Archive for the Emergency Category

If you keep up with locksmith related news then you may have recently heard about the steady rise of national locksmith associations all over the country. National locksmith associations are large organisations that are effectively nationwide call centres. They often operate on the fact that they are a local locksmith by purchasing a website and domain name with a specific location in the title. Little does the customer know that there are hundreds of these ‘local’ websites that will redirect all enquiries to the same company’s call centre. The job is then assigned to a locksmith who is based nearby and who will be able to reach the location in a short amount of time.

So what is the problem with National locksmith associations? Firstly, they take away business from genuine, hard-working local locksmiths. They do this primarily by paying huge sums of money for an advertising campaigns and sponsored search results in Google AdWords, where the more money you pay per click, the greater the chance that you will appear first in search results. Independent locksmith companies are simply unable to compete because their budgets do not allow them to do so, and this results in sponsored results for locksmith terms being occupied almost exclusively by national companies.

In order to finance their spending on advertising, National locksmith associations will charge rather extortionate sums of money for the jobs they perform, often two to three times as much as a local locksmith would normally charge. Furthermore, the locksmith who has performed the work on behalf of the organisation will typically get only a tiny amount of the money paid, the rest going to the company. As a locksmith, if you don’t like it then there is not much that you can do about it. If you are unsatisfied with your pay then the organisation can easily find someone who will be willing to replace you.

The faceless nature of these organisations also means that customer experience is limited to the job and the job alone. There is no real chance of building up a long-lasting relationship with a local locksmith that you can rely on. Once the job is finished and the money is paid then that is that.

National Locksmith Associations will often employ young and inexperienced locksmiths, since they will be the only ones willing to work for them due to their inability to get work otherwise. This means that the locksmith service you receive may often be shoddy and subpar. If you register a complaint then chances are that it will either be ignored completely or will take ages to process, eventually having little to no effect whatsoever.

With a genuine local locksmith like PJ Locksmiths you know where you stand. The rates we charge will always be fair and affordable, we will always arrive on time and do our utmost to ensure great customer service and a job well done. Because we are local, we are able to offer a 24 hour emergency locksmith service in Romford, South Ockendon, Dagenham and any of our other areas of coverage. If you have any complaints or suggestions we will gladly take them on board and appreciate the feedback.

Most locksmiths who go into business independently will have proven years of experience within the industry. With a local locksmith you can forge an authentic, professional relationship, ensuring that friendly assistance is never far away when you need it.