(209) 847-2066 Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM
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A guide from the shop · Oakdale, CA

Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM

How to tell a real locksmith from a call center, and how to check us.

Seven things to check before anyone comes out. Then check them on us.

Call (209) 847-2066

Local 209 number · The log cabin at 630 N Yosemite Ave · Since 1986

???? pins with no building a shop you can drive to 630 N Yosemite Ave

Why this page exists.

Search "locksmith near me" and many of the results are not shops. Some are call centers that book the job, then send whoever is nearest at whatever price they can get. We wrote this page because people around Oakdale get burned this way, and because the same checks work on us.

How the pattern works.

The details change, but the shape is usually the same. Nobody on this page is named. We are describing a pattern, not a company.

  • Map pins with no building. A listing shows an address in town. Drive there and it is a parking lot, a mailbox store or a house that has never heard of them.
  • A call center that will not say a name. You ask "what business is this?" and get "locksmith service" or "the dispatcher." A shop says its name because it has one.
  • A very low price on the phone. The ad quotes a small "service call" fee. It sounds like the price. It is not; it is the fee for showing up.
  • A different price at the door. The person who arrives says the lock is "high security" or "special" and the number jumps. You are locked out, it is late, and you pay.
  • Drilling every lock. Most lockouts do not need a drill. Drilling is fast for them and expensive for you, because now you also need a new lock.

Seven checks, for any locksmith.

Most of these take a minute. Do them before anyone drives out, not after.

  1. A street address you can drive to.

    Not a P.O. box, not a "service area." Look the address up on a map, switch to the street photo, and see if there is a shop there with that name on it.

  2. A local phone number.

    Around here that means a 209 number. A toll-free number or a number from a far-off area code is not proof of anything bad, but it is not proof of a local shop either.

  3. A California license number you can look up.

    California locksmiths get a license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, or BSIS. The number starts with LCO. Ask for it, then look it up yourself at search.dca.ca.gov. If they will not give you one, that is your answer.

  4. The business name, said out loud on the phone.

    Ask "what is the name of your business?" and then "where is your shop?" A real shop answers both without a pause.

  5. A total price before the work starts.

    Tell them what you need and where you are, and ask for the whole price, not the "service call." If the price changes when they see the job, they should tell you before going on, and you can still say no.

  6. A marked vehicle.

    A shop's van or truck has the shop's name or trade on it. An unmarked car and a person with no ID badge or business card is a warning sign.

  7. They ask you for ID.

    A real locksmith wants to know the door or car is yours before opening it. If nobody asks, they would open it for anyone.

If it is happening to you right now.

  1. Before anyone touches the lock, say: "Tell me the total price first." Get it in writing, on paper or in a text.
  2. If the price at the door is not the price from the phone, say: "That is not what I was quoted. I am not going ahead." You owe nothing for work that has not started.
  3. Do not sign a blank invoice, a form with the amount left empty, or anything you have not read.
  4. Do not let anyone drill a lock until they explain why and you say yes. Ask: "Can you pick it instead?"
  5. If they will not leave, or they demand payment for nothing, step away and call the police. Do not argue in the doorway.
  6. Write down the name on the invoice, the vehicle, the plate and the time. You will want these to report it.

Then call a shop with a building. Ours is at 630 N Yosemite Ave: (209) 847-2066, Mon–Fri 8–5.

Where to report it.

Reports are what get these operations shut down. Keep the invoice, the phone number you called and any texts.

Government sites change their forms from time to time. If a link lands on a home page, look for "file a complaint."

Now check us.

Run the same seven checks on Oakdale Locksmith. We would rather you verify than believe. Checks 1 and 2, the building and the number, you can do from your chair; the first two cards below are those. Check 3, the license number, is not on this page yet. Ask us for it on the phone, then look it up yourself at search.dca.ca.gov, the same as you would for anyone. The other two cards are extra: our Google listing and our years in town.

Checks 4 to 7 happen on the phone and at the door. Ask what business you reached and where the shop is, and hold us to the same answer as anyone else: Oakdale Locksmith, 630 N Yosemite Ave. Ask for the price before anyone comes out. When we arrive, the van is lettered keys, locks, safes, lockouts and rekeys. Expect to be asked for ID at the door; any real locksmith will ask.

This page prints clean, with the seven checks and the reporting links. Print it for a parent, a tenant or the front desk.

Or bookmark theoakdalelocksmith.com/real-locksmith/ and send it to someone who is locked out.

Call the shop.

Call (209) 847-2066

630 N Yosemite Ave, Oakdale · Mon–Fri 8–5

After hours? Call anyway. We help when we can, but we can't promise an answer outside Mon–Fri 8–5.

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Call (209) 847-2066