Locksmith quoted £50 and charged £351.60

[Squeezed1]

I got locked out of my new flat today. My autistic son opened the door and made a run for it, I ran out after him and the door shut behind me.

My landlady couldn't find her copy of the key (she has dozens of keys due to her actual job - but she has some pretty serious health problems, so I felt terrible bothering her with it in the first place)

I looked online and found a locksmith company that will come and pick the lock and let you in for £50. Happy days. No pressure on my landlady. She was happy for me to proceed and said ofc the £50 would come off my rent.

Locksmith came and had a 2 second fiddle with the lock and said he couldn't pick that type of lock (standard yale) so he'd have to drill through and replace the lock otherwise I wasn't getting in the flat. I had my 3 kids with me.

He wanted payment there and then and said I'd have to recoup the £ from my Landlady. I asked for the total £351.60

I had no choice but to pay it.

I feel a bit conned. Is this the norm? To advertise a service at a reasonable price and then turn up and quadruple it?

My bank account is pretty much empty now and whilst I'm sure my Landlady will get the money to me somehow, she has said as much and she's a really nice person so wouldn't not help me, it all feels pretty shit.

There so many snotty people who really love to put people down.

I posted earlier in the thread , I actually stopped my payment from going through. I hope you get a refund..... They sound like the same set of cowboys who did one of my locks.....

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/beatthescammers/article-8961837/Locksmith-warning-Watch-rogue-companies-charging-fortune.html

How dare you accuse me of lying about my daughter's disability. Would you like to see evidence of it?!? Don't get pissy with me because you can't admit you were in the wrong.

I've finally managed to raise a dispute. The form has been sent off this morning. I included a link to the reviews. Fingers crossed.

£50 sounds like a call out fee to me and maybe they’d only charge this fee to pick a lock but he was unable to pick yours so had to change the whole thing. Just did a quick Google and it depends on the type of Yale lock/door but they tend to cost £100-300 so I guess the price was about right. Depends how long it took him too, they tend to have an initial call out fee and charge by the hour thereafter.

Read thread.
it's a known scam.

After your disgusting accusation about my child's disability, from the bottom of my heart I hope it's declined.

I don't know why you're still here or why you decided to come onto my thread in the first place gloating about how you've never managed to lock yourself out. Nobody has made any "disgusting accusations" about your child's disability. Get help.

Yes you did. It was apparently convenient that my child has autism. Because you made a point of using that as a reason why I was being out of line saying I didn't have a child with autism. When I said it did you didn't like it. I'm gone now tbh. Plenty of people made the same point. Maybe learn to actually read a review in future before booking a locksmith. And stop using your child like an excuse. It had nothing to do with it. They didn't ask you to book a dodgy tradesman and then try and bill the landlord.

Jesus christ with Mary on the handlebars. YOU posted on my thread being patronising towards me and gloating about how you've never managed to lock yourself out of your house as though it's something only an idiot can do.

You have a nice afternoon now.

I don’t understand this discussion of whether the landlady should pay. Surely the question is, is it reasonable to advertise a let-in service (just picking the lock) then say you can’t pick it and need to do all kinds of stuff and charge £350 quid. Answer, it isn’t. What kind of locksmith can’t pick a Yale lock?

Exactly!

People just look for anything to be contrary about, anything they can latch on to in order to make the OP look bad.

Poster "I was walking down the street today and got mugged"
That annoying minority on MN "YABU. Why were you walking down the street?"

It drives me up the wall.

I don't believe this fella was a qualified locksmith at all anyway. After reading those reviews it's clear they turn up and drill every lock they get a call about. I couldn't find one review stating the service received was lock picking.

Also, patronising poster several replies upthread, the bad reviews weren't attached to the company name they were advertising under on Google.

That was a smoke screen website.

The actual companies reviews are attached to the company name shown on the invoice I was given after the work was complete.

Fingers crossed the bank refund your money OP!

Why would landlady pay?

Oh god not this again.

She isn't paying.

She called me yesterday as she wanted to and I said I wouldn't be accepting any money from her.

I've not had any experience with Locksmiths but even with my lack of knowledge I know that's an excessive cost. What a horrible man to take advantage like that, especially when you actually said you didn't have much money, how disgusting of him. I think it's worth reporting him to the police. While I agree your landlady isn't solely responsible, it is custom for landlords/landladys to have a spare key so maybe let her help towards some of the cost if she offers and the bank don't refund you. Hopefully the bank can sort it though and he gets his comeuppance.

@ThickSkinnedSoWhat it's people like you who make me cry for humanity and cause me to give up on MN for months. JUST STOP BEING GHASTLY