Our Philosophy

Since business began in 2009, we have met some customers who have had bad experiences in the past with locksmiths. Locksmithing is an unregulated industry, therefore the customer who needs someone in an emergency can be in very precarious hands.

There are some things to be aware of;-  adverts in directories often show a local number, this telephone number automatically diverts to a central office in some other part of the country. The company take the customers details and then call in a sub-contractor to do the work. Labour costs are likely to be in excess of £85.00 plus VAT. before any work has started, as that cost has to pay the sub-contractor, telephone operators, office overheads and make the company a profit. Please be aware also that in some cases the subcontractor may be encouraged to ‘create’ work, ie. needlessly destroy a lock, or, worse still, if the lock is not standard, a replacement may not be on board and the locksmith has to order a new part to bring back two days later, at which time the customer is charged a second labour charge.

AC Locksmiths Norfolk is small enough to not have the huge overheads and advertising commitments of a large company. We believe, in this case, smaller is better and can therefore provide the same service at a fraction of the cost. We do not charge VAT. We will always use non-destructive entry methods where possible and explain why, if we feel that anything has to be damaged before going ahead. If we have to go away and order a part, we will not charge labour for a second visit unless an unrelated problem comes up (ie another lock on another door). This means just for labour costs alone, a two visit job with us costs £65.00, whereas with the large national company it could cost upwards of £170 including VAT.

At this point in time, there are no formal qualifications for Locksmiths, although there are many bodies that train locksmiths to a very high standard and we are proud to say we trained with the UK Locksmith Association. But there are those out there who do not have any training and set themselves up as locksmiths with no certificates or CRB checks. From the experiences of some of our customers, the trouble starts when they have to go away and source non-standard parts: Multi-point locking systems for double glazed doors are a good example. The promise to return within a week is missed and eventually the customer is chasing up with phone calls that lead to further broken promises. Eventually, fed up of waiting, the customer has to call another locksmith, leading to extra costs. Other examples include poor work that has to be re-done.

AC Locksmiths Norfolk can produce certificates upon request to prove we have completed the relevant training. If we have to source a new part, we will usually return within 48 hours and if it takes longer, we will keep you informed. (Sometimes discontinued parts or their alternatives are harder to trace).

Everyone can make a mistake –  We know of cases where a customer could not lock their double glazed door, when the locksmith arrived, it was discovered that the floor mat near the door had moved and was lodged partially underneath. It took less than the five seconds to move the mat and check the door, that was then absolutely fine, the customer was charged full price!

Sometimes we find that the customer believes their keys are lost but finds them just as the locksmith arrives – we understand that mistakes happen and if we find ourselves in that situation, where we turn up to a job that requires none of our professional skill, then that’s ok. We might ask for the cost of our petrol to cover our cost of travel but that would be it.

We, at AC Locksmiths think of ourselves as honest and hard working, and us such, would be honest about the choices you have in any given situation – e.g we could talk you through the changing of a window handle; advise you where you might best buy the part needed and how to change it yourself, if that’s what you prefer. Others may prefer (or need) to have the job done by a locksmith though, and we would be happy to do it for you.  We are local, friendly, trustworthy and efficient.