Locksmith ‘fees locked-out households as much as 10 occasions his authentic quote’ – and one aged couple needed to pay almost £5,000 in complete to get their door fastened
Dozens of Britons are being wrongly overcharged by locksmiths every month under ‘bait-and-switch’ scams, with complaints surging over the past five years.
Some 402 grievances were made to the Master Locksmiths Association (MLA) last year, up 15 per cent on the 350 total in 2024 and up 66 per cent on the 242 in 2021.
Most complaints follow a scam when a rogue locksmith quotes a low price such as £49 to secure a job, but the final bill comes to hundreds or thousands of pounds.
In one example, BBC London secretly filmed a locksmith trying to charge nearly ten times his original £40 quote following scores of complaints made about the company.
The reporter received the quote for ‘a simple door opening’, but the locksmith who arrived told them that the lock would have to be drilled at a cost of £125 plus VAT.
The total bill for the job had therefore reached £376.80, including a £40 callout fee, £125 opening cost, £110 for a new lock and three keys, £39 labour and £62.80 VAT.
The journalist asked the locksmith to comment but he drove away without responding – before later claiming on the phone he used the ‘method that the company learned’.
On the price, he said the team handling calls did not know what lock the house would have or what work was needed. He admitted ‘miscommunication’ but denied a scam.
BBC London secretly film a locksmith trying to charge nearly ten times his original £40 quote
The locksmith drives off when confronted by a reporter but later blames a ‘miscommunication’
Experts also noted a rise in fake online reviews for locksmiths, warning consumers to watch out for those which are overly generic or lack specific details about work.
Maureen and Eric Reynolds, both 85, had expected to pay under £50 for a locksmith after being locked out of their home in London, but later got an invoice for £2,802.
Then, the work was so poor that they needed another locksmith to replace the whole door and frame at an additional cost of £2,244 – giving them a total bill of £5,046.
Mr Reynolds told the BBC: ‘The guy pulled up and [our grandson] did ask him if he had the tool to get the key out.’
He said the man replied: ‘Oh no, no, no, I don’t carry that.’
The locksmith then claimed he had to ‘drill the door’ rather than getting into their home via a side door.
He then drilled the lock and replaced the broken parts, the couple said.
Their grandson waited with them, but once he left the locksmith claimed the lock itself was also fault and said he needed to replace the whole thing.
Mr Reynolds said: ‘I didn’t know what else to do. Otherwise he was going to shoot off and I’d be left with an open door, and couldn’t shut it.’
The damage to the door was so bad that they had to pay another locksmith to replace the whole thing. Mrs Reynolds added: ‘It was cheaper to replace the whole door than what he charged for the lock.’
The MLA advises people to avoid getting ripped off by saving the phone number of a local locksmith approved by the organisation.
The Master Locksmiths Association says this is an example of a ‘bait-and-switch’ scam advert
Those who believe they have been misled by an online advert are advised to report it to the Advertising Standards Authority and Competition and Markets Authority.
The MLA said some individuals were being charged more than £1,000 for a simple lockout, with one case of £1,800 – after many were initially quoted £49 to £89.
Overcharging reports have come in from areas including London, Bristol, Edinburgh, Maidstone, Aylesbury, Rickmansworth, Coulsdon, Banbury, Sutton, Fareham, Hemel Hempstead, Wickham, Barrow-In-Furness, Bedford, Dunfermline and Orpington.
Steffan George, the MLA’s managing director, told the Daily Mail today: ‘These scams don’t just harm customers – they also make it harder for honest locksmiths to be found online.
‘Reputable businesses are being pushed down the search results by rogue traders using misleading tactics, which damages trust in the whole industry.
‘We would like search engines to restrict or completely ban locksmith advertising, as they have already done in countries like Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden. These bans have helped reduce fraud and protect people who need urgent help.’
He added: ‘We always recommend that people find a reputable locksmith in advance – ideally more than one – and save their details for emergencies. We recommend that they pass this information onto friends, relatives and neighbours – especially those that are vulnerable.’
