Locksmiths: restoring trust in a sector undermined by scams

The DGCCRF, France’s consumer protection authority, has published recommendations, relayed by Service-public.gouv.fr, warning against repairers who may overcharge for their services or propose unnecessary work, particularly during emergency call-outs. It advises caution about flyers left in letterboxes and online adverts boasting fast call-outs. Consumers may have heard about this in the press or from someone close to them.

As a result, when they dial your number, they do not know whether they are reaching a tradesperson based in their town or a distant platform that subcontracts to the highest bidder. They are stressed, in a hurry, and looking for signs that reassure or alarm them.

French regulations work in favour of reputable professionals. The order (arrêté) of 24 January 2017 requires professionals providing emergency repairs, repairs and maintenance in the building and home equipment sector to inform consumers before the contract is concluded, in particular of the hourly labour rate including VAT, how time is counted, the price of fixed-price services and any call-out charges, as well as whether the quote is free or charged. Service-public.gouv.fr also points out that locksmithing is one of the repair services subject to the obligation to provide a prior quote.

Rather than putting up with these rules, an honest locksmith can turn them into a selling point from the very first call: “our call-out charge is so much, our hourly rate so much, and you will have a written quote before any work begins”. This simple statement helps distinguish a transparent business from an operator who dodges the question of price.

Beyond price, the caller looks for concrete clues: the business name stated clearly, a verifiable address, a precise service area rather than “anywhere in France”, a realistic arrival time rather than a “ten minutes” that sounds like a promise that cannot be kept.

Manner matters too. Call handling that calmly restates the situation (door slammed shut, key broken in the cylinder or lock forced after a burglary) shows that the problem has been understood. Someone who pushes the customer to confirm without answering their questions has the opposite effect.

A door that has simply slammed shut is not dealt with like a damaged multi-point lock, and the customer has the right to know what to expect. A few well-chosen questions (type of door, whether there is a deadbolt, whether the key was left inside) make it possible to give an honest price range and bring the right equipment.

This assessment also protects the locksmith. A customer who has been warned about a possible cylinder replacement and its cost does not experience the invoice as a nasty surprise. Trust is built on there being no gap between what was said on the phone and what happens at the door.

Locksmith emergencies do not keep office hours. For a locksmith working alone, answering at two in the morning for a call that will go nowhere is exhausting; not answering means leaving the customer at the mercy of the most aggressive advertisers.

One solution is to entrust the first contact to call handling that applies your rules: it gives your night rates, reminds the caller that a quote will be provided before any work, collects the address and the situation, then transfers the call to you only if you have chosen to take the job. You keep the decision, without being woken up by every idle enquiry.

Alyas can play this role of first point of contact: the voice agent announces that it is an AI and that the call is recorded, states the rates and terms you have provided, collects the useful information, transfers to your number according to your instructions and leaves you a written summary of each conversation. A ten-day free trial lets you check that what it says matches your practice exactly.