Local Home Services

Most people have been in a situation where they find themselves locked out of their home or business and need to call out an emergency locksmith to gain entry, whether they have lost their keys, snapped off the key in the lock or the lock has simply failed due to age, wear and tear, weathering or a fault with the locks mechanism.

But how much does an emergency locksmith cost and how do you know you have called out a professional? Because at the moment the locksmith industry is unregulated – This is about to change after OfQual announced official locksmith qualifications back in October 2019, but that’s a story for another time – and anyone can offer locksmith services regardless of their skill level or training, or lack of training for that matter.

Do All Locksmiths Offer an Emergency Call Out Service?

Not all locksmiths specially those based in Aspull, Hindley Green, Hindley, and other parts of Greater Manchester offer an emergency call out service, some locksmith especially semi retired ones don’t  want to be getting phone calls at all hours and prefer to get daytime contract work from housing associations, the local council or private landlords as well as business clients looking for security checks, upgrades and general lock maintenance. This is because 90% of emergency calls are between 10pm and 4am and at the weekend – Friday to Sunday – when people are returning from a night out and don’t remember where they last saw their keys or end up being too heavy handy with the key due to too much alcohol which finish up snapping their key in the lock.

The locksmith industry is popular with Ex-Armed forces looking for a nice self employed career after leaving the service and as long as the Official OfQual (Government) locksmith course is taken – as apposed to a private unofficial course – Ex Armed forces trainees can receive ELCAS (Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Services) funding and get their locksmith training for free.

Are All Locksmiths Processional Trained and Trustworthy?

Unfortunately not, but if the locksmith you call is ex-armed forces then of course they will have taken the official government (OFQUAL) course as funding is not available for private courses so it’s almost guaranteed that they will be professional trained and know what they are doing.

Even though there are official government courses in locksmithing there are also a number of unofficial private courses being marketed online by companies such as MLA and MPL, the attraction of these private courses being that they are cheaper and shorter than the officially recognised course, but how some believes they can learn an entire trade in 3 days is beyond me and what you end up with are untrained, unskilled, amateur locksmith all touting for work online and its these locksmiths that you should be wary of when choosing an emergency call out locksmith.

Are Private Locksmith Courses Legal?

At the moment there is no government regulation for the locksmith industry even though there are official government (OFQUAL) courses that can be taken in college or at an approved locksmith training centre. The official government courses are only the first step the regulation of the locksmith industry which will take a number of years.

So private courses whilst NOT recommended are perfectly legal, but if you where a business who would you rather hire? Someone who has been to college for 6 months and trained with a government approved locksmith training centre? Or someone who took a 3 day locksmith training course at a private training centre that the government thought didn’t meet their standards to become an approved college and run the official course?

So What Work Does The Amateur Locksmith Pursue?

You won’t find these amateur locksmiths touting for business clients or contact work with the local council or housing associations as they lack the skill and knowledge – plus many businesses and councils are now asking for credentials i.e. making sure you took the official locksmith training course and are qualified – but you do find these amateurs advertising as emergency call out locksmiths due to the fact that all they are doing is breaking into your home or business.

Aren’t all Emergency Call Out Locksmiths Simply Breaking In?

No, this is a common misconception; the amateur locksmith will arrive and start hammering and drilling your door right away whereas a professional would identify the lock, identify the issue and attempt non destructive entry if possible, i.e manual or electronic lock picking or the use of other industry tools because reaching for hammers and drills

So.. What should you be paying for an Emergency Call Out?

Like most industries fees do vary but typical emergency entry by a professional locksmith in Manchester areas such as Wigan, Worsley, Swinton, Walkden should cost between £50 and £80 but beware, sometime the lowest advertised fees end up costing you the most money.

An amateur locksmith looking to get emergency call out work over his or her rival will usually advertise a very low fee online, £29.95 for example yet the final bill will more than likely include a bunch of extras and hidden fees, night rate, fuel supplement, call out fee etc, sometimes bumping up the bill to 10 times as much if not more, then there is the cost of new locks – because the locksmith destroyed them – at 3 times the retail price.

A professionally trained and trustworthy locksmith that looks like he or she charges double what the amateur is charging will most likely be the best bet, this is because an advertised emergency entry fee of £69 will more than likely cost you just £69 if the locksmith has used non destructive entry techniques and picked the lock, even if they needed to drill out your lock a professional will only damage the barrel that he or she will carry on their van and the cost of the barrel? Almost certainly less if not the same as the retail price because the locksmith is buying in bulk from a wholesaler.

It doesn’t always pay to use an amateur; in some industries using a professional can save you money