How much does a independent locksmith cost?

Independent locksmith VS National locksmithing companies

What is a national locksmithing company? Firstly a national company does not employ their own locksmiths, they subcontract the jobs to someone else. They don’t regulate or care about the quality of the job provided by their subs. Secondly, when you call the number on the website you don’t get the locksmith, you get the call operator. Usually the call operator has no knowledge about locksmithing, they don’t care who you are and what problem you have. Their job is to log the call and send any locksmith to your door. Thirdly, the locksmiths working for national companies are getting a small percentage of the profit after finishing their job.

This is where the main issue arises. Because the locksmiths get such a small percentage they are not interested in doing the job right. They are interested in getting more money from customers. It’s not profitable for them just to open your door, they have to sell new locks, handles, and other parts to you. You can say that they are “trapped” working for a national company.

They clearly understand that if they only do a locksmith’s job, they will earn less money. This will cause the national company to apply pressure on them to make more profit, because the company has large expenses (call centre workers, advertisement, marketing etc). Sadly at this point, good locksmiths are forced to become “lock sellers” to make ends meet. From this point on, they are not interested in the quality of the job they provide, but are only interested in racking up your invoice.

This is what happens behind closed doors. 

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