On Call Locksmiths

We used On Call Locksmiths late evening after having our vehicle vandalised and the ignition damaged rendering it un-driveable. At the time, it was late at night and starting to rain and this was a convertible car without a roof. We had already been waiting for quite some time prior to calling On Call Locksmiths to arrange for a vehicle tow without any luck, so by the time we called On Call Locksmiths, we were already getting quite desperate to resolve our situation. The technician arrived and after an assessment of the situation, advised that he should be able to at least get the vehicle running again by fiddling around with the ignition and basically being able to turn on the ignition with the likes of a screwdriver. For this, he quoted $400 which I thought was a lot but given our options and circumstance, I requested him to proceed. After some time, he then said that surprisingly, the key still fitted into the ignition and after a few more minutes, he was able to turn the key in the barrel of the ignition so effectively, he had salvaged the ignition completely. I was very relieved up until we had to pay the technician. I had assumed that the amount owing was $435 ($35 call out plus the $400 that he quoted), only to be told it is about $555 PLUS GST!!! After looking at the website now and seeing the prices quoted for different works, I am struggling to comprehend how the price had blown out from the estimates provided on their website. I noted the car key extraction' ($75) or Car Key/Ignition replacement ($150) which is possibly what needed to be done which even if these were added together, would be around $225. I understand that circumstances can vary the price to some degree but the price we ended up paying was basically triple that amount. Also, at no point did the technician explain that there was going to be further charges on top of the $400 price quoted. This is just ruthless cash grabbing by taking advantage of people who are in a vulnerable situation. Just a terrible experience overall:-(. I do however give credit where credit is due and the technician is clearly very capable and resolved our issue but that came at an extreme cost

THE STARTING POINT: Both ruthless and opportunistic conduct by this company and the locksmith assigned to me Akia has occurred. After being involved in a vulnerable situation locking myself out of the house with no way to get in, a quick Google search was done where this company appeared. I called their number 03 8593 7483 where I spoke to a representative who appeared to be based overseas who repeatedly asked me to confirm the address and spell it despite already doing so, proving a distinct language barrier. After explaining the situation where she requested my details with no reference to price, I then asked "what the price would be as the website simply stated a call out of $35". The representative advised how "this depends on the locksmith and what work would be involved" and restated the call out figure only and expressing "how they'll come out within 20 to 30 minutes". Being led by their website indicating "fast, professional & affordable" with a "20 minute response" and "$35 call out", hindsight suggests this wasn't the case at all and arguably, very misleading and deceptive as detailed below. In addition, in reading the reviews of others, it seems a lot of inconsistent pricing is occurring making the amount I was charged ridiculously higher despite being already ridiculous to begin with. THE WORK: Aside from waiting an hour for the assigned locksmith Akia, once he arrived driving into the communal driveway blocking any means of exiting, he immediately commenced the work. He began by simply sliding something that looked like paper to the side of door to see if it would open which it didn't. He then sprayed WD-40 into the lock and tried to unlock it with what appeared to be a screwdriver. As there was no mention of pricing and everything seemed to be happening so quickly, I had sought clarification about the price where I was being strung along. He initially quoted me $350 in which I expressed how "this was excessive particularly given the website suggests being an affordable service with a $35 call out". He continued to work on the door trying to complete the job to prevent me from backing out quickly changing the subject by presenting problems around how "the door lock was apparently broken" and how "he needs to break the door handle entirely" throwing different variables to not address the price. This was particularly unusual given that the door handle was in working order for the past number of years and the situation was simply that I had locked myself out. He then advised me how "there is no other option other than to break the door handle and take out the lock" and that "it will cost a further $100 to provide a new handle with the price increasing to $450" - this was while he continued to do the work without stopping for a moment to see if I'd agree as I was already expressing concerns. By this stage, he had broken the door handle and removed the pieces with the door opening then resumed putting a new handle - meaning, the job was done regardless of there clearly being no arms length transaction or reasonable compromise. THE DISCUSSION AND SUDDEN INCREASE IN PRICING: He took me aside to his vehicle parked in the shared driveway presenting his EFTPOS asking me to tap for the payment and how "the price would now be $588" in which I was ready to throw up everywhere already being sickened by the situation overall and how quick everything was transpiring. He lacked compassion and became hostile standing very close to me holding his EFTPOS machine where I was wedged between his car in the communal driveway and the fence as he stood directly in front of me near the passenger seat of his vehicle. I attempted to clarify the sequence of his pricing restating how "he initially said $350, then changed this to a further $100 while he still continued to do the work and raise other issues swaying away from the topic of price". He then stood quite close to my face advising how "there is a further call out fee of $35 and also GST" which I then clarified how "this still does not amount to $588 as GST is 10% and also inconsistent to what he had referred to in the beginning while persisting with the job without actually agreeing". He expressed how "EFTPOS transactions incur a further 3% surcharge which makes it $588". I again stated that "the amounts do not reconcile". He then started advising how "he simply works for the company and has no say" and that "he will get into trouble for reducing the price" and how "he will give me his business card so if next time it occurs I can call him directly". Remaining calm as he appeared quite agitated, I attempted to diffuse the situation referring to him as "my friend" clarifying the amounts again where he simply said "$549.99 is the absolute best price" while suggesting that "the door handle is of high quality with extended warranty to include the door handle and his workmanship on an ongoing basis" which he then later changed to "12 months" – only to see on the electronic receipt it says “90 days”. I had explained to him how "the same door handle can be found at Bunnings with typically 10 to 15 years warranty" in which he then said that "I could reach him any time there is an issue so he can fix it" while handing me his business card “if I need a locksmith in the future to call him directly rather than through their company to be charged less”. I had tried to explain how "he didn't even give me the chance to consider my options and persisted with the work while we were trying to ascertain the price" and we went through the same argument over and over and he was causing me great discomfort and pressure. When I tried to recalculate the price to factor GST and 3% surcharge, he then established that it would be "a $10 difference" and whether he wanted "to just give me the $10" and how "he will get in trouble by his company if he discounts any more". By this stage, I was so drained that I conformed to the situation as we clearly weren't progressing and he was getting more and more hostile. I advised him "I would need a copy of the warranty and receipt" which he then sent me an electronic receipt to my mobile with a company name that read "Services on Wheels Pty Ltd" which is different to their website. He then went inside his car and pretended to count the loose change to make it seem like he was prepared to give me $10. Given I was already ripped off by $549.99, accepting $10 simply didn't seem viable but rather a mockery in which he was happy to retain and drove off in a heartbeat. THE CALL CENTRE AND NO SOLUTION: When calling the number on their website 03 8593 7483 to clarify the issue and also request for a proper invoice/tax receipt, the representative who answered said "she would escalate to her manager who will call me back and email it to me". I requested for "an email address to put this matter in writing as the website didn't have any". She simply advised how "she needs to disconnect the line as the calls were only for those in an emergency situation needing a locksmith". Later, I received a text from a random mobile number with the email address servicesonwheels@gmail.com. I had then called back confused by a "Gmail" email address as it also wasn't the name that they list themselves on their website. I called back and spoke to another representative who introduced herself as [Name Removed] and required me to explain the whole situation again. She would repeatedly ask me to "wait" and had some strange beeping noises in the background. She wanted to know "why I required their email address" and repeatedly asking me to "wait" while she was typing messages to what she said was "her manager" who was supposed to call. In the end, she confirmed it was "their email address and that a manager would call me back" but as expected, it never eventuated and neither was the actual invoice/tax receipt emailed aside from the one received via text message by the locksmith initially. The whole call flow was evidently staged and scripted which like the conduct of the locksmith, raises serious questions around their business ethics and conduct. CONCLUSION: Based on all interactions, they clearly use a predetermined business model and are preying on victims engaging in unfair and unreasonable business practice exploiting individuals in the process. Not only does this raise concerns about business ethics but the conscience and humanity of all those involved who at the end of the day, have undeniably taken advantage of innocent souls in vulnerable situations and should be reported to relevant authorities.

Don't believe their website price, very unfair for less than 5mins key unlock charges are $230 plus callout $35. Don't take their 20mins turn around promise, it's an hours atleast.

If I could rate this place a negative 5 I would. Firstly the quote over the phone was $35 call out fee and possibly $45 more if new key to be replaced . I was told it would take 20 mins for guy to arrive , we waited an hour. The broken key was removed and we were charged $250. I rang to complain and get a breakdown of work I was told they “didn’t have a boss” . The echo and delay in phone call was clearly evident that this is an overseas call centre . They were rude , unhelpful , spoke over me and did nothing to query the amount we were charged . The whole thing is a massive scam. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY !!!!!

This is the biggest SCAM. I will report them to ACCC. They installed a lock on my door ($700 incl the lock). The lock was not installed properly and we could not lock the house. For 4 weeks I am calling them (over 50 calls already) and they are assuring me that the Manager or another Technician will call me back asap. Yesterday I have 10 calls to them and another 30 today. On every single call they say the Technician is within 20-30 min away. I lost all my nerves waiting and waiting. Now I have to call another Locksmith service and pay again for the stuff up this company did. I seriously can't believe they are allowed to operate in Australia as this is the worst and most unprofessional company I have been in touch with for the 20 years I've been living in Melbourne. Stay away and be aware. It's a matter of time till ACCC closes their doors and I can just imagine how much fines they will need to pay and reimburse customers like me.

Never recommend to anyone ! Poor service they says that’s 24hours service but they don’t work after 9 pm. They’ve done half job and charge 195 $ and left . They couldn’t finish the job I’ve been waiting from 5:30pm to unlock car and get the key they couldn’t manage to replace the key they invoiced me 530 $ receipt which is too expensive and poor services!

Do NOT use this company. Quoted one price, then charged double once the job was done. Got really angry at me when I questioned him and threatened to come back and remove the lock. Very rude and aggressive. Management don’t care one bit either, hung up on me when I tried to explain what happened. Low life scammers!!!

It cost $242 to open our lock in 15 seconds. Could not answer why. Could not answer what doors cost $45 to open. Invoice has no information on the type of door or rationale for the cost. I would try to find a different locksmith and not use this one, as we have used others that are more around the $100-$150 mark and had assumed this was the going rate.