We've all been there at some point, you go peacefully about your day and somewhere at some point you realize you have no idea where your car keys are, you spaced out so hard being preoccupied with some other stuff that you don't even know where to begin look for it at.

Back in the day when car keys had no transponder chips and no fancy transmitters and smart keys, it was much much easier, cheaper and faster to replace a lost or stolen car key.

So if you've lost your car key and you have no spare keys in reach, (a key in a different state or continent doesn't really help you right now, does it ?!), you probably go online on your phone or computer and you search something like this "lost car key no spare what to do" and you see that the best course of action would probably be to call a locksmith or tow your vehicle to the nearest dealership.

Towing your car to the dealer may be an added expense you can't afford and even if your insurance covers it all or some of it, you still have to get it to the dealers and have it sit there for god knows how long before they'll get to it, not to mention nights and weekends when the dealership is closed all together.

Your second (or maybe first) course of action is calling your somewhat local locksmith company and hope o god they provide 24 hours locksmith service and that they actually make automotive keys and smart keys on site and finally that they have the right hardware in stock and the right programming tool to go along with it in order to program your key on the spot.

[caption id="attachment_275" align="alignnone" width="300"] Auto locksmith in New York City[/caption]

Here it's where it gets a little hairy so pay attention and take notes:

A lot of locksmith companies neither really know how nor have the resources and equipment to facilitate your new car key job on the spot, but and it's a big but, they don't want to miss on the fun and lose you as a client and paying costumer, so this is what they would do:

A: They would out source the job to a subcontractor that doesn't work for them at all but has the ability and equipment to cut and program your new car key, so "what's the problem your asking ?" well that subcontractor needs to get payed, and the locksmith company you called won't pay him out of their pocket, they'll pay him out of your pocket sunshine, beginning to get the picture here yet ?!

The freelance sub they call in works on commission, which means the bigger the job, the bigger the paycheck, everyone needs to eat and the company still cuts a 50% coupon here other then the 50% the subcontractor makes, and yes you guest it right, you're paying for it out of your pocket with inflated locksmith service prices, (these techniques are the same when it comes to regular locksmith jobs), so be ware.

B: Obviously they won't tell you on the phone they're sending over a freelance and there for you're going to pay 200% more, no no no.   What they will do is have zero mentioning of the fact that they are outsourcing the job and either zero mentioning of the price or they'll mumble something about a "minimum price" or a "beginning price" on the phone and let the subcontractor do the old bait and switch on site when they already got you hanging by the balls.

He's already there, you need the key, it's late at night and you're panicking so you decide to go with it and the hell with the money, this is exactly what they're counting on.

[caption id="attachment_601" align="alignnone" width="300"] We provide 24 hour locksmith and car locksmith service.[/caption]

How not to become a statistic ???   Make god damn sure over the phone what the EXACT price would be, not an estimate or a minimum price or some other bullshit, make sure that the company is legit and licensed and ask for the techs name and license, also make sure the company's name is the same on the phone, on there website or yelp page and on the invoice the tech is handing you at the end of the job.

Don't fall for any of the good old "every car key is different and we need to see onsite what needs to be done in order to give you an exact price" NO NO NO!

Any reputable locksmith can ask you a few specific questions on the phone and quote you an exact price for the job.

Luckily for you we are the good guys and you've got us on your corner, we will always quote you a full price out the door before we'll perform any job on your lock or vehicle.

At Metro Local Locksmith we provide a 24 hour locksmith and car locksmith service in New York City in general and on the Upper West Side specifically, we're truly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week NYC locksmith company, we're licensed and insured and have a vast knowledge of all car security systems whether smart keys or transponder keys.

Our auto locksmith department is equipped with state of the art cutting machines and top notch computers for fast and reliable key programming on site at your location.

We wil come to you day and night and make sure you can get back on the road with new car keys your hand and the peace of mind in your heart knowing no one ripped you off and that the code for your car key is safe with a lichened reputable locksmith company.

[caption id="attachment_576" align="alignnone" width="300"] Mobile auto locksmith service, we can cut your key on site.[/caption]

Most car thefts in New York are with a spare key, someone at some point obtained a copy of your car key, so don't assume anything and trust no one when it comes to your safety and security, make sure it's a legit company and don't get scammed just because it's an emergency and you need a locksmith now!

Common sense is always the best tool to make judgment calls with, if it doesn't make any sense, it's probably shouldn't happen, if you wouldn't have done that on  regular day, you probably shouldn't be doing it now either.

So rock on New York and stay safeish out there.

Ben.