This is a followup to my previous post. After collaborating on the phone with the Ricardo a couple times he proposed the idea of bypassing the immobilizer so the key-chip is always read and install a new alarm system all for $325. I finally got it done today, he even worked on my car when they normally wouldn't be open, took about 2 hours. Now I can use cheap keys and not worry about the proper way. He installed the cheapest alarm system which still disables the car when broken into. Ricardo was really accommodating and did an excellent job solving my problem. read more

I looked up "car lock service" on my yelp app, and this was the first one up. They got to my location fast and the guy who helped, Ricardo, was very nice and helpful. Highly recommended!!!! read more

Just finished getting a door opened by Ricardo from Alcatraz where the keys were left inside the room and I have to say this was a very pleasant experience. Ricardo showed up promptly, and opened it in a matter of minutes! These guys definitely know their craft, will used their services anytime I need a key made or unlocking services. Great customer service! read more

This location is very close to my business that is the reason I chose it for the first time. Since then I have returned numerous times for different needs. The staff is always super friendly, very knowledgeable, pricing is reasonable and the customer service outstanding. When I need something they don't have in stock they are quick to order it. On my third visit I forgot my wallet in my office but the young man working knew me by then and serviced me anyway. He said to just return at my convenience to pay. Who does that nowadays?! Of course I immediately returned and paid for services rendered but I greatly appreciated the gesture. I had done business with several similar shops before but now I am a loyal customer. I will continue using them for my business and personal needs and I highly recommend them, you will not be disappointed. read more

Came in today after Lowes was unable to make a key for me. I walked in and had 3 keys made in less than 10 minutes! Lily Arizala was very helpful and knowledgeable regarding the questions I asked about some other keys I had. Don't waste time at Lowes or Home Depot, this shop carries it all, including car keys that have chips in them. They have a mobile service also and are used by AAA. Ask for Lily and you will receive great service! read more

I have a 99 Chrysler lhs and I locked my keys inside like an idiot. These guys came out and had it unlocked in less than half an hour. Very polite very fast and inexpensive to boot. With the yelp coupon it was only $30. If I ever need a lock smith again I'll be using them. Highly recommended! ! read more

Not often needed but great to know there's a family owned business that's professional and trustworthy

I committed the ultimate sin and locked myself out of my truck. Anthony Gudiño was the most helpful and friendliest person. It took him literally a minute to get in my truck and helped me how to get reimbursed from AAA. read more

Helped me assemble my key cylinder for my car door, great service. Make sure you check-in and use there coupon deal.

Such a Life Savor! I had accidently locked my keys inside my bedroom and immediatly had to call a locksmith. I seen the great reviews on Alcatraz Locksmith and called them ASAP. Very Professional, Quick, and Affordable. Thank you Alcatraz! read more

I live in the South Bay, and needed the main house lock changed in a hurry. I called Alcatraz and they put me in touch with their mobile guy. He punched my address into his GPS and said he'd be there in 10 minutes. Ten minutes later, he showed up at my front door -- personable, professional, and ready to go. Fifteen minutes after that, the lock was altered, and 6 new keys were placed in my hand, along with a very fair-priced bill for parts and labor. (We tried each of the 6 keys before he left, and each one worked smoothly -- unlike some replacement keys I've gotten at the "big box" hardware stores.) I highly recommend these guys. read more

Quick and easy, that's all I need. Great customer service and the owner is just awesome!

As soon as I locked my room key and car keys inside my room, I googled a place where they can come open it for me. I found Alcatraz locksmith and they got to my house in less than 30 minutes and unlocked it in less than 5 minutes. Tony was the one who helped me and he was really professional and even gave me a coupon if it happens again. Great service! I will for sure use their service again!! read more

Thank you for your fast & professional service! A technician came out to help me, I was locked out of my car. My insurance company does cover road side assistance but I was on hold for way too long and a good citizen offered his phone to me to call my car insurance. Ricardo, thank you for your time & help at the car wash! read more

Found Alcatraz on Yelp and I'm glad I did. Very good service and good prices for vehicle keys. Highly recommend them!

Opens at 10am but 24 hour service. Clean place and professional service. If I ever lock myself out, I'll be sure to come here!

It's such a blessing to find good businesses these days. I worked with Ricardo from Alcatraz Locksmith for a re-key service and I was impressed with the level of customer service given. They helped me on a Saturday and It was such an easy process from the beginning. I would highly recommend this business. read more

They were very nice and fast. They also have a military discount, which is awesome. They copied my key and I got a key chain in about 5 minutes for under $5. read more

I went to Alcatraz to get 2 sets of schlage door levers new keys. After making several calls to get estimates, Alcatraz's rate was just half of what the other companies would charge. When I went to their shop, Lily, the lady who helped us, was very nice. I even got a gift for checking in on yelp. They finished the job fast too. Very happy with their service!! I highly recommend! read more

Every time I go to this shop the staff is always ready to help and friendly , don't go anywhere else in Chula Vista for keys!

I started using Alcatraz locksmith when I got locked out of my vehicle.i was pleased to find out they have a location in Chula Vista where they can accommodate any locksmithing problem. They are awesome and I have them stored in my phone. Don't be fooled by the copycats they're the real deal read more

Amazing experience! They were on time, courteous, kind, and generous! Definitely recommend them to anyone needing a locksmith!

Excellent service. Lily made a high security key for my new car (so I could go surfing and not worry about electronics in the water)

I went early in the morning to get a copy of a key I needed and the sign said not open for another 20 minutes, but Geo the worker there was happy to help me out earlier than the opening time. He was friendly, super helpful and couldn't ask for a better service! I would definitely recommend this service to family and friends. read more

I have used them at least 3 times, 2 for locking myself out of the car and 1 for re-keying my house. all 3 times they showed up within the given time I was told over the phone and there were no surprises when it came to the price. read more

After speaking with Ruth and getting a quote over the phone, I came in to get a key cut and programmed for a 2003 Honda. The service rep Lilly provided good expeditious customer service. Initially I was told the process would take about 30 minutes, but I was in and out the door in 20 minutes. The key was cut and programmed perfectly. I highly recommend Alcatraz Locksmith if your searching for quality locksmith work. M. Lewis read more

They cut and programmed 2 new keys and 2 new remote keyless entry fob's. I bought from eBay that the Honda dealership said were no good. Excellent work read more

Excellent service for a large job of rekeying. I got several quotes and they were the best price in one case by almost $2k! I emailed the admin several times with dumb questions and I was impressed by how responsive they were and I was given immediate answers. The guy who was assigned my job was polite and worked diligently. The manager was responsive also. I had a time crunch and they were able to accomodate me in the time frame that I needed. If you have a small or large job, you can depend on these guys for service and affordability! read more

I've used Alcatraz several times now, and Ricardo has always provided us great service --- friendly, great communication, and on time. He was fast, but also did quality work changing out the many locks through the building. Will continue to use them. read more

I was referred to this service by AAA. Service was prompt, locksmith was friendly, professional, and got the job done! Special thanks to Tony, who made this experience easy and pleasant. read more

This place was great. They extracted a broken key from a lock I brought in really fast and made me a new key for cheap. Friendly and helpful. read more

I called for a quote and for an explanation regarding their voucher on their yelp page. The man who answered seemed confused, was unable to help, and answered with short words with a borderline rude tone of voice. I proceeded to ask again for a clearer explanation regarding the voucher and the line went completely silent... awful service. read more

Came in for an emergency key, I'm from out town and I lost my keys for my Honda Civic. Many places quoted me for 2 different keys and I chose this place. Lily helped me and did a great job! Customer service was great and the wait time as well. Would recommend to anyone. read more

ok so here's my story. and this is a review on strictly the customer service & the way they schedule jobs to be done only, to be fair. i had a problem where my key was having a hard time going into my ignition, so i took it to a mechanic. the mechanic, just by looking at the key told me my best bet was to get the key remade. he said that it felt funny. i asked him to recommend a good locksmith in the area and he directed me towards alcatraz. i walked in, and it looked like a pretty decent & legit business. the girl/lock specialist at the counter asked what she could help me w/ but u could tell that she would rather b somewhere else. anyway, i explained to her my situation, and asked her what my choices were. $85 for a new key, $250-$300 to fix the ignition, and/or $300-$600 to replace it... something like that. as she tells me these prices i say, "ok", as in, "ok that's the price". i ask her to take a look at the ignition and the key just so i wouldnt have to pay for the $250+ work, and that hopefully the problem was just the key itself. she said that replacing the key wouldn't do me any good, and that they would have to take the ignition out ($250+) to find out the problem. keep in mind she hasnt even tried to put the key in the ignition. now, i've never had this problem before, and i don't know anyone who has, so i said, "ok lets do the rekey", thinking i was gonna get my key remade. i was pretty convinced that that was the problem. so the girl tells me to pull the car in, and im thinking ok, shes gonna try to put the key in, etc etc. i pull it in, sit and wait for about a half an hour before i start wondering whats taking so long to get my key made, so i ask the girl, "you're just doing the key right?" ... she immediately comes back at me w/ attitude, "no, you said rekey, we took the whole ignition out"... at the point the manager was called in and we had to talk it out. first the manager wanted me to pay $250 for the work and i refused because that's not what i thought we agreed on. i argued that for jobs that were for that amount, (i mean anything $100+) there should be something in writing. i mean, as a legit business, u would think thats a good business practice right? ...having something in writing. the manager was a dick at first, he tried to cite a similar situation where cops were involved which probably was some kind of scare tactic. the whole time the girl was just giving me attitude the whole time, like she was 100% right on the matter. eventually the manager and i did settle on a price. i refused to pay the $100 to put the thing back in and go on my way without getting anything in return, but i do understand that labor had been done on the car. so to be fair we settled on $150 for a new key & the price of the labor. to date, i still think i shoulda just paid for the key alone, because hell, there was nothing in writing and that i was being an honest customer, but i guess the alcatraz management didnt think they were at fault. anyway, i was pretty pissed but right after the girl had finished my key and saw for herself that that was the problem i was pretty satisfied. i mean, i was right bitch! bottom line: as a member of the BBB (as the manager was quick to point out), i would expect a business to have work orders and things of that nature in writing, especially for jobs costing that much. i would have also hoped that the locksmiths (the girl AND the manager for that matter) could recognize a common problem (i mean, the mechanic i went to did) and could recommend a solution without trying to rip people off. i mean, if they had made a better effort of ascertaining the exact cause of the problem instead of just assuming shit maybe this could have been all avoided. needless to say, im not coming back here or recommending this place to anyone in the future. seems to me this is one of those businesses that thinks just because theyre successful and part of the BBB that customer service no longer comes first. they were NOT knowledgeable about their trade and they did NOT IMO live up to their BBB plaque on the wall. read more

I came in to there shop and wanted to have a simple car key done and for some reason it took a while to get a price. The other person will ask you she will check to see and then a make a phone call. Just to let me know it will cost 4 times more so I took it somewhere else. I am not a fan of Alcatraz I think they are very expensive in the first place and you guys could probably get the same keys made at your local Home Depot or Liquor Store if you really need it. As far as all the posting I think associates wrote them with there I phones at the office. read more

Went there to get a Toyota Prius keyless fob programmed. I have a working fob but needed a spare. I brought my own fob which I purchased on EBay and is exactly like my working one. I bought my own because another locksmith wanted $375 for a new one and programming. Ridiculous. Alcatraz quoted me $175 to program and cut a key but they wouldn't guarantee the fob would program. They said it would cost them $125 to try and program so I would be charged regardless of whether the fob worked or not. Again ridiculous. It almost seems like a scam. They make money either way and I get nothing. I guess it's either you buy the whole over priced fob from them or you get screwed. Electronic keys are a scam. read more

I have to say this is my very first experience with a locksmith and Tony was awesome! Very helpful, kind, professional, fast and informative. And when I say fast, I mean he was at my house in under 10 minutes. Should I decide to be a dumb a$$ again, I will definitely call Tony from Alcatraz. I will refer any and all of my friends and family. read more

I received great service; timely and professional. Nice facility.

I write to express my disappointment in Alcatraz Locksmith. I scheduled in advance a residential service appointment for 4:00 p.m. in order to have a vertical file cabinet opened. The field technician had confirmed the appointment around 1:00 p.m. (i.e., three hours before the appointment). He was well aware that I needed the job done before 5:00 p.m.--I had scheduled the appointment contingent on him being able to deliver on his promise to show up on time and finish the job before the given deadline.I had asked the technician to PLEASE let me know if he could not deliver on his promise so I could find another locksmith that could meet my deadline request so as to not waste my time nor the locksmith's. The technician solemnly promised that he would be able to keep the appointment. Ten minutes before the appointment (i.e., 3:50 p.m.) I receive a call from these people telling me that they would not be able to keep the appointment and that I should reschedule for later in the evening or another day (i.e., the day after). Needless to say I was furious because (1) they lied to me by telling me that they would meet the time conditions of my appointment and (2) wasted my time since I could have found another locksmith to help me during those three hours I was waiting on them to show up. I cannot respect your business in light of this breech of professionalism; nor can I recommend this business to any other potential customer. read more

Tony saved my life. like a stupid moron, I locked my keys inside my BMW trunk. A quick call to Alcatraz locksmith and before you know it the door was open and the truck was unlatched. Total process was under five minutes. Hats off to Tony read more