[Closed] Any locksmiths around? Have I been ripped off? (£570 invoice)

Looks a bit steep to me - how long did it take him?

I paid £120 recently enough, no new parts though just labour.

Did you phone one of those "find a locksmith" websites?

If so, I would say yes. They are notorious. Luckily we have a very good local locksmith, not cheap but nothing like that invoice!

How long did it take him to do the work?

Did you discuss hourly rates before he started?

He's not very good at English is he?

From past experience I think he's overcooked the invoice by 20-25% but I have no documentary evidence.

Crumbs! Is your bum sore?

On the one hand its seems shocking, but depending on the labour rate I'm sort of pleased from a security perspective it took him more than 3 times as long to open a locked door with a key in it, that it did to replace the whole gubbins.

But did it really?

I thought that we had all agreed that key workers should be paid more.

We have done the same thing costs from memory around £170 (London) I would say you have been ripped off but nothing you can do now presuming you have paid.

£120 no new parts and on a Sunday. He even had the decency to make it look hard. Worryingly easy if you ask me.

I'd say yours is a bit steep.

Based on the cost of reglazing a window, I'd say that's a bit steep.

It took him 30 min all in all.
It was my wife who took care of everything as it happened when she arrived from dropping me at the airport, I'm pretty sure she jsut googled 'locksmith'.
FML, that's almost the cost of a new bike.

I thought that we had all agreed that key workers should be paid more.

👏😂

FML, that’s almost the cost of a new bike.

It really isn’t!

FML, that’s almost the cost of a new bike.

Hah, not round these parts (STW) it's not, unless you are telling people a very different price than the one you are paying 😉

£89 call out is expensive but not crazy.
£175 to break in, I suppose depends how hard it was, but if it took him 20 mins then its excessive
A new cyclinder is about £30 for a good one so £162 sounds a bit steep.
£49 to change the lock sounds reasonable but if nothing was damaged its less than a 10 min job.

All in, I'd say it is pretty steep, but what can you do now?

I paid less form my trials, dirt jump and bmx bikes! (all used)

30 mins!!! Massive rip off. And his cost for a new euro cylinder and keys is extortionate too.

Sounds like he's had your pants down at your express invitation.

The fact that the invoice refers to an anti snap lock strongly suggests it's a Euro Profile cylinder.

£89 for an emergency callout - Fair enough, it's the price you pay.
£175 to drill out a lock. - Seems excessive unless it took half a day.
£162 for a replacement anti snap cylinder - They cost about £40 - £50 for high end ones.
£49 to change the cylinder. He's tearing the arse out of it now. They're held in by a single machine screw and take 30 seconds to change.

Same a couple of years ago in South Wales, Saturday evening £300 which i thought was a bit much, I did my best not to google the costs of the parts he fitted (minimal around £40) it did take him about an hour to sort it though so wasnt just 5 minutes

I'd have waited and done it in the week but the house had no independent rear access, I'd have had to go through my neighbors and jump the fence every time i wanted to leave the house!

A high security Avocet ABS Eurocylinder replacement with 2 extra keys on top of the three it already comes with is £50 over the counter, which will be a lot more than he's paying for it. Labour aside you've had your pants pulled down for £100 there at least.

£175 to break in, I suppose depends how hard it was how long it took.

FTFY.

Go and watch that episode of rogue traders where they cover this. It seems like you've had the exact situation they cover!

Ok, thanks for the feedback, gonna complain to whoever I can complain

cost of a new bike

I paid less form my trials, dirt jump and bmx bikes! (all used)

Though it does seem I should train as a locksmith. Or invoice writer. 😂

The cost of a replacement sealed double glazing unit in a small window is approx £30-40, small but plenty big enough to crawl through. Takes two minutes to pop them out from the inside by clipping the plastic beading out, 3 to 4 days for replacement which can be boarded up while waiting. It's easy to be wise after the event though, or from a diatance!
*all of the above assumes upvc DG units with internal beading
Can you claim on your house insurance?

Same scenario for me about 12 months ago, cost £120 in total

Christ on a bike that's expensive - I had someone fix a broken electric garage door (it wouldn't close). He came out on a bank holiday, spent the whole day at the house and fixed it (no parts were needed) and even came back to adjust it because it wasn't closing fully when it had settled down with a few ups and downs) so all in it was some nine hours - and that was only £230. Ohh and he fixed a faulty remote too (a spring on the battery contact had come away from the circuit board).

No ‘smashing your back doors in’ comments yet? Disappointed

So you locked yourselves out, called out an emergency locksmith, presumably discussed rates, asked him to do the job, he did it, charged you what was discussed (?) and now it's too expensive?

Why didn't you do it yourself if it's only xyz £'s for this and that? Not convenient? Oh...

The very definition of a distressed purchase. Certainly ask him (nicely) if there's anything he can do with the charge but in the circumstances, why should he?

It was my wife who took care of

This is really where you should be looking isn't it? Coward 😉

Rouge Traders

In this the locksmith charges £312 for drilling out and replacing a Yale lock and that is described as an absolute rip off. You have been properly shafted.

Also worth considering that if the locksmith is dishonest enough to rip you off, can you be sure he won’t use an extra key to access your house when you are out?

Long time ago, about £100 I think. However it was very easy and didn't involve replacing locks. Gadget through letterbox with mirrors and pull the handle from inside.

Somewhat shocked and I got myself a new door with a lot better security as a result!

So you locked yourselves out, called out an emergency locksmith, presumably discussed rates

I'm assuming the locksmith never quoted a labour rate of circa £800 per hour before he did the job.

There's a world of difference between charging a rate commensurate with skills / experience / having the right tools and taking the piss out of people in a vulnerable situation.

We lost our door keys when out running. Drill out two locks and fitting new locks was £300 I thought that was steep but after seeing your quote I’m happy.

There’s a world of difference between charging a rate commensurate with skills / experience / having the right tools and taking the piss out of people in a vulnerable situation

There is but who would ask how much per hour then agree to an invoice for 30 mins based on a completely different rate?

If someone is coming to do something, get an indication of cost before and make sure they charge accordingly unless otherwise agreed. N'est ce pas?

boblo, I see your point, I wasn't there so I can't tell, but I don't think he quoted that ammount initially as my wife texted me it would cost around £200.

I just think that he took advantage of the situation, that's all.
That's what pisses me off.
He could aswell had charged her £1000, and she would have paid.

Anyway, it is what it is, it will just take me a couple of months to digest it.

If someone is coming to do something, get an indication of cost before and make sure they charge accordingly unless otherwise agreed.

Yes, when dealing with someone honest. When dealing with a rogue trader or a conman it isn't so simple. The price will creep up, extras get added, any price mentioned at the start has no relation to the final bill.

I understand this and I'm sorry if I'm coming over unsympathetic. It is a lot but presumably there was a discussion pre and post work and before payment was made (assuming it has been, you usually pay the man when he's done)?

If that's the case, there was opportunity to understand the likely cost, query the actual and withhold payment when the two didn't tally. Why didn't she do that?

Was this locksmith so intimidating that she couldn't think straight? Not sure what can be done if so (call the Police?) cos there's no use shutting the door and locking them out...

She was on her own, I think she just felt vulnerable and not in a position to start discussing, and I understand her ... I might have done the same.

But it's mostly what nickjb expressed I believe. The guy probably said 200, then he asked if he should put a new lock, wife said yes, and the he charged an extra £200 for that...

Paid less than a third of that for a locksmith to turn up on emergency call out in the evening, open a jammed lock and replace the lock cylinder. And that was with London pricing. Maybe put in a moody call asking how much he charges for an emergency call etc, out and compare and contrast the two with him

This is not going to help but I had a similar (locked out) problem a few months ago. The front UPVC door handle wouldn't open and just went round and round. Apparently there are gears in there and they had stripped.

I called round for someone 'immediately' - it was either evening or w/e can't remember. He came from 20 miles away within 30 mins, got in with some inflatable witch craft, fixed it without further damage and buggered off for a lot less than your poor Mrs was charged.

Obv I did confirm call out, travel costs, parts, labour, inc/exc VAT etc and managed to avoid getting shafted. Mebbies he was a good un?

You could try and appeal to his better nature and/or report to whomever oversees ripping people off but you might just have to chalk it up to experience...

Right tools? You can break open a standard Eurocylinder with a screwdriver and lump hammer in about ten seconds and replace it in two minutes, it's literally one screw to remove. Not only was he expensive, he was crap (or deliberately milking it out).

Expensive experience!

I think you should also get on to Trading Standards

You think Trading Standards can do something about it?

You can break open a standard Eurocylinder with a screwdriver and lump hammer in about ten seconds

Not without taking the risk of damaging the door / locking mechanism you can't.

I'd expect any competent locksmith to drill it rather than snap it.

Politely tell him you'll be in touch with trading standards as you think the bill is excessive - unless he'd like to reconsider the amount.

I'd be writing up an invoice for reading that testicles bill, leaving ~£250 tops.

Covexit inflation... Not half!

Are they a member of any trade association eg Master Locksmiths etc,if so give them a ring,also google search them for reviews,good or bad.

If you know you have a spare key in side house always easier to smash a window to gain entry and a lot cheaper sometimes.

Hidden keysafe outside with spare key also helps.

Hes over charged you big time, and also he may well have a spare key tour house.

That sounds ridiculous.

I called one out, ok, five years ago in London. Drilled and replaced the lock. £75

Reviews are bad, I haven’t been the only one ripped off...

I don’t think he kept a key, would be too obvious.

Anyway, needed to blow some steam, thanks guys.

Sorry to hear about your experience. It's shit really. I used to work with locksmiths and the Callout fee would usually include the first twenty minutes or so labour. Not specific tasks being charged extra after arriving.
I can suggest a couple of companies for those in the Berkshire area who won't pull your pants down, if needed in the future. No affiliation as I don't work in the security industry these days.

£49 to change the cylinder. He’s tearing the arse out of it now. They’re held in by a single machine screw and take 30 seconds to change

True fact. I changed a euro cylinder and my definition of bike maintenance is limited to brake pads and tyre air.

I’ve changed locks myself..I know how easy it is..

I lost a key while running in Richmond park ages ago. Chap opposite had ladders on his van so got in through window upstairs, was open so he reached in.

Actually happened twice, second time I had spare key at work so got taxi there and back.

A tenant in London lost a key so checked into hotel as he knew it would be cheaper than calling out a locksmith at night.

Really sad to be ripped off in these times, I know people have to make a living but 500+ for a couple of hours is a pxxx take.

Ouch!!!!

The key in door on inside scenario is why when we got new doors the front door has no keyhole on the inside. So if any leaves their key in the back door I can still get in.

Last tradesman we had out fixed a sewing machine. £25.

£80 for a simple door open in Newcastle last year, Sunday afternoon. Actually scary how quick he was. He was very local though so 20 minutes all in? Still ok by the hour.

I asked about cost up front as I was eyeing up the garage window as the cheapest option.thing is with stuff like this you arn't in a good negotiating position.

Shit the bed, I've just realised that those costs are plus VAT. I've turned his (hopefully) dyslexic invoice into something more readable:

Emergency callout fee - £106.80
"Labour to open door with key on inside part of lock by drilling" - £210
New anti-snap cylinder lock and two extra keys - £194.40
Lock change labour - £58.80

Call-out fee is what it is, you presumably agreed to that before telling him to proceed. Was it out of hours or just "come quickly"?
£210 literally to drill a hole.
£195 for £50 quid's worth of hardware.
£60 to remove and refit a screw.

There is absolutely no way I'd be going "oh well" after that, I'd be round on his doorstep with bombers and frozen sausages. Based solely on the overpricing of the locks I'd suggest dividing that invoice by a factor of 4. Also, Trading Standards and anyone else you can get to listen.

How did you / she pay? Do you have £600 cash in a mattress?

Lol no, with card...
I’ve emailed locksmith association and will contact trading standards tomorrow.

It was on Sunday at 5pm

You think Trading Standards can do something about it?

How do you think they work? They rarely deal with individually complaints but they do respond to continuous trading bad practice. If they don’t know about it then they can’t deal with it. Op may not get his good cash back through trading standards but others might not be ripped off in the future. It’s the descent thing to do.

Lol no, with card…

Credit or debit?

Debit

I'd say everything is on the high end but not a blatant "rogue trader ripping off an old lady" sort of level. What brand lock is it? An Ultion lock is over £100 trade so the markup wouldn't so ridiculous for something like that but a standard Euro cylinder that you can get for £30-40 then that's way too much of a mark up.

A simple solution to not having a key stuck on the inside is to fit a thumb latch.

Has the added advantage of not dying in a fiery death if the key ISN'T in the lock when you really really need it yo be.

It's not just locksmiths I'd chuck in accident recovery .A friends daughter rolled a wee Ford Ka nothing too bad and sitting 6' from the road on the grass, the bill 4 days later was almost £1500. Eastern European driver probably on £7/hr had it on the lorry in twenty mins and the depot was 3 miles away
When challenged, the itemised bill was a joke, even to clean up the area had a charge of £175.00. We picked up a bumper and cleaned the broken glass . With the threat of being reported the immediate removal of £500 would still not have been enough for me but was accepted. What doesn't help is the policeman had a few of their business cards

Eastern European driver probably on £7/hr

This bit adds so much to the story... *rolleyes* Tell me, was he stealing "our job" too?

Name the business so others can avoid in future. A Google search will find this thread.

Showed this to my brother in law who's a locksmith just outside London, said the OP has been massively ripped off. He'd have charged £60-90 + VAT for a standard lock. Said high security British Standard locks can cost around £70 so probably about £150 all in - not that this locksmith has fitted that mind. He also said you can cancel the payment - you have a 14 day cooling off period by law.

He also said you can cancel the payment – you have a 14 day cooling off period by law.

What law is that?

*rolleyes* nothing to do with who was doing the recovery ie the driver it's the shark who owns the company even had his lorry looking like an official police vehicle from a distance. The locksmith may be just a small fish getting a lot less than the invoice, call centre telling him what to charge

I emailed the company yesterday, if they don't reply I'll post the name etc. here, many thanks for de advice guys.

This one;
https://www.checkmyfile.com/jargon/cooling-off-period

This one;
https://www.checkmyfile.com/jargon/cooling-off-period
/blockquote>

That's law that applies to credit agreements and distance selling. Not applicable to this.

 

I'm not gonna get my money back, but if at least I can somehow avoid this happening to other people..

*rolleyes* nothing to do with who was doing the recovery ie the driver it’s the shark who owns the company even had his lorry looking like an official police vehicle from a distance. The locksmith may be just a small fish getting a lot less than the invoice, call centre telling him what to charge

And yet YOU mentioned his nationality! If he was getting paid minimum wage it would have been more than £7 - the current minimum wage for anyone over 25 is £8.72. Experienced recovery drivers - doing difficult things like getting rolled cars our of fields quickly are probably earning close to double that.

The police probably carry his cards because they know they'll be there sharpish, his aim is to get the road open asap with minimum time waste for them. You aren't required to use their operator - if you are prepared enough to have your own number handy! Usually the insurance are paying for the recovery - so "nobody cares" about the price. Bear in mind that by being so quick to respond means he has someone able to answer the phone, drivers on standby 24-7, probably a fleet of vehicles of maintain, likely to comply with lifting equipment regs, a yard to keep them in, and he might go for a few days (or in current climate with less traffic a few weeks) without a call - but we still expect that the police will be able to call someone to get a road open as soon as the ambulances have left the scene. Likewise when in a panic on a rainy sunday afternoon we expect that some locksmith will be able to drop everything and let us into our house as soon as possible.

I'm not saying £1500 for recovering a car, or £570 for a simple locksmith job is fair (I'm still smarting about paying a locksmith £80 25 years ago for a job that literally took him three minutes to walk from his shop to my flat and longer to write the receipt than it took to open the door), but it needs skills, equipment, and experience you don't have at short notice so "its a five minute job" becomes irrelevant. Would I be willing to kit out a van, pay for online advertising, hold stock of various locks, and be on call 24-7 to let people into their houses for ~£400 gross profit a call out - probably not my first choice, especially in the current climate where nobody leaves there house - I used my front door key for the first time in 10 weeks at the weekend.

There is running a business and ripping folk off. Have you ever seen recovery drivers sweeping a road or verge? They always leave stuff lying around

Where in London are you, I have a chap does all my odd jobs. He wouldn't rip you off.

This one;
https://www.checkmyfile.com/jargon/cooling-off-period
/blockquote>

Errr....

That’s law that applies to credit agreements and distance selling. Not applicable to this.

^^^ This - we have statutory rights but there is no right to just return anything within 14 days. And how do you return a service (ie, the time spent by the locksmith fixing the lock).

 

Ask him to come back as you are having a problem with the new lock barrel. Whilst you're explaining it has mysteriosuly fixed itself get a friend to clamp his van parked on your drive. When he kicks off, calmly point to the sign that states the drive is private property and clamping is in operation, release fee £570.

why dont you ring them up, pretending to be someone else.
tell them what the problem is and ask them for a quote.
if its £570 ask them why is it so much and can they do it cheaper?
if its cheaper than £570 asked them why they charged you £570?