Locksmithing and Security

Or, Avoiding Being Ripped Off, Part 2

If you look in the Yellow Pages (and in other places) for a locksmith (or plumber, etc.) you will find a whole bunch of large adverts at the front of the section. These are the adverts of the “nationals”. Think about how much money they’ve spent on those adverts all over the country: how are they going to recoup that money? From you.

Ask yourself if they are going to employ a large workforce of locksmiths ready to get to anywhere in the country in a reasonably short time. No they’re not. In fact they’re not going to employ any locksmiths (or plumbers, etc.) at all. They will either be franchises or they will be call centres. And in the case of locksmiths they won’t be franchises, they’ll be call centres. Ask yourself how they’re going to recoup the cost of the call centre. From you.

These national call centres are simply going to farm the work out to their list of local locksmiths. And that will be a local locksmiths only if you’re lucky; it could very well be the nearest botcher with a nothing but a drill if you’re unlucky. The “nationals” themselves won’t be at all unhappy if “their” locksmiths tend to drill everything as it increases their margin. Some nationals, although not all thank goodness, even get cross when locksmiths pick locks open to resolve lockouts and lock sales are lost.

So why take pot luck on which local tradesperson or botcher is called? Why pay a margin to a call centre? Call a local locksmith directly yourself.

How can you tell they’re local? Look at the phone number. Or if it’s an 0800 number look at the fax number. If you’re considering a locksmith that appears to be called FastLocks (Battersea) but the telephone numbers are Leicester or 087… numbers you could be forgiven for suspecting they’re not really based in Battersea.