ATLANTA, GA – John Sours, Administrator of the Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection (“GOCP”), has announced that Atlanta Solution Locksmiths, LLC (“ASL”) and its owner, Asher Uziel, have entered into a settlement requiring them to pay $11,897.40 in consumer restitution and $100,000 in penalties and investigative expenses to resolve allegations of unfair and deceptive practices.

Atlanta Solution Locksmiths, whose sole location is in Atlanta, Georgia, made numerous misrepresentations as to the number and locations of its offices via its web sites and yellow page advertisements. The GOCP investigation revealed that the company had 155 different websites,140 of which had geographic designations in the website name, such as conyerslocksmithservice.com, locksmithinmariettaga.com, and cartersvillelockandkey.com. The many different phone numbers it published were all forwarded to the Atlanta office. 

The company advertised a response time of 15 minutes. When consumers called they were quoted a price for the services to be performed.  The price was very attractive – quite a bit lower than what most of its competitors were charging.  However, consumers soon discovered that the company’s promises didn’t hold water. Consumers frequently had to wait much longer than 15 minutes for a locksmith to arrive.  After the technician arrived and the service had been performed, customers were informed that they owed significantly more than the amount they had been quoted. If consumers wanted to find the company afterwards, they couldn’t because there was no local address. 

In addition, GOCP alleges that Atlanta Solution Locksmiths claimed its employees were bonded and that the company was a member of the Associated Locksmiths of America, when neither claim was true.

“This case illustrates a pattern of activity which is all too common in the locksmith business,” says John Sours, Administrator of the Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection.  “With this agreement we are sending a message to others in the locksmith trade that such conduct cannot and will not be tolerated.”