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A Call for Regulation
I have no time for lead generation companies who mislead the public, masquerading as local locksmiths with disingenuous local numbers and websites, while operating from national call centres with no qualified locksmiths. These companies charge extortionate fees, squeezing out independent locksmiths and selling them back their own leads at a premium.
I’ ve seen the consequences firsthand— people scammed out of hundreds of pounds. A customer of mine was charged £ 700 for a part with an RRP of £ 20. The rogue locksmith started the job before she could verify the price and intimidated her into paying, which she did as she just wanted him to leave. I helped her recover
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some of her money by guiding her through the process with her bank and suggested she report the scammer to the MLA. She left me a heartfelt review on Google.
The MLA has been pushing the UK Government for regulation of the locksmith industry, like there is in The Republic of Ireland and other countries. Without regulation, we will never rid the industry of these rogue traders. As an individual locksmith, my voice is small, but collectively, through the MLA, we can be heard. They must never give up on this fight. Trading Standards, The Advertising Standards Agency( ASA) and the Competition and Markets Authority( CMA) need to step up and force these companies to be honest with consumers.
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Awards & Digital Presence
I recently won the Best Local Locksmith Business 2024 – Berkshire from the Southern Enterprise Awards( SME News). At first, I was sceptical— I was told it was a scam because they charge £ 400 for a vanity trophy and £ 295 for a digital certificate. But after investigating, I found no evidence of large-scale fraud. There were only two locksmith winners in the country and there was no compulsion to buy anything, Effectively, it’ s a reward for the quality of the reviews that have been left by my customers. It seemed legitimate, and I’ m proud of the recognition, especially the kind and generous words from my customers
Other awards I’ ve won:
• SME News- Southern Enterprise Awards- Best Local Locksmith Business 2024 – Berkshire
• Winner of The 2024 Quality Business Awards – The Best Local Locksmith in Berkshire
• Which? Trusted Trader: Winner of Neighbourhood Faves Award 2023
• 3 Best Rated 2024
None of these awards would be recognised by my peers, as they’ re not for the quality of my workmanship, I’ d have to take the MLA’ s Qualified Master Locksmith exam for that; but they’ re testament to the overall high level of customer satisfaction that I deliver, so perhaps my sales skills and engineering experience are more relevant than I had realised. Afterall, there’ s a well-known adage in sales that‘ people buy from people they like.’
The Changing Industry & My Future Plans
Locksmithing is changing. Lead generation companies are dominating the market, taking SEO visibility away from real locksmiths and selling
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leads back to them at a price. I’ ve had to help people who lost money to scammers. There’ s always someone out there engineering a new way to exploit the industry, and it’ s harming independent locksmiths.
I’ m working on organic growth through a new website( coming soon). I believe in the concept of“ holistic locksmithing”— cutting out the middlemen and taking control of my own lead generation. Instead of outsourcing areas of expertise, I’ m onboarding new skills. You must learn and adapt— change or die.
That’ s why I’ m investing time into learning SEO, website management, and digital marketing. Every locksmith should embrace these tools to grow their business.
Final Thoughts
The locksmith industry is filled with both challenges and rewards. The satisfaction of helping people, the problem-solving aspect, and the independence make it worthwhile. But the rise of lead generation firms, unethical practices, and the lack of regulation pose serious threats to honest locksmiths.
What is keeping people honest? I believe it’ s reputation, training, and collective action. Moving forward, I’ ll continue to build my business on my own terms— investing in knowledge, reputation, and genuine customer service rather than paying for leads or falling into the trap of dodgy marketing tactics.
Locksmithing is more than just a trade; it’ s about skill, and integrity and being a trusted ally.
www. 101locksmiths. co. uk 07492 089302 paul. beaumont3 @ btinternet. com
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