Oregon next state to lock out 1-800-LocksmithScammers

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, (D), has about 30 days to sign into law a bill that will create a Board of Locksmiths to oversee and license the state’s estimated 2,000 legitimate locksmiths and to combat untrained sub-contractors from posing as such.

The sub-contractors, working for call centers, defraud consumers with shoddy workmanship and bait-and-switch schemes. They have overwhelmed the phone directories and Internet with hundreds (and thousands) of bogus business listings. Unknowingly consumers have called the imposters thinking they were calling a legitimate locksmith.

According to the bill, the Board would be established within the Construction Contractors Board (CCB) that now licenses locksmith businesses but not individuals. The new Board would adopt rules concerning the passing of a competency test, background and fingerprint checks, continuing education standards, fees and penalties for violations – all with a deadline of July 1, 2010. Until then the CCB must make locksmith certification available no later than Jan. 1, 2010.

Ernie Blatz is licensed by the CCB. He is also the President of the Pacific Locksmith Association (PLA), owner of Ernie’s Locks and Keys in The Dalles and has been in the field more than 20 years. He said the PLA has a membership of 70-80 locksmiths from 4 states: Oregon, (South West) Washington, Idaho and (Northern) California.

Blatz said one problem with being licensed with the CCB was that all the continuing education is geared toward contractors. “We just want to be able to get accredited classes through the Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA),” he said.

“It wasn’t just the 1-800-LocksmithScammer that was the problem,” said Republican State Representative John Huffman, who sponsored the bill. “There are very serious breaches of security going on and the consumer doesn’t even realize there is a problem.”

Huffman cited the following case relayed to him by a locksmith who had been hired to rekey a 12-unit apartment complex. For many years, the manager rekeyed and maintained the lock system at the complex. The locksmith, however, discovered the pinning system was flawed. Every laundry room key, which the tenants each had, was actually also a master key to the entire complex.

Huffman feels confident the governor will sign the bill, if not; the process to pass a locksmith law will begin next March 2010 when the Oregon legislature meets again.

As of today’s post the bill was not signed. However, Jillian Schoene, the Governor’s Deputy Communications Director, said she expected the bill to be signed within the next few weeks.

Reality show casting for family-run locksmith business, deadline 7/24/09

A major television production company is conducting a nationwide search for an outgoing family-run locksmith business for a new reality TV show. The show would be similar to The Learning Channel’s (TLC) American Chopper series of a family-run custom motorcycle business.

According to the casting call posted on RealityWanted.com applicants must have at least 2 family members aged 25 – 45 working at the business full-time and who are not afraid to be themselves.

The ad states “We look forward to hearing your craziest stories, from naked people locked out of their houses to cracking safes when people forget their combination. Surprise us.”

To find out more about the casting call, go to www.realitywanted.com. You can register for free as a fan or a “star,” to read what scant additional information there is. However, to apply and find out who the casting director is, you must subscribe and pay a $3.99 a month fee (can cancel at any time) AND post personal information (height, weight, gender, education and upload at least one photo). Once you apply for the casting call, other website members can read your profile and vote for whichever applicant they think is best for the position.

I stopped just short of posting personal information trying to find out more details like which company had posted the ad. (No, I was not applying!) The RealityWanted.com website states that “they cannot answer questions about the casting process for particular shows posted since they are posted by casting companies not by RealityWanted.com.” They suggest contacting the casting director who posted the notice.

Deadline to apply is July 24, 2009. Excuse me while I go cancel my subscription.