Legislators are getting
ready to vote on a bill requiring locksmiths in Connecticut to be
registered by the state, and the issue, according to one local
legislator,
is one of personal safety.
Representative Kim Fawcett learned about the initiative through
John Bradley, a locksmith and resident of Fairfield. Bradley had
been pushing the bill for some time and contacted his local state
representative to gain a little momentum.
"We've been trying to do this for 20 years," Bradley
said. Since getting involved, Fawcett has worked "behind the
scenes" with General Law Committee Chair Chris Stone,
convincing him and other lawmakers that the measure should be
passed.
Though Fawcett is aware that Bradley and other locksmiths desire
the bill's passage for industry purposes, during an interview
earlier this week she also mentioned scams in which individuals
posing as locksmiths can take advantage of unsuspecting customers
in their time of need.
"Because we don't register locksmiths
anybody, with no special skills, can put themselves in the Yellow
Book as a locksmith," Fawcett said. "They could be
anybody."
Companies Bradley referred to as "phony locksmiths,"
"Buy up hundreds of phone book and internet listings so there
is a high probability that a consumer will call one of them when
they are locked out of their car or home."
Bradley gave Stratford, where his business, W.T.Bradley
and Son, is located, as an example. Type "locksmith"
into Google and you get over 200 returns, "When there's only
me."
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A cross-check on
addresses reveals many supposed locksmith companies with addresses
listed at churches, Chinese restaurants and motels.
Those companies quote a low rate to potential customers on the
phone, and then double or in some cases triple the fee after the
work is performed.
But Fawcett was concerned less with fraud and
more with personal safety issues. When speaking with Stone,
Fawcett used herself as an example. "Believe it or not,
I have a tendency to occasionally lock my keys in the car in the
driveway," Fawcett told Stone, though she qualified with the
Minuteman that "it's maybe twice in the past five
years." And, she said, as there is no registration program
for locksmiths in Connecticut, "My own personal safety was
threatened, because I have no idea who I called."
"Under this bill, locksmith applicants must
submit their business address to the state and have their
registration number in all advertisements," Bradley said in a
letter to the Minuteman. "Locksmiths will also have to submit
a criminal background check - a major deterrent for phony
locksmiths."
Bradley, though did not sound hopeful during an
interview this week. He recalled his time spent in Hartford,
testifying before the General Law Committee. "They
didn't care," he said. "There were only about three
people left by the time we had our chance to speak."
Currently, California, Illinois, Oklahoma,
Alabama, North Carolina, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas and New
Jersey all require locksmiths to be registered. Several states
have been able to prosecute fraudulent locksmith companies.
Fawcett said she expects the legislature to
bring the bill, House Bill 5774, to the floor this week.
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