UK Local Locksmith Reviews 191

One day a few weeks ago, the front of my home door would not unlock, probably because a key was left in the lock inside. I then attempted to unlock the door using my key on multiple occasions, but the mechanism failed to engage. Recognizing the need for professional assistance, I contacted UK Local Locksmith, found via Google search. They quoted me a price of £45 for opening the door.

Upon examination, the locksmith misled me to believe that the lock cylinder and/ or the multi-point locking gearbox was damaged.

I did not observe him using any specialized equipment during the process. Shortly afterwards, he determined there was a need to drill the lock cylinder.

Having no expertise to assess the veracity of his statement, I allowed him to proceed as he deemed necessary.

The locksmith then proceeded to drill the lock cylinder. However, even after drilling, the gearbox remained unresponsive. The locksmith then informed me that the gearbox was also damaged and needed to be replaced.

The locksmith then manipulated the gearbox by force and even cut the hooks of the multi-point system to open the door.

They finally charged me more than 600 pounds.

I later realized that I was subjected to what I believe to be a fraudulent service, including:

Significant overcharging: The final invoice was substantially higher than the initial quote or advertised price. The prices they charged for the lock cylinder and the gearbox are also substantially higher than the market price, which I was unaware of at the time.

Potentially unnecessary damage: The locksmith used drilling as a primary method, which appears to be a tactic used to inflate costs.

Suspected fraudulent activity: The methods used and the overall experience align with known locksmith scam tactics I learned from the website of Master Locksmith Association.

Thankfully, I contacted my credit card company and, after explaining the situation and citing Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, I was successfully refunded the full amount.

If you have also been a victim of UK Local Locksmith's dishonest practices, I urge you to contact your credit card company or bank immediately and request a refund under Section 75. You may be entitled to get your money back.

Furthermore, I strongly encourage everyone who has been ripped off by UK Local Locksmith to report their experience to Action Fraud (the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime). By reporting these incidents, we can help build a case against this company and potentially prevent others from becoming victims.

Don't let these scammers get away with it. Take action and report them!

Terrible. Very expensive for just over hours work. £389. Feel so hurt that we were charged that amount. It wasn’t an emergency call out either. Not recommended.

Complete con, as others have said, they hide behind larger call out companies. They will completely rip you off. Avoid at all costs.

Please do not use this company. Like others I wished I had read the reviews but was stressed and locked out. That said they hide behind a call out website anyway, so you only know when you’ve got a receipt who they are and even that had no breakdown of costs. We have tried to alert the website though they just direct us to an email address. I have also tried to cancel the credit card payment.
The fee was almost twice what was quoted and we did not even get the door repaired, we have had to do this ourselves to ensure we are safe. Please use someone else.

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!! Thieves!
I wish I had read the reviews before calling this scam company. Most people obviously don’t do this if they’re in emergency and under stress. I left the key inside the door so couldn’t get into the house. For removing the lock and new replacement the guy charged me an unbelievable £742. It’s disgusting how they take advantage of someone’s misfortune and rip people off. I guess I’ve learned my lesson to check the reviews before calling for help.

Absolutely disgusting service. Called as an emergency and arrive on time. Started work but was using YouTube to know how to do job. It took over an hour to change the front door lock. Then took an another hour to fix the back door again using YouTube. He constantly was also on to what i think was his boss. After all that when he finally finished the job he kept saying to us that it all include VAT. We had to pay the bill (£1500 +) for two doors. When we received the bill we noticed it did not have a VAT breakdown or number. We phone the head office number and spoke to the boss. He informed us that we shouldn't have been charged VAT but refused to reimburse us this charge. Then 5 weeks later the front door lock broke. We tried to contact them as on the website it states a 12 month guarantee. They refused to fix the lock so we had to get another locksmith to fix it and more cost. He told us it was fitted wrongly. Anyway I am not taking this lying down and have lodged a claim with the small claims court

Wish I read the reviews, smelt a rat when the engineer arrived

Got locked out, was told high security door yet told 80quid and charged 360 for a 10 second job.

My key broke off in our front door lock so we were unable to lock the door. I called this company, which claimed to be local but are not. A guy shows up and told me I needed a new barrel lock and door handle so fitted the parts. 20 minutes later my heart skipped a beat when he told me the price was £430.
A receipt was sent to my phone which details nothing. I emailed the company for a breakdown of charges invoice, as promised on their website, (twice) but they haven’t responded. I looked for these parts online and found Euro barrel locks at around £30 and door handles around £40.
As far as I am concerned I have been robbed.
Do not use this company.

RIP of company 780 to change a lock!!!! Took 5 minutes definitely will be going to trading standards to report this!!!!

Similar to all other reviews, I was charged an extortionate price (£200) for a 5 minute job, I've had to borrow this, and as a disabled dad with a disabled child I have no idea how to pay this back. I'm devastated.

This company?!?!! Everything wrong and nothing right! My experience is much the same as the others who have posted a review. I contacted them yesterday as the lock they fitted 3rd December 2024 was faulty. They asked for a video and unlike what's written on the website about the 12 month warranty didn't want to come out. They were rude on the phone saying if they came I'd be charged if it wasn't their fault. 'He' came... to describe 'him' as rude, arrogant and obnoxious would be complimenting his conduct. Nobody behaving the way he did deserves to be called a Locksmith or technician. At the point he felt he could say to me "you're stupid", even repeating it when asked what he'd said, because I wouldn't pay the call out fee he asked for upfront and in cash, I told him to get out and closed the door leaning on it as he pushed it, so my daughter let the dog in from the back garden. He backed away from the door went to his car and drove away. However, he had stripped the door from having a lock or catch on both sides and took the barrel of the lock with him. We called the office to report him and get the part back but received the same attitude. Disgusting behaviour. If you come across their advert/details avoid like the plague. I know it's a task looking in an emergency but my lesson is to still read reviews when the matter is urgent or you end up with people like these who are the dredge of the earth. There are other locksmiths out there that are reputable.

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!

If I could leave 0 stars I would. As many of the other reviews have said, these people are total con artists/cowboys who will completely rip you off. We were locked out of our house on a late Saturday afternoon and tried everything to get back in, and out of desperation rang these up as a last resort. Unfortunately I didn’t do my research, as if I’d have seen these reviews I wouldn’t have bothered. Charged £320 to drill through my back door in about 10 mins (which wasn’t even the problem) as the ‘locksmith’ (a scam man with a drill) said it would take 2+ hours to get in via the front door (which was locked shut) and cost around £700. I’ve had a local, reputable locksmith come today to fix my front door and he charged me £120 to replace the gear box including labour and VAT. This company prey on the vulnerable and they should be shut down. Absolutely disgusting. And shame on google for allowing them to be one of the top searches that comes up!!

This bloke tried to charge me £330 plus labour for £30 gearbox for my upvc door he also told me I need additional parts which he would quote for the next day, then told me that I had a pay him a £89 call out charge in cash because I told him I didn't want the work done

This company operates a "locksmith scam" they will quote you a low price. But once on-site, they will sell you a lie in that the lock will need drilling/replacing, then charge you extortionate fees to take advantage of your vulnerable situation.
I have been scammed by this company, but managed to recover my money through my bank.

For those that have fallen victim, talk to your bank and claim on the fallowing grounds:
- Misrepresentation (Service Not as Described) – The locksmith advertised a low price but charged significantly more than agreed.
- Unauthorized Charge – If the final charge was higher than what you approved.
- Fraudulent or Deceptive Practices – If the locksmith intentionally misled you or damaged your lock unnecessarily to inflate the price.
- Failure to Provide Service – If they didn’t actually complete the work properly or left your lock in worse condition.

Finally take them to court for the fallowing: fraudulent misrepresentation (Misrepresentation Act 1967), unlicensed service provision (Licensing of Trade Act 1968), false advertising and deceptive practices (Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008), and violations of consumer protection laws (Sale of Goods Act 1979 and Consumer Rights Act 2015).

Use this company at your own peril! Complete scammers! It is a mode of operation to scam vunerable people.£129 was quoted on arrival with a promise of a written quote and invoice breakdown. My husband is vunerable. Tall chap turned up said his name was Marcus and that he was employed by UK LLS Ltd. He said the cylinder needed replacing as it had a rusty screw. He replaced the triple lock meachanism without permission and demanded £699 from my husband. He did not install it correctly and so our front door was left insecure until a local locksmith corrected it the next day! I wrote to the Compnay numerous times to no avail.5 months latter no promised invoice either. In Octoberi notified the Company of my intention of getting a resolution through Small Claims Court I got a one sentence email from a Alexandru Francuig who claimed the price was agreed and no refund needed. I asked who was he and who was Marcus, their positions in the Comapny and an explanation of why no refund required.Frustratingly no response.
I finally got my money back from Master Card.
I am extremely concerned that both JoW and Debby's reviews mention this chap who scams people in the same way.
Something has to happen. Why is allowed to trade. Class action?

The authory and all the customers need to be aware that and be on alerts locksmith technician who came in my house is very violent and got bad tempant
The guy must be i guest on drogue the smell of his body could tell
The office when i tried to lodge complaint she hung up the phone my nose

Same as all other reviews and people trying to sort it out. They are criminals really. Cannot trading standards do something. My story the same desperate and stressed. Emergency plumbers the same. And yes let's blame Google for putting crooks at the top.

I have reported Marcus of UK Local Locksmith to Action Fraud and Barclays Bank. I left a review on Sunday 12th January about him intimidating me and refusing to hand over two of the three keys to the new lock he badly fitted to my front door..his call centre scammers told me £59. I watched him drill two holes in the barrel (any skilled locksmith can pick the lock) then jam his screwdriver into the back of the rest of my lock to break it. SCAMMER who stood on my doorstep, much younger and taller than me telling me I had to pay £496. Visa say I agreed to this which as another lady has said, I had no choice! My local locksmith came back Monday morning to fix the lock Marcus fitted that didn’t lock and told me it’s a well known scam. I should’ve paid £90 not hundreds. They apparently have to pay the call centre £100 for every job referred to them and they keep whatever else they make. Visa had better take notice because I will not let this go. I will post his videos and photos online, report to Rogue Traders and Bristol’s Mayor to stop this racket. I rang Bristol.locksmiths-co.uk but was invoiced by UK Local Locksmith so BEWARE.

If I could give zero stars I would. This company is a scam. Ripped me off charging me £418 for what a local locksmith later told me would have been £85 with them. I felt vulnerable, knew no better and just agreed to the charges. Now I’m in touch with my bank, the CAB and trading standards about this company. At tte time I booked them I had no access to my phone so couldn’t check reviews - I hope you read this one and the others and don’t use them. Beware also of very similar looking companies either the same looking website and made up 5 star reviews.