CYLINDERS
How do you stop
overcharging?
Should we be
lobbying for
governance?
» AS THE MARKETING DIRECTOR FOR
Avocet Hardware, I need to gauge the
current trends, mindsets and issues that
my customers are currently facing in their
roles as professional locksmiths.
Thanks to the wonderful world of social
media, reaching out has never been easier
and a simple tweet generated some very
eye-opening revelations.
For reference, here is that tweet:
What are the problems facing
locksmiths currently? Where do you see
a need for support or change? Genuine
question in need of genuine (and safe
for work!) responses. #locksmith #abs
#marketing
Yes, some replies (and the direct
messages in particular) were…concerning
but many were interesting reads. High
levels of competition ranked highly, but
when I was sent a copy of an invoice
that a customer had been charged for a
simple emergency call out, that’s when the
floodgates opened.
A bill for £960.
Let that sink in. £960.
Now, one of our ABS cylinders was on
that invoice, although I must stress, we
don’t actually deal with the company
in question, and the cylinder alone was
being charged at £300. The labour to open
the door was £250 and then to replace the
lock, an eye watering £125. Add on the
emergency call out fee of £125 and the end
user was looking at a bill for £800 + VAT.
I’m sure the customer was relieved to
get back into their home and certainly
we must assume that they were happy
to pay that fee and with the service they
received, but the outrage from fellow
locksmiths indicated that this level of
charging shouldn’t be tolerated.
So, I did some digging and there
are many more cases on Twitter and
Facebook of high charges across the UK
and what made me sit up and take notice
was that the complaints weren’t from the
end users, they were from the locksmiths
themselves practically outing their
compatriots for ripping off the customer.
The locksmith industry is not regulated
so anybody can trade as a locksmith
irrespective of their competence, training
or skills. And with customers desperate
to get back into their home, many will
pay whatever it costs leaving them open
to exorbitant fees and very possibly,
substandard work.
The question must be, how do we
protect our industry, protect the end
user and create an environment where
rogue traders can be held accountable?
Should we be pushing for locksmiths
to be licensed as they are in the US for
instance? With licensing we could see the
end of rogue traders, provide training and
support, regulate prices, create a network
and regulate industry tools.
If by judging the reaction to a very
innocuous tweet is anything to go by, I
think that a vast majority of professional
locksmiths would welcome and embrace
some form of regulation and that can only
be a good thing.
Article submitted by Daniel Shaw,
Marketing Director for Avocet Hardware.
For more details visit www.avocet-
hardware.co.uk or call 01484 725000
24
JAN/FEB 2020
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