Guardian readers have responded to a report on locksmith scams with accounts of being overcharged after booking tradespeople through sponsored Google search results. One reader, Chris Lohan, said he was charged £490 for a lock that later turned out to cost around £15 on Amazon, after calling a number that appeared at the top of a Google search following a break-in.
How do these locksmith scams work?
According to accounts shared by readers, the scam typically begins when someone searches online for an emergency locksmith and clicks a number listed prominently in search results. A locksmith arrives, carries out a simple repair or lock replacement, then presents a bill far higher than the standard market rate. When customers later try to complain using the same contact number, they are often told by whoever answers that they have no knowledge of the technician who attended, despite appearing to be linked to the same booking service.
Chris Lohan described this exact pattern, saying he paid the inflated bill immediately, only realising afterwards how overpriced the replacement lock had been. When he rang back to dispute the charge, the person on the phone denied any connection to the locksmith who had visited his home. A separate number left by the tradesman went unanswered when Lohan tried to follow up, leaving him unable to challenge the charge or seek a refund.
He said he knew nothing about the guy who had come to our place — by then I realised they were probably working the scam together.
Were all reader experiences negative?
No — not every reader who contacted a locksmith reported being exploited. Another reader, Anna Bliss, wrote in to describe a positive experience, saying a locksmith had helped her elderly mother without any of the pressure tactics or excessive charges described in other accounts. Her letter was published alongside Lohan’s as a counterpoint, suggesting that while rogue operators exist, legitimate and fairly priced locksmith services are still widely available.
The contrast between the two accounts highlights the difficulty consumers face in distinguishing trustworthy tradespeople from opportunistic ones, particularly when searches are dominated by paid advertisements rather than verified local businesses. Both letters were published in response to a Guardian investigation into the rise of such scams, which had detailed a case in which a mother was charged £2,200 after being locked out with her baby.
