From the time man first walked on earth, there has always been a need to protect our possessions.
It’s just human nature and each one of us has different reasons as to why we want protect our valuables. This is why we put locks on doors, windows, safes and cars etc.
But what happens when you lose a key to your door, safe or car? What happens when you need to make a duplicate set of keys for your spouse, child, friend or colleague?
Or what about if you need other security measures to be taken care of?
In such situations, you need to hire a good locksmith.
Unfortunately, a good locksmith is hard to come by these days. Not every locksmith offers 24 hour services or will turn up on time in an emergency situation. That’s why you should make sure you pick a good locksmith well in advance. If you don’t have a friend that can recommend a trustworthy locksmith, the Internet is a great resource.
How To Find A Good Locksmith
1. What Is Their Response Time?
Pick a locksmith that won’t keep you waiting, especially in an emergency.
First and foremost, find out where your locksmith is located.
In a big city like London, the roads are often clogged with traffic. You may have to wait several hours for a good locksmith to arrive if he lives on the opposite side of town.
The best advice is to go local and get an estimate from your locksmith as to how long it will take him or her to arrive.
Check the Internet to find out what other people say about the services of the locksmith you want to hire. If he’s fast, he will say so on his website and other people will mention it in their reviews.
As a rule, a good 24 hour locksmith should be at your service within 20 to 40 minutes.
2. Are They Reliable?
A good locksmith is professional, reliable and be able to do what they say they will.
When you are researching a good locksmith, check his or her reviews. Look out for any complaints regarding their integrity.
Have they ever been extremely late or failed to show up? Did they leave a job unfinished? Or did they try to charge extra fees that weren’t mentioned up front? These are all alarm bells that can alert you to an unreliable locksmith.
Bear in mind that if an emergency locksmith claims to offer 24 hour locksmith services they should be available out of hours even at 2am in the morning – unless they’re helping someone else!
3. What Do They Charge?
This one falls under good customer service.
A good locksmith will always be open and transparent about how much they charge.
He should provide you with a quote that should clearly state his or her fees plus the cost of any replacement locks and keys. Beware that some, but not all, locksmiths have call out fees while others only charge for labour and materials.
Make sure you know the score!
Emergency services are a particular grey area.
A good locksmith will be totally transparent and tell you if their 24 hour service attracts an extra fee.
Usually, a 24 hour locksmith will charge a slightly higher fee for emergency locksmith services during unsociable hours. This is perfectly acceptable but make sure you ask any locksmith who you call out at night exactly how much they will charge
A good locksmith will give you a new key, fit a replacement lock and even open your safe or front door for you. There may well be a cost for these materials so make sure you know where your money goes.
When the work is done, look over it to make sure it has been done with the utmost professionalism and competence. This means ensuring that there are no issues with your doors, frames and locks once the job is completed. if you notice anything, ask the locksmith to fix it before you pay for the work.
A good locksmith relies on referrals and positive reviews so they will be happy to fix anything that you are not 100% satisfied with.