Locksmith refuses to provide an invoice....

S

SunshineDee

New Member
Jurisdiction
South Carolina
After being charged $150 for a 2 second bit of work to open my door, the locksmith wrote a chicken scratch receipt barely readable and handed it to me. My apartment manager would like to get me a refund through the complex but must have a REAL invoice with all the important information to submit to the property owner. (no-one was available to help me or give me a key and so I had a locksmith.) It was 12 degrees outside with ice and snow. I needed to get back inside.

I have called the locksmith office 3 times now and the lady answering the phone promises to contact him and he will email me the invoice., It never happens, no matter times I call the office. What advice would you give me?
 
Here is an idea. Send them a demand letter or e-mail. If they cannot provide a proper invoice for you to get a reimbursed after the request, send another demand letter letting them know that you'll sue them in small claims court for the cost of the repair as well as reporting them to the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs. That usually prompts action - at least it did for me when I had a similar problem with a vendor.
 
SunshineDee said:
After being charged $150 for a 2 second bit of work to open my door, the locksmith wrote a chicken scratch receipt barely readable and handed it to me. My apartment manager would like to get me a refund through the complex but must have a REAL invoice with all the important information to submit to the property owner. (no-one was available to help me or give me a key and so I had a locksmith.) It was 12 degrees outside with ice and snow. I needed to get back inside.

I have called the locksmith office 3 times now and the lady answering the phone promises to contact him and he will email me the invoice., It never happens, no matter times I call the office. What advice would you give me?
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It's a good practice to see the invoice for these kinds of services before you pay the provider. They'll be a lot more amenable to providing an invoice that's legible and has all the information you need on it.

Threatening to sue the locksmith might get the guy to give you a better invoice/receipt. It might not. But I don't see a good lawsuit against the locksmith for giving you a poor quality invoice. I don't know of any state that mandates a minimum quality for receipts. If your state doesn't have a law like that you have to argue there was a breach of contract. The problem is the contract was for opening the door and the locksmith did that. You'd have to prove that the locksmith knew before doing the work that you were going to seek reimbursement from the landlord for the work done and a good quality invoice was at least an implied provision in the contract. I don't know what evidence you'd have to show that so I can't give you any idea of how likely it is you'd win.

In any event, before spending the time and effort to sue (if you have a good case for that) I suggest you take up Michael's suggestion of contacting the Department of Consumer Affairs. Business owners don't want to deal with government agencies over this kind of problem. It's just easier and cheaper to give you a good invoice and make the problem go away.
 
The problem appears to me that the locksmith did provide an invoice. Now, the OP is asking for a favor.
The OP needs to provide evidence of the service being provided and the amount that was paid in order to be reimbursed. The OP did that. Now, the OP's beef is with the management company for not accepting it and any (legal) action for the OP to take would be against the management/complex.
 
Tax Counsel said:
It's a good practice to see the invoice for these kinds of services before you pay the provider. They'll be a lot more amenable to providing an invoice that's legible and has all the information you need on it.

Threatening to sue the locksmith might get the guy to give you a better invoice/receipt. It might not. But I don't see a good lawsuit against the locksmith for giving you a poor quality invoice. I don't know of any state that mandates a minimum quality for receipts. If your state doesn't have a law like that you have to argue there was a breach of contract. The problem is the contract was for opening the door and the locksmith did that. You'd have to prove that the locksmith knew before doing the work that you were going to seek reimbursement from the landlord for the work done and a good quality invoice was at least an implied provision in the contract. I don't know what evidence you'd have to show that so I can't give you any idea of how likely it is you'd win.

In any event, before spending the time and effort to sue (if you have a good case for that) I suggest you take up Michael's suggestion of contacting the Department of Consumer Affairs. Business owners don't want to deal with government agencies over this kind of problem. It's just easier and cheaper to give you a good invoice and make the problem go away.
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Great points, as usual. A lawsuit for a relatively small amount is rarely ever a good investment in time and it certainly isn't for $150. As to whether one would win in court is a good textbook exercise. But it is something I'd mention as a possible alternative remedy to induce movement on something simple that shouldn't take 3-4 minutes at most - to provide a legible invoice. If they have activity in social media (such as Yelp, Google Business, Facebook), mentioning leaving an honest review about their lack of responsiveness usually works very well.

Zigner said:
The problem appears to me that the locksmith did provide an invoice. Now, the OP is asking for a favor.
The OP needs to provide evidence of the service being provided and the amount that was paid in order to be reimbursed. The OP did that. Now, the OP's beef is with the management company for not accepting it and any (legal) action for the OP to take would be against the management/complex.
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I wouldn't look at it as a "favor" but as a reasonable consumer expectation. The OP should have looked at the invoice when written to make sure it was adequate but may have assumed it was done properly. The discussion on legal responsibility here is completely academic. I don't think this is a bona fide issue for any court and is more a social and professional responsibility issue to be addressed. Hence consumer affairs and reminders about social media are probably the optimal path to take, mentioning the legal avenue to add emphasis to just perform a simple request.
 
Michael Wechsler said:
Great points, as usual. A lawsuit for a relatively small amount is rarely ever a good investment in time and it certainly isn't for $150. As to whether one would win in court is a good textbook exercise. But it is something I'd mention as a possible alternative remedy to induce movement on something simple that shouldn't take 3-4 minutes at most - to provide a legible invoice. If they have activity in social media (such as Yelp, Google Business, Facebook), mentioning leaving an honest review about their lack of responsiveness usually works very well.


I wouldn't look at it as a "favor" but as a reasonable consumer expectation. The OP should have looked at the invoice when written to make sure it was adequate but may have assumed it was done properly. The discussion on legal responsibility here is completely academic. I don't think this is a bona fide issue for any court and is more a social and professional responsibility issue to be addressed. Hence consumer affairs and reminders about social media are probably the optimal path to take, mentioning the legal avenue to add emphasis to just perform a simple request.
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Fair enough.
 
This just came to mind - a problem I had to address with some small single ownership businesses a few years ago. Our management company received a receipt that didn't look like a receipt. Someone associated with my client received a great price for reasonable work and we needed only a proper invoice. Incredibly, we received something so unprofessional to create question as to whether it was actually an invoice or created by a toddler. It was difficult to get a simple, proper invoice which you would think would be painfully simple. The vendor just dealt in cash for many years and never properly transitioned to what has been the real world for decades. Remarkable when it happens and it explains why they also eventually went out of business. In fairness to the OP, it's possible that what was given on the spot was similar - a handwritten scratch of a receipt that would technically be upheld in court but not taken seriously by many outside in the real world.
 
Thank you everyone! I like the idea of the next time to request an invoice in the beginning. I do realize this would not likely be seen in a courtroom for the small amount. I also like the idea of posting an honest review on social media and locally. I will follow all your guidelines. Thank you again for all responding. I got many different insights. In regards to the company (apt complex) holding the cards and wanting more, I am now complying with the apartment complex and what they need.
 
I would like to add something if you think this is "shady" or legal?

I called the number and the lady quoted me $75 for the service and $25 for the "work" of opening my door, ($100) When the tech arrived he pulled out a camera and took a pic of the lock and sent it to the Supervisor. I asked why you are taking a pic of the lock? He said we have to make sue this job isn't more money. Alarms going off but its 12 degrees outside and I have been outside for almost an hour freezing. He got a text back and said it would be "more" money. He said my boss says $125.00 "now" and $25 to work the lock to open the door. He said it would now total $150.00

Mind you the lock is the regular door knob, not the bolt lock. He got it open in seconds with a device.

What do you make of the price hike?
 
SunshineDee said:
What do you make of the price hike?
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The costs associated with goods and/or services purchased these days are somewhat inflated.

You could have said, "Sorry, can't afford $150.00, mate.

You, on the other hand had reasons for allowing the unarmed bandit to mug you and your wallet. The weather wasn't comfortable.

Sorry, mate, it appears you agreed to the UNARMED ROBBERY, AKA, pickpocket scheme/scam!!!
 
SunshineDee said:
I would like to add something if you think this is "shady" or legal?

I called the number and the lady quoted me $75 for the service and $25 for the "work" of opening my door, ($100) When the tech arrived he pulled out a camera and took a pic of the lock and sent it to the Supervisor. I asked why you are taking a pic of the lock? He said we have to make sue this job isn't more money. Alarms going off but its 12 degrees outside and I have been outside for almost an hour freezing. He got a text back and said it would be "more" money. He said my boss says $125.00 "now" and $25 to work the lock to open the door. He said it would now total $150.00

Mind you the lock is the regular door knob, not the bolt lock. He got it open in seconds with a device.

What do you make of the price hike?
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I suspect you were provided with a verbal estimate, not a quote.
 
In addition to the above, while I can appreciate the fact that the "work" turned out to be just a few seconds of time and seems surprising and unfair, the desired result was achieved. Technically the offer to unlock your door for $150, your acceptance, and the exchange of consideration forms a binding contract. The amount of effort was not part of the bargain.

As to your feeling that this is entirely fair from an ethical standpoint, consider the entirety of the equation. Someone needs to invest in and store special tools in order to make this a simple job. The service provider needs to invest time and money to travel both to your residence and then back to the office or somewhere else. Others in a similar predicament may refuse service upon arrival, leaving the locksmith service provider with a sunk cost that they won't recover. So if you add up all of those costs, what you're being charged doesn't seem to be as unfair as it would appear on the surface by evaluating the cost of the entire transaction.
 

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