Terms of Service

1. About these terms

These terms apply to every locksmith service we provide — whether booked by phone, WhatsApp, the website contact form, or in person. By instructing us to attend or carry out work, you agree to these terms.

We are Locksmith South London Ltd, trading as Locksmith South London. Our registered address is Unit F1 C/O S & B Accountants Limited, 129 Mile End Road, London E1 4BG, United Kingdom. Companies House number: 16761636.

By accepting a quote and instructing us to attend, you enter into a legally binding contract with us under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

Nothing in these terms reduces your rights as a consumer under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 or the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation & Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

2. Booking a job

A booking is confirmed when:

1. You provide us with the address, the problem, and your contact number; and
2. We confirm a price band and a target arrival time by phone, WhatsApp or email.

For emergencies (lockouts, break-in repairs), we aim to arrive within 30 minutes across South London — but traffic, weather and demand mean this is a target, not a guarantee.

3. Pricing & quotes

We give a clear price before any work starts. The locksmith arriving at your address will inspect the problem and confirm the final price in writing (text, WhatsApp or printed on the invoice) before touching the lock.

• Call-out: No call-out fee for jobs we proceed with within South London.
• Quoted price: The price agreed on the doorstep is the price you pay, unless the job changes scope (for example, a different lock is needed than initially expected) — in which case we re-quote and you can decline.
• Out-of-hours: We do not surcharge for evening or weekend work as standard. Bank holidays and overnight emergency call-outs may attract a clearly-stated supplement, agreed before work begins.
• Estimates online or by phone: Any pricing on our website or quoted before inspection is an estimate based on typical work; the on-site quote is the binding figure.
• Cancellation: If you cancel an emergency call-out after we have dispatched but before the locksmith arrives, a flat £70 dispatch fee applies. See §9.3 for full details.

4. Payment

• Payment is due on completion of the job.
• We accept card and cash. There is no discount for cash and no surcharge for card.
• Card payments are processed via our secure provider; we do not store full card details.
• For approved commercial/landlord clients we may agree to invoice on account in writing — see below.
• For approved invoiced clients, payment terms are 14 days from invoice date. Late payment may incur statutory interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.
• Receipts and VAT invoices (where applicable) are emailed on request.

5. Access & preparation

To carry out the work safely and efficiently, you (or an authorised representative) must:

• Be 18 or over and present at the property when we arrive (or arrange agreed access).
• Provide proof you are entitled to enter or modify the lock — see Section 11.
• Tell us about anything that affects the job (alarm sensors on the door, pets, dependants present, listed-building restrictions, recent attempted burglary, etc.).
• Move fragile items away from the work area where reasonable.

6. Non-destructive entry, and when destruction is necessary

Wherever possible, we use non-destructive techniques (picking, bypass, decoding) to open locks without damage. This protects your existing lock so it can continue to be used.

Some scenarios require destructive entry, including but not limited to:

• High-security anti-pick / anti-snap cylinders that resist non-destructive opening within a reasonable time.
• Locks that have been damaged or seized by attempted forced entry.
• Situations where speed is critical (e.g. medical urgency, child or vulnerable adult locked inside).
• Where you specifically authorise us to drill or cut to save time.

We will explain the options (and their cost differences) on the doorstep before deciding. Where destructive entry is needed, the cylinder/lock will be replaced and the cost of the replacement is included in the agreed quote.

7. Workmanship guarantee

We guarantee our workmanship for 12 months from the date of completion.

If a lock we have fitted or repaired develops a fault caused by our work within that period, we will return and put it right at no charge. The guarantee covers our labour. It does not cover:

• Damage caused by misuse, force, or attempted forced entry after we left.
• Wear-and-tear of an existing lock we did not supply.
• Adjustments needed because the door, frame or hinges later move (e.g. seasonal swelling, settlement) — we are happy to attend, but this is chargeable.
• Modifications carried out by another locksmith or DIY work after our visit.

8. Parts warranty

All parts we install carry a 12-month warranty from the date of installation against manufacturing or fitting defects. This sits alongside our 12-month workmanship guarantee in §7.

The warranty covers the part itself and our labour to refit a replacement. It does not cover damage caused by force, attempted entry, misuse, or by other works carried out on the door after our visit. We will assist with manufacturer warranty claims at no charge.

9. Cancellations & the 14-day right

9.1 Standard cancellation

You can cancel a booked job before our locksmith has been dispatched without any charge. Once the locksmith is on site and has begun the agreed work, the agreed price is payable in full. Cancellations after dispatch but before arrival are covered by §9.3.

9.2 The 14-day cancellation right

Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, when you book a service off-premises (online or by phone), you have the right to cancel within 14 days (Regulation 29). However, by asking us to start emergency work immediately you expressly consent to us beginning the service before the 14-day period ends. If the service is fully performed within that period, the right to cancel is lost (Regulation 36 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013).

9.4 Refunds

Once a job has been completed and signed off, the agreed price is non-refundable, except where we have failed to perform the service competently or have caused a fault that falls within our 12-month workmanship guarantee (§7). Buyer's remorse, change of mind, or post-completion disputes about scope (where the price was clearly agreed before work began) are not grounds for a refund.

Where work is genuinely faulty within the guarantee period, we will return and put it right at no charge. We do not refund the original payment in lieu of returning to fix the work — but we will if no fix is possible.

For any concern, please use the complaints procedure in §12 before raising a payment dispute (see §13).

To cancel a non-emergency, scheduled job, email info@locksmithsouthlondon.com stating the booking reference.

9.3 Cancellation after dispatch — £70 dispatch fee

When you book an emergency job, we commit a locksmith, a vehicle and a full tool kit to your call within minutes — and we turn down other booking requests for that time slot. If you cancel after we have dispatched and our locksmith is en route to your address, a flat £70 dispatch fee applies.

• No fee is charged if you cancel before our locksmith has been dispatched.
• No fee is charged for non-emergency / scheduled jobs cancelled before the booked appointment window.
• The £70 fee is invoiced on the day of cancellation and is payable within 7 days. We accept card and cash.
• We will never charge more than £70 for a cancellation; only the agreed price applies once work has begun on site.

10. Our liability

We are fully insured for public liability. Our total liability for any claim is limited as follows:

• For damage we cause to your property by negligence: up to the limit of our public liability insurance, currently £2,000,000 per claim.
• For loss of or damage to the lock or door we are working on: up to the cost of like-for-like replacement.
• For other foreseeable losses arising from our breach: up to the value of the work performed for that booking.

We do not exclude or limit liability for:

• Death or personal injury caused by our negligence.
• Fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.
• Anything else that cannot be lawfully limited under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 or other UK law.

We are not liable for indirect, special or consequential losses (lost profits, lost data, lost opportunities) where the loss was not reasonably foreseeable when the contract was made.

11. Identity & authority to instruct

Locksmith work touches the security of someone's home or business, so we need to be sure you are entitled to instruct it. We may ask you for:

• Photo ID (driving licence or passport).
• Proof of address — a utility bill, council tax bill, or tenancy agreement.
• For commercial premises: business ID and confirmation you have authority over the door.
• For shared/HMO properties: written permission from the landlord or freeholder where the work changes locks for the whole property.

We reserve the right to decline a job if we cannot satisfy ourselves that the person instructing us is entitled to do so. This protects you, your neighbours, and us.

12. Complaints procedure

If something has gone wrong, we want the chance to put it right.

1. Contact us first — email info@locksmithsouthlondon.com or call 0208 050 2017 and explain the problem. We will acknowledge within 2 working days.
2. Investigation — we will investigate and respond in writing within 14 working days, with our findings and any remedy offered.
3. Resolution — most issues are resolved at this stage at no cost to you.
4. If you remain unhappy — you may refer the dispute to an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider or to the small claims court. England & Wales courts have non-exclusive jurisdiction.

13. Payment disputes & chargebacks

Before raising a chargeback or payment dispute with your bank or card issuer, please contact us first using the complaints procedure in §12. Almost every dispute we have ever seen was resolved with a single phone call.

• We aim to acknowledge a payment query within 2 working days and resolve it within 14 working days.
• If you do raise a chargeback in good faith, we will respond promptly with our records (booking confirmation, work-completed sign-off, photos where applicable) and let your bank decide.
• We will never threaten you, charge fees, or restrict service for using your statutory dispute rights.
• Where a chargeback is raised without any prior contact and turns out to lack grounds, we may pursue the unpaid balance through the small-claims court — but this is a last resort, not a default response.

This clause does not waive your statutory rights under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (Section 75), the Payment Services Regulations 2017, or your bank's chargeback scheme.

14. Privacy

How we handle your personal data is set out in our Privacy Policy.

15. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The version that applies to your booking is the version published on our website at the time you instructed us.

16. Governing law & jurisdiction

These terms and any dispute arising from them are governed by the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have non-exclusive jurisdiction.

17. Contact

Questions about these terms?

• Email: info@locksmithsouthlondon.com
• Phone: 0208 050 2017
• WhatsApp: wa.me/442080502017
• Post: Locksmith South London Ltd, Unit F1 C/O S & B Accountants Limited, 129 Mile End Road, London E1 4BG, United Kingdom