Loading…
14
Used to book a locksmith from the yellow pages, now I just check Google Maps
I remember about 10 years ago my old house's front door lock jammed up on a Sunday afternoon. I had to flip through this thick phone book looking for a locksmith, and I just picked the one with the biggest ad. The guy showed up in an unmarked van, charged me $180 cash, and used a screwdriver that I could have used myself. Now last week my office key broke off in the lock and I just pulled up Google Maps on my phone. I checked reviews first and found a place with 4.8 stars that quoted me $95 over the phone. The guy was there in 20 minutes with a uniform and a receipt. I guess having all that info in your pocket makes a big difference, but I miss when you could trust that a big ad meant a legit business. Has anyone else had trouble finding reliable service people after the old phone book went away?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
beth2762mo ago
I actually read a study last year that said something like 70% of people now pick service providers based on online reviews instead of ads or phone books. That tracks with my own experience. I had a plumber back in 2015 from a giant ad in the yellow pages and he charged me $200 to tighten a pipe under my sink. Now I use this app called Nextdoor sometimes for recommendations from neighbors and it has saved me a ton of headaches. But you are right, there is something weird about missing the old way even though it was worse. I think we just trusted the phone book because that was what we had and there was no other option.
10