On the expected verdict in the trial of the German locksmith headquarters
As the Brandenburg Consumer Center reports, the verdict will be handed down tomorrow, Tuesday, at the Kleve Regional Court against two defendants who have been running a dubious locksmith company since 2008.
The company is said to have placed around 700,000 orders in ten years. Consumer advice centers nationwide are familiar with the unfair approach towards consumers from their legal advice: almost every day, consumers pay up to four-digit sums for simple emergency door openings. The consumer advocates carry out preventive work - but also demand government action.
Anyone standing in front of their own locked door without a key needs quick help. But consumers who call a supposedly local locksmith often end up with dubious, nationwide companies. The technicians on site often force those affected to pay 1,000 euros to open a door, which would have cost around 70 to 120 euros for reputable companies, depending on the time of day and day of the week.
In their distress, most consumers pay. You receive fake invoices and have little opportunity to defend yourself later.
Two masterminds of a dubious locksmith company operating nationwide are currently being charged before the regional court in Kleve. They are accused, among other things, of fraud, usury and tax evasion amounting to millions of dollars, and face several years in prison.
“The approach towards consumers corresponds to what we observe every day in consumer advice. This case is just an example of a nationwide problem,”
says Annalena Marx, consultant for economic consumer protection at the Brandenburg Consumer Center.
“We therefore hope that the verdict in Kleve marks the start of further, at best nationwide, investigations against the widespread networks of dubious fitters.”
Consumer advice centers have been carrying out preventive work for years to protect consumers from dubious emergency locksmith services. At the end of last year they published a list of average prices for emergency door openings . The prices, which are based on a survey of around 600 reputable locksmith services, are intended to give consumers guidance on justified prices.
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