Always Use a Locksmith You Can Trust

Choosing a locksmith wisely is made all too important when considering the case against the ‘Rogue’ Locksmith.

In 2002 there were an increased surge in complaints about various lockmsith companies all stemming from the same person. A professional locksmith would be able to skillfully and lawfully enter your home using various professional techniques, however this particular ‘locksmith’ was using destructive practices to enter the property, often destroying locks and damaging doors int he process. This resulted in them charging highly inflated fees to fix the excessive damage.

After many setups to catch the culprit, he was finally brought to justice after 8 years of chasing and investigating. In many cases stooges were used to prove how unethical their practices were. in one case, an elderly lady was quoted £50 but in the end, charged over 10 times that amount after fixing the damage that they had caused. The final bill being a huge £470.

In 2003, complaints were still coming in about the same company and after an appearance on BBC’s rogue traders he simply changed the name of the company to further aid with his disguise.

In 2005 he was again featured on Rogue Traders having taken £800 from an elderly lady, but merely boasted about the amount of money he was making.

It wasn’t until 2007 and after changing his company name again to Pronto Locksmiths when he again tried to rip off an elderly gentleman. Increasing the initial £250 quote to over £1100. He also fitted sub standard locks that failed to pass the home insurance minimum requirement.

Trading standards were now on the case and would enforce the Fraud Act to finally bring him to justice and face his crimes. He therefore had to be caught red handed and in 2008 his locksmith days came to an end after secret recordings finally caught him in the act of defrauding people.

A trading standards officer was used to catch the locksmith out and they staged a simple repair that was proved by an actual professional locksmith to be a simple job. The initial £110 quoted amount soon rose to £460 after he destroyed the lock and chagred £270 for a replacement, which was only worth £36.

This crucial evidence along with the endless other complaints proved to be enough to warrant a conviction. The locksmith was charged and sentenced to 4 years in prison along with a hefty £700,000 fine.