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1-800-UNLOCKS IS A LEGITIMATE DISPATCH SERVICE

12/30/2010

4 Comments

 
Today I received and email from a person who stated they would not have anything to do with the SOPL because it was associated with a locksmith dispatch scam.  WOW! I thought to my self did I do something with the SOPL that I forgot to tell myself about? I don't think so! After some thought I realized this person was referring to the 1-800-UNLOCKS relationship with the SOPL.  

I think it is about time the facts are presented in a blunt fashion to dispel the ignorance of those who do not do their research or get involved in their industry enough to know the facts about services within their own peer group. 1-800-UNLOCKS is a legitimate nationwide locksmith DISPATCH network. It is not a scam operation like the ones being found in the news.  1-800-UNLOCKS has been around for a long time.  They had some issues in the past with some operational problems and that has been corrected a long time ago and has nothing to do with any "scams" so in fairness and to show everyone how I am not a shill for them, I will say the only thing I don't like about 1-800-UNLOCKS is their website, which by the way I have openly criticized to them.

So let see if I can help both the misinformed Locksmiths and the consumers about this service.  It is a DISPATCH service which routes the consumers call DIRECTLY to the local locksmith registered in their network for the callers area.  It is not a remote out of state SUB-CONTRACTED scam.  What 1-800-UNLOCKS does is pre-screens real working locksmiths who chose to pay for a territory and be allowed to use the vanity number to route calls directly to their business rather then into a phone bank.  So, the consumer actually gets an established locksmith in their neighborhood, not some dispatch center a 1000 miles away who sends out some guy who is 2 hours away and has no clue about the skill sets or craft of locksmithing.  

So to set the records straight, 1-800-UNLOCKS works for those locksmiths who take the effort to market the vanity number in their territory because the calls come back to them and help to promote a professional franchised image without the cost of a franchise fee and the consumer is serviced professionally.  To the best of my knowledge, 1-800-UNLOCKS maintains a standard of performance and if they fell a provider is not operating above board, they reserve the right to pull the territory.  Do a Google search and you are not finding locksmiths registered with 1-800-UNLOCKS involved, period.

So I am completely comfortable having 1-800-UNLOCKS associated with the SOPL since they are not a scam in my opinion and others in this business who know what it is about.  I actually believe that if misinformed locksmiths spend more time opening their mind to the idea of what 1-800-UNLOCKS could do to improve their image and bottom lines then they would be better off doing it.  In the face of real scams that are going on, 1-800-UNLOCKS is the locksmiths secret weapon to create their own threaded cooperative network to combat these scams and recapture the call volume that has been lost to this nationwide dilemma.

It all comes down to marketing which many locksmiths are just flat out terrible at doing, and that is a subject for another days blog post.
4 Comments
Jeff Musser link
12/30/2010 11:18:59

Tom,

Great piece. It hits the nail on the proverbial head...sorry you dont like the website. We had to transfer the DNS pointers in less than a week and I hastily built it to have a presence until the final one is published. Its actually helping us to even have something up, rather than nothing, so yes we are working on it.

I get the same response from people all the time about the relationship with our established business model that is designed to better the locksmiths to those that are raping it. Most get it after a brief explanation, but what happened with 1-800LOCKSMITH is just how easily the concept can easily be misconstrued without ethical people running the business. Our company has about 100 years of lockmsmithing experience combined in its key principles.

Our providers arent just locksmiths, they are established, quality assured locksmiths that arent picked at random from a lottery machine. Each one has their very own proprietary area that is 100% theirs to market the hell out of and reap the benefits. But there are those who still believe its a magical number that will make their phones ring off the hook. Its for the business minded owner who wants to grow their business with one of the most effective marketing tool you can have in your arsenal of tools.

Any questions, feel free to contact Barry Wilson, the owner CEO or myself to fill in any unanswered questions.
Info@1-800-unlocks.com.

Jeff

Reply
James Hanna link
2/22/2011 08:19:10

I used 1-800-UNLOCKS for a while but I stopped their service because they never provided the reports they promised which would show me how many calls I received on their system. This may not be an issue now. I liked that the calls came directly to me and I could set my own prices. My customers talked to me, not some call center.

I found the service very helpful. Having a large, easy to remember number on my van made me more visible and the marketing materials they provided me helped me to create a new business plan, apply for a loan and much more.

The call centers that deceive locksmith customers are too common and can give companies like 1-800-UNLOCKS a bad rep but I, like Tom, know them to be a legitimate business that is designed to increase locksmith's service calls, sales and profit.

Reply
Locksmith Orange link
5/24/2011 21:43:01

Excellent Blog, I have gone through so many blogs but your blog is the best. Thanks....

Reply
herve leger link
3/25/2012 18:10:10

Thanks for making my morning a little bit better with this great article!!

Reply

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  • Home Page
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    • The Art of Masterkeying
    • Interchangeable Core
    • Automotive
    • CCTV
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    • Steel Doors
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