Security Specialists in Your Community: Making homes and businesses stronger since 1982.

PHS Locksmiths
6810 W. Roosevelt Rd.
Oak Park, IL 60130
(708) 386-3334

Is Your Locksmith Reputable?

1. Ask to see their Illinois Locksmith License.
This license is proof that the individual has been fingerprinted and passed a criminal background check.
If you have a problem with the locksmith, the IL Dept. of Professional Regulations can investigate your problem.

2. Write Down Important Information.
Before your locksmith starts any work on your property, ask for ID and write down the information.
A fully licensed locksmith will gladly give you their identification.

Info:
Full Name
Company Name
Locksmith License Number
Type of Service Vehicle--if it is an unmarked car, write down the license plate number.

3. They Should Ask Who You Are.
Be concerned if he or she doesn't.
When opening a home, business, or car a locksmith is mandated by the State of Illinois to obtain and record specific identification from you in order to open your lock.

4. A "Good Faith Estimate" Should Reflect the Final Price.
Always ask the locksmith for a "high" and a "low" price before any work begins.
If a lock must be drilled to gain access to you home, the lock will have to be replaced. This adds to the price. A good locksmith, however, can give you an estimate that reflects the "good" and the "bad" news up front.

5. You Should Never Feel Threatened Or Bullied.
You should never be pressured to go to an ATM machine to "get cash."
A reputable locksmith can take credit cards. If, after meeting your locksmith and receiving a "good faith" estimate, you doubt his legitimacy, refuse his services before he begins work.

6. Do Not Sign Your Rights Away.
After the work is completed, check the invoice before you sign it. A statement such as "Customer is satisfied and has no complaints. All charges are undisputable," is unnecessary and unethical.
Do not sign an invoice if such a statement is written.

7. If You Suspect A Non Reputable Locksmith, Send Them Away.
If the locksmith is unwilling to give you his/her identification and Illinois license or company employee I.D., you should send them away and not pay any fee.
If they get threatening, call the police.

If you believe you have been the victim of a non reputable locksmith, help catch these scam artists by reporting your incident. You may call Kathy Zaniolo for more information.

Ghost Locksmiths Defraud
Oak Park Residents

Kathy Zaniolo, co-owner of PHS Locksmiths and a prior board member of the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation, recently wrote letters to the local newspapers of Oak Park and the surrounding area to report a large-scale consumer fraud operation occurring throughout the Chicagoland area. Below is an excerpt.

To: Wednesday Journal

I hope you will print this story. Every day I am receiving phone calls and walk-ins from people who have been victimized by companies sending out servicemen who are unskilled, unlicensed, price-gouging "locksmiths."

2-3 out-of-state locksmiths have apparently devised a scheme to flood the 411 "locksmith search."
They are playing on the fact that, in a time of emergency, people look for a locksmith who is located nearby. They have spammed the phonebooks with phony addresses, and all of the phone numbers are redirected to a dispatching center out of state. When an operator at 411 looks up a locksmith in any area, these phony addresses are retrieved by their computers.

The service people that are sent to open homes and cars are not reputable locksmiths.
In all of the cases I have been informed of, these unskilled men have given an extremely low telephone estimate. However, once they have damaged the customer's lock and replaced it with an extremely low quality lock, they double, triple, or quadruple the estimated price. One customer was even told to wait while the man went to a home center to get a lock. Licensed locksmiths stock their own inventory and do not recommend the cheapest locks.

Senior Citizens are being targeted, but everyone who uses the online phonebooks, print phonebooks and 411 is at risk.
When I was first contacted by the Village of Oak Park, an older woman had called the Village because she had been charged $448.00 to get back into her apartment.

Local Villages and City Officials have been notified, but these guys have not yet been stopped.
"Fox 32 News" has done three news stories on the fraudulent actions of these companies. Complaints have been made to the Attorney General's office, the IL. Dept. of Professional Regulation, and the City of Chicago Consumer Affairs Dept. If you have been a victim of this scheme, it is very important that you report your experience to the appropriate officials (see below).

Ghost Addresses Listed in Oak Park:

204 South Blvd
100 S. Oak Park Ave
6823 Roosevelt Rd (Across the street from our store)
958 S. Oak Park Ave
6831 North Ave
163 South Blvd
549 Madison (2 blocks from Arrow Locksmith)
242 S. Scoville
378 S. Elmwood

There are only two properly licensed Locksmith businesses located in Oak Park.

PHS (Personal Home Safety) Locksmiths
6810 W. Roosevelt Rd
Arrow Locksmith
321 Madison Street

If you would like more information or would like to report an incident regarding this letter, please feel free to call:

Kathy Zaniolo, CML (Certified Master Locksmith)
Owner of PHS Locksmiths
708-386-3334