Comments on: Should I stop a check if I think I was scammed by a locksmith?

By: foxhound

foxhound — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:12:33 +0000

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.

By: ∞infiniti∞

∞infiniti∞ — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:45:42 +0000

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.

By: po_boy66

po_boy66 — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:12:11 +0000

Cancel check NOW

By: justme

justme — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:30:19 +0000

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.

By: raichasays

raichasays — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:57:46 +0000

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.

By: Locust 23

Locust 23 — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:22:24 +0000

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.

By: jlatina24

jlatina24 — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:34:53 +0000

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

By: protoham

protoham — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 10:36:56 +0000

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.

By: rica

rica — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:15:59 +0000

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

By: Kid Zero

Kid Zero — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:46:46 +0000

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.