Hello Can anyone recommend a course to go on?

[jamesregis]

Hello I am new to all this- I have just had a callout from a local locksmith and got charged over 100 pounds to change a lock barrel- it took about 10 minutes!
Nice work if you can get it! Can anyone recommend a course to start off or a college to enrol in tteaching the basics -leading to a qualification of soem kind?
Many thanks-
btw was I ripped off?!

[jamesregis]

excuse the bad spelling- I am still reeling from the bill./

[EvoRed]

There are many courses available, although not at college. You can do a search on here to get more info. It's certainly not as easy as going on a quick course and earning £1000+ per week straight away. Again, a search and a read through many posts will tell you this.

What was the job and what area was it in? Was it a lockout or simple lock change? UPVC cylinder, Yale type cylinder or latch or both, mortice lock...?

[vector40]

I'm not sure how many courses there are in "how to be an overcharging dick," but I gather that plenty in the business have apparently graduated.

[EvoRed]

If evening rates and somewhere like London then it could quite easily reach £100...

[vector40]

I guess so, but changing a cylinder isn't an emergency unless it exploded or something, so why would you have it done after hours?

[EvoRed]

If it's something like a euro cylinder that won't lock then it would be an emergency... Unless they stick a chair, or even a bag of spuds, behind the door to 'secure it' for the night that I've both seen before!

[Rockford]

Could have been a burglary - stolen/lost keys, many reasons to need your lock changed outside of normal hours. I went to one recently where a guy had his keys/wallet/car stolen while he was sat in the kitchen. First he knew about it was when he saw the car lights come on, and the car reversing of the drive !. The git had walked in through the front door, took the keys and wallet of the side table, and jumped into the car !.

Result - replacement locks at quart to midnight.

Rockford.....

[vector40]

How did he pay you?

[toomush2drink]

Ive changed locks late at night for people with court orders for someone to vacate the premises by a certain time or did one the other night at midnight as a key had gone missing and they werent sure who had it. It costs as well at that time of night but i have a creditcard machine that works off of a mobile phone network so is totally portable and gives the customer a choice.

[Rockford]

His wifes credit card. See, they do come in handy - second cards that is .

Rockford.....

[AUTOLOX]

Hello I am new to all this- I have just had a callout from a local locksmith and got charged over 100 pounds to change a lock barrel- it took about 10 minutes!
Nice work if you can get it! Can anyone recommend a course to start off or a college to enrol in tteaching the basics -leading to a qualification of soem kind?
Many thanks-
btw was I ripped off?!

you do not need a course in how to change a lock,just a bit of common sense.
what time was the call out?

[toomush2drink]

Car key theft is big business now as a lot of cars have transponders fitted which means more work to steal them. I advise anybody to hide their keys at night and those cheap safe cans sell themselves for this purpose. We had a gang operating around here who broke in and took the keys and nothing else. This is a big risk but big rewards once the car is stripped down or shipped out in a container as the are shopping most of the time for high end stuff of which london has plenty of.

[AUTOLOX]

Car key theft is big business now as a lot of cars have transponders fitted which means more work to steal them. I advise anybody to hide their keys at night and those cheap safe cans sell themselves for this purpose. We had a gang operating around here who broke in and took the keys and nothing else. This is a big risk but big rewards once the car is stripped down or shipped out in a container as the are shopping most of the time for high end stuff of which london has plenty of.

I have noticed this type of theft is getting more and more common.

I think most of my customers would sooner not have the transponder in the key so the crooks dont have to break in the house to steal them.

I know i would sooner them screw driver the lock and take the car rather than break in to my home.

[Rick-the-Pick]

Another reason for an out of hours lock is where one couple kick's the other out! I've had a few of these! get in and out before there other half arrives back!
No-one around me worries about there car's! All top end models, they say it's what they pay insurance for!
It seem's a lot of car theft is when the owner's are demanded out the driver's seat! It's got to happen around this way soon when they break into the house for the key's!
I'll have to think of a marketing strategy and prepare myself!