Before anyone drives out, get the business name, the BSIS license number and a total price for your car. Look the license up on the BSIS website and make sure the name matches. Then watch for bait quotes, unmarked vehicles, cash-only demands, and anyone who wants to drill a lock that can be picked.
- Every California locksmith business must hold a BSIS license, and anyone can look the number up online in a couple of minutes.
- A real quote is a total price for your car given before dispatch; a low service-call price is a hook, not a quote.
- An unmarked vehicle, a cash-only demand or a price that grows on arrival is a reason to stop before work starts.
- A car lockout should be opened without drilling or broken glass; a locksmith who reaches for the drill first is usually selling a bigger bill.
- EZ Car Keyz holds BSIS license LCO#6792, and the price we quote on the phone is the price you pay.
Locksmith unlocks Ford Transit and makes a key. Filmed on a real job by EZ Car Keyz.
Check the BSIS license before anyone drives out
Ask for the locksmith's BSIS license number on the phone, then look it up yourself. In California, a locksmith business must be licensed by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, and the license number is public.
This is the single most useful thing you can do, and it takes a couple of minutes on your phone while you wait. A legitimate California locksmith can give you a BSIS license number without hesitating. If the person on the phone dodges the question, changes the subject or says the technician will have it, you have your answer.
- 1Ask for the business name and license number
Write both down. Ours: EZ Car Keyz, BSIS license LCO#6792.
- 2Look it up on the BSIS website
The bureau's website, bsis.ca.gov, has a license lookup. Search the number, or the business name if that is all you were given.
- 3Match the name and the status
The license should belong to the business you are talking to and show as current. A real number that belongs to someone else is a red flag, not a pass.
- 4Match it again on arrival
The business name the technician gives you and the name on the invoice should match the license you looked up.
How the bait quote works, and what a real quote sounds like
The bait quote is a very low service-call price that gets a van rolling, followed by a much larger bill once the technician is standing next to your car. The defense is to ask for a total price for your specific car before anyone is dispatched.
The low number is real in the narrowest sense: it is the cost of showing up. Everything that actually opens the car or makes the key comes on top, and you find that out when you are stuck and the van is already parked behind you. A scam operator is counting on your panic, because by then saying no feels harder than paying.
Each of these lines on the phone means you still do not have a real quote, and is a reason to keep calling around:
- "The tech will give you the price."
- "We don't give quotes over the phone."
- "There's an extra fee for programming."
- "There's a diagnostic fee first."
- "We already sent the tech out."
A real quote names a total for your year, make and model, and says what it covers. Ours covers the blank, the cutting, the programming and the trip. The price we quote on the phone is the price you pay, with no service-call fee, no diagnostic fee, no trip fee and no after-hours or holiday upcharge on top.
| Option | Ventura County | San Diego County | Time on-site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Vehicle Lockout | $95-$125 | $105-$145 | Under 10 min |
| Trunk Lockout | $95-$125 | $105-$145 | 10-15 min |
| High-Security Vehicle Lockout | $115-$145 | $125-$165 | 15-25 min |
Flat-rate ranges from our current price list. The exact quote depends on year, make and model, and the price we quote is the price you pay. Full details: Lockout Service in Ventura County or in San Diego County.
If a phone quote is far below a range like this, ask what it includes. If the answer is only the trip, it is not a quote.
Warning signs when the technician arrives
Watch the vehicle, the payment conversation and the price. An unmarked car, a cash-only demand or a total that has grown since the phone call are each a reason to stop before any work starts.
| Warning sign | Why it matters | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Unmarked vehicle, no business name anywhere | You cannot connect the person to the license you checked | Ask for the business name and license number before work starts |
| The price changes on arrival | The phone number was bait | Decline the work at the new price |
| Cash only | No card record and often no real invoice | Ask to pay by card and for an itemized invoice |
| No license number to show | A licensed California locksmith has one | Do not let work start |
| Drilling suggested in the first minutes | It destroys a lock that could be opened intact | Ask why picking will not work, and get the repair price first |
Payment is a good tell. A legitimate business will usually take cards and leave a paper trail. We take cash, cards, phone wallets, payment apps and checks, and you get an itemized invoice either way.
Does a locked car ever need to be drilled open?
Not for a lockout. We open cars without drilling and without breaking glass, and so should any competent automotive locksmith. Drilling a lock that could be picked is one of the oldest ways to turn a lockout into a repair bill.
2013 Dodge Charger lockout in Carpinteria
Drilling a car door lock or an ignition destroys the cylinder, which then has to be replaced, which becomes a second charge on top of the first. That is why it is popular with people who bill by the surprise. If a technician says the lock has to be drilled, ask why picking or non-destructive entry will not work, and get the full repair price before you agree to anything.
Be just as careful with "you need a whole new lock set" or "the computer needs to be replaced" said in the first few minutes. Those things can be true, but a real technician can explain exactly why and price it before touching the car. A worn ignition that truly needs work is a planned ignition repair with a quoted price, not a surprise in the middle of a lockout.
A two-minute checklist before you book any locksmith
Get these answers on the phone before anyone is dispatched, then check the license while you wait. A legitimate locksmith will answer every one of them without pushback.
- What is the business name? A real business has a name. A call answered with a generic line and no name may be routed to whoever is available.
- What is your BSIS license number? Look it up yourself and match the name.
- What is the total for my year, make and model? Not a starting price, not a service call: the total.
- What does that include? The key, the cutting, the programming and the trip should all be inside the number.
- How can I pay? Cards accepted is a good sign. Cash only is not.
- What paperwork do you need from me? A licensed locksmith will ask for proof that the car is yours.
Expect that last one to be asked of you, too. A locksmith who never asks for ownership paperwork would make a key to your car for anyone who asked. Our guide on whether you need the title to get a car key made explains what a licensed locksmith checks and why.
Be careful with search results and ads, too. Plenty of locksmith listings are not what they appear to be, with a local-sounding name and nothing behind it. The license lookup gets past that, because a license has to belong to a real business.
What a legitimate automotive locksmith looks like
A legitimate locksmith gives you a business name, a license number and a flat price before dispatch, asks for your proof of ownership, and leaves you an itemized invoice.
That is the standard we hold ourselves to. EZ Car Keyz was founded in 2017 by Marco Levy, who started in automotive locksmithing in 2009. Alongside BSIS license LCO#6792, we hold NASTF Vehicle Security Professional certification, which gives us registry access to the key codes and security data that manufacturers release only to vetted professionals.
We are mobile only and work across Ventura County, Santa Barbara County, San Diego County and Malibu, from Oxnard to Chula Vista, 6:00 AM to 11:30 PM, 7 days a week. You can read more about our Ventura County lockout service or our San Diego lockout service before you call.
Reviews are worth reading, but they are not proof on their own. The license is the check a listing cannot fake, as long as you match the name.
