Why you should choose local Colchester locksmiths

Why choose a local locksmith in Colchester or Ipswich?

There are a number of  very good reasons why you should always choose local Colchester locksmiths and we’ve listed some of them here.

1. Local. Because we’re local we can get to you quickly in an emergency 24/7. Whether you need to gain entry in an emergency, have a faulty lock or you need your locks changed. We can get to you promptly because we’re local.
2. Reputation. Most of our work comes from local recommendations and so the reviews that are available online are from genuine local customers. As a local locksmith working in Ipswich, Colchester and the surrounding areas. If we’re careless or do a bad job we could lose our excellent reputation.  We’re aware of this so we make sure we do every locksmith job right first time, with no short cuts.
3. Price. Being a local locksmith the cost of fuel is reduced as is time getting to you.  This means we can charge less and it’s also important for our reputation to give competitive pricing.
4. Benefits We are happy to provide advice over the phone.  You get to speak to a qualified local locksmith when you call Morgan Locksmiths. We also provide fixed fee quotes on all jobs and we stick to them. Finally, there are no call out charges so what we quote is what you pay.
5. Reviews. Morgan Locksmiths uses 3 places for reviews. Google, Facebook and Checkatrade. Please click on the link to see the most up to-date reviews.

Some of the issues you might experience when using franchise locksmiths instead of local Colchester locksmiths

1. Location. Some, but not all locksmith franchises cover a large area. This means you can wait hours or even days as a locksmith might not be working in your area that day. The fuel usage and time will be higher as well, which will affect the price you pay negatively.
2. Price. A franchise owner cannot beat a local locksmith on price. When using a franchise you’re actually paying 2 people, the locksmith and the franchise. A locksmith franchise cost around £2000 a month for a basic package. Some franchises cost as much as £5000 a month with advertising packages. This means that the locksmith always has to get that money in every month just to pay the franchise price. Plus they’re sometimes tied into one supplier which means they can’t shop around for the best product prices on hardware and locks.
3. Reviews. We’ve spoken to an ex-franchise owner it seems that a lot of the reviews are fabricated by the franchise owner, who gets the work in for the locksmith and therefore cannot be always be trusted.
4. Example. A recent customer informed us that they had called round for quotes and that a Colchester based locksmith franchise wanted £270 for the same work that Morgan Locksmith charged £155 for. That’s £115 more expensive!

Call centres (avoid at all costs) – use genuine Colchester locksmiths instead

1. Location. Who knows is the simple answer. National call centres buy local phones numbers and route them through to their call centre. They will then call locksmiths and try to get the job covered regardless of their location. We have heard of some travelling over 3 hours to get to the customer, that’s a staggering 6 hour round trip!
2. Price. Where to start? These can vary massively depending on which one you call. Either way, as with franchises,  they cannot compete with a local locksmiths as you’re paying both the locksmith and the call centre. Most call centres work on a 50/50 split with the locksmith.  This drives the prices a lot higher than a local locksmith. The call centre will give an hourly rate and the locksmith normally gives a price for any parts. The locksmith will sometimes attempt to drag the job out so they can charge for 2 hours. With parts the price just goes higher. The locksmith will normally be the one paying for the parts and for that reason they massively over price them as they need to cover the price of the lock and they will also want to earn from the parts. We’ve heard of a company that charged £400 for an £11.99 part. Read the example below if you want to see a something quite amazing…….in a bad way!
3. Reviews. The majority of them are false. If you look at some of the reviews written they vary drastically from 5 star amazing to 1 star horrendous. This is because the call centre specifically employs people to sit there all day and write reviews. They have to do this to try and hide the terrible (real) reviews that they get.
4. Example. You might want to sit down for this one! We received a call from someone who wanted to check a price that they had been charged. They called a call centre who said it would be £49 to gain entry. The locksmith took 2 hours to arrive after saying they would be there within 1 hour. The final price was £600, that’s right £600. This is how they did it. They changed the price because they used destructive methods (not necessary) and also needed to replace the handles and the cylinder (neither are needed) They broke the handles and the cylinder trying to get into the house. When they changed the handles they didn’t have the screws to fix them on so took £10 off the price. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I asked a few questions and it was clear that they had been hit by a rogue trader. The total price had they called Morgan Locksmiths would have been £65 and they would have needed no parts, plus we would have been there in 15 minutes. The company has been reported but are still trading.

Summary

With all of the above in mind, it is clearly a better option to call a local locksmith. At Morgan Locksmiths we want those good, genuine reviews and for that reason (as well as the fact that we have morals) we always do an excellent job at the best prices. Save our number in your phone as you never know when you might need a good locksmith.  Remember we offer fast call out 24/7 for emergencies, fixed fees for all our jobs and NO CALL OUT CHARGES.  It’s 07584 131991.