Featured Locksmiths | Locksmith Blog

I promised a few local locksmiths recently that I would give them a feature on the blog with their contact information should anyone be searching for a local locksmith. It can be difficult for the public to find a genuine local locksmith firm that they can trust so I am always willing to help improve their web presence even if it's just in a small blog post on the locksmith blog. Customers find our numbers in weird and mysterious ways sometimes and you gotta be in it to win it.

The first feature is of a local locksmith in Southampton, Tim Guille of Interlocks Ltd.
Tim covers the entire area of Hampshire on a 24 hour basis for all locksmith and upvc related work, commercial and domestic for homeowners and local Southampton businesses.

Arvco Locksmiths

http://www.locksmith-in-oldbury.co.uk

Interlock Locksmiths Ltd
74 Chapel Road
West End
Southampton
Hampshire
SO303GN
Tel: 07887512272

 
My second feature goes to a new kid on the block Paul Clarke, locksmith in Liverpool trading as Impact Locksmiths. I promised Paul a feature as Liverpool is a seriously competitive area to be advertising in and it can be difficult to be seen amongst all those national franchises and call centres that advertise in Liverpool. Paul is a genuine local locksmith in Liverpool so you know you'll be receiving the best service at the right price when using Impact Locksmiths Liverpool.

Impact Locksmiths
50 Riviera Drive
Croxteth
Liverpool
L114US
Tel: 07590208096

Thirdly, an established locksmith in the West Midlands based in Tamworth, Adrian Bryant aka Lockaid 24/7 has made the break away from that notorious nationwide locksmith franchise and gone solo, a good move in my opinion! If you're looking for a genuine local locksmith in Tamworth with plenty of hands on experience and a long list of satisfied customers across Staffordshire then it's really a no brainer, get Adrian on the phone right away!

Lockaid 24/7
59 Briar
Amington
Tamworth
Staffordshire
B774DY
Tel: 07909186487

High Security Door Locks & Handles | Locksmith Blog

I have been turning up to work at a lot of new build properties that seem to have gone, in my opinion, overboard with their door security. Normally to achieve a TS007 you are required to have either a two star handle combined with a one star cylinder or a standalone three star lock cylinder.


What I am actually seeing working as a locksmith in the West Midlands is a lot of homes with three star cylinders which are then combined with the PAS24 two star handles. This is great news when it comes to preventing a lock snapping attack on a upvc door, however from the locksmiths point of view such a setup can be viewed as a worst nightmare during a failed multipoint lock scenario. Luckily for me I have yet to encounter the worst case scenario working as a local locksmith in cannock

This raises the question: Who exactly are we trying to keep out?
I feel such massive improvements in door security are making the locksmiths life much harder than that of the career criminal who will still opt for a brick through a large pane of glass rather than messing around with door locks. Of course it will prevent many an attempted lock snapping burglary but I think that most one star cylinders or a security handle would manage this.

What are your thoughts? Have you encountered the all singing and dancing setup yet? It's only a matter of time and it's going to be a real stinker of a job...

Locksmith Directories | Locksmith Blog

There are so many locksmith directories out there now that it's difficult to know which ones are worth adding your locksmith business to.

Well the answer is simple really: As many free listings as you can.
If a site is insisting you pay to list your locksmith business the general rule of thumb would suggest that it's not worth investing in. If they are really as great as the claim then they would surely offer a free  trial to prove so.

There are a couple of directories aimed at promoting the small local locksmiths that I would recommend that are entirely free. They do offer a paid feature but it's not mandatory like most of the paid locksmith directories.

Firstly: http://www.locksmith-directory.org.uk is the original 'No nationals' directory that are lot of people are now trying to re-create. This directory ranks no.1 for the term locksmith directory so is a good way to be found online for customers searching for a directory. All entries are vetted and checked so there are no national and spam firms listed here.

Second one worth mentioning is http://www.doors-repaired.co.uk a similar directory built on the back of a locksmiths site that lists all genuine local door repair firms in the UK. Again the same No National locksmiths ethics apply.

A lot of the magazine publications are also creating online local locksmith directories that you may want to add to, just be warned that they will cold call you and try to get you to subscribe to the magazines in return (which we all get free anyway).

Then there are also a lot of seo and web companies with similar themed locksmith directories all looking for paid entries and making a lot of promises. In my experience these are best avoided if giving the hard sell on the phone. This includes Yell.com and Thomson local who both offer free listings but will pester you to death with cold calls afterwards.

I'm Back | Locksmith Blog

 Locksmith Blog Return

 Locksmiths Blog | Local Locksmiths | Door Repairs

I have been away fro quite some time now, it has been pretty busy in the locksmithing world and I have had plenty of work to be getting on with so I kind of neglected to update the locksmith blog.

I have also been working on a lot of other sites providing SEO for locksmiths across the country which turned out to be quite time consuming.

Hopefully I will be updating the locksmith blog shortly with some fresh content, new locksmith secrets and latest product reviews.

In the meantime if you are struggling to get your locksmith fix you can check out Rick the locksmith.

Door Repairs Directory | Locksmith Blog

Working as modern day locksmiths a lot of the work we complete consist of door repairs and upvc door adjustments.
I have found that customers are searching online for door repair specialists as well as locksmiths so it is important we can also be found for these potential searches.
I have found a directory for door repairs that only lists local locksmith firms and excludes the usual national advertisers.
You can add your business to it following this link:
http://www.doors-repaired.co.uk/directory.html

Locksmith Call Centers, Time To Take Action | Locksmith Blog

Avoiding National Locksmith Call Centers!

Working as a locksmith it is becoming increasingly common to meet customers who have been ripped off or left unhappy with the work, some even fearing that they may have disclosed security information to untrustworthy individuals. Victims of the money grabbing national call center operations that charge ludicrous hidden fees and charge for unnecessary work.

So what the hell is going on here?

Large national locksmith chains spend millions of pounds each year on advertising. They buy up multiple pages of adverts in physical directories using different company names and redirect phone numbers to appear local and dupe the customers into believing they are dealing with a genuine local locksmith. This massive expenditure is passed directly onto the customers who would be lucky to ever pay less than £100 for the simplest of jobs and anywhere upto £500 (one of the worst I heard of).

More often than not the 'locksmith' or engineer as they like to refer to them as, typically with less than a few months experience under the belt, will be dispatched from their nearest point, which could be miiiiiiiiiiiles away. The customer is always reassured they will be no more than 30 mins away, but this is rarely the case and I have met customers that were left stranded for hours before eventually trying to cancel. At this point they have usually already taken note of your card details and will bill you for their call out anyway despite failing to show.

If they actually show up to do the work it is usually of poor standard due to the locksmiths lack of experience. I have been to jobs where they have fled tail between legs after wrecking door mechanisms and claiming they need to order parts.

Why don't they employ real locksmiths?

Truth is, no half decent locksmith in Cannock would entertain them. Firstly he would be working for a small percentage of the job. Secondly, who wants to help a competitor take work from their own area?

Having had the misfortune of working for several of these national locksmiths in my earlier years I quickly decided that I did not want to be the person handing over ridiculous bills to the elderly, having to beg the call center to pay me my money on time and work for peanuts.

We need to educate our customers on the best ways to avoid these national scammers to ensure we do not all get tarred with the same brush. It is not acceptable and we must make a stand.
Adding this banner onto your webpage along with a summary of what it is about will help customers make the right choice, choose a local locksmith and avoid being the next victim.

Best Locksmiths of 2014 | Locksmith Blog

Best Locksmiths of 2014 | Locksmith Blog

There have been a lot of new locksmith start ups over the past year that have worked hard to establish themselves in this highly competitive trade.

I have watched these new companies grow and become serious players in their local areas, despite strong opposition from more established firms and organisations that would rather new startups die off quickly.

It is without a doubt one of the hardest careers to get started in and is a competitive dog eat dog industry dominated by multi-million pound national locksmith chains eating up all the bread and butter work.

I have dedicated this post as a shout out to my favorite locksmith companies of the year and to help promote their businesses further.

In no particular order:

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JS Locksmiths - Manchester

uPVC Door Locks

29 Aintree Ave
Sale
Manchester
M334QH
Tel: 07789593034
Web: http://www.locksmith-4-manchester.co.uk

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Hugo Locksmiths Romford
5 Hugo Gardens
Rainham
Essex
RM137LA
Tel:  07957624954
Web: http://www.locksmith-in-romford.co.uk
Web: http://www.locksmith-in-rainham.co.uk


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Budget uPVC Cylinder

Legend Locksmiths
27 Bevan Road
Cockfosters
Barnet
EN49DZ
Tel: 07586903255
Web: http://www.locksmith-in-barnet.com

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Jewellery Box Keys

About Turn Locks
303 Firtree Road
Epsom
KT173LF
Tel: 01372727104
Web: http://www.about-turnlocks.co.uk

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Pennine Security Solutions
18 Clough Head
Penistone
Sheffield
S366UA
Tel: 07917421482

Aluminium Door Locks

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Wolverhampton Locksmiths
51 Drancy Avenue
Willenhall
Wolverhampton
WV125RD
Tel: 07724828289
Web: https://www.locksmith-in-wolverhampton.co.uk
Web: http://www.locksmith-walsall.com

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Sir Locksalot Locksmiths
32 Ronaldshay Terrace
Redcar
Cleveland
Tel: 07986614865


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Lockbusters Auto Keys
87 Goddard Street
Stoke on Trent
ST31LR
Tel: 01782244891
Web: http://www.stokeontrentlocksmiths.com/

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JG Locksmiths
1 Burnet Close
Leicester
LE51TQ
Tel: 07846 962825
Web:  http://www.jglocksmiths.co.uk

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Impact Locksmiths
50 Riviera Drive
Croxteth
Liverpool
L114US
Tel: 07590208096