I needed some locks re-keyed, and decided to look on Craigslist.org because all of the locksmiths in the Yellow Pages was asking for $65 just to come out, and then anywhere from $10 to $25 to re-key each lock! I don't know about everybody else, but I can't afford those prices. I was pleasantly surprised to find Robert who owns A Better Cheaper Faster Locksmith in Sacramento. When I called him, I was at first a little skeptical... How could he re-key my locks for so cheap? Is he legitimate? Licensed? Experienced? While talking to him on the phone, I could tell he knew what he was talking about, and he was able to answer all of my questions without hesitation and with clarity. I then logged on to http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/wllqryna$lcev2.startup?p_qte_code=LC&p_qte_pgm_code=2420 verify his license, and it checked out. Turns out he was licensed twice under locksmiths, and was also a Licensed Private Investigator up until a couple of years ago. He came out on time, quickly and efficiently re-keyed all of my locks for the price he advertised (Up to 3 Locks Re-Keyed for $45 and no hidden charges including 2 free keys!) I was expecting some other charges or something, but he was one of the most friendly and honest service experiences I have ever had. I would definitely recommend this man for anybody looking for a locksmith! Two Thumbs Up! Thanks Robert! read more

Not only did they quote us $180 to re-key the ignition and sores on our vehicle, but then after starting it told me an additional $20 per lock and ignition changed. Then after saying it would take less than an hour, 4 hours later they suddenly raised the price to $380. Service fees, more money than originally quoted for each lock and ignition and now a key charge which one would assuming when re-keying an entire vehicle the key would be included. Not $80 extra. And I'm also supposed to pay all this extra money not told to me before being charged just because he had to work out in the heat. Wth? And he would not call anyone that quoted the original price. Now he says he did the quote, different person. And that he owns the business. I am a business owner. Not only are you the supposed worst business owner I have ever met in my life, but I will be contacting the better business bureau and more about this. You are a sham and also a terrible businessman and a sexist pig that couldn't hold a intelligent conversation with a woman and had the audacity to ignore me and attempt talking only to my husband because you felt he was calm? That's called the calm before the storm face and you have no idea how close you were to seeing the storm. Do not use this company. If so get all quotes filled out in writing and confirmed. These lying scum read more

I hate to give such a bad review but it was justified. They installed new hardware and re-locked my home several months ago. Brian didn't install the new matching plate cover pieces, so I pointed that out to him and asked for it to be done properly. In his haste, he didn't match up the door plate to the door handle in my garage, so my garage door wouldn't lock. As a result, my alarm was tripped because the door would open on its own if wind blew. The false alarm caused me a fee. I called after they left and talked to both Brian and Bob about this. Bob was out of town and Brian said he would come and repair the substandard work that was done. I waited for one month and then we finally had an appointment. I waited at my house all morning and Brian was a no show. When I talked to Bob about it, he said that Brian's car would not travel to my home. Why didn't Brian tell me this? I personally think they got their money and were done with the job so they didn't want to come back and fix the poor work they did, knowing they wouldn't make additional money from it. Unfortunately, this is how you lose customers (I had used them five times before) and future business from referrals. I took my business elsewhere for the repair and will continue to do so. read more

Bob was SOOOOO nice!! I called late around 10:30 PM and he was extremely nice on the phone and was really patient with me (I kept going back and forth on whether he should come out tonight or tomorrow morning). He came all the way from Sacramento to Davis (he even called me to let me know he was running behind due to traffic) and unlocked my door in a snap. Gave me a flatrate, no hidden charges, no fees for driving out here, just a full quote from start to finish, AND he even gave me a discount. :] Unlike a lot of businesses here in Davis that take advantage of us college students, you could tell Bob doesn't try to do that at all and instead he was genuine and I really appreciated that. Called some other locksmiths beforehand, but Bob had the best rates and he was the nicest one too. Even my roomie liked him; we've found our go-to guy for any locksmith needs :] VERDICT: Pros: Super Friendly Service - Best rates - Comes out to DAVIS!! Cons: None :] Thanks so very much again, Bob! It's so hard to find excellent service provided by people who are also so friendly and helpful like you are. Thank you very much again for driving all the way out here so late and responding with such immediacy and for the awesome service :] read more

My fiancee and I just bought a foreclosure house and wanted the locks changed right away. I saw what wonderful reviews Bob had on Yelp and figured I would give him a try. I called him and he picked up right away and was able to make an appointment for the same day. He came and was very friendly and wanted to make sure that I was happy with his work. He had to go and buy some supplies because I was not prepared and had not bought anything yet. He went to the store and even made sure that the hardware he bought matched the other pieces on the door, which was very thoughtful. He made sure that each lock he changed was secure. For the front door, he had to chisel out part of it in order to make the lock fit better. He took his time and made sure that he did the job correctly. He made me 4 keys for free! After that he even gave me a garage door opener, which he programmed, for free! I HIGHLY recommend him to anyone who needs a locksmith because he did a wonderful job and I feel much safer in my new house with my new locks and deadbolts! Thanks Bob!! read more

Okay, this review is LONG overdue! My apologies! In short, I wish that every company I have dealt with had the integrity of "A Better Cheaper Locksmith." The business world would be a better place. In July 2012, I called around to get quotes on re-keying the five exterior doors on my rental property in Carmichael. I'm on a very tight budget, and every dollar counts. "A Better Cheaper Locksmith" offered me the best deal around (by far), and did the job promptly. Mr Brian Bowen was the name of my locksmith. He was competent, fast, courteous, and had some great stories to share...just an all-round nice guy. (He even threw in a couple of extra keys are no charge.) The locks all work fine. I just signed papers to sell the property and will definitely suggest to the new owner (should he want to re-key the locks) that he use "A Better Cheaper Locksmith" because their company name says it all! A+++ service! Thanks again! read more

This is my first Yelp! Review. About 3 years ago, Bob came into a local print shop I was managing to get his business cards and flyers made. The company name stuck with me the entire time, as I remembered A Better, Cheaper Locksmith clearly when I found out that the new home I began renting had more locks to it than I had imagined. I called Bob in the morning and he setup and kept his appointment time. When he arrived, he was able to determine and solve the problem very quickly. It turns out, I needed to have the lock peeled (lock assembly from door handle), and replace the door knob on one of the master bedrooms. I would recommend anyone in the Sacramento area to call A Better Cheaper locksmith for any of your home's lock issues. It was a great weight lifted off my shoulders to be able to trust someone to come and solve the problem in a quick and efficient manner. read more

I am so pleased that I contacted Bob Parnell from "A Better Cheaper Locksmith" to re-key and/or replace the five locks in our home. I cannot say enough good things about him or his work. I found Bob to be courteous, personable, and professional, aside from him being an all-around extremely nice guy. He worked efficiently and saved me money on locks that my wife and I had planned to replace, but didn't, after he convinced us that replacement was unnecessary. He gave numerous helpful suggestions regarding improvements such as gates, window enhancements, and cameras (and their placement) to improve the security of our home and yard. His cost was far beyond reasonable, made even better by offering me a senior discount! I would not hesitate for an instant to call upon Bob again or wholeheartedly recommend him to others without hesitation. Ernest García, Carmichael, CA read more

I got a call from my friend who was just leaving her house to come over, she had locked her keys in her apartment. She had grabbed everything but her keys and her door swings shut if not propped open. She instinctively locked the door when taking her bike outside. We called around to local locksmiths close to the midtown area. Most places wanted $20.00 or more just to come "take a look at it" then an additional $40.00 or more "depending on how difficult the lock is". RIDICULOUS!!! Then I came across this and we gave him a call. He was the nicest person we had talked to on the phone, and even nicer in person. He gave us a flat rate no gimmicks or maybes. Money isn't easy to come by these days and even harder to shell out for a mistake. Bob was awesome and on time. Got the job done in literally seconds and we were on our way. Thanks Bob! read more

If I could give A Better Cheaper Locksmith 10 stars I would. Robert Parnell- Bob came out at the last minute and rescued us from an Awful scam job by Eddie's Door and Lock. He restored our faith in the Human Spirit. He was kind, understanding, and offered to do the work for Free. Total Shock. I would not be able to sleep at night, so we are paying what we owe because in all good conscience, he delivered the right product, the best service, he was fast and his attention to detail was spot on. He offered to rescue us out of the kindness of his heart and gave us a fair assessment of how we had just been scammed. I will use only A Better Locksmith going forward and will refer all other business and friend contacts to Bob. Bob was Fast, Honest, and Fair! If you read this- All I can say is Thank you so much Bob! I really do appreciate it! read more

Bob was awesome to work with. When I called him, at first he didn't pick up, but after he called me back, he was wonderful and amazing. He worked around my schedule in order to meet up, even though it was after normal business hours. He came on time and he unlocked my room in less than a minute! It doesn't get any quicker than that! I also got a very good price, and I thank him for it. My housemate and I were also hovering over him while he was working and he didn't seem to mind at all. He was also very fun to talk to! I definitely recommend him if you're in a need of a locksmith! Seeing him work is interesting and he's a good conversationalist too! Not only that, but his prices are far better than all the other locksmiths out there! He's a godsend people! read more

Bob is the man! If you ever need a locksmith he's definitely the guy to call. He has over 20 years of experience, great customer service and the cheapest pricing in town. I had a mishap somehow with another locksmith who happen to not show up and Bob was able to come out within an hour of me calling him. He fixed 3 locks for me that were sticking and not lining up properly. All of my doors open and close easily now. Bob also gave me a few free but very valuable tips on how to improve my security gate as well. This guy really loves what he does so please use him if u ever are in need of this type of service. He is a very friendly and trustworthy guy. Thanks Bob. I'm sure I will be calling you in the future when needed by family or friends. read more

Bob is a phenomenal locksmith! I would highly recommend him to everyone including my friends and family. His rates can't be beat and when combined with the high level of service he provides you get an unparalleled value in locksmithing services. Bob is very personable and friendly. In fact, I was his last appointment for the day and he was at my home for about an hour and half where a good hour of that was just spent exchanging stories and background info. If you don't have time for a conversation he can get the job done fast too. Bob concluded the service by helping me erase the previously programmed garage door openers and reprogram it so that only mine would work as well as offering me some helpful home security tips. read more

A Better Cheaper Locksmith is one resource you'll want to keep handy! Bob delivers outstanding customer service, a rarity these days. He telephoned when he was caught in traffic to advise me he would be later than originally scheduled. Then after completing the job, he called in the evening to follow-up and verify that I was satisfied with his work. How many times does that happen? He's as technically proficient as he is responsive and has the expertise to get the job done, whatever the requirement. The next day he fit me into his schedule to address a broken lock - beyond the scope of the initial work - that could not be re-keyed or even opened. Fifteen minutes later, it was dismantled and replaced with a new lockset! read more

Wow! Great, trustworthy, quality, & HONEST service! ..plus he even came out with a crew on a holiday with short notice!. Cannot say enough good things about Bob and his crew. Brian was awesome as well & there was a 3rd technician (forgot his name!?) , but he was very skilled as well. This is a very impressive operation & they were quick, professional, knowledgeable, & most importantly-- Very Honest! I was changing locks on a home & they gave me a fair quote when I called for an appt., the next day they arrived & explained my choices, gave me options, showed me how to operate things, educated me on my garage door equipment & they thought of everything! I would use them again in a heartbeat, they are stellar! read more