he didn’t know how to pick locks. After, he quickly resorted to making his claim that the lock couldn’t be picked and he had to drill the lock. He also argued with me saying it’s impossible to pick the lock and I didn’t know what I was talking about.
Somehow it ended up costing $ 200 altogether which I would not have agreed to if that was his initial quote. I refused to pay anything else after this as they quoted me some more services that would have cost $ 400 if I agreed. This company is a fraud, they are not skilled locksmiths and are really handy men at best. I ended up buying a new lock to replace the lock they drilled and broke.

Do not use them. They bait you with $ 29 service fee and $ 25+ service. Rolled up and asked for $ 125 AND $ 29 service fee. We called USAA (should have done this first!) And they got it for $ 53! These guys can pound sand.

THIS PLACE IS A FRAUD. IT IS NOT A REAL BUSINESS.
The «technician» that they sent did not have a license, would not provide any of the company’s licensure information, refused to give his name, and was aggressive and intimidating not only about the pricing but also about leaving our home.
As a couple of young women, we felt VERY intimidated and afraid when the technician was in our home, refusing to leave, being EXTREMELY argumentative and aggressive.
When we phoned the agency, they gave us the run-​around repeatedly, refused to provide ANY information about the company (including their license number, the name of the person I was speaking to, the legal name of the business)
BEWARE. DO NOT CALL THIS «BUSINESS».
Seriously.
Not only are they overly expensive, they are dangerous and seriously suspect.
I would file a formal complaint if they had given me the information necessary, hence the Unilocal review.

This is not a legal business. It is a scam. I did not know that you had to be so careful when choosing a locksmith and good research is absolutely necessary before hiring one. Lesson learned! Make sure you confirm the identity of the business and get a license number before having someone come to your home.
If you are on the fence about calling them, don’t do it. We were bullied, harassed, and felt extremely uncomfortable.

Bait and Switch Ripoff artists. Web site states $ 19 service call and starting at $ 30 to open a locked car door. Technician arrived a hour after call and tried to stick me up for $ 160 dollars knowing I was stuck in a Metro parking lot at midnight after cab service had ended. I told him to get bent at which he cut the price to half at $ 80. It took him only 2 minutes to open door. $ 60 dollars for 2 min work and 5 min travel since he lived closeby. Avoid these people.

I have never had worse service in my life. They took 2 hours to show up after I called about my door handle being broken. They came and said they could fix it for $ 200. I agreed because he assured me it would be covered by warranty and I wouldn’t have any problems. I later found he simply glued the door handle together and it came apart a month later. I called him again and he pretended he didn’t remember me and couldn’t find my invoice.
It doesn’t take a locksmith to glue a door handle together so save yourself the experience with these terrible people and a good chink of money, just do it yourself with your arts and crafts kit from kindergarten. I assure you the quality of your repair will still be better