Al Lijee, has started a new free automotive locksmiths portal called ‘Auto Locksmiths’ which links customers with nearly four hundred independent technicians – even though he’s never picked or fitted a car door lock in his life.
Al Lijee, is a bit of an online entrepreneur, having set up myWindshield as well as a portal for junk removal. Now he is turning his attention to locks, and has created Auto Locksmiths, which links customers with nearly four hundred independent automotive locksmiths across US.
Customers can go onto the Auto Locksmiths website, click on the ‘Get Quotes’ tab, enter a location and the portal gives a list of local technicians based on specific auto locksmithing skill sets. It’s a strange business for someone to get into who has never picked or fitted a car lock in his life – but Al Lijee is determined to make the month-old portal a top marketplace for auto locksmithing services…
“Car lock and key services came to mind following an incident where a family member locked themselves out of their car” he recalls “I couldn’t open the car door, so tried to call for help from an auto locksmith, only to find it difficult to pinpoint one that was not only local but had the appropriate skills to do the job, and was available right away.
“So, Auto Locksmiths was born, and skilled locksmiths across the US began to sign up in large numbers, which was very gratifying” says the IT specialist who built websites in the early days of the net, before working for UKFast for eight years…
“I’d been involved in IT a lot and thought ‘How can I support those guys on the road doing locksmithing?‘” he says “They don’t know much about websites and social media and don’t have the time or are not interested in online stuff. They get out doing the work and I’m there supporting them and driving work their way. We facilitate the communication between customer and locksmith.”
For the customer, the site is easy to use and free, putting them directly in touch with automotive locksmiths who pay a small membership fee of $40 per month (on a rolling monthly contract) which gives them access to leads. The monthly fee is the same regardless of the size of their operation (sole trader, or medium to large business).
“Our focus is to make ‘Auto Locksmiths’ a well-known brand out there…” Al Lijee says “I also understand that many people in the US want a quality auto locksmithing service from a local car lock and key technician with many years of experience, without having to pay the inflated prices…”
