locked out....£600 charge!

YoungBlueEyes

I can't comment on scammed or ripped off but - how did you manage to lock the door when you went out if you'd left the keys in the other side?  Having a spare key with the neighbour might be a good idea in general but wouldn't have helped in this situation... 

grumbler

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

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

No, you aren't.
And not necessarily damage.
When calling a locksmith (some national middleman typically pretending to be local) for my elderly friend, I made it perfectly clear that he couldn't open a cylinder lock with the original key and was told that the job was covered by the callout price. When the locksmith arrived, he told us that drilling was required that wasn't included and charged extra despite the job didn't take more than 30 minutes.
However, even he was ashamed to charge us £100 for a new replacement cylinder (as  required by the company) and fixed a reclaimed temporary one for free. I bought a new one in SF for £25 and it took me less than 15 minutes to replace it. 

daivid

stuart45 said:

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

Interesting idea, though no price given - I fear that may be throwing good money after bad…

A sensible option for gaining entry in the case of lockout would be best (and cheapest). Trusted key holder perhaps or a well hidden key - my grandfather used to have a hidden key to the garage then in one of many old tins a key to the back door. Finding it without knowing about it would have taken serious determination. I personally have the backup of a housebrick to a back window (assuming cup of tea with neighbours/pint at the pub until OH gets home isn’t an option). Plenty of plywood in garage and safe neighbourhood.

john.h

I thought the point of a locksmith was to pick the lock to gain access. If they turn up with a cordless drill to drill it out you might as well call a handy man out to do the job. I have drilled a fair amount of euro cylinders to gain access to houses, it does not take long. A replacement cylinder can cost around £10 and less than a minute to replace. 

catz4m8z

YoungBlueEyes said:

I can't comment on scammed or ripped off but - how did you manage to lock the door when you went out if you'd left the keys in the other side?  Having a spare key with the neighbour might be a good idea in general but wouldn't have helped in this situation... 

My door locks automatically when you shut it. The locksmith tried to pick it but didnt spend too long doing it, he clearly wanted to use his drill!
Also I had a key with a friend but she was out all day and it was too cold to wait on my doorstep for hours.

Nothing I can do about it now...just accept Ive p***ed £600 into the wind!
Lesson learned though....Ive bought a key safe that Im going to hide in the back garden with a key to the back door and hide a front door key in my friends garden!

Grumpy_chap

catz4m8z said:

Also I had a key with a friend but she was out all day and it was too cold to wait on my doorstep for hours.

I am not sure what time of day this was, but an alternative to waiting on the doorstep would have been a shopping centre, coffee shop, pub, restaurant etc.  Perhaps a "waste of time" but likely less costly than £600.

Section62

catz4m8z said:

Lesson learned though....Ive bought a key safe that Im going to hide in the back garden with a key to the back door and hide a front door key in my friends garden!

Bear in mind if they are Euro cylinder locks then often the key can't be used on the outside if there is one in the lock on the inside.  So if the lock-out is due to leaving the key in the inside of the front door when you go out, then having a spare key probably doesn't help.

Likewise having a spare back door key doesn't help if you normally leave another key in the lock on the inside.  Try to make sure at least one external door doesn't have a key left in it, although be aware that locked doors without a handy key can be a risk in case of fire.

onomatopoeia99

Seriously think about changing the locking mechanism so it doesn't latch locked when closing the door, so you need to make a positive action by inserting and turning the key to lock it.  That ensures you can't leave the house without either taking your keys or leaving it unlocked.  

Eldi_Dos

catz4m8z said:

Maybe it is the standard charge....just hoping insurance can help me out.
Its a heck of alot of money to lose!

Some car breakdown policies have cover for key replacement and locksmith charges for vehicle and house.
Might be worth checking if you have breakdown cover.

Kynthia

Section62 said:

catz4m8z said:

Lesson learned though....Ive bought a key safe that Im going to hide in the back garden with a key to the back door and hide a front door key in my friends garden!

Bear in mind if they are Euro cylinder locks then often the key can't be used on the outside if there is one in the lock on the inside.  So if the lock-out is due to leaving the key in the inside of the front door when you go out, then having a spare key probably doesn't help.

Likewise having a spare back door key doesn't help if you normally leave another key in the lock on the inside.  Try to make sure at least one external door doesn't have a key left in it, although be aware that locked doors without a handy key can be a risk in case of fire.

Yes you can't use a key when there's a key in the otherside. I accidently went out one Christmas Day having done this. Hubbie borrowed lots of implements to try to open the door another way as we weren't going to pay for a Christmas Day callout fee. In the end he managed to manipulate the inside door handle down using a wrench through the letter box which opened the door. Not a quick or fun end to the day but I at least it was free.