Hiring a professional locksmith in Doha whether for commercial or residential services can be challenging. The locksmith you hire needs to be experienced, skilled, trustworthy, and legitimate. Many locksmith companies that exist online do not exist in reality or are much different than their online persona. You need to do your research and cover all the bases before you choose to hire a locksmith in Doha. ServiceMarket provides you with the best tips to follow when hiring a professional locksmith:
Start Looking Online for Doha Locksmiths
To find a list of local Doha locksmiths, try looking online first. Visit a few websites and read about the type of services each company offers. A company website will let you know whether the company offers commercial, residential, or car locksmith services. You can also judge the professionalism of the company, and perhaps even find out how tech savvy they are, by the look at their website. One way to go through this research step is by looking up companies on an online marketplace like ServiceMarket. ServiceMarket partners with multiple reputable locksmiths in the city and brings you free quotes and verified customer reviews at the click of a few buttons.
Call the Company
Before making a trip to see the legitimacy of the company, make a phone call to their office. Usually, but not always, you can tell if a company is legitimate and professional by the way the company employee answers the phone call.
Visit the Office in Doha
Visiting the office that is provided online by a company will allow you to see if the company, in fact, exists the way it is described online. There are two types of locksmiths generally. The first type is your old school locksmith who works out of a small story somewhere in a more industrial part of town. Typically, this locksmith can help you install door locks and will cut keys for you. The second type of locksmith is a locksmith company. These companies are more professional and often have several skilled locksmiths working for them. These locksmith companies often work out of offices, make appointments, and can be part of a chain of stores. What you can learn from visiting these offices is how modern and professional the service provider is.
Check if the Locksmith is Licensed in Doha
Asking about licensing is of critical importance in the case of hiring a locksmith. When you hire a locksmith to secure your home, business, or car, you are also giving them access to these parts of your life. You need to make sure the company you are dealing with is trustworthy and that all services meet legal requirements. In most areas, a locksmith is not licensed to practice the trade unless they meet specific training requirements as well as pass a criminal check. When you hire a licensed locksmith, you are minimising the chance of having something go wrong with the service.
Ask your Doha Locksmith about Experience and Training
When you are looking to hire any person to complete a service, you need to make sure they can do it right. Ask the locksmith company what type of training they provide their employees and how many hours of service experience the employee will have. Hiring an experienced locksmith means you are more likely to get better service with no damage to your belongings.
Ask for Quotes
Once you’ve found a few locksmith companies in Doha that peak your interest, you need to ask them for a quote. You may have already been given a verbal estimate for the services you require. However, you should not hire the locksmith without first getting a written quote. A written quote will be beneficial in many ways. First, the quote allows you to compare services and pricing between different companies. Also, if you chose to hire the locksmith, they will not be able to add any extra or hidden costs if they gave you a quote in writing. Generally, a quote is somewhat of a guarantee that you can dispute any additional charges.
Ask your Locksmith for Company Identification
Reputable locksmith companies will almost always provide their employees with a proper uniform and a picture identification badge that comes with a serial number. It may seem like overkill, but when it comes to letting someone take over the security of your home or business, you cannot be too careful. Directly ask your locksmith for their company ID, write down their badge number and then call the company to verify that they sent this employee.
Beware of Drilling!
A good locksmith will try every possible solution before they start drilling your locks open. If that is the locksmith’s go-to option, you should kindly ask them to leave as they have no idea what they are doing.
Be Aware of Common Locksmith Scams
Do your due diligence when you are looking for a locksmith and never hire a locksmith quickly. Many fake locksmith companies have turned up in the last few years that offer emergency services. These companies are really just a group of people with some lock picking equipment who prey on people in need. You might find yourself locked out of your home or car one day. You will call up one of these companies in a rush, they will give you a low estimate on the phone, then after completing the service, they will ask for much more money, and you will most likely pay it. The best way to avoid scammers is to find a trustworthy locksmith to call in case of emergencies rather than finding any company and making a split-second decision.
ServiceMarket provides you with a list of legitimate, licensed, and accredited locksmiths in Doha.
