Priced before we leave. Not after we arrive.
Call-out and labour published below. Non-destructive entry wherever the lock allows. And a name and registration texted to you before anybody knocks.
Locked out right now
$105
Daytime call-out plus non-destructive entry on a standard cylinder. That is the whole figure, not a starting point.
The whole price list.
There is one out-of-hours premium, on the call-out only. Labour costs the same at three in the afternoon and three in the morning.
| Job | Note | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Call-out, 08:00–20:00Charged once. Waived if we cannot gain entry. | Charged once. Waived if we cannot gain entry. | $45 |
| Call-out, 20:00–08:00The only out-of-hours premium. Labour does not change. | The only out-of-hours premium. Labour does not change. | $75 |
| Non-destructive entryStandard cylinder, most doors. Added to the call-out. | Standard cylinder, most doors. Added to the call-out. | $60 |
| Lock change, standardIncludes a standards-rated cylinder, fitted. | Includes a standards-rated cylinder, fitted. | $95 |
| Lock change, high securityAnti-snap, anti-drill, anti-pick cylinder. | Anti-snap, anti-drill, anti-pick cylinder. | $165 |
| Burglary board-upSame-day secure. Permanent repair quoted separately. | Same-day secure. Permanent repair quoted separately. | $120 |
We will not drill it unless we have to.
The large majority of standard cylinders open non-destructively in a few minutes. Drilling is faster for the locksmith and more expensive for you, because it ends with a lock that has to be replaced — which is exactly why some firms drill everything.
The exception is real and worth stating: certain high-security cylinders genuinely cannot be opened without destroying them. If yours is one, you will be told before anything starts, along with what the replacement costs.
How to check the person at your door.
This trade has a scam problem and pretending otherwise helps nobody. The pattern is always the same: a low quote on the phone, an unmarked van, a drilled lock and a bill four times what you were told.
These four steps apply to us as much as to anyone. Use them on us.
You get a name and a registration by text
Before the van leaves, not after it arrives. If no text came, the person on your doorstep is not from us.
Ask for ID at the door
Carried on every job. A locksmith offended by being asked for identification is the wrong locksmith.
The price you were quoted is the price
Written into the text you received. Anyone revising it upward on the doorstep is running the oldest scam in this trade.
You can send us away
Before work starts, at no cost, for any reason including a bad feeling. That is a stated policy, not a favour.
Walk away if you see
- A quote of "from $19" that cannot be confirmed as a total
- An unmarked vehicle and no company name given on the phone
- Reaching for a drill on a standard cylinder without trying to pick it
- The price rising once the door is open
- Cash only, no invoice, no VAT number
- No named business address anywhere on their website
Four lock types, and which are worth upgrading.
Euro cylinder
The most common in modern doors and the most commonly snapped. Anti-snap versions are a genuine upgrade rather than marketing.
Worth upgrading
Mortice deadlock
Older timber doors. A 5-lever standards-rated version is what most insurers require, and plenty of doors have a 3-lever fitted.
Check the lever count
Night latch
The one that locks behind you. On its own it is not enough for most insurance policies and is easily slipped.
Pair with a deadlock
Multipoint mechanism
uPVC and composite doors. Usually the gearbox fails rather than the cylinder, and it is repairable far more often than replaced.
Repairable
The door usually fails before the lock does.
People spend on the cylinder and ignore the frame it sits in. These four are cheap, dull, and genuinely more effective.
Anti-snap cylinder
The single most effective upgrade on a uPVC door. Snapping is how most of these doors are actually opened.
Hinge bolts
Cheap, unglamorous, and they stop a door being levered off its hinge side entirely.
Strike plate reinforcement
Most timber doors fail at the frame, not the lock. A longer screw into the stud is worth more than a better lock.
Letterbox restrictor
Stops the fishing attack where keys are hooked off a hall table through the letterplate.
Six areas, two vans, all night.
Outside these we will say so on the phone rather than accept the job and take an hour to reach you.
All three mention the price holding.
“Opened it without drilling in about five minutes and charged exactly what he said on the phone.”
N. Farrugia
Lockout, Northgate
“The text with the registration arrived before he did. At one in the morning that mattered more than I expected.”
D. Osei
Emergency, Saltings
“Told me the multipoint gearbox was repairable rather than selling me a whole new mechanism.”
B. Larkin
uPVC door
Mostly about trust.
Will you drill my lock?+
Only when the lock genuinely cannot be opened any other way, and you will be told before we start rather than after. The large majority of standard cylinders open non-destructively. A locksmith who drills every job is selling you a replacement lock they did not need to fit.
How do I know the price will not change?+
Call-out and labour are published on this page, and you get the full figure on the phone before anyone is dispatched. If the job turns out to be different from what was described, you get a revised figure before work begins — never on the invoice.
How do I know it is really you at the door?+
You receive the engineer's name and the vehicle registration by text before arrival, and the ID carried matches. Ask for it. If no text arrived, do not open the door.
What if you cannot get in?+
The call-out fee is waived. It happens occasionally — some high-security cylinders on certain doors genuinely cannot be opened without destroying them, and if that is your situation you should not pay for the attempt.
Do I need to change the locks after moving?+
Yes, and it is the one piece of advice in this trade that is universally sound. You have no idea how many keys exist for a house you have just bought.
Book a lock change or an upgrade.
If you are locked out right now, call (555) 903-1188 instead. A form is the wrong tool for that.