10th October 2008
Locksmith Blog

 

I had an interesting couple of lock outs today. One in Coventry and one in Great Barr, Birmingham. Both were cylinders to be picked, one a rim cylinder (Yale) and one a upvc lock (euro cylinder).
The job in Great Barr was just to pick two locks. Both Yale cylinders, one on the porch and one the front door lock. The customer had locked her keys inside the house. Anyway, a nice simple job really and she was really pleased to get into the house.
The job in Coventry was a very similar one, but on a upvc door. The customer had left his keys on the inside of the door, left the house and then realised he couldn't get back in. It was about 11 o'clock at night and he had both of his children with him. Again, an everyday job for me. I was there within 30 minutes, picked the lock and gained entry. All in all a couple of minutes.
I mention this job because it interested me the prices he got when phoning around. I know I was moaning on about this last week aswell, but I charged £65, my usual charge between 7pm and 11pm (it's £45 from 7am to 7pm). I normally go up to £90 after 11pm, but as he phoned just beforehand, I kept the price at £65. The other locksmiths he spoke to said they'd come out for £90, plus a labour charge, plus any locks that may need replacing (this almost certainly means they will be replaced!). I however offered my usual service (the offer of all ICL locksmiths) that "If we drill or damage your lock, we will replace it free of charge".
Hopefully, bit by bit the message is starting to get out, that if you are locked out, you don't have to pay a fortune to get back in and you shouldn't need your locks replaced. Locks can be picked open not just drilled.