Transparent Pricing

Rip-Off Traders.

At the time of writing, I have just watched a BBC news item about people being ripped off by rogue locksmiths. I was shocked that one couple had been charged over £1,000 for a very basic job. The same firm quoted £40 for a lock out and were secretly filmed by the BBC. By the time the locksmith had performed a totally unnecessary drill job and replaced parts that didn’t need replacing, the bill was £400.

How They Get Away With It.

When you are locked out and desperate to get in, you are vulnerable and these unscrupulous traders are taking full advantage. The situation could be eased if the industry was regulated, but unfortunately, despite calls from real locksmiths to have regulation, there is none. That means although the certificates I hold from three bodies relating to my training, you can decide to be a locksmith tomorrow. You can go out and charge whatever you want like these rogues already do.

How Does A Real Locksmith Work Out Pricing?

Again, at the time of writing, I am the only locksmith I know of in my area that displays pricing on my website. But how does that all break down?

Let’s start with my £75 flat fee labour. I might be at your property for 10 minutes or up to two hours in extreme circumstances. But I am going to use today as an example. North Norfolk is a large area with sparse population. This morning I drove 50 minutes to Thornham. It took me 45 minutes to fit three locks, a keysafe and look at a gate that was hanging from its’ hinges. I then drove 50 mins home. My home time is spent writing this blog, catching up on accounts and researching/ordering parts at the best possible price.  Later I will travel 30 mins to look at a job that may or may not result in work there, and then may need parts to be ordered. If I perform no actual work, there is no cost, but ordering parts means a second hour round trip when I return, so that job expectation is 2 hours before I even turn a screw. At worst today for 8 hours on the job, I have earned £75 in labour. At best £150. So between £9 and £18 per hour. Don’t get me wrong, most days are more than two visits. Due to distances and population sparsity, 4 visits a day are common, 6 is a really good day, and 8 have been known. But that goes way beyond normal working hours. On those higher number of visits days, at least two will be no fee security checks/quotes. My average labour earnings per day are £225. That is a healthy £28 per hour. Not bad you might think.

Out of the £225, comes around £25 fuel per day. Van maintenance, replacement tools like chisels and expensive specialist perishables. After all expenses, that comes down to £150 per day. £22 per hour.  Just slightly above the average hourly rate for workers in the UK (£19.67). But wait, as a self employed person, I have no sick pay or holiday pay. If I want these things, I need insurances to pay for them, which I would have to pass on to you, the customer.

So where else do I make money? Well, I get trader’s discount on the products I supply. If you go to a hardware shop, you will get your locks cheaper than those I can supply. They are cheaper because they bulk buy hundreds of items at a time which gives them a greater discount, and they can offset prices by lowering the profit margin on bigger, more expensive goods. I can only carry a certain amount of products in the limited space of my van, and often need to order parts like handles as there are just too many different designs to hold in reserve.  So yes, I do profit from the sale of products, but not as much as you might think is reflected in my price. I also need to cover my guarantee. If I provide you with a product and it fails, the chances of me getting that product back to my supplier undamaged is minimal. I don’t get my money back, but I still honour my pledge to you. Thankfully, I have learned to only fit quality products, although all my customers are free to ask for budget products with no guarantee.

Why is AC Locksmiths Norfolk Different?

I am so confident that my prices are fair, as I said earlier I display as much as I can on my site, something no one else does to the best of my knowledge. Also, I don’t pay people to get me superior rankings on Google or produce false AI testimonials as that would mean even more cost to you. Hopefully this blog has given you some insight as to how a real locksmith sets his prices and confidence that I will never take advantage of your vulnerability in a desperate situation.

Thanks for reading