Available Locksmith

I hired Available Locksmith to open a residential door because a key was misplaced. They quoted a fair price and arrived at the location in a timely manner. So far, so good.
The locksmith attempted to pick the lock for about five minutes and then stated that it was impossible to open this sort of lock, but he could take it apart and replace it with another lock (for at least double the cost).
I asked him to continue to try. He worked on it for 15 or 20 more minutes without success.
At that point, I engaged the services of another locksmith who was able to open the door in a couple of minutes. He didn’t see why a locksmith should have had trouble with the door. (Which is one reason monitored alarms are a good idea. I use them.)
Available Locksmith insisted on being paid anyway. They maintain that a service was provided whether the locksmith was successful or not.
I was not impressed. I added the number of the other locksmith into my mobile phone.
I should also note that phone number on the Available Locksmith receipt currently matches that of another locksmith on Unilocal in San Francisco (it currently has no reviews). So, perhaps the particular individual I dealt with has changed affiliation.

Ummm no. These guys are part of a larger locksmith chain that does not even answer their main offices if you have a complaint that requires someone at a managerial level with a vocabulary more complex than a parrot’s. My experience here was actually too scary to write about. Seriously.
Sound advice: get to know a reliable family business locksmith in your relative area. These people have immediate access to your home. You want to know the owner of the establishment by name. This supports family business and helps keep you and your home safe.

Fast, reliable service… just what you need when you need it!
Ernesto was honest, up front, and did a quality job with my door. He not only got me in but he went out his way to readjust my cylinder and made it easier for my key to go in so now its a smooth click instead of a click click! Anyways he did an excellent job and I would recommend him to anyone!
Call Available whenever you’re in a bind and they will get you out!

Available Locksmiths, apparently not so available on a Saturday afternoon.
So today I locked myself out of my apartment while dumping the trash– totally my fault, stupid thing to do. Walked over to a hotel, borrowed their phone book (and phone too– the guys at Fairmont Ghirardelli are amazing) and called the first locksmith I flipped to.
A full hour passed by before the man and his van showed. Exactly five seconds to get the door open, which I was very happy about. The damage for my idiocy? $ 110: $ 55 for driving out, $ 55 for five seconds of labor.
I asked for a discount since their ad guarantees 20 – 30 minute arrival time. No can do, but I did get a semi-​heartfelt apology. Thanks buddy. Well at least he was friendly, and I’m back in my apartment.
But darn, wish I’d had Unilocal so I could’ve gone with Open and Shut Locksmiths and saved myself $ 50.

I needed to have my locks changed (man it’s hell breaking up with someone). No late nights. Nothing unusual, just re-​set three tumblers. I had this done before and the guy charged me just over $ 100.
This kid comes out tells me it will be around $ 125. OK, let’s go. He comes back in 20 minutes, totals up the bill to over $ 200. Something about extra services which were never explained, never itemized. He never even gave me credit for the phone book coupon I handed him.
Shop around, there are cheaper and just as competent locksmiths in the city. Get a written quote from these guys and make them stick t it.

Available Locksmith (aka Best Bay Locksmith, I think they are the same company) was great. Here’s the skinny… past midnight, someone tries to break into our building and in the process completely destroys the lock and doorknob… came on Unilocal looking for help and tried 3 top rated locksmiths (one even had «24 hour locksmith» in company name) and yet I could not get an answer… it’s now 2am and getting worried, so try one last place, success!
Ronen was our technician and he was great. No sweet-​talking or funny business, just a solid locksmith who knew exactly what he was doing. Replaced the old lock to fit our existing keys and came back the next day to install a whole new system with high security locks. He even went out of his way to explain why it was so easy to break our old lock, how the new lock was different, SF firecodes for certain doors/​locks, etc. Also, I’m not sure what the other reviewer meant about pricing, but prob had someone else, because Ronen made it very clear how much everything would cost and given it was the middle of the night, it was actually very reasonable.
If you get locked out or need a new lock or just a re-​key, Ronen is your guy, they take credit cards too!

Unfortunately, I have the same thing to report about Available Locksmith. My girlfriend and I locked our keys in the car while still running!, pathetic but true. It was 10pm on a Friday night.
Available showed up fast, 15 minutes, but we had been quoted $ 50 plus $ 25 – 50 labor over the phone. The guy shows up and promptly says, «So, you know it’s $ 125 total.» My girlfriend almost lost it on him. He quickly told us he’d give us a $ 100 «deal,» because «the woman» on the phone had screwed up. (We had spoken to a man, in fact.) My girlfriend then calls them back to confirm their rates. They confirmed $ 50 plus $ 25 – 50.
So we took up the guy on his «deal» even though it was the maximum we had been quoted. Paid him cash, didn’t trust him with my CC number.
He also refused to try and use a simple slimjim to open the door, deciding to use a more advanced/​expensive «pillow» to open the window. Somehow he immediately knew that my car, a Subaru Forester, would be at risk for damage if he used a slimjim, however, when opening the lock using his «pillow,» he showed no knowledge whatsoever of the interior locking-​controls on the car.
Based on the other reviews offering similar experiences, these guys are clearly bastards who operate on the fringes of what is legal, always pushing their luck to find the most expensive ways to fix your lock. When you’re stressed and in a bind, they are predatory.
Avoid «Available Locksmith.» They may be «available» but they’re going to take you to the cleaners.

so, I got locked out last night at 4:30 am… long story short, I needed to go to the garage, but I forgot to take my apt key. Found the # for Available Locksmith after doing a search on my phone for emergency locksmiths. They said they’d be here in 30 min and they showed up in 15.
Although my lock looks pretty simple, the locksmith was not able to pick it. He looked like he was trying, but I’m not a locksmith, so I don’t know if it was genuine.
I didn’t ask for a quote beforehand (I know, I know), but I got charged around what Dan quoted below. $ 165 for getting into the place (drill and all) and 65+25 for the new cylinder+rekey. Hey, if they’re OK posting their breakdown on this website it must be relatively fair, right?
I guess paying $ 255 to get back in to your apt at 5 am on a Sat night/​Sunday morning isn’t the worst that could’ve happened. One star off for not being able to pick my lock, which cost me $ 90 extra.