Imagine a locksmith takes a minute or two to pick your lock and gain entry to your property. You’re relieved until you receive a bill for 90, 120 pounds or even 150 pounds for two minutes of work? Is that fair?
You will often read complaints online about similar scenarios. “It only took them two minutes, why am I being charged so much?!”.
Ultimately, and presumably, you would want to get on with your day (or night!) as fast as possible. Therefore, you want a locksmith who is sufficiently trained and experienced to get you in quickly with no unnecessary damage.
The cost of travelling to your location including fuel and time is often mentioned when justifying the price charged for a 2 minute job – but the reality is that you are, or should be, paying for tradesmen who know what they’re doing and that takes experience and the right training.
You would also want a locksmith who cares sufficiently about leaving a positive impression that they do a good job – including specifically trying hard to pick your lock and facilitate entry without resorting to things like drilling the lock – and charge you a reasonable price for their work.
The bill you receive will be, or rather should be, an all-in charge or a combination of the call-out charge and labour. Either way, a bill of up to 150 pounds (often depending on location and time of the call-out) is a reasonable price to pay. Call-outs at night and the early hours will naturally be more expensive and will likely be closer to 150 pounds.
So, is it fair? Yes. It feels like a lot, but you’re paying for outcomes.
Be very wary of locksmiths who quote a very low call-out charge.
So, is it fair? Yes. It feels like a lot, but you’re paying for outcomes.
What can you do to ensure there are no unpleasant surprises?
Only use reputable locksmiths and be very wary of locksmiths who quote very low call-out charges.
Here on locksmithfinder.uk we try to avoid the possibility of you encountering exploitative and unscrupulous individuals purporting to be bona fide locksmiths. We curate our listings; we review all our locksmiths carefully to root any of these individuals out.
You may well ask ‘what’s a reasonable price?’ And ‘how do I know what work is actually necessary’. These questions are good questions and will be the subject of other articles in our blog series.
A fair price for high quality work by decent tradesmen who know their craft. That’s what we all want. You can click here to see if we cover your area.
Proudly written not using AI… as such it might not be quite as slick as some blog articles and website content on other sites!