For anyone seeking to engage a tradesperson, trust is a crucial consideration.

For jobs large and small, customers demand it. For anyone in business, reputation is everything. We’ve worked long and hard to establish our good name. For obvious reasons, this is something we’re VERY protective of.

Taking this into account, we’ve been disturbed to hear about a scam that our friends at the Master Locksmiths Association have brought to our attention. It’s one that can have damaging consequences for the public and locksmithing community alike and is one we feel the need to warn our customers and peers about.

Those responsible are setting up websites and companies with names that are very similar to those of existing, reputable and legitimate locksmiths. In some cases, the fraudsters claim to represent an established business and even provide the genuine contact details of an unwitting locksmith in order to aid their deception.

It goes without saying that such people are neither reputable nor trustworthy, which means that those duped often end up with an inferior job that can have obvious implications for their security and safety. This leads to complaints to the legitimate locksmith, who despite having played no part in the episode, can see a longstanding reputation for honesty, skill and integrity suffer. For our own sake – and for that of the public – it’s important that we make a stand.

Those who target the vulnerable, like those who blacken the name of our industry, must be stopped.

If YOU need a locksmith, there are precautions that can be taken to ensure that the chosen tradesperson is legitimate. The Master Locksmiths Association recommends that customers always double check to ascertain who it is they’re dealing with. This is sound advice.

Use contact details that you have found yourself rather than those that have been supplied to you. Our telephone number is 0330 1005313 (you could save this onto your phone, which might prove useful should you ever require a locksmith), our email address is hello@williamchannon.co.uk and there’s an online form that can be used to get in touch via our website. Our details – like those of all reputable and legitimate members – are listed on the MLA website. Legitimate locksmiths should have no problem with customers seeking to verify their details. It’s a sensible move and, like the MLA, we always advise people to double check credentials before doing anything else.

In doing so, we aim to safeguard our reputation, ensure that trust in our skilled staff remains intact and protect the public.

You can trust in William Channon. Long may that continue.