$35 isn't bad considering the cost of equipment. Some of those sidewinder machines are $5000 to $10,000. How many keys at $35 does it take to pay back a $5000 investment? 143. Geez… I charge more than $35 because I want to pay that machine off quicker, pay my employees, and make a profit.

Marshalls! You need to increase your rate. $35 is pitiful.

Why do you keep sidestepping this point?

I did not bet against expert advice. I chose to gamble with $35 instead of $125 because NO expert advice was given. Stating it might work, might not work is not advice. It's an ultimatum. Had they said "Your car will not start by just having this key cut" prior to charging me $35, I wouldn't be on here "ranting" (which coincidentally is why this post is tagged as a RANT).

I think my readers (who have grown significantly due to the entertaining nature of this dialogue) understand that I'm not going to go out of my way to chronicle an experience and then continue argue with a bunch of locksmiths if I were truly to blame. I don't walk around looking for businesses to write about because I like to cause problems. What I do is provide a service to other consumers when I feel an injustice has occurred due to bad business practices.

So for the last time I will repeat what the underlying point of this post is about: It is not the fault of the consumer when the expert offers no definitive solution to the problem.

B. You told them by e-mail that the key was "already programmed" and that you only needed it cut. That's the quote you got. They assumed that you knew what you were talking about. Some customers do. How is it their fault for not assuming that you're an idiot? Not all customers are. Some are dealers and mechanics. Some people really do know what they're talking about.

C. By your own account of events, when you arrived at the shop, they told you, before doing anything, that the key wouldn't start your car unless the chip was programmed. You could have taken their advice and, if you weren't willing to pay for the programming, walked away without spending a dime.

D. They only cut it for you without programming ON YOUR INSISTENCE, AGAINST THEIR RECOMMENDATION. They warned you that the key wouldn't start your car, and you chose wrong. Marshall's was in no way dishonest. Sometimes, it pays to listen to the experts. You swaggered in there thinking you got a deal on E-bay, telling them how to do their job. It's your own fault.

Marshall's is not dishonest. The only thing they could have really done differently was to refuse to service you outright. Then you'd be on here ranting about that!

What is actually interesting to me is that you referred to yourself as a competitor to Marshall's Locksmith.

How is it a competitor is able to provide a complete play-by-play of the interaction between myself and the clerk at Marshall's Locksmith? Were you there?

In fact, it makes me even more frustrated with your company.

It is now quite clear that you had the resources available beforehand to identify what would be involved in this process. Although you are quoting literature for the SC model, I will interrupt this to include the ES model, which is actually what we're talking about here.

If it was that easy for you to figure out that Lexus had implemented this advanced theft deterrent system; why was no mention made of this in response to my first email inquiry?

Let me guess, because I said that the key was already programmed. Did you honestly believe I was able to program the transponder chip on my own? Clearly, the language of my email reflects that I was talking about the keyless entry system and not the transponder chip.

All this technical jargon does not erase the fact that once I came to your shop, you still charged me $35 to perform a task you knew would not solve the problem. That's blatant dishonesty and quite petty in my opinion.

Please read my above comment in response to Ms.Busse, as I believe it is an accurate depiction of how your company should have handled this situation.

And as I have previously mentioned, your lack of accountability throughout this ordeal is what is really troubling. It is not the fault of the consumer when the expert offers no definitive solution to the problem.

The person who waited on you at the shop told you immediately, before providing any service, that it had a chip that needed programming to start your car. Actually, the transaction at the shop went very much like what you recommended above, except that you CHOSE to bet against the expert's advice. They told you what it needed and what it would cost, so you could have opted out without paying a penny before they even started. But you "knew better," and it's their fault? Heck, you even accused them of sabotaging your key. You should be ashamed of yourself!

Thanks,

Cris

Marshall’s Locksmith