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AvantGuard Locksmith
Category: Home Services Keys & Locksmiths Keys & Locksmiths [Edit]
3338 22nd St(between San Jose Ave & Guerrero St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Serving San Francisco and surrounding area
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 550-8016
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 12 am - 12 am
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
Jowin C. said: "YAY! They fixed my keys. Who's a happy customer: I AM!" read more »
31 reviews for AvantGuard Locksmith
31 reviews in English
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Review from Eugenie P.
San Francisco, CA
3/18/2011
Avantguard ROCKs!
I needed to change the locks on our unit and originally called looking for a lock store. This is NOT a physical store; Avantguard is a mobile locksmith. I was originally planning to change the locks myself. Soon enough, however, I realized that when it comes to security, hire a professional. I called back, got a quote which was competitive with others I had received and made an appointment for the next morning .
I was concerned after reading some of the other Yelp reviews. So, I called back thinking that I might have been under quoted. Adam went over what I needed again, and he assured me the quote included travel, service and parts. He also explained that prices in general vary because the actual situation is different then what is expected. In my case for example, I had asked about 2 locks and there are actually a total of 3 in our unit.
Adam arrived ON TIME and looked at what we wanted to do. He actually advised an alternative that was less per lock and SAVED US MONEY! Awesome! I informed Adam that I had a time constraint and he worked quickly getting the locks changed and the new keys made in time.
Very professional and friendly. I'd recommend Adam and Avantguard to everyone. Thank You! -
Review from T R.
San Francisco, CA
1/28/2012
UPDATE 1/29/2012 - The owner has called me repeatedly and also messaged me on Yelp to demand that I remove my review. (Not going to happen. It's strictly factual and people need to know about what these guys are doing. Judging from all the one star reviews they have, my awful experience wasn't a fluke.) One important update is what he said in his Yelp message to me:
"Its not going to do anything to my business...i can always hire someone to write hundreds of good reviews."
"Hire someone to write hundreds of good reviews"? Seriously?! Holy Yelp policy violation, Batman. Yeah, good luck with that.
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Original Post:
SHADY, SHADY, SHADY!!!!!
I called these guys a couple days ago and scheduled an appointment to have them come out and change the locks on my apartment. Told them there were 4 locks to be changed and they quoted 60-80 dollars for all four plus the cost of labor. Asked if they take credit cards and they said yes.
In summary:
-Tech arrives 40 min late for the appointment (ok, whatever...not that big a deal) but then things go downhill from there...
- Tells me that re-keying is FIFTY DOLLARS PER LOCK after I had already been quoted 60-80 for all four. Then proceeds to say that he would recommend that I actually CHANGE all of the locks rather than just re-key. (Which, of course, is more expensive - 75 per) so that comes out to 300 dollars PLUS the cost of labor which is 80. Um, okay...seems pricey but my landlord is reimbursing me for it so whatever.
- Says he's going to get what he needs and then come back - is gone for almost two hours
- First thing I ask when he comes back is what system he uses to run credit cards (Square?) and he looks at me and says "No credit cards, cash only." Um, I'm sorry - cash only? For $380?! (Um, sure...just give me a second to scrape together some laundry quaters and check the couch cushions. Honestly.) Anyway, I tell him that I was told specifically that they take cards but he refuses. I dial the # I had originally called and ask to speak w/ a supervisor. Am transferred to a guy who claims he is the owner. Asked him why the guy in my house was saying no credit cards when I was told credit was fine. He said "Yes, of course we take credit cards - tell him to process it." The guy in my house says "No, I don't have any way to do that. Cash only." The owner says, okay, fine, I'll come out there and run the card myself. As soon as I tell this to the guy in my house he says, "Oh, no...I need to call someone." and proceeds to pull out his cell and make a call and when he hangs up he says "No, no cards, cash only." So at this point I'm starting to think this whole thing just seems off. I tell him that I just spoke to the owner and he's coming out to run the card but he says that HE spoke to his supervisor and they won't accept that because apparently it is some type of referral service / pyramid scheme and he doesn't work for the owner - they just farmed the job out to him. So at this point I am pretty fed up and have an awful feeling about the fact that there are so many different players in this whole thing and EVERYONE has a different story - receptionist, owner, the random guy in my house and then the person that he was on the phone with (who the heck was that?) and I call the owner back one last time and let him know that I'm beginning to feel very uncomfortable with the situation given that nobody seems to be on the same page about what exactly is going on here. He tells me to hand my phone to the tech who is in my house and I hear him (the owner) proceed to SCREAM at the tech for a full minute. I was completely flabbergasted.
Needless to say as soon as the call was over I told the tech that I was extremely uncomfortable with what had just happened and that I wanted him to leave. I thanked him for his time but told him that clearly they didn't seem to be able to get their act together and/or honor the agreements that had been made when I called to make the appointment in the first place. (And seriously...what type of an owner asks a customer to hand their cell phone over to to a tech and then screams and shouts at them? Do you think I can't hear you??) Unbelievable.
I called the AvantGuard number one last time and told the receptionist to cancel my job ticket and relayed that A. it was unacceptable for them to be telling people that they take cards and then sending out techs who demand cash and B. That I was stunned by the way the owner had shrieked at the tech while he was on a job site. (Seriously?) She apologized (apparently she heard it, too,) but wasn't able to offer an explanation for any of it.
In the end I got on Yelp and found Kamand Locksmith and they were AMAZING. PLUS they did all the work for $135 with a one hour response time on a weekend!! (AvantGuard wanted $380!!) Thank you Yelpers and thank you Kamand for being so awesome!
AvantGuard, though? STAY AWAY! -
Review from David C.
San Jose, CA
10/24/2011
DO NOT HIRE THESE GUYS! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!
I would give these guys 10 NEGATIVE stars if possible.... TOTAL RIP OFF!!!
I called them and they quoted me $15 for a service call and then $25 / per lock to re-key the locks. When the "technician" arrived, I showed him the 3 doors that needed to be re-keyed and he went to work. He said nothing about their being any additional charges. When everything was done, he gave me a bill for $698.80!!!! That is $613.80 more than they had quoted me!!! I was expecting a bill for $85 ($15 + $25 + $25 + $25). I have never had a worse experience in my life, and I hope that everyone avoids this company at all costs!!!
I will also be filing a complaint with the Department of Consumer Affairs.
http://www2.dca.ca.gov...
http://www.dca.ca.gov/... -
Review from Holly C.
San Francisco, CA
3/2/2011
This review is only for the technician who came out and did the job...
It was raining and I left my keys in the car and locked myself out. I googled sf locksmith and clicked the first thing that came up because it said that they match any other price and come in 15 minutes.
When I spoke with dispatch he did not tell me a price, he just told me he would be there in 15 minutes. After 20 minutes, I received another phone call from the actual technician and he said he would arrive shortly. Still 20 mins from then he finally arrived.
He opened my car and started writing the receipt without saying a word. He tried to charge me $175!!! And told me that was the market price for a technician to open locked cars. He also told me that he could not do anything about the price and he was surprised that the dispatch did not quote me.
I was outraged. Before I was about to pay this outrageous amount, I decided to call my boyfriend to see what he thought of this. That is when the technician pulled out his phone and started to call his dispatch. He offered me a 20% discount that made the final about $140. I finally paid him and he left.
Meanwhile, my boyfriend was already on his way to me and talked to the dispatch. He made it perfectly clear that he did not appreciate them trying to take advantage of me and demanded that they match the price of another locksmith or he was going to sue them for false advertisement. There was another locksmith conveniently parked on the corner of the street one block away so we walked over to him and he quoted us for $80 for labor and travel fee included.
The dispatch in the end, made the technician come back to where we were and gave me back $60.
Again, the dispatch center was very nice however the technician was horrible and the service SUCKED! he took way too long to come and he even scratched the side of my car with his tools. So even though I got some of my money back... the service was HORRIBLE! -
Review from Jessica M.
San Francisco, CA
11/5/2010
Totally took advantage of the situation, fuzzy baby, no keys, outside the house.. no bueno. I was told on the phone they will charge 25$ (flat fee to go the place) + 19$ and up. After that, i thought it will be something around 50-75$.. right? Certainly not, after a fast check up of the situation, the bill came up to 145$. I just don't understand how 19$ can go all the way to 120$ just like that and it makes me wonder.. when is that they charge 19$..? when the door is already open..?
Later that day, because i wasn't happy with the experience, they offer me a little discount, yeah.. they never did it.
I don't know why business have to lie or hide their prices if they do give a great service and work, nobody would have to say a word.Comment from rotem t. of AvantGuard Locksmith 12/22/2010
Avantguard Locksmith Told this customer the price over the… More » -
Review from april s.
San Francisco, CA
12/24/2010
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!
i wish i could remember the name of the guy who helped me get back into my apartment so he could get credit for this review...but i have a bad short-term memory...OBVIOUSLY, because i locked myself out of my apartment on practically christmas eve doing LAUNDRY for god's sake. he got to my place quickly, was very professional and mastered my tricky doorknob! price was reasonable ($139 after 10% discount mentioned from phone book ad) and he even refused that i give him a tip because he felt bad that i had to pay $139 for god-forsaken LAUNDRY!
so, hopefully you get a raise from this review, mister! thank you again for being prompt & getting me back into my place so i can get to work in the morning. YOU SAVED MY LIFE!!!!!
and merry christmas! -
Review from Silvia S.
Mountain View, CA
8/24/2010
Excellent service, quick, reliable and great price.
Had another Locksmith company coming in 4 months ago, they did a sh**** job, the keys never worked and charged me $483.00.
So I call Avantguard Locksmith this morning and the guy answer the phone right away, sent me someone name ASAF in less than 1 hour. Asaf was polite and nice he did a great job, super quick, when he gave me the bill I could not believe it, only $144.00 to change two locks and fix another 2 doors that wasn't closing properly.
Highly recommend them, you will not be disappointed. -
Review from Eli C.
San Francisco, CA
2/28/2010
They could not open a normal front door schlage lock (not a deadbolt), so the guy drilled out the lock, and didn't tell me first that this would increase the price to $200, original quote was $80. They also did not show up on time.
Nice try rotem - here's a photo of the receipt:
http://i535.photobucke... -
Review from Justin M.
Arlington, TX
3/20/2011
i hate writing bad reviews but this company earned it. Avanteguard quoted me 80 bucks to open our condo door and when the technician came out, he wanted 210. When i refused to pay 210 when 80 was our agreed upon price, he told me I must be mistaken, & he'll still need 65 just for coming out. He told me his company never quoted 80 bucks (they did) and I had to ask him to leave. I wouldn't trust this company and actually got great service, and the agreed upon $80 price from http://SBS24locksmith.com. I recommend http://SBS24locksmith.com for anyone who needs help and, doesn't want to be screwed. Just ask for Ben he did a great job for us.
Comment from rotem t. of AvantGuard Locksmith 3/20/2011
we never sand nobody to you!!!!! remove this More » -
Review from Mark D.
Mill Valley, CA
4/15/2011
Made a 9am appointment with AvantGuardLocksmith the day before from San Rafael, California 415-223-3972 and they never showed up.
After receiving really nasty phone calls, and emails from Avant Guard Locksmiths after posting my disappointment with them here as professionals I've removed most of my post here on Yelp.
You'd think the owner of a company would want to know how to make things right with a customer, instead of trying to intimidate them if they post an honest comment here.
Careful Yelpers, they're some nasty people here that flip out whenever they get a bad review. Which makes me wonder, why are they more concerned about their web presence than conducting themselves in a professional capacity? -
Review from Joe S.
San Francisco, CA
2/16/2011
Jesus Christ!
This place is a RIP OFF!! They make you wait at least an hour if not more. They say they charge $25.00 for coming out and then change it to $35.00 when they get there. They also say they will give you a firm price quote up front. Somehow, bumbling idiots get paid $300.00 because they can't figure out how to use airbags to open a locked door. This way, they can charge you to drill metal shards all over the carpet as well in his eyeball. HILARIOUS. STUPID IS A STUPID DOES. Make no mistake proceed with caution when calling this company. They will not do you any favors even though they say they will. -
Review from Ashleigh P.
San Francisco, CA
8/21/2011
So I called AvantGuard Locksmith to cut off a pad lock on a door at work. A nice woman answered and said they would be here in 20 min and it was going to be $60, which I was super stoked about because it was a semi-emergency. The technician called me an hour and a half later to ask what type of lock it was and said he was going to charge me $120 because of the tools he had to use. Now this was a standard padlock that I could cut off if I had a bolt cutter and like I said it was a semi-emergency so I was going to pay whatever. However, when I asked the guy, out of curiosity, about the charge he was super rude and literally told me "if you don't like it, you can call someone else". Which after such rude service is EXACTLY what I did.
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Review from Laurie Anne B.
San Francisco, CA
12/2/2010
I couldn't find this locksmith at 3338 22nd Street. Looks like a house to me. I wanted to have some keys made. Oh well. Guess I'll have to find a REAL locksmith shop.
Nothing in Avantguard's advertising tells you they are ONLY a mobile service. Their Angie's List posting claims they do all the work themselves, but their website says the work is done by independent contractors.
Be careful when ordering locksmith services. You need to check ID and license before anyone starts working on your locks.Comment from rotem t. of AvantGuard Locksmith 12/22/2010
Avantguard Locksmith is a local mobile locksmith service in… More » -
Review from David M.
Sausalito, CA
10/1/2009
I had major key issue the other day...(I lost them!!)..I called Adam
and he told me he would be over in 40 minutes.He was right on time and spent the next hour re-keying my door...He didn't have a part to finish the job..I paid him,cause he said he would be back the next day.The next day came and he called me,came over and finished the job perfectly and for less money than I expected.He's a cool,honest guy..who sticks to his word..what else can you ask for in this day and age?? -
Review from Sally B.
Emeryville, CA
6/16/2010
The service was great, the dispatch was super nice and attentive.
The locksmith tech got here on time, he was highly trained and very friendly. I highly recommend Avantguard Locksmith. -
Review from L H.
Redwood City, CA
9/13/2011
I wish I could give 0 stars. They quoted minimum $35 over the phone and I asked the basis for additional charges and they said "if the lock was more difficult". The lock was not more difficult, takes one minute to change out the cylinder. They charged me $226!! It was over a month ago, and I still cannot get them to give me an invoice. They are not returning my calls. The website said it has a lowest price guarantee. But Mountain View Lock and Safe Company changes a single lock for $66. $226 to change a single lock is just a scam! Stay away.
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Review from Danielle G.
San Francisco, CA
12/24/2009
Locked out of my art studio, with a key.
NEVER LEAVE YOUR PURSE HANGING ON THE DOORKNOB.
But if you do, avantguard will come to your rescue!
Quick, inventive, due to the fact that the doorknob wouldnt comply. Reasonable prices & friendly service!
I will definately call again if I have an issue! -
Review from Hubert L.
San Francisco, CA
12/12/2010
Man, Itamar was a life-saver. He got to my office in 15 minutes which I was locked IN, not out! And i was panicing. he took a quick look and gave me the quote and bam, done in 5 minutes! He picked it without ANY DAMAGE to my lock at all, and locked it for me as I don't have a key. When I called him and he said he was a a honest man, 100% true, he took a look, told me the price and everything was as planned. I hope I don't get locked in my office again but if i do, they are the ones I am gonna call because of the honesty, quality, and price of the work. on top of that, he was a friendly guy
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Review from Ernesto T.
San Francisco, CA
2/17/2011
Steer clear from Avantguard Locksmith and their TOTALLY UNETHICAL BUSINESS practices. I'd give them zero stars if possible and from the looks of these other reviews I'm not the only one. The Locksmith quoted us $25 for the service call and another $20 for labor depending on the amount of time it took to open the door. We explained to him what kind of door it was and that it would take less than a minute to open. We were also told the locksmith would be there in 15 minutes. The locksmith did not arrive for over an hour later and then told us it was going to cost $110 ($25 service call $85 labor) even though it took him under 10 seconds to open the door. They claimed that the original $45 was simply a quote and that they didn't know what kind of door it was, even though they brought the exact tool they needed up to my place before I had to explain the door to him, which in my opinion totally invalidates that argument. I tried to speak to the manager and was told that he was busy. Since I needed to catch a flight within the hour, I signed the receipt but stated that I would still be disputing the charge. When I returned from my trip, I decided to call them again and try to reason with them. They were unable to provide any rationale for the drastic price increase from the quote but was given this thoughtful piece of advice, "it's a hundred dollars, get over it and get on with your life." Seems like this is standard operating procedure for Avantguard and if it's not illegal it's definitely unethical.
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Review from Al O.
San Francisco, CA
7/12/2011
I locked my self out of my place. I tried getting in by the windows and was not able too. So I had no choice but to call for a locksmith but come and open the door. I called AvantGuard Locksmith and I asked what the cost would be and I was told the service call would be 25.00 and the cost will be 35 to unlock the door. So I guessed it would be around 60.00 overall. So I went ahead with it. I was told that someone would be here in 15 to 25 min. After 25 min there was no locksmith. I thought that maybe they did not want to come. So around 45 mins later I got a call from the locksmith and he said he will be here in a few min. About 10 min later he arrived and before he started I asked him for a quote on opening the door. He said the cost will come out to 28.00 for the service call and to unlock the lock it will come out to 85. so the overall cost was 113. I told him that I was told that when I called the cost for the service call was 25. He said that it was 28. I went ahead with it cause I was tired from work and i did not want to wait for another locksmith. It took him about 5 min to open the door.
Overall I will not use them again they over charge and I will ask around how much it should have cost.
I guess after sleeping on it overnite. I will go head and give them another star for being able to open the lock without having to brake it. -
Review from teatzar s.
San Francisco, CA
10/10/2010
Excellent, reliable and reasonably priced service. We just moved into our new place; needed 2 front door locks replaced. Call on a Sat night and Asaf arrived Sun at 9 a.m. He made the change in less than 1 hour.
The entire experience was painless and swift. Where I came from in NYC, this would've been a nightmare and cost would've been at least $400. Instead, we spent a little over $100. -
Review from J G.
San Francisco, CA
1/14/2011
No show, no contact. I made an appointment to meet with these folks at 3:30, and had to go out of my way to meet them at that time. When they didn't show up at 3:30 as planned, I called a mysterious number that had been calling me in the previous minutes but left no message. Turns out that was the locksmith calling to say they were "backed up," and could I meet at 5:30. Since I couldn't meet then, they told me they'd have someone there in 30 minutes, and that the individual would contact me to confirm. When 30 minutes rolled by and still no locksmith, I phoned again. This time, they said they'd phone me right back -- and never did. Flaky and unreliable; do not phone them if you value your time!
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Review from Phil G.
San Francisco, CA
12/14/2010
Bait and Switch? I thought that was against the law! I was locked out of my apartment and called Avantguard Locksmith. I explained the guy on the phone that I'm locked out and need one lock to be opened. I asked how much it would be. He said it's $29 for the service call and then $25 for each lock. Since I only had one lock, I figured it'll be $54. Not too bad. They advertise 15min response. Well, it took the guy close to 40 min to arrive which is almost tripple the time but that's not a big issue. He opened the lock in less than 5 minutes and ended up charging me $85. There is a huge difference between $25 and $85 don't you think?? I ended up paying $114 including the service call. Not an honest way to do business.
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Review from Zeina A.
San Francisco, CA
3/23/2010
We called and he was at our place in less than 15 minutes. If I ever get locked out again, Avantguard will be the only locksmith I would call. Very fast, professional and reasonable price.
I highly recomend it.. -
Review from Matt S.
San Francisco, CA
2/7/2010
Got here in 10 minutes, took about 10 to unlock my door. Cheaper than everyone else I called too. I really hope I don't have another reason to call him, but if I did I would definitely do it again.
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Review from Karen N.
San Francisco, CA
5/7/2010
Absolutely one of the vendors you want all your friends to know about.
Locked myself out at 4pm on a Friday - Adam was there in 15 minutes, friendly, knew what he was doing and very reasonable cost.
Also gave me great advice on how to avoid the problem in the future.
What more could you want!?!?!?!? HIGHLY RECOMMEND -
Review from John U.
South San Francisco, CA
8/9/2010
I was told over the phone that the job would cost 35 dollars for service call which is reasonable and a minimum of 25 dollars for the labor pending on how hard the job was. As you can tell this is a very broad quote which can deceive a lot of people into thinking this is a cheap job. So the guy came to my car and unlocked it in less than 5 minutes. I thought since it took less than 5 minutes that it would be cheap but it ended up being 112 total. I'm just saying be aware of the precautions before you order it.
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Review from Jess D.
San Francisco, CA
10/14/2010
Got me out of a jam in a reasonable timeframe at a reasonable price. Upfront about the pricing so there were no surprises. Hope I don't lock myself out again, but I will call Adam if I do.
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Review from Irv S.
San Francisco, CA
6/28/2010
Called them at 11:40pm last night and they were here in 20 minutes on a Sunday night! Nice guy, obviously knew his craft, tried everything he could to save my lock but eventually had to drill into it and replace it with a new lock. Was finished in under an hour, all in all, considering no one likes to be locked out with no recourse, Avantguard made the entire process easy and relatively painless. If you absolutely have to spend money on getting your door open give these guys a try, you won't be disappointed! Thanks Guys!
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Review from D G.
San Francisco, CA
8/14/2009
Avantguard was great. Locked out of my apartment on a Friday night, he came in 20 minutes and had me back in my apartment in 10 minutes without trying to gauge me on price. Would highly recommend them
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Review from Heather S.
San Francisco, CA
3/24/2010
Adam is the best! He was here in less than 15 minutes. Very professional and friendly - and even liked my cat! THANK YOU!
