KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster announced charges against a locksmith company for fraudulent advertising and overcharging.
Coster filed suit Thursday against Dependable Locks, Inc. and its owner David Peer who operates out of Florida.
“This is clearly a blatant case of fraud on Kansas City's consumers,” says Koster.
The company allegedly operated under 16 different names including: A #1 24 Hour Locksmith , A 24 Hour locksmith , AAA 24 & 7 day Locksmith , A Always Available 24 Hour Locksmith , A Emergency A Locksmith , A Locksmith Always 24 Hour , A Locksmith A 1-24 Hour , A Locksmith 00 24 Hour , A Locksmith O Always 24 hour , A Locksmith Service 24 hour , A Locksmith 24 Hour Emergency, A Locksmith , A Kansas City #1 Emergency Locksmith , 24 hour A Locksmith At St. Louis , 24 hour A Locksmith , Locksmith and 0 24 Hour Locksmith.
“If an unhappy customer wants to complain about services they can't find them,” he says.
The NBC Action News Investigators first exposed this company and its practices in May, 2007.
“Get this camera out of my face,” shouted an employee of Always Available Locksmith, after we caught him destroying a front door lock at the home of an NBC Action News producer.
According to Koster’s lawsuit and the NBC Action News Investigators, Always Available Locksmith is same company as Dependable Locks.
The producer called the company to let her into her home as part of the NBC Action News investigation.
She was promised by the person at the other end of the line that the service cost would be $39 plus an additional $15 to open the door.
Before the producer placed the call to Always Available Locksmith, the President of the Missouri Kansas Locksmith Association showed how easy it is to pick the lock.
But when the employee with Always Available Locksmith arrived, he was unable to pick the lock.
After several minutes, he used a drill to burrow into the front door knob, unlocking the door, but destroying the knob. He offered to replace that for an additional $35.
When asked if this is how the company makes extra money, the employee shouted “No” before leaving in his truck.
Dependable locks also allegedly charged customers up to three times the price they were quoted over the phone.
Koster says the company used bogus addresses some of which led to vacant lots.
Koster adds that this isn’t the only company acting fraudulently.
“Dependable Locks appears to be the most egregious of the offenders. Our investigation is going to continue to find all of them,” he says.
He is seeking restitution for allegedly victims.
If you believe you were a costumer of Dependable Locks you are asked to call the Attorney General’s consumer hotline at 888-392-8222 or
www.ago.mo.gov.
