When I started up working for myself as a locksmith in 2009, I hadn’t dreamed it would be such a rewarding job. I’ve lost count of the number of times people have told me I have saved their life or that I am their hero. Only this week I was called to a flat in Fakenham where a toddler had pushed shut a door on his Mum, locking her out and him in at the bottom of a flight of stairs. The potential for disaster was very high, but I was able to get to that customer in less than half an hour and gained entry soon after arrival. Being able to do things like that are reward enough for the cost of my training.

I believe I am still the only locksmith in Norfolk to advertise prices, so my customers know exactly what will be charged and what they are getting for that price. I don’t charge any more money for working unsociable hours. You pay the same for a normal Tuesday morning as you do for a Bank Holiday Monday. On kite marked products, I offer a longer guarantee than any of my competitors (if they offer any guarantee at all), which runs right up to the industry recommendation for regular lock changes.

I do everything I can to keep my prices as low as possible for my customers, like running a second hand vehicle over a new one. But unfortunately, I cannot continue to offer the same rates that I have stuck to for the last two financial years. My suppliers have used Brexit as an excuse to raise the prices of the locks I fit, and Norfolk has too sparse a population to keep me busy all the time. While I want to continue to be a knight in shining armour to those who need me when they are locked out on a cold, wet night, I want to offer a full locksmith service to motorists as well, once again advertising prices and being competitive. I also want to offer bespoke alarm systems and CCTV solutions to my residential and commercial customers.

It will therefore be necessary to increase my prices at the start of the new financial year. I have looked at different ways of doing this. I could pass on the increase in the price I pay for stock, or I could be like my competitors and charge nearly double for Sundays and bank Holidays along with somewhere in between for evenings. I could charge by the hour rather than have a flat fee for all jobs. But I like simple.

My flat rate for all jobs will increase from £50 to £60, regardless of whether the job takes five minutes or five hours. This price still beats the Nationals. It will not go up for evenings or weekends or bank holidays. You will still not have to pay VAT. The locking products will remain the same price they have been for over three years, and while I cannot compete with large DIY store chains on price, I can compete with them on knowledge of brands that are good enough for me to guarantee for much longer than their one year. The only difference to my flat rate pricing will be to multi-lock upgrade jobs where the price will be per half day (or uncompleted part of a half day – i.e. a job lasting from 9.00am to 12.00 noon will be £60, while a job from 9.00am to 2.00pm will be £120). A am also unable to offer my customers a free second visit. Many have benefited in the past when they have wanted additional work done to different locks. This is simply no longer affordable.

However, I will now be signing the back of my business cards and anyone who presents a signed card as a recommendation from another customer will have their job discounted back to £50. Security checks are still free with no obligation to take up my quotation for any works carried out.

Norfolk is still a relatively safe place with regards to burglaries, but they do happen. It is still my aim for my customers to have the best possible security at fair prices from a friendly professional.

If you have any questions regarding the above or any of my other topics, please get in touch through any of the methods on my contacts page.

Thanks for reading.