Price has a big impact on our decision making. So it’s a reasonable expectation to want to know how much does a locksmith cost. Whether you need new keys cut, a lock changed or an emergency locksmith to get you back in to your home after a lockout, we all want to know how much things are going to impact our bank balance.
When you hire a locksmith, you’re putting the security of your home and loved ones in their hands. So it’s important to know what you’re getting for the amount of cash that you’re handing over.
Points to consider
Here we’ll highlight some important areas that you may wish to consider when receiving a quote from a locksmith. Be sure to ask if your locksmith doesn’t mention these points.
Professionalism
There are points that you can research about a locksmith before hiring them. Being experienced, reliable and providing an all round good customer service all add immeasurable value to the cost of a locksmith.
A great place to check all of this information is by looking at their reviews on Checkatrade.
Experience
You’ll want to know how long your locksmith has been practicing their trade. Inexperienced locksmiths will take longer to complete their work and it may not meet your expected standards. If you’re speaking to a locksmith that has been applying their craft for less than 6-12 months, find out what training they have received prior to entering the trade.
Reliability
When asking yourself ‘how much does a locksmith cost’, it’s equally important to know if they’re going to show up on the day agreed and on time. We all live busy lives so being left hanging around, or worse if they don’t show up, only adds to to the stress.
Conversely, remember that locksmiths are human too and may encounter unexpected issues on a job before yours. On one hand, it’s good that your locksmith is busy. A busy locksmith is a trusted locksmith. On the other hand, it’s impacting your day. The thing to notice in these situations is, has your locksmith communicated with you about the delay, or potentially to re-book.
Customer Service
You should be able to get a good feel for this on the phone when you speak to them. If a locksmiths telephone manner isn’t up to scratch, their work probably isn’t either. Think about how they answer your questions.
- Are they honest by advising that you don’t spend your money on things you don’t need?
- Are they happy to sell you anything?
- Will they give you plenty of time to ask whatever you need?
- Can you sense them getting impatient over your questions (huffing or sighing etc?
Again, remember that you’re locksmith may be busy and not answer first time if they’re on another job. Going back to our point earlier, a busy locksmith is a trusted locksmith. Try to think how you would feel if a locksmith was working for you (being paid by the hour), but they spent most of the time on the phone to other customers. The point to note here; is if they call back, they value you as a potential customer which means they’ll want to do a good job for you.
What’s included?
Now you have an idea about what to look for in a locksmith, it’s a good idea to know what they’ll leave you with when they leave your property. Again, we advise taking a look at reviews on Checkatrade to get some idea of previous customer experiences.
Quality
It goes without saying that when handing over your hard earned cash, you want to be left with something looks good and will last. To quote Gabriel Bell, “you get what you pay for”.
At GPM Locks, we provide a 6 week guarantee on all workmanship as standard.
Parts
This is also relevant to the above point regarding quality. The suppliers that your locksmith uses should match the quality of their workmanship. A full 12 month manufacturer guarantee is standard with all parts provided by GPM Locks. Finding out if your locksmith will service the installed parts before leaving is also an important question to ask when finding out how a locksmith costs.
The cost of parts is a big variable and can change drastically depending on what’s needed. An experienced locksmith will usually be able to get a rough idea of what you need over the phone and provide a ballpark figure. This of course depends on how common the job is that you need.
If the locksmith isn’t sure, they should come and inspect your property to provide an accurate quote, but you shouldn’t have to pay for this. If you get the feeling that your locksmith is guessing to avoid this important (but unpaid) step, go with your gut instinct.
VAT
If you’re not sure that your quote includes VAT, it’s always best to check. You don’t want any nasty surprises when receiving your bill to find out it’s 20% more than you originally thought.
Where
Depending on where you live in relation to where the locksmith works can have an impact on the price you pay. A locksmith should know this and ask where you are located before providing a quote. The best place to find a locksmiths usual areas of operation is their website.
When
The time of day also has to be taken in to account. Most locksmiths will have a rate for during the day and a separate rate for out of hours work. If you need an emergency locksmith out of hours, due to a lockout for example, expect to pay more than you would if it was between normal 8-5 working hours.
So how much does a locksmith cost at GPM Locks?
Between 8am to 5pm we charge between £50-£75 per hour plus VAT depending on the job and location. Our out of hours rate is £85 – £120.
There are locksmiths cheaper than us and some that are more expensive (I’ve known some to charge up to £350 per hour!). At the end of the day, we all have a different size budget, so go with a locksmith that fits yours.
Our last piece of advice would to shop around and get a few quotes. Be wary of anything that feels much cheaper than anything else you’ve received. It could end up costing you more in the long run. Remember to trust your gut instinct.