Secret filming catches locksmith charging 10 times quote

A couple initially expecting to pay less than £50 for a locksmith ended up victims of a "bait-and-switch scam" which ended up costing them more than £5,000, an investigation has found.

The scam involves baiting a customer with an initial cheap quote before adding on hidden charges and carrying out unnecessary work that leads to spiralling costs.

As part of the BBC's investigation, the company involved - 24/7 Locksmiths UK - was secretly filmed trying to charge up to 10 times the original quote for the job.

The company has not responded to the BBC's requests for a response to its findings. And since the BBC's approach, the firm appears to have shut down its website.

Maureen and Eric Reynolds, both 85, were locked out of their home in London last December when they closed their front door with the key still in the lock.

A relative called the first locksmith company that came up on an internet search, saying 24/7 Locksmiths UK quoted the family £49 to get them back inside.

"The guy pulled up and [our grandson] did ask him if he had the tool to get the key out," said Eric, who added the locksmith replied: "Oh no, no, no I don't carry that."

"[Our grandson] was surprised as he thought all locksmiths carried them."

Maureen explained that the locksmith told them he would have "to drill the door" rather than trying to gain entry to their home via a side door.

The locksmith then drilled the lock and replaced the broken parts while their grandson waited with them. But once their grandson left, the locksmith claimed to find fault with the lock itself and said the whole thing needed replacing.

"I didn't know what else to do," said Eric. "Otherwise he was going to shoot off and I'd be left with an open door, and couldn't shut it."

The locksmith eventually produced an invoice for £2,802, writing that he would not charge the couple VAT.

The BBC believes 24/7 Locksmiths UK is not a VAT-registered company.

"The [door] frame was all chipped, half of it was on the floor outside where he'd mucked it up," said Maureen.

The damage was so bad that the couple had to pay another locksmith to replace the entire door and frame at an additional cost of £2,244.

"It was cheaper to replace the whole door than what he charged for the lock," said Maureen.

The BBC has heard from scores victims from London and Essex who have shared stories similar to that of Maureen and Eric.

As part of an investigation, BBC London installed secret cameras at a vacant property while a BBC journalist posed as a customer who had locked their keys inside.

The BBC also asked Lloyd Morgan of the Master Locksmiths Association (MLA) to inspect the lock beforehand and to demonstrate how quickly it could be picked without the need for drilling.

"We should be able to bypass this lock in seconds, no damage whatsoever," Morgan said.

Using just one tool he was able to open the door in seconds and said there were five methods that any trained locksmith could use to open our door without damaging the lock.

"An apprentice should be able to do this no problem," he said.

Contacted by phone, 24/7 Locksmiths UK quoted £40 for "a simple door opening".

But after one of their locksmiths arrived at the property, the cost increased tenfold within minutes.

"To open it I'm going to have to drill the lock because in the back of this you have a mechanism which is locking the door, so I need access to that mechanism," he said.

"The price of drilling is £125 plus VAT," the locksmith said. "If you want to replace the lock that's going to be money on top."

The BBC now faced a £376.80 bill made up of:

When our reporter approached the locksmith to comment, he initially drove away without responding.

Later, he spoke to the BBC by phone.

Asked why he had drilled the lock instead of picking it, he said that was the "method that the company learned".

When asked about the price increase he told us the team handling calls could not know in advance what lock the customer had or what work would be necessary. He admitted to "miscommunication", but denied a scam had taken place.

A spokesperson for the MLA said the number of complaints it had received about suspected overcharging had risen from 280 in 2023, to 350 in 2024 to 402 last year.

"We would always suggest the use of a local professional locksmith such as an MLA-approved company," the spokesperson said.

"We would recommend you save the number of a local approved locksmith in your mobile phone so that you don't need to search for one when you need one."