Questions people ask first

You speak to a locksmith, not a call centre. You say what has happened, what sort of door it is and where you are, and the price is agreed on that call before anyone sets off.

ESL Locksmiths covers Herne Hill, Crystal Palace, Sydenham, Norwood, Gypsy Hill, Brixton, Clapham, Balham and Wandsworth.

Non destructive entry comes first wherever it is possible, which means the door and the lock stay as they are and you are not paying for a new one.

Some locks cannot be opened that way. Where drilling is the only route you are told on the phone, before anyone sets off, rather than on the doorstep once someone is standing there.

The price is agreed on the phone. You say what has happened, what sort of door it is and where you are, and you get the figure before anyone sets off.

If the figure is not right for you, nothing happens and nobody travels.

Telling you what the job involves and what it costs is part of the call. The price is agreed before any work starts, so you know the figure before a van moves and before anyone touches the door.

ESL Locksmiths covers Herne Hill, Crystal Palace, Sydenham, Norwood, Gypsy Hill, Brixton, Clapham, Balham and Wandsworth.

If you are somewhere else in south London, call and say where you are.

Often it can, and without replacing the lock. A snapped key is one of the jobs non destructive entry is for.

Say what sort of door it is when you call. A uPVC door on a multipoint mechanism and a wooden door on a mortice lock are two different jobs with two different prices.

Burglary repairs are one of the four things ESL Locksmiths does. Call and say what has been forced or damaged and what sort of door it is.

The price for making it secure is agreed on that call, before anyone sets off.

It often is. A uPVC door that lifts but will not throw its lock, or that has gone stiff against the frame, usually points at the multipoint mechanism rather than the cylinder.

uPVC door and window mechanisms are one of the four things ESL Locksmiths does. Say what the door is doing when you call.

The same business you spoke to on the phone. ESL Locksmiths is DBS checked and trained by the Master Locksmiths Association.