'I Dropped The Price': Florida Locksmith Quotes Woman $70 To Open Car. Then Realizes There's A Shocking Service Fee

A young woman in Tallahassee, Florida says she was the victim of a locksmith bait-and-switch. Now she's warning others about the company she hired.

Kayla (@kayla.n.3) recently dished on her alleged experience in a TikTok.

She began her diatribe against Mendy’s Locksmith Service by warning folks never to give them their business. Following this, she explains why: “I locked myself out of my car … this morning at the VA clinic,” she tells viewers. After looking around her vehicle, she saw that her keys were on the floor of her ride.

Kayla goes on to say that this wasn’t the first time she’s had her keys stuck inside her vehicle. She says that locksmith was “quick” and “professional.” She didn’t have the same to say about Mendy’s.

Contrary to her previous locksmith experience, she says the Florida-based business took twice its original estimated time. On top of that, she says they charged her $300, a fee she says she didn’t approve before her car was unlocked.

“All that I was told was that there was a $70 charge for unlocking the car,” she claimed. But this amount didn’t include the “$200 dollar service fee,” Kayla says the business sprung on her after her car’s door was unlocked.

Reached via phone, a person who identified themselves as the owner of Mendy's told Motor1 that Kayla's allegations are inaccurate. "She gladly paid $270 without any incident for the service rendered," he said. Via text, the business again denied Kayla's claims.

What Do Others Say About The Business?

In her, Kayla points out that others have left poor reviews. On Google, the company has a 3.8 out of 5-star rating. Several reviewers claim to have been charged more than originally quoted.

One said that instead of $170, Mendy's tried to get them to fork over $870. “I told him I’d give him $300 (more than fair) or I’d leave him a bad review. After reading his reviews, I see this guy does this all the time. He will quote one price, then astronomically charge more, stating more work was needed than expected," they alleged.

The owner of the business replied to the review, offering $107 to have the person take down his negative review.

Another reviewer said, "He arrived at my house to sync my key to my car, quoted me $128 on the phone before … was barely working on the car … was mainly staring at me.” The woman said his behavior made her uncomfortable and that he didn’t even fix the issue with her car key.

The owner denied her allegations, writing, "I wasn't able to figure out how to program her key fob so I left I never tried to take her money and definitely wasn't staring at her.... either take down your review or I'll sue you for defamation in the amount of $7000 be prepared for a lawsuit!!!"

Others described highly positive experiences with Mendy's. "I called him this morning to have a key fob, programmed and a new key fob key cut," one wrote. "He was here right when he said he would be, did a fantastic job, very pleasant to work with charged me exactly what he said he would."

A second said, "We then called Mendy's Locksmith Service and Mendy relayed he could handle the work and be at our home in less than an hour. Since it took a little longer, he honored a discount (from an already good price quoted) and got us right into our home."

Locksmith Bait And Switch Scams

1 800 Unlocks penned a post about so-called “locksmith price bait and switch” practices. The website wrote that it's “one of the most common scam tactics in the industry … [that] catches people off guard at the worst possible moment.”

According to the company, there are several excuses locksmiths give for why an unlocking job costs more than the quoted price. It said service personnel add charges for “after-hours, mileage, or parts." It also wrote that some will tell clients they need to get their whole locking mechanism replaced, or that a job ended up being more complicated than anticipated to justify a higher fee.

The Master Locksmiths Association in the UK warns consumers to be wary of suspiciously low advertised pricing, as that is almost a surefire indication that an upcharge is imminent once a locksmith actually shows up to unlock your car or home.

Motor1 has reached out to Kayla via TikTok direct message. We'll update this if she responds.