Why do MLA member locksmiths have bad attitudes and are stuc

[stevea]

Does anyone else non mla find that these guys are tight nit on wether to trust non members to do work for them.
They are rude, stuck up, and their attitudes stink.

i went into a shop to buy a lock and i handed the guy a card.

his attitude was negative and to be honest i wanted to lump him one.

just because i was non mla he looked down on me as if i was a piece of sh t.
i will never join that outfit that are out in the sticks of northamptonshire.

they are out of touch, out of date and old fashioned.

they have offices in the sticks and run their association like its some kind of magic circle.
i personally say b**LL**cks to them and i hope they go under.

[lockey1963]

I doubt the MLA will ever go under, I understand your frustration at the inner circle attitude and politics though, to most its unwarranted and sometimes even anal.
But like in every scenario there is two sides to the coin, look at it from the MLA members point of view, most were apprenticed and have learnt the trade fully the hard way , every aspect of the industry covered, and most are true locksmiths in every sense of the word, some are not.
Put yourself in their shoes, watching 20 new start ups off the back of a 2 day course setting up and calling themselves locksmiths in their back yard, a title they grafted for years to earn, maybe its understandable to a point.

We all know and appreciate that not all non MLA members are cowboys and not all are new start ups, in fact many of the top guys are not and would not be in the MLA, but hundreds of cowboys do exist and non members are sadly all tarnished with this brush.
I can undersatnd their reluctance in passing work to someone that they cannot easily confirm their standard, i can even understand their lack of trust to non members, though politeness costs nothing and i concede they are often too anal in their attitude.

But like the non members not all being the same , not all members of MLA are the same either, and many more decent locksmiths exist in the MLA than you might think , many of us may not agree with alot of MLA members attitudes, but you cannot condemn the association on their actions, like it or not, the mla are still the biggest and most respected association in the uk and being a full member carries weight, right or wrong, thats the way it is.

you can always earn that guys respect, it takes time , but easily achievable.

[stevea]

Good points there my friend.

I understand this but on the other hand i personally think you can learn locksmithing in a short time.

when i say learn locksmithing, i mean learn the bare basics so that you are able to trade and cover most jobs on the call out side of things.

obviously to learn the rest is when you would be classed a master locksmith.
i do know though that at this time i could go straight in and pass there courses.
after 5 years i would hope so anyway.

i am mainly self trained from the back of a 2 day course but this was the route i chose and it has been the best way for me.

i have studied the art of locksmithing with a passion and i consider my self as good as most out there.

if i wasnt any good i wouldnt have a diary packed out with warrant runs.

i havent replaced a lock on a warrant run for 3 years now and my reputation for picking locks in a very short time is very good all over the midlands.

at the end of the day i feel they should be more welcoming across the board.
as long as you dont have a criminal record i think they should welcome you with open arms and not expect to you to pay for all the courses.

if they did this it would help the industry.

at the moment all they do is push people aside.

[lockey1963]

I too am self trained off of a 2 day course, as well as paying for many follow on courses with some of the best in the business, im not an MLA member nor have a desire to be one, but have the respect of many MLA members for my skill level and tenacity, respect earnt and not expected.

I agree that if no record and no adverse trading , then all should be welcomed regardless of career background.

I agree that the basics of fitting and opening can be quickly learnt, not quickly mastered, but quickly learnt, but the real basics and opening do not earn most a living, as long as a new guy learns and masters each skill in turn, then there is no reason why he wont be every bit as good as an mla locksmith.
The absence of apprenticeships has forced those with a real interest in locksmithing as a career to go down the short course route, but those determined and committed with a little luck do make it eventually building a reputation and gaining respect along the way.

Ive come across many MLA members that cannot pick BS3621 lock or high spec cylinder, in fact many established full BLI members who only ever use the drill for these locks, i can put them to shame on opening, though they put me to shame on their overall knowledge and benchwork ability.

The MLA need to lose their controlling dinasours and move into the 21st century, as still stuck in the 19th at present with attitudes, but their ethics and foundations are spot on

I know many have an attitude and do speak down to non members, which is diabolical, after all you may think someone a MuFfIn, but dont need to state so, politeness costs nothing, and you never know when you may need them.

3 years is a good record and one to be proud of, many full mla members couldnt achieve this, with a few noteable exceptions in the midlands, seems alot of special pickers there.

You could always join MLA and take there exams without having to take their courses , but if earning well and haveing a sound reputation, why bother, as MLA or not , our reputation is all we have and is all that counts regardless of background and alegences.

[SteveW]

What you have to bear in mind is that all the MLA courses include accommodation, and three square meals, take the VAT away as well, then the training isn't as expensive as many others

[stevea]

if you was to see the hotel they choose in staverton then it is to no surprise its expensive.
id rather travel back and forth.

not everyone is vat registered either.

why woodforde halse?

that place is like a ghost town since the train line was closed.

the mla is a weird set up with weird people running it, end of story.

everything about it is wrong.

it has zero respect from me although i agree that most of the locksmiths are second to none.

oh well, its a sign of the times i suppose.

they are stuck in the past and dont know the best way forward.

you only have to read their keyway mags to see how much they whinge and whine.

it is a fact that most join so they can get to the bigger contracts out there.

that is the only reason for a lot of members.

any how i shall carry on regardless and put it down to ignorance and intolerance of someone trying to do good.

i shall join the association of locksmiths and keycutters just for the hell of it

[toomush2drink]

Perhaps you need to look at it differently as youve just had a bad encounter with one member but now youve tarred them all with the same brush just as the mla guy did to you.The mla guy may have had a bad encounter with a non mla member.
Slagging them off here isnt really going to help them think non members are ok is it ?
Im not an mla member but i may consider joining as they do run some very good courses.Also they are the only recognised organisation really by the police etc.
Most mla members ive met although not all pick open locks do have a high level of bench skills and the like which dont get taught on 2 day courses.
Im a 2 day course trained guy as the mla route was way to expensive for me and i couldnt get a job in a lockies for love nor money. Im only a beginner i feel and picking locks is such a small part of it all.

[acl]

Is this Quickpicker in disguise? What a load of tosh.

[stevea]

acl, i take it your mla then

miserable bleader.

whose quickpicker anyway?

the mla is a load of tosh.

read my other thread on the lockie nigel rose sacked and you might change your mind on me knobbie.

[zeke79]

This thread has run its course...