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AUTO LOCKSMITH’ S STAND AGAINST NON-PAYMENT: UNLOCK AUTO LOCKSMITH
When a late-night call-out ended in the national news, Hull auto locksmith Sam Kavanagh found himself at the centre of a debate about non-payment, intimidation and standing your ground as a sole trader.
» WE JUST HAD TO COVER this story and find out Sam’ s advice to other locksmiths. Here’ s Sam in his own words:
If You Don’ t Pay, You Don’ t Get the Service
I never expected one of my jobs to go national, but that’ s exactly what happened when the BBC picked up the story from my social channels.
It all started with a late-night call from a man in Grimsby who had locked both his car and house keys in the boot of his Ford Fiesta. He rang me at 7:30pm. I quoted him £ 130, which was fair given he was 45 minutes away and, to be honest, cheap compared to what I charge locally. He said he’ d ring around for other prices. At 11:30pm, he called back because he hadn’ t found anyone cheaper. By that point, it was almost midnight. A latenight emergency call-out 30 miles away isn’ t the same as an early evening job, so I told him it would now be £ 160 to which he agreed.
I drove out and then sat waiting for him for 20 minutes because he wasn’ t there when I arrived. I’ d already told him I was 45 minutes away. Time matters in this job, especially at that hour. When he finally turned up, I gained entry to his car in about five minutes. That’ s what we train for, and that’ s what customers are paying for: skill, experience, the ability to solve a problem quickly. But then he refused to pay, his argument being that“ It only took 10 minutes.” That’ s when things escalated.
Why Speed Doesn’ t Equal Cheap
One of the biggest misconceptions in locksmithing especially auto work is that price should reflect time spent on the job. It doesn’ t, it reflects:
• Years of training
• Thousands invested in tools and equipment
• Fuel and travel time
• Insurance
• The risk of working alone at night
• The convenience of an emergency response
If I’ ve solved your problem in five minutes, that’ s because I know what I’ m doing! Not because it was“ easy”.
When he point-blank refused to pay the agreed £ 160, I made a decision. If you’ re not willing to pay for the service, you don’ t receive the service. I secured the keys back in the boot, shut it, and the car locked.
We had a heated argument. I expected him to give in and say,“ Alright, open it again and I’ ll pay.” But that offer never came. The story went national after the BBC covered it, and opinions were split. But what many tradespeople told me privately was:“ Good on you. I would have done exactly the same”.
Because non-payment is unfortunately becoming far too common.
6
MARCH 2026
locksmithjournal. co. uk Issue Takeover