How can you verify a locksmith and ascertain that indeed they are genuine? This is the million dollar question when it comes to picking an ideal locksmith in London. The UK lacks a clear framework when it comes to regulating the important work that locksmiths do. As such, it’ll be for you to do your home work keenly and ensure that you pick a good one. Forget about their ID cards; these can be easily faked by half baked locksmiths. You’ll need to take time researching, comparing and contrasting, before finally picking a locksmith you feel can get the job done.
- Check their online presence; most reputable locksmiths in London tend to have websites where they advertise their services. You can learn a lot from these websites long before you have contacted one. What are their recent activities on the site are there reviews from clients who have tried their services recently? Are the reviews positive or negative? Does the site look genuine, or just a fake, un updated website there to fool people?
- Experience; a good locksmith will be too glad to share with you their areas of speciality. Ask them to politely explain to you that they specialize in, and how long they have been doing it. If you are keen enough, you can always tell a genuine locksmith and one who’s trying to cook up stories. The latter should scare you and send red alerts.
- Personal address; most locksmiths tend to use fake addresses on their sites just to win the trust of interested clients. You can always ask them to explain specifically where it is they are located just to be sure they aren’t lying. In this day and age of the internet, you can do a quick search on Google Maps to see whether they’re indeed located where they claim to be.
- List of referrals; this is another crucial tip. Most locksmiths will gladly oblige if asked to give names of home owners of entities they have worked for previously. These could include home owners they have helped, business owners who have had their locks installed by the locksmith, to mention but a few. Referrals are the best way to determine whether a locksmith is trustworthy and qualified, or not! If a locksmith can’t produce such a list, chances are that he or she is lying, or hasn’t been in the business for long enough.
- Check out the rates; lastly, always think about the rates that a locksmith charges. If a locksmith charges too little and way below the standard market rates, then clearly, something isn’t right. Similarly, they should not overcharge you way above the market rates. That’s why you need to have researched and established the standard rates for the task you wish to have addressed. A professional locksmith won’t inflate or undercharge a project; they always follow the current standard market rates when billing you for their services.
