How to avoid a locksmith scam

How it works

Emergency work attracts predatory operators for an obvious reason: you are stressed, it is often late, and you are not in a position to shop around. The pattern is consistent enough to be described precisely.

You search, and you find a listing with a local-sounding name and a national number. You ring. You are quoted a very low figure — often a call-out fee dressed up as a total. An unmarked car arrives, usually with a driver who is not the person you spoke to. You are told the lock is “a security lock” and will have to be drilled. It is drilled, quickly, and replaced with cheap hardware. The invoice is several times the quote, and you are standing in a doorway at midnight being asked to pay it.

The warning signs, before you call

• No physical address, no ABN, no real business name. Legitimate operators have all three.
• Generic branding. “Locksmith Melbourne” type names with no identity behind them.
• A price that is much lower than everyone else’s. It is not a bargain, it is a hook.
• Vagueness about who is coming. Lead-generation operations sell your job on and add a margin.

The three questions

Ask these on the phone, every time, of anyone:

• “What is the total, including call-out and GST?” Insist on a total, not a starting figure. If the honest answer is a range, that is fine — a range is an answer. “We’ll see when we get there” is not.
• “Are you the person attending?” You want to be speaking to the tradesperson or their business, not a call centre selling the job.
• “What is your ABN?” Ten seconds, and you can check it on the Australian Business Register.

At the door

Two things should happen before any tool is used.

First, you should be asked to prove you have a right to be there. Photo ID and something linking you to the address or vehicle. A locksmith who does not ask is either careless or is in the habit of opening doors for people who should not be behind them. Neither is reassuring.

Second, you should be given a firm price and agree to it. If the number at the door is higher than the number on the phone, that is the moment to stop — not after the work.

“It will have to be drilled”

This is the line that costs people the most money, so it is worth understanding.

Drilling is sometimes genuinely necessary. Some high-security cylinders are specifically built to resist picking, and a seized or damaged lock may leave no other route. But on ordinary residential hardware, drilling is usually a sign of a locksmith who cannot pick the lock — or one who makes more money replacing it than opening it.

A reasonable operator will explain why this particular lock cannot be opened non-destructively, tell you what the replacement will cost, and wait for you to agree. If the drill comes out within two minutes of arrival, something is wrong.

If it has already happened

If you have been charged far more than you were quoted, you have options. In Victoria, Consumer Affairs Victoria handles complaints about misleading conduct and unconscionable pricing, and the ACCC covers misleading representations under Australian Consumer Law. If you paid by card, talk to your bank about a chargeback. Keep the invoice, photograph the damaged lock, and write down what you were quoted and by whom while it is fresh.

The simplest protection

Find a local locksmith before you need one, and put the number in your phone. Five minutes on a Sunday afternoon, when you are calm and can actually read reviews, is worth more than any amount of care at midnight.