UK Homeowners are being advised to be on their guard particularly during the holidays following reports about a massive rise in the number of rogue locksmiths in the industry.

What is a Rogue Locksmith?

A rogue locksmith refers to an unqualified, or fraudulent locksmith who engages in deceptive practices to take advantage of customers. These individuals often advertise low prices to attract customers, only to inflate costs once the job is underway, or they perform substandard or even damaging work.

Here are key characteristics of rogue locksmiths:

Deceptive Pricing

Rogue locksmiths often advertise extremely low prices (like £25 forservice calls) to lure in customers, but once they arrive, they claim the job is more complex than expected and charge exorbitant fees for labour or unnecessary parts.

Lack of Credentials

They usually lack proper licensing, certification, or insurance. In many areas, locksmiths are required to be licensed, but rogue locksmiths operate outside these regulations.

Poor Quality Work

Rogue locksmiths may lack the skills to perform the job correctly and could damage your lock, door, or security system. In some cases, they use destructive techniques rather than nondestructive methods to open locks.

Aggressive Sales Tactics

They might pressure you into paying more for unnecessary services, such as replacing a lock that could have been easily picked or repaired. 5. No Physical Address Rogue locksmiths often operate through call centers and may not have a local address. This makes it difficult to trace them or hold them accountable for poor service or overcharging. 6. Vehicle and Identification Issues

What about regulation? Doesn’t a locksmith need to belong to a Governing body?

Unfortunately, the Locksmith industry is currently unregulated, however in 2019 OFQUAL, The UK Government Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation, with the assistant of Train Locksmiths, the UK’s leading locksmith training centre created two official qualifications, one for the commercial and domestic side of the industry and one for the automotive side of the industry.

These courses are the official, approved courses for the locksmith industry and any locksmith entering the industry after 2019 should hold this qualification.  

How to Complain about a Rogue Locksmith

Anybody who has had the misfortune to have had work carried out by a locksmith that they’re not satisfied with can always complain to Trading Standards, but it’s also a good idea to review them online to protect others.