It will happen to you, you can no longer enter your house because you lost the key. You can then search for a locksmith maker on google and you are happy to find one. But if this solves the problem, you will receive a bill of up to 2,200 euros. Sometimes it is for a few minutes of work.
Customers did not receive any information about costs from KeyService Nederland / Plumberservice in advance and if they complained about the particularly high bill, they were pressured to pay immediately.
ACM wants to put an end to such practices. That is why the organizer imposes a fine of 200,000 euros on the company and the driver may deduct another 50,000 euros.
Also deception
ACM is alarmed not only by its aggressive way of behaving, but also by Helmond’s deception, according to ACM.
For example, consumers thought it was a domestic locksmith. The company also checked the quality requirements that locksmiths would meet, but this was never checked. There have also been false positive reviews online.
Consumers who have hired the company believe they will get a trusted, professional local locksmith, according to the ACM. “In fact, KeyService sent a random locksmith from its network to a consumer who basically wanted to make as much money as possible in a short time.”
Ads removed
According to the ACM, combating bad faith practices by locksmiths has already yielded a number of successes. For example, Google has removed ads from untrusted lockmakers.
Domain registrations for untrusted party websites were also deleted, phone numbers were blocked, and ACM forced two internet marketing companies to stop recruiting misleading customers, among other things, lockmakers.
To be on the safe side, ACM also has a number of tips on Consuwijzer.nl for customers who wish to contact a locksmith or other emergency service.
Keyservice Nederland could not be reached for comment.
