Which is Better – A Next Door Locksmith or a Nation-wide Lock & Key Corporation?
There was a time when if you needed a locksmith you simply picked up the local telephone listings, found a local locksmith, and made the call. Now, with internet search engines, mobile apps, and social media, the local locksmith is becoming harder to find. He’s being replaced by more and more national locksmiths that leverage their marketing budgets to earn that coveted No. 1 spot and then reap the rewards. This change in direction has led to an ongoing conversation with one question continually emerging: which is better – a local or national locksmith company? 24hr Locksmith Sacramento is ready to weigh in on the subject.
Read on for our detailed breakdown of the differences between local and national locksmith companies.
Response Time
Call a local locksmith and you’re immediately talking to that locksmith. Call a national locksmith and you’re put through to a call center. The agent takes your details and then searches for a nearby locksmith on their books. A call is made to that locksmith, who may or may not be able to take the job. If he can, he’ll be on his way. If he can’t, the agent looks for another locksmith. Which of these locksmiths do you think will get to you quickest? That’s right – the local locksmith is already on his way before the national locksmith has found their own locksmith.
Cost
Hire a local locksmith and you pay him the going rate. Hire a national locksmith and you pay the company’s rate. If you’re lucky the sum will be about the same. If you’re unlucky, you pay the going rate and then a massive surcharge on top. To put it simply, local locksmiths are almost always cheaper.
Reputation
Presumably, national locksmiths deal with lots of customers. If one customer gives the company a bad review, that feedback can simply be buried under a mountain of other incoming reviews. Now, if a local locksmith receives a bad review, it’s a lot harder to cover up. That goes for word-of-mouth reviews as much as online reviews. It makes sense then that the local locksmith will be more interested in protecting his reputation and, thus, go the extra mile for you.
Authenticity
Hire a local locksmith and you can easily check his credentials, including his locksmith license. If you go to a national locksmith company though, how do you know they’re sending who they say (or think) they’re sending? The more reputable companies may have a solid vetting scheme, but we’re betting the less scrupulous companies have more than a few cowboys on their books.
Community
Finally, if you choose to seek out a local locksmith, you’re choosing to help out your local community. The money you pay that locksmith will go back into the community one way or another, be it through grabbing a snack at the convenience store, a cup of Joe at the diner, or (most likely) in the form of gas for his truck. Choose a national company and there’s no way to know where that money’s going.
Our verdict: Going local is the only way to go.
Residents and businesses in and around Sacramento looking for a dependable and honest local locksmith should look no further than Prima Locksmith Sacramento. We offer a comprehensive locksmith service that’s fast, professional, and fairly priced. Find out more about our Sacramento locksmith services at: (916) 419-3260
