Ace Locksmiths Limited, Auckland

"Professionals" that [1] does not know how to differentiate aftermarket alarm to stock immobilizer (car is NZ new) [2] does not know whether the immobilizer has been unlocked and blames the car for not starting. Clearly the car would not start without the proper chip on the key to unlock the immobilizer. For reference, I lost my original key that had a transponder in the black plastic cap on the head, which I have just used a few days ago before this incident. It does not have any remote to unlock/lock the car for the car to have an aftermarket alarm. I had a spare key, but without a transponder on it, which can only lock/unlock the car and turn the ignition over without the car starting as it cannot unlock the immobilizer without a transponder. Instead of simply adding a chip on the spare key to bypass the immobilizer, they fiddled around the car for atleast five hours, while asking for another third party to consult the car in the middle of it (they removed the ECU from the car and gave it to another third party for inspection). In the end, they gave me another duplicate key of the plain spare key that I initially gave to them, that does not have any chip to bypass the immobilizer at all. What good is creating another duplicate plain key, if it has already been provided to them? They said they have tried everything, which explains the long hours, but clearly not the right ways! When they have said this, I initially suggested to get another opinion from the mechanic that recommended them to me, they agreed but they asked for their full payment in frustration. Understandably, I gave them the benefit of the doubt before I talked to the mechanic and paid them the full amount. However, once I had a talk to the mechanic, I realized that their locksmith service was not adequate enough for them to get the full payment due to the reasons above. It would have been okay if they said much earlier that they could not unlock the car and help me, but no, they wasted my time, the mechanic's time and my money for me to essentially go back to step one by having a plain spare key without a chip to unlock the immobilizer! Additionally, they tried cranking the car multiple times throughout the day, without the immobilizer being unlocked, for god knows how many times. Would that do something to a car?, I don't know, but definitely not anything good! I have been told afterwards that they have added a chip around the key barrel that was supposed to unlock the immobilizer, rather than on the key itself. Which if it worked would compromise the car and defeat the purpose of the immobilizer. Definitely doesn't sound very professional. Update: Despite AceLocksmith insisting that the immobilizer has been unlocked, because they think what they have done is correct, I have asked another locksmith to do the proper job and they have successfully created a mimic of the original key with a chip to bypass the immobilizer, which is clearly indicated by the engine light going away. This is not the case for the key and chip that AceLocksmith have provided, which I might add is NOT an attempt to mimic the original key, but rather a separate addition of key&chip to add within the ECU (as I have been notified by the other locksmith). However, even with the proper key by the other locksmith, the car will not start anymore. The initial blaming of AceLocksmith towards the car is indeed true, but which they have caused. This car was working perfectly one day (Thursday) before I lost my keys (Friday) and a few days before they "worked" on the car (Monday). The fact that they insisted they have unlocked the immobilizer, despite otherwise, make them untrustworthy.