Locksmith Cambridge Omdömen 

Yesterday a tennant in the house share accomodation we both rent a room in had mis-placed her key, she phoned the shop up who (even though they technically still open) refused to come over, instead they sent some other guy who came round (late) and then rushed the job through by pretty much demolishing the door with a power drill, inserting the incorrect lock (every tenants key in this house is supposed to unlock the front door too) he then left a mountain of crap on the communal halway capet and then left after only about an hour of being here. He then had the nerve charge her over half a thousand pounds, this is one of the most unproffesional, cowboy jobs I've ever seen.. do yourself a favour and go somewhere else.

AVOID Sam Lock Locksmith

After seeing the reviews of this place operating across the UK, I learned I wasn’t the only one.

After discussing the issue on the phone, I was told the cost was £59 labour for the lock replacement plus the price of the lock itself, and that the workman would be with me within 30mins. An hour later he turns up, drilled out the lock within seconds and stated that the cost is £139, plus the lock. I told him the bill was incorrect and he simply said “I needed to use a drill which automatically put up your bill and it’s done now”. WHAT?!?!

He was obviously going to use a drill to remove a lock, as per the conversation on the phone. According to Trustpilot, this is apparently common practice for this outfit to lie on the call and then bump the charge once on site

I don't usually both with reviews but I have felt compelled to write one in this case.

Called this company as they appeared to be local after my husband locked us out of the house on a weekday around lunchtime, with the key on the inside of the door so we were unable to gain access from the outside (even with a key).
Where do I start with my experience?
1. Very unprofessional over the phone - it was like the TV was on loud in the background. I was informed that someone will be with us in 30-40 mins. At 50 mins I called them again and the lady said she would call the driver. I get a call back from a driver saying that they passed the job onto him because the other guy was busy, and that he is physically 40 mins away so we had to wait another 40-50 minutes.
When he finally arrived, he looked at our door and said it was high security, then gave us some nonsense that he would have to drill through the door as he's not allowed to use the alternative method that we've seen a different locksmith use, because it was illegal. Total con.
2. They charged a callout fee, which was advertised on their website that this isn't chargeable.
3. No uniform. Again the website states they are well uniformed
4. They charged extortionate amount of money, not even close to the claim of being 'reasonably priced' on their website. We were charged over £200 for the same job someone else did a few years ago for £90.

We both feel totally conned and we are not that gullible usually. I had a gut feeling that I ignored because of the predicament we were in. This chap has taken full advantage of us when we were in need. AVOID at all cost. I wish I had taken the time to look at Check a Trade to choose a more reputable company but I was in a hurry as needed access to my home and didn't have the time to spend time looking at countless reviews.

Having read the other negative reviews it appears this suspicious ‘company’ is trading in a number of locations. I contacted SamLocksmith.Redhill for a repair to my back door lock. I was quoted a price which doubled after the job was complete and although I did get the locksmith to reduce slightly, it was still well over the original quote. I too found the locksmith pushy and rude. I was told I would be emailed a receipt and warranty- didn’t arrive. Four days after the repair the lock has broken again. We have spent hours trying to get them to come back. Five times they promised to phone back and haven’t. I have suggested we get someone else to repair and charge it to them and they said they wouldn’t pay. They have refused to accept responsibility or fix the issue we have already paid £369 for. I have tried looking into the company and they are not registered as far as I can see although they claim to be insured. There is no email address, no tangible physical address and the contact number changes frequently. I would absolutely avoid this company as I sadly think they are a scam. Planning to contact Trading Standards tomorrow to see if there is anything they can do

Ian came and installed a Samsung electronic lock at our house at Warrimoo first class highly recomend. Ian was very polite and curious thank you for your hard work money well spent

Interesting experience with this locksmith. What I wanted was a replacement lock for the entrance and a lock for the outbuilding.

The chap turned up and initially quoted £375. I eventually got him down to £240. The lock for the property entrance was done and seems to a secure standard (£140). My problem here was damaged walls and the mess left behind due to the work carried out. The door frame now looks very unsightly. I was told nothing of the damage or the impact on the frame if a different latch is fitted.

The outbuilding was eventually fitted with a deadbolt. I provided the padlock and the technician drilled out the screw holes at my request. (£100). This is a lot of money to fit a bolt.

It was only while I was cleaning up after the technician left and surveying the repair/repainting required for the walls adjacent to the door did I start to realise that I had made a mistake and not checked the background of this company, despite leaving a half decent review that only goes direct to the owner, Sam (he doesn't give his surname) which on reflection, I should not have done. (Sam was not the technician on this job).

The following day I spoke to Sam about how I felt. This man is not a listener and is rude. I asked for an email address (not supplied on the website and the messaging link on the site did not work). He insisted on wanting to know who I was first; quite aggressively. He saw that the technician had completed the job and the most interesting thing he said was "you have not been overcharged". I never said I was at this stage. I got the email address and wrote to him my complaint with a suggestion that £80 was knocked off the bill for the damage done to the walls and the cleaning required. The response was equally as rude and did not offer to make good the work required. Instead, he called me a blackmailer.

I looked further into business and saw information that is not listed on the website, such as the accounts address and other pertinent information.

Another really interesting thing about Sam's business is the different websites below. Now here's the thing, Sam told me that there is no address in London Road in Tonbridge, the technicians park there for dispatch (the dispatch point). This may give the impression they have a business there. They don't. In fact if you look at Yell.com and Business Yab they use the address '107 London Road, Tonbridge' which turns out to be the Premier Inn.

To conclude, Sam is running a business and faking addresses. There is no actual email address (I will not give the one he gave me out but it does exist) and they have clearly had complaints of overcharging before judging by his initial response.

Don't expect friendly aftercare and where the website shows "Our Locksmiths are clean cut, well uniformed, well trained, insured and properly equipped". That wasn't entirely true.

They also state

Experienced & Qualified, No call out charge, No hidden charges, Up to 30 minutes response, Affordable locksmith prices, Fast friendly reliable service.

Exercise caution as I have also found out this industry is unregulated and anyone can do it without any vetting or qualification at all. It has been pointed out that they can charge what they like.

These are the four sites Sam has running, there may be more. He obviously has locksmiths on the books running off the numbers listed which go direct to mobile phones, despite them looking local.

On the plus side, the main entrance has made the door more secure.

Check out www locksmiths co uk to be better informed.

Here are 4 of Sam's sites. Put the relevant dots in.

locksmiths-tonbridge co uk
locksmith-kenley co uk
samlocksmithcambridge co uk
locksmithblackheath co uk

I would not recommend, the technician was over 2 hours late and I ended up being charged over double what was originally quoted. When I questioned the price the response I got was extremely hostile and intimidating. This company preys on the fact that you are in a difficult situation and then use your uncertainty and fear to make money. All in all was a terribly negative experience.