You get locked out on a Sunday. You search "locksmith near me" and call the first number. They quote 50 dollars over the phone. Forty minutes later you're staring at a bill for 700 because the lock "had" to be drilled.
This is the single most common story we hear, and it's getting worse. The locksmith's own trade body tracks it, and reports of scam locksmiths are up sharply in the last few years. Google had to remove more than ten thousand fake locksmith listings. In Australia, 9News has run the exact same story. A cheap quote, a "complicated" job, a bill that looks nothing like the original.
Here's why it matters for you. When your partner or your neighbour googles a locksmith in an emergency, they're not shopping around. They're stressed and they're desperate. And desperate people get taken.
The three ways rogue locksmiths trap you
The bait. The price they quote on the phone is almost always too low to be real. It gets you to say yes. Then everything after that is extra. Real locksmiths quote on what they can actually see, and an honest one will tell you the price can shift if something's hidden.
The drill. This is the big one. Drilling a lock is loud, messy, and it destroys the hardware. It's also the most profitable part of the job for a rogue operator, because once it's done you owe them the new lock on top. A genuine locksmith will try to get you in without the drill first. Reader tools, picks, a wedge. It takes a few extra minutes but it saves your door and your wallet. If someone reaches for the drill before they've even tried the simple stuff, that's your signal to stop.
The add-ons. New locks, "upgraded" hardware, safety extras you never asked for. The bill gets loaded up after they're already standing in your hallway.
How to spot a real locksmith before you call
Google your suburb and the word "locksmith" before you dial, and read the reviews properly. Scam profiles have reviews that all sound the same, usually posted in a rush. Look for detail. Something specific about a job, a suburb, a name. "Keys cut faster than my coffee" tells you more than five stacked five-star ratings.
Check they're actually local. A surprising number of the flashiest "Melbourne locksmith" ads are call centres answering from overseas. If the number doesn't feel local, or they won't give you a street address, treat it with suspicion.
And ask the question out loud before they start. "Will you drill if you don't have to, and what exactly does your price cover?" A real locksmith answers that straight. A rogue one goes vague.
What a fair lockout actually costs
Nobody likes guessing prices, so here's an honest range for a Melbourne lockout during business hours, roughly 125 to 300 dollars before parts. After-hours costs more, and that's fair, because the tradesperson has given up their evening. But there's a gap between that and 700 dollars for someone who was quoted 49.
If the worst happens and you're already trapped in a bad job, you can push back. Ask for an itemised breakdown. Refuse to pay for work you didn't approve. And tell the phone number to the people you know, because word about the bad ones spreads fast.
We answer the phone ourselves at King Kobbler, on 0413 350 744. If it's an emergency we'll tell you honestly what it'll cost before anyone drives out, and if we can get you in without drilling, we will. The drill is the last thing we reach for, not the first.