It will happen to every one of us at some point in our lives. Whether your child posts them through the letterbox, or you just plain can't find them, we will all experience that annoyance when we can't find our house keys. So the first thing we do, after frantically searching and cursing the fact that we will have to pay a ridiculous amount of money for the service, is to call a locksmith to sort out the problem.
But be aware, there is a scam in the locksmith world that will cause you even more problems. Fake locksmiths are adding fake listings to the yellow pages, in the hope that when you lock yourself out, the first person you will call is them.
These locksmiths are often cowboys, inexperienced in picking locks, and will more often than not make the lock you have worse, or install a substandard lock and charge you the earth. Be aware, if you have a dodgy lock fitted, you are opening yourself up to burglary later from someone associated with the locksmith, as it is often part of a bigger scam.
The best thing to do is find a local locksmith and meet them at a time when you do not have a lock to change. If you trust someone, you can store their number in your phone for the unfortunate incident of locking yourself out, and rest assured that you won't have to worry about dodgy dealers. Ask around, word of mouth is the best way to get a great recommendation, and we have all done it!
Make sure you have a comprehensive Home Insurance policy too.
