A little known fact is that the locksmith industry is not regulated in any way by the Government, Police or any official regulatory body. Unfortunately, this means that anyone can work as a locksmith regardless of their ability, skill or training.
Finding a fully trained and qualified locksmith can be difficult if you don’t know what you are looking for and it is very important to make sure that the locksmith you use is knowledgeable and capable of carrying out the job or business that you have. been assigned with
With no official regulation to fall back on, what do you do? Well first of all my advice is to stay away from the big call centers as most of the time they will let someone on their books with little to no research and most of the time you don’t even know which company appeared and if they were actually locksmiths. keep in mind this is someone you are letting into your home, someone you are placing a lot of trust in, you don’t want a third party to just send someone to you.
So what is a locksmith call center? There are several of these call centers across the country trying to cash in on the price comparison trend. They are essentially an agency that offers locksmith services, but they are not actual locksmiths. These centers have thousands of calls a week for locksmith services and small independent locksmiths are cold called and convinced to sign with a work guarantee.
Locksmith call centers claim to have locksmiths in all areas of the country, however people who have used them have found this to be incorrect after waiting 4-5 hours for a locksmith and then being told by the locksmith that he/she she has traveled 100 miles hence the 4/5 hour wait. The charges are also very high and usually include an expensive call fee, keep in mind that the call center has to take its share of each job.
My recommendation is to always use an independent locksmith that you have found yourself for emergency call services, the fees will be less as there are no middlemen to take a part and many don’t even charge a call fee, they will just bill you. for work. Many people turn to the internet to search for a locksmith, especially after a lockout where you are only equipped with a smartphone.
A local locksmith usually has a local number, this is the easiest way to spot a local independent locksmith, some may have a nationwide low rate number if they cover a large area, if this is the case then a quick visit to their website should disclose their locality, if a locksmith doesn’t have at least one address on their website stay away from them as there is something not right.
A competent locksmith will usually have a decent mobile-optimized website that will have their address at the very least and perhaps a location map showing their location or the areas they cover. You will usually find a list of services they offer and most locksmiths offer an emergency call service for home/business closings, but not all locksmiths offer automotive services so be sure to check that they are suitable for you. the job.
One more thing to check on a locksmith website is logos and certification references. Although the locksmith industry is unregulated, there are a number of private bodies that a locksmith can become a voluntary member of, membership in several of these unofficial bodies is a good sign that they are qualified and experienced.
