Cyrolocksmiths 

On Thursday 27th October 2022
I had a massive shock to see a note on the door of a property I own, saying the lock had been changed, completely out of the blue!

I rang the mobile number & a man calling himself Steve turned up with keys.
He admitted picking the gate lock & breaking the lock on the front door & changing it.

The man would not give his full name on the phone, or when he brought the keys, but he demanded my ID. I was in a state of total shock. He said there was a warrant to enter the property because of outstanding utility bills from a company I have never dealt with, called Utilita. He did not show me a warrant, nor show me any ID. He said there was a letter inside the property before scurrying off. There was no letter of explanation from any one.

Later by text he told me he worked for Cyro Locksmiths who took work from a company called face 2 face who gained warrents for outstanding energy arrears.

So at this point I'm in a situation where an anonymous person has picked the gate lock to gain access, & broken the door lock causing damage to gain access. I was extremely shocked, shaken and upset that any one can do this with out any correspondance or contact with me the owner of the property,& without any warning at all.

There were no outstanding bills, the tenant had died after 18 years tenancy in the property, & the meters were pre payment. The property is empty, & no utilities were being used & Utilita had been informed. If any body needed to look at, or change the meter, they only needed to contact me, not break in & tresspass & cause criminal damage.

The matter has been reported to the police, but it looks like a long chain will be involved here, & the person causing damage to the door seems to think its nothing to do with him? Like he was just the messenger, ...one with a hammer & crow bar from the extent of the damage to the door frame. I know there won't be any quick answers here or the damage put right unless I pay for it.

I found a piece of broken handle outside the door, & the door frame is quite damaged so that the door no longer aligns; it doesn't close properly, this is not the work of a proper locksmith; it's shoddy & incompetent in the extreme. No doubt in quickness to be in & out & gone.

I regard myself as an innocent victim of crime, the door must be repaired asap, it can't be left as it is, it is not secure, so I will have to pay for a reputable lock smith & probably joiner to put this matter right.
Then I must follow this chain of destruction back wards to find out who & why this "job" was instructed, & why accepted without a few basic checks to find me first, which would've been extremely simple, & I could've opened the door with a key for anyone with the proper ID to carry out any inspection or change meters if deemed necessary. Nobody did any of that, its just appalling, & leaves me to put the damage right & have to involve my self in long negotiations to get any form of compensation.

Bearing in mind no one can restore my peace of mind or the anxiety this has caused me. I have spoken to some one at Cyro lock smiths today, to a dismissive & unfriendly person who admitted it was their company & suggested I called Utilita for some answers,... they were just the locksmiths doing a job. When I asked if it was considered normal practice for a locksmith to break a lock & handle in order to change a lock & leave the door not closing properly, I was told "perhaps he was having a bad day" not a very good response., but I will leave you to make your own mind up.

I had an outside handle replaced by a builder not that long ago, & he didn't have to break anything to do it. This damage was caused by a couldnt care less cowboy breaking & entering in a hurry, not a qualified locksmith. He didn't care because I was not paying his bill, so I didnt matter, or the shock & upset caused to me, or the damage caused to my property didnt matter to him, a cowboy for hire.

I have tried on the phone for hours yesterday & today & only got through to a sales team at Utilita. This could take a long time to get any justice, mean while I'm left traumatised & feel violated; & I'm out of pocket.

Be careful about companies like this, with a dark side & double standards if I ever saw them, this treatment has really upset & unsettled me.

As I get through each link in the chain I will up date what will no doubt become a saga involving Face 2 Face, Utilita,Trading Standards & the Enetgy Ombudsman & the courts. But the perpetrator of the damage is the locksmith, he didnt have to accept this dodgy job or cause the damage he did. Facts should have been checked, better record keeping by Utilita & some moral code & checks used by cyro lock smiths & Face 2 Face.

☆I have photos & videos of the damage caused to the damaged door frame; door not closing properly.Also a broken metal handle which proves the force that was used to break in! I also have a witness to the damage & a police log