locked out....£600 charge!

grumbler

catz4m8z said:

I got locked out of my house and the charge was just over £600! I cant believe it!
Does this sound right!?
Callout was 85 (on a sunday)
labour charge 135
new lock 155
 door opening 155
rest VAT.

Ive been scammed havent I?

Forgot to ask...

Callout charge normally includes some work (1 hour? 1/2 hour?). What exactly have they done for £85? Was the labour 135+85+155= 375 actually?

subjecttocontract

I've always had at least one other key holder.......partner, neighbour, family member or friend. Currently I have spare keys held by 2 others.

When I was a landlord I always had key holders in case of a problem whilst I was away e.g. on holiday.

If you have an alarm system fitted my local Council ask for the contact details of 2 other key holders.

Auti

@subjecttocontract - just a quick question - if you give someone else a key who does not live there/ immediate family how does that impact on house insurance? I have always worried that it would make my insurance invalid. Thanks 

stuart45

Might be worth investing your money in this.
2 Day Advanced Lock Picking Course | MPL Locksmith Training (mpl-locksmith-training.co.uk)

twopenny

My insurance says that if you are out of the house keys must not be easily visible. That applies mainly to the inside of course.
I was meticulous about this at first but to be fair on a daily basis it's annoying.
People have those security boxes with a spare key by the door. I think that would only be safe depending where you live.

I have spares hidden in case of emergency. 
But the easiest is to have a door you have to lock yourself. You can't lock yourself out then and no keys for a burglar to find

elsien

Auti said:

@subjecttocontract - just a quick question - if you give someone else a key who does not live there/ immediate family how does that impact on house insurance? I have always worried that it would make my insurance invalid. Thanks 

Key safe solves that. I have one now purely because I’ve locked myself out so many times.
Having said that I also have a key with a trusted neighbour, and as I’m fairly sure that you wouldn’t be giving a key to someone that would be breaking in, insurance wise it’s not an issue. 

Risteard

grumbler said:

catz4m8z said:

I got locked out of my house and the charge was just over £600! I cant believe it!
Does this sound right!?
Callout was 85 (on a sunday)
labour charge 135
new lock 155
 door opening 155
rest VAT.

Ive been scammed havent I?

Forgot to ask...

Callout charge normally includes some work (1 hour? 1/2 hour?). What exactly have they done for £85? Was the labour 135+85+155= 375 actually?

A first hour charge or similar would include some labour time. A designated call-out charge, however, is essentially a mobilisation charge and may well exclude any labour element. However sometimes the terms are used interchangeably, so really this should be clarified in advance.

outtatune

Scammed?❌

Ripped off? ✅

OrbitHeadache

This fits under home emergency cover which most insurance policies seem to have as an add on.

Happened to me recently so I got them to sort it out, I dread what the cost would have been otherwise 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Grumpy_chap said:

The call-out seems low to me, especially as it is only £6 higher than you say the standard weekday call-out would be.

Low headline call out fee to attract business, then damage a perfectly good lock instead of picking it and charge an arm and leg for a replacement. 

Maybe I'm just cynical