KeyMe Locksmith: Incompetent or Feigning Ignorance
For over a decade, locksmiths have been complaining about KeyMe Locksmiths. Their main complaint was that KeyMe Locksmiths used ‘locksmith’ as their primary category. Allow me to start by stating that the KeyMe Locksmith business model is in full compliance with Google’s Terms of Service (TOS). They are no different than Redbox, Coinstar, or a bank atm.
Google Business Profile Gray areas:
The gray area is the use of the primary category. KeyMe uses locksmith as the primary category. They are not locksmiths; they are a key duplication service. The fact that they subcontract to locksmiths makes them a lead generation outfit, which violates Google’s TOS.
Is KeyMe Locksmith breaking the guidelines?
Yes, KeyMe Locksmith is violating numerous Google Business Profile Terms of Service policies. They are setting up GBPs for upcoming locations without adding the opening/ open date. This means when they create a new GBP, it goes live without the Kiosk being shipped to the store. This is deceptive.
There are some KeyMe GBPs with incorrect hours posted. Claude C. left a review and uploaded the hours for the hardware store where a KeyMe kiosk was located.
The review was posted on April 18, 2024.
A year later, and the hours are still wrong??? Seriously??? KeyMe manages its listings and citations with Yext. Anyone can log in at any time and update the hours for the location, and all citations will be automatically updated. The fact that somebody saw this review, replied to it, and a year later the hours are still wrong is telling.
They are also not marking closed kiosks as permanently closed. Please see the review for the Ashland, MA kiosk.
It appears that KeyMe Locksmith is asking people to review kiosks over 300 miles away from the one where they received service. People are reviewing multiple GBPs.
Look at the three reviews for the Ashand. Maryland GBP. The first two reviewers are based in Massachusetts. It is improbable that two people over 380 miles away used the same kiosk. The most recent review mentions that this kiosk did not exist. Did this kiosk ever exist, or was this being used for lead generation?
A few years ago, I used a KeyMe kiosk. They sent me an email to review the kiosk. The review request was review-gating. Review gating means you prevent a consumer from leaving a Google review if they give a low score or a thumbs-down rating. If you score high enough or give a thumbs up, you are directed to Google to leave a review. Google updated its Terms of Service (TOS) on April 12, 2018, to advise that review gating violates the TOS. Almost five years later, KeyMe is review-gating to prevent negative reviews. This also violates consumer protection laws here in the United States. Here is the loom video I made showing how KeyMe review-gated in 2023.
Regarding Google reviews, there are numerous complaints about individuals not showing up for scheduled service calls.
Either KeyMe Locksmiths doesn’t care, or the company is in disarray. Did they hire incompetent employees or individuals intent on spamming Google for profit? I have emailed the leadership team at KeyMe, and they have not responded to me. I am now forwarding this matter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
