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El Cheapo Locksmith

Locksmiths, Auto Alarms, Mailing Service,

About us

Flat rate pricing, no hidden fees! We are the only flat rate locksmiths around. While dealing with us, you only pay what we quoted you and there are no games or gimmicks after wards. You get the fairest price possible thanks to our flat rate pricing! Established in 1990. El Cheapo Locksmiths is your expert San Diego locksmith, we provide a wide range of locksmith services and products, guaranteed to meet both your residential and commercial security needs. Our vast array of keys and locks ranges from standard to high-security mechanisms. We offer key duplication and re-keying services. Free consultation, free inspections, customized security plans! it goes without saying that not everyone necessarily requires the latest and most expensive propriety technology for protecting their usual belongings (who would want to chain their bicycle with a lock that’s more expensive than the actual bike?). If you agree with this, you will definitely find our services appreciable. We offer free consultation, free inspection of the vicinity, and deliver a customized security plan that fits your needs exactly. The budget? We make sure it is highly affordable for your pocket so there are no concerns whatsoever for you. Have you been locked out of your home or car? We can help; we have saved countless amounts of clients from being locked out of their home and vehicles. We're fast, reliable, affordable and can get to you wherever you are. Give us a call today. Additional phone - (866) 900-1818, (619) 377-9090.

Business highlights

35 years of trusted experience
Emergency Services Offered

Services we offer

Residential locksmith, auto-keys, repair, replace, install & interchange.

Services we don't offer

NONE

Amenities

Free Estimates
Yes
Emergency Services
Yes


Accepted payment methods

American Express
Check
Discover
MasterCard
Visa

Photos of past projects

Reviews

4.826 Reviews
Number of StarsImage of DistributionNumber of Ratings
5
85%
4
12%
3
0%
2
0%
1
4%


Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
4.8
value
4.7
professionalism
4.8
responsiveness
4.7
punctuality
4.9
Showing 1-25 of 26 reviews

Linda L.
05/2016
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
unknown
Rating CategoryRating out of 5

Kittrece R.
03/2016
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
unknown

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
4.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$45

Cathie C.
02/2016
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
unknown

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro

Dean M.
02/2016
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: Re-keyed 5 dead bolt locks

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
4.0
responsiveness
3.0
punctuality
4.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$125

David G.
01/2016
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
unknown

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$89

Bob H.
01/2016
4.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
He was on time and did a good job, however, when it came time to pay, he advised that they did not accept credit or debit cards and he preferred cash. Also he stated he did not give receipts, but instead would Email me, which I have yet to receive.
Description of Work: I hired him to change and install new lock on my front door.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
3.0
value
4.0
punctuality
5.0

$80

Omar L.
12/2015
1.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: Nothing, I had to call him 3 times because he didn't show up the first time. When he finally showed up, he couldn't do the job unless he charged me more to replace a knob and charge me more for labor. I fely that he lied to get more money, and would not return me rebate amount.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
2.0
value
3.0
professionalism
1.0
responsiveness
1.0
punctuality
1.0

$90

Response from El Cheapo Locksmith
[removed member's name] Sorry for your dissatisfaction we go out of our way to ensure customer service. The Angie's List contract specifies that you purchased a $19.00 Service Call which does not include any labor or parts. My technician Dave explained to you what needed to be done to make you have only one key for your house and quoted you the total price to re-key all the locks with same key. No locksmith can re-key a lock with a different key way, it's impossible. We're sorry we came late to your appointment every job we take in is different and we estimate time of completion sometimed we come to different situations that we have not foreseen. We are truly sorry for the inconvenience. If I can do something to make it up to you please let me know. If you read the other reviews on Angie's List, you are my first dissatisfied customer in five years. Vice President of Operations Robert Bernay El Cheapo Locksmith 619-366-6500

Huyen B.
12/2015
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
The Big Deal was to change out 5 locks for $89. I have 3 doors leading from house to exterior with keyed locks on both sides (which means a key is needed to open the lock from the outside and same key is needed to unlock from inside the house), 1 door from house into garage (key needed only on garage side) and 1 door from garage to exterior (key needed only on exterior) - a total of 5 doors. When I called Bob with El Cheapo Locksmith to schedule an appointment, I learned from him that each side needing a key counts as 1 lock, so instead of getting all 5 doors done for $89 which I had original thought, I had to pay an extra $20 per lock for 3 locks for a total of $60 extra! The total for the entire job is $145 - a lot different from $89! On the day of the appt, Bob was late and I didn't receive a call from him to tell me he would be late. So I called him and said that we had talked the day before to schedule the appt and since he was driving, he asked for me to text him my address and the agreed upon date/time of appt (which I did immediately after we hung up). He said he did not get the text and asked for me to resend, which I did. He ended up coming to my house on the day of the appointment, but a few hours later than the original scheduled time. Although Bob did a good job in changing out the locks, the charges for extra locks should have been clearer in the description of The Big Deal. Angie's List needs to work with the contractors in providing a more descriptive list of services to be covered in the deal. Oftentimes, the description lacks clarity and really needs a more detailed list of inclusions & exclusions of the deal. In this particular case, most of us who are not locksmiths will not know that a lock needing keys on each side is considered 2 separate locks (even though mine uses the same key)! Overall, the actual changing of the locks was executed well, but the clean up at the end could use improvement. Bob did do some clean up, but there were still some grease smudges on door knobs or the door itself which I had to clean. I also had to vacuum steel shavings off the floor & other areas (like our kitchen counters) when the locks were removed and needed a temp place to land. When I tried out the new keys, grease would be all over my hands because of the greasing of the new locks. Bob did tell me that he put a lot of grease into the new locks, but didn't know what that meant. I later learned that meant "carry a wet wipe the first few times of locking/unlocking the doors so you can clean your hands". Again, non-locksmith people will not know this automatically. These may seem like minor details, but homeowners expect to be informed. Unpleasant surprises become annoyances and that's what most customers will remember. Despite the above, I would probably use El Cheapo Locksmith again because Bob seems to be an honest, hard-working guy, that will use my feedback here to improve his business.
Description of Work: Changed out locks on all of our doors leading from house to garage & from garage to exterior - a total of 5 doors.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
4.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
4.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$145

Helen D.
11/2015
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
unknown

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
3.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$150

Braydon & Allison H.
11/2015
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
.
Description of Work: .
Rating CategoryRating out of 5
Yes, I recommend this pro
$134

Dolores A D.
11/2015
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: Re-keyed 5 locks. Keys fit perfectly. He set up a small workstation in my patio to make the new keys and cleaned up before leaving. I recommend him without reservation.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$109

Thomas W.
11/2015
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: Rekeyed door locks. Very professional and efficient.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$125

RAY C.
10/2015
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
unknown
Rating CategoryRating out of 5

Chris F.
10/2015
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
All went well. Nice work.
Description of Work: Changed out all our locks.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$89

mike G.
09/2015
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: They were a great help setting up the work with my tenants and the pay over the phone

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro

APRIL H.
06/2015
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
Great service
Description of Work: Changed out 2 locks

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$60

BRUCE J.
05/2015
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
Prompt, detailed service. Robert was on time and performed the job of the old craftsman. Great quality lock smithing with old-fashioned service!
Description of Work: Installed door-lock assembly and keys.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$270

Lynne K.
04/2015
4.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
He was prompt. On phone I said 3-4 locks, but in reality it turned out to be over 11 rekeys. Plus, the house was recent purchase and I didn't have all the keys. He did a good job and we really appreciated his effort. Some of the locks were very old and difficult (e.g., circa 1953). The cost was very reasonable for all the work we had done. One deadbolt fell apart after the rekey. I called and was told to text with my address, which I did and he'd follow-up. I also sent an e-mail requesting the deadbolt get fixed. There was no follow-up corrective action on the deadbolt. I took it to another locksmith and had it repaired.
Description of Work: rekeyed locks for house.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
4.0
value
5.0
professionalism
4.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$280

Marleen R.
04/2015
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: Installed new dead bolt and made 2 keys.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$90

Judy S.
03/2015
4.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
He has a very good service. When couldn't come on time, he called right away. He was very fast.
Description of Work: He came out for a service call and re keyed 4 different locks and replaced a door knob.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$30

Jennifer E.
03/2015
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
The service went great. I found El Cheapo locksmith on Angie List. I called them up and 30 minutes later they were at the house. The job from start to finish took about 30 minutes. I was very pleased with the work completed. I would definitely use El Cheapo again.
Description of Work: The locksmith came out and realigned my deadbolt lock so we could actually lock it again.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$70

Linda C.
03/2015
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
He came two days prior to the work and checked out the situation. He told me what it needed and arranged to come back at 7 am Thursday morning. He gave me an estimate of $250.00. I wasn't home for the whole job and he called me to let me know he managed to take care of some decorative work around the lock to my specifications. He did an excellent job.
Description of Work: We have a very old, custom house and the lock needed to be replaced.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$258

Janet S.
12/2014
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: Re-keyed eleven locks and provided new keys.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$220

Joseph B.
10/2014
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
It went very well. Robert showed up when he said he would be there. He quickly re-keyed the locks and made sure they all worked. Couldn't ask for better service. I will call him again when the duplex needs to be re-keyed.
Description of Work: Robert came to the duplex and re-keyed all of the locks. When we found problems with closing the doors and engaging the locks, they wouldn't close. He fixed that problem too!

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$195

Don B.
02/2012
5.0
locksmith
  + -1 more
See the comments on services performed.
Description of Work: Lost my keys at my storage unit. A-1 Storage recommended Robert. He arrived right on time and was extremely professional and friendly. I thought it would take about an hour to break the lock so I decided to start the time just to see. Before I knew it was 21 seconds. Worth every penny!!! This guy was awesome!!! If you lost your keys you got to give Robert a call. AWESOME!!!

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$50
    • 1(current)
    • 2

Contact information

6161 El Cajon Blvd B#445, San Diego, CA 92115

www.elcheapolocksmith.com

Service hours

Sunday:
12:30 AM - 12:30 AM
Monday:
12:30 AM - 12:30 AM
Tuesday:
12:30 AM - 12:30 AM
Wednesday:
12:30 AM - 12:30 AM
Thursday:
12:30 AM - 12:30 AM
Friday:
12:30 AM - 12:30 AM
Saturday:
12:30 AM - 12:30 AM

Licensing

Bonded

Insured
State Contractor License Requirements

All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our State Contractor License Requirements page.

*Contact business to see additional licenses.


Service Categories

Locksmiths,
Auto Alarms,
Mailing Service,
Auto Service

FAQ

El Cheapo Locksmith is currently rated 4.8 overall out of 5.

Sunday: 12:30 AM - 12:30 AM

Monday: 12:30 AM - 12:30 AM

Tuesday: 12:30 AM - 12:30 AM

Wednesday: 12:30 AM - 12:30 AM

Thursday: 12:30 AM - 12:30 AM

Friday: 12:30 AM - 12:30 AM

Saturday: 12:30 AM - 12:30 AM

El Cheapo Locksmith accepts the following forms of payment: American Express,Check,Discover,MasterCard,Visa
Yes, El Cheapo Locksmith offers free project estimates.
No, El Cheapo Locksmith does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, El Cheapo Locksmith does not offer a senior discount.
Yes, El Cheapo Locksmith offers emergency services.
No, El Cheapo Locksmith does not offer warranties.
El Cheapo Locksmith offers the following services: Residential locksmith, auto-keys, repair, replace, install & interchange.
NONE

Contact information

6161 El Cajon Blvd B#445, San Diego, CA 92115

www.elcheapolocksmith.com

Service hours

Sunday:
12:30 AM - 12:30 AM
Monday:
12:30 AM - 12:30 AM
Tuesday:
12:30 AM - 12:30 AM
Wednesday:
12:30 AM - 12:30 AM
Thursday:
12:30 AM - 12:30 AM
Friday:
12:30 AM - 12:30 AM
Saturday:
12:30 AM - 12:30 AM