To think this is extortionate

[Butterflykissess]

I've lost my house keys, I've searched high and low. I've been looking for at least 2 hours. Even in the wheelie bins. Realistically there is nowhere else for me to look now. I called the council and apparently it is £94 for a locksmith. Aibu in thinking that is ridiculous? How do they justify that. I simply can't afford that amount. I know I should have had a spare (I did silly me gave it to my nephew when he stayed here and he never gave it back, now doesn't know where it is.)

My husbands are always in the last pair of trousers he wore, or dressing gown pocket, or down the side of the sofa.

Knocked out of the box and kicked somewhere? Pick up anything and everything on the floor nearby.

Its £65 here just to get the EA out with the spare set.
£85 to call out the locksmith + extra if they where changing the lock.

That's a pretty decent price. Sorry that's not what you wanted to hear.

Is there someone else that can come over and help you look? A fresh set of eyes can help a lot when looking for something.

I agree. Sit down, relax. Can you use a back door or anything instead? Have a coffee and try and think of a few more places it might be. Bathroom, jacket pocket? By a towel if you washed your hands. Did you knock them into a plant pot? Did you run a brush through your hair and put down keys. Good luck?

Sorry, but what wowfudge said. Are you sure they couldn't have been left outside in the lock? If this is possible ask your neighbours if they took them in for safekeeping. I don't want to scare you but someone could have swiped them.

What sort of locks are they OP? I changed mine with barrel locks I bought for £18 each and my dad replaced them for me. Could you buy new locks yourself and have someone handy to change them?

What would you expect to pay for the time of a skilled professional including the travel time?! That's amazingly cheap.

So you're not locked out so the locksmith would just have to change the lock. Are you sure the council understood that as £94 sound an awful lot of money just to change a lock. I would ring round for prices before accepting that quote.

If you're in the house and you haven't taken them outside then they must be somewhere in the house, obviously.

I've thought I've lost my keys so many times and have always ended up finding I've put them in a drawer when I've put something else away - usually with the dog's lead. I found them in a drawer with my jumpers once, still no idea how that happened.

Have you searched through all the DCs toys?

I think it's time to play "who can find the keys" there's a fiver to be had by the winner.

Your kids WILL help you look. Hope you find them soon!

Do you have a garden, could they be out there.

Did you pick them up with your phone when you took it out of the box and then put the whole lot down somewhere you wouldn't normally put your phone.

So the last time you saw the keys they were in the box and you haven't used them since. At the time you saw them you found your phone in there and took it out? So no.1 possibility is that you absent mindedly took the keys out too or that they came out somehow. So where did you go when you took the phone out? Where did you first put the phone down?

No.2 possibility is based on the kids. How old are they?

They tried to help but no one has come across them. They are 7, 6 4 and a baby. Doubt I would have taken them out at the same time but then as I said searched the box a million times so can't see where they went. Really don't know about the door lock. Doubt I could do it myself tbh as I'm really rubbish at Diy.

Do you have a back door you could use?

If you are all indoors and the external doors are locked (am I right?), well the keys have to be somewhere in the house.

Have you a back door/garden area? check there.

They are somewhere. Assign a room to a child and do it yourself again. I found my so called lost keys under the patio table, after a bit of a panic.

If all else fails whether you are atheist/non Christian/doesn't matter, say a prayer to Saint Anthony, the finder of lost things. My mum swears by this.

Do you have a back door you could use? You could bolt the front door and come and go by the back door.

Where is your partner? Does he have a key?

As PP said though £94 perfectly normal for a locksmith call out :(

Back of a radiator is a classic place for young kids to 'post' keys. If you had to get in with them, they are somewhere unless they were flushed down the loo. I guess (and sorry if you've done this), you've checked the pockets of clothes you were wearing at the time?

My daughter once threw mine in a mop bucket full of water! Good luck.

Just to say, we have a a few hooks in the kitchen at ADULT height lol, where we put house/car/shed etc. keys. Took a while to get used to the drill, but it works. The minute we come in, keys go on the hook.

Unless kids are being very devious and climb on a chair to steal and reposition the keys! Doesn't happen though.

I couldn't find mine once. My son had helpfully hidden them behind the Apple tree in the garden

I've also dropped my keys down the drain, perfect placement because they were in my lap, got out of the car forgetting they were there, drain, plop, enough said. It cost me a fortune to get a locksmith out because you're paying for not only a new barrel but their time too and that includes travelling and fuel.

I used to work at a council housing department and that quote sounds about right, especially as it would be considered an emergency so someone will be there within 2 hours.

If you do have to go ahead with the quote, ask if the amount can be charged to your rent account. We used to do this as standard then you can pay a fiver a month or whatever to clear it.

Can you use YouTube to watch how to. Change the lock yourself, it isn't really hard I promise