Retailer Misinformation

What Everyone Should Know: KeyMe Locksmiths, a company that installs self-service key duplication kiosks in retail stores, promotes its machines as a convenient solution for customers and businesses to boost sales. However, a closer look at KeyMe Locksmiths’ business practices reveals issues that retailers should consider carefully before allowing KeyMe kiosks into their neighborhoods. 

KeyMe Locksmiths’ False Claims: KeyMe often claims that placing a kiosk in a store drives more customers. The idea is that the convenience of duplicating keys on-site will increase foot traffic and lead to additional sales for the store. However, this claim is false:

1. Positioning of the Kiosk: KeyMe typically places its kiosks near store entrances. While this location might make the kiosk more visible, it doesn’t guarantee that customers will explore the rest of the store or make additional purchases, especially if they have a goal of making a key. In many cases, people using the kiosk come solely for key duplication and leave immediately after.
2. Frequency of Key Duplication: Duplicating a key is a rare need, often when someone loses a key. It is not likely that the kiosk can drive much traffic to a store. 
3. Established Neighborhood Stores: Local retail stores often already have a strong presence in their communities. These stores are well-known to residents, and their reputation is built on trust and personal interaction. A kiosk is unlikely to draw new customers who were not already aware of the store in their neighborhood. 

 

KeyMe’s Misleading Claims: KeyMe markets its kiosks with bold but false statements: 

1. Copy any Key: the reality is that the kiosk only handles a limited range of popular keys. 
2. Best Quality: the reality is that the kiosk often not precise to cut the keys accurately, leaving many customers frustrated for having wasted their time and money on non-working keys.
3. More accurate that a locksmith: the reality is that kiosk technology is not accurate, many dissatisfied customers leave negative reviews to complain that the kiosk-cut keys do not work, and often the copied keys look different from the original. 
4. Less common key… not typically carried by locksmiths: the reality is that when the kiosk is out of keys or not able to make a copy, KeyMe claims that the key is rare, even if it is the most basic type. Customers are directed to mail order keys that are significantly more expensive, than when purchased at a local hardware store. 
5. Satisfaction Guaranteed: the reality is that many customers who do not receive a working key are given a refund to make them satisfied, rather than being provided with a quality product that works.

 

KeyMe Locksmiths’ Profit-Sharing Limitations: KeyMe offers a profit-sharing model to entice retailers. This arrangement might seem appealing at first, but it only includes revenue from the keys duplicated at the kiosk. The key duplication profit margins are slim, and the retailers bear the operational burden of hosting the kiosk while KeyMe reaps the majority of the benefits with service calls, which often times amount to hundreds and sometimes even a thousand dollars. KeyMe does not share these profits with the retailers that house their kiosks and whose physical real estate KeyMe uses on Google Maps. 

Negative Impact on Local Neighborhoods: KeyMe’s presence in a neighborhood have detrimental effects:

1. Unprofessional Services: KeyMe does not maintain a physical presence in the communities where its kiosks operate. Instead, they rely on third-party contractors for services like emergency lockouts. These contractors are often unlicensed and unreliable. and not held accountable for poor service. 
2. Lack of Accountability: Many Better Business Bureau complains describe customers paying hundreds of dollars for service while feeling pressured or even threatened by the technician to pay. KeyMe often responds with a blanket reply, blaming “third party contractor” for unethical behavior.
3. Harm to Local Businesses: Local businesses like hardware stores, which offer more comprehensive services, often lose customers to the kiosk, eroding neighborhood economies. KeyMe diverts business away from these establishments and undermines the livelihood of local entrepreneurs who are deeply invested in their communities.

 

The Ethical Concerns: KeyMe’s business practices raise questions about ethics and transparency. From false advertising to questionable contractor reliability, the company’s operations seem more focused on profit than on serving communities effectively. 

Supporting local businesses, prioritizing accountability and quality are essential for maintaining prosperous neighborhoods. KeyMe Locksmiths has no place in our communities!