February 18, 2010
Should I stop a check if I think I was scammed by a locksmith?
Question by questioner69:
I was locked out of my car and called a locksmith company, whose number was listed as being in the same town as me, to help. They first said it would take 20-30 min, then the serviceman called and said 45 min, but it ended up being an hour. Then, it only took him about 2 min to open the door, but he asked for $39 service charge + $110 fo some other reason I couldn't comprehend. I didn't know what sort of figures to expect, so I wrote hime the check. I felt it odd though that he asked for the check to be made out to him by his name, not of the company I called. Anyway, I felt bad and decided to do some research online and was shocked to see how often this happens to people. I was definitely scammed out of more money than he deserved. This happened at night, and I checked my bank's website and found that the check I wrote hasn't been cashed yet. He may cash it in the morning though, so should I stop the check before it's too late. Will he come back and cause trouble?
By the way I did not get a reciept. The only form of proof I have is the carbon copy of the check I signed with his name in the "Pay to" section. I know I have to pay him something, but $150 is 3 times what I thought it should be. I'm just afraid to do something and then suffer while trying to negotiate. I would just let bygones be bygones, but I feel like until that check is cashed, I have a possibility of fixing my mistake.
I was locked out of my car and called a locksmith company, whose number was listed as being in the same town as me, to help. They first said it would take 20-30 min, then the serviceman called and said 45 min, but it ended up being an hour. Then, it only took him about 2 min to open the door, but he asked for $39 service charge + $110 fo some other reason I couldn't comprehend. I didn't know what sort of figures to expect, so I wrote hime the check. I felt it odd though that he asked for the check to be made out to him by his name, not of the company I called. Anyway, I felt bad and decided to do some research online and was shocked to see how often this happens to people. I was definitely scammed out of more money than he deserved. This happened at night, and I checked my bank's website and found that the check I wrote hasn't been cashed yet. He may cash it in the morning though, so should I stop the check before it's too late. Will he come back and cause trouble?
By the way I did not get a reciept. The only form of proof I have is the carbon copy of the check I signed with his name in the "Pay to" section. I know I have to pay him something, but $150 is 3 times what I thought it should be. I'm just afraid to do something and then suffer while trying to negotiate. I would just let bygones be bygones, but I feel like until that check is cashed, I have a possibility of fixing my mistake.
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Comments on Should I stop a check if I think I was scammed by a locksmith? »
cancle ur check!
He let you into your car at night and now you want to stop-pay and what..renogiate?
hopefully not and hopefully your name and address arnt on the check, seems like a scam and way too much money to pay for that i would stop the check contact the company and see what the deal is.
Personally, I probably would stop the check, but I do believe locksmiths usually charge around this price, depending on the area in which you live. Good luck
How are you going to stop payment on a check that has already been cashed? Move on and learn from it. Besides 149 bucks is not out of the question. If it took him an hour to get to you, it will take him an hour to get back home. $75 an hour.
Wire a key somewhere under your car so you don't have this happen again.
Never make the check payable to a person, it should be the company's name. I would definitely place a stop payment on the check. If in the end it is legit, you can make up an excuse such "no funds, wrong check stopped, etc" Good luck
you can stop the check, but you'll owe him the money anyways, did you not get a reciept? i agree with one of the above persons,,,,,,just forget about it and learn from it…….ask prices before hand next time.
Yes, he can come back and cause trouble. He can sue you for the money. You called for a service, you got the service. You agreed to pay the amount, so you wrote the check.
It's over.
If you stop the cheque, he could possibly have you charged with uttering a false cheque. I would contact the company, and then maybe, consumer affairs.
Cancel check NOW
Get in touch with his company and let them know what happened. I am sure that when they become aware of it, he will not cause any more trouble for you.
Good Luck.
Stop payment now. The police or judge would find this a reasonable thing to do. If they tried to drag you into court the judge would laugh. If you were scammed it would be easier for them to ask you to pay the real amount than you trying to get back money they already have.
Call and ask for the owner or somebody upper level. Preferably the owner. You need to take the stance that you have concerns (entirely founded) and you are doing THEM a favor. Of course if that is what you owe you would be happy to make good on the bill.
This is a very, very common scam. You are quoted "x" amount. Service person goes out and asks for the check to be written out to them (what company would want this?). He goes back and says "she paid cash" and pockets the rest. Or he says "I got there and she was already gone". Happens all of the time.
If they balk tell them you will be happy to pay it but you need them to send or fax you an invoice w. details. It is a simple normal request. If they all scam they will suddenly want to make a deal.
One thing I would do before calling is to call (or have someone else to) and inquire about what they charge. Ask if there are any additional charges even if it is just a normal lock that could be opened in a heartbeat. Ask if there is a charge for travel time, time of day or anything like that. Just play it cool.
One possibility is that if it is a small company or just really one guy then he is cheating on his taxes.