JOHN'S  LOCK  &  KEY

So just how does one set a fair price?  In terms of the locksmith trade, we have what is called a flat rate manual.  This essentially tells us how long it takes to do several common locksmith tasks.  All that one needs to do at that point is to plug in an hourly rate and one has their prices.  For example, the flat rate manual state​s that a rekey takes 15 minutes.  So, if I plug in a fair hourly rate for my area (say $80 per hour) then I will charge $20 for each rekey.  All that really matters in terms of Ethics here is that I keep all of my charges in correct proportion to one another.

A common pricing scam is to advertise a disproportionately low rate for a common service and then charge a disproportionately high rate for all other services.  For example, if a locksmith charges $80 per hour then their trip charge should be $64 and their rekey charge $20.  What a scam locksmith commonly does is to charge say $32 (a $40 per hour rate) for a trip and then $40 (a $160 per hour rate) for a rekey.  And they advertise the low trip charge (a one time charge) and fail to advertise the high rekey charge (with the aver​age job having 4 rekeys).  Thus the bill of an ethical locksmith for a 4 rekey job is $144 with the bill of a scam locksmith being $192! 

All of John's Lock & Key labor prices are based directly on the locksmith flat rate manual and an $80 per hour rate.  We do only charge $60 per trip (rather than $64) and only $30 for a drop by key cutting service.  Yet this is because we are a mobile service and want to keep access to our services affordable.