Pricing, explained honestly
Locksmith Prices in King City
Nobody can quote a precise number without knowing the job, and anyone who does is guessing. Here is exactly what moves the price, so you can judge any quote you are given.
How we quote
A Range On The Phone, Before Anyone Drives
And the same number on the invoice.
Our practice is simple. You describe the job, we ask two or three specific questions, and you get a price range before we get in a vehicle. If what we find is materially different from the description, you hear about it before any work starts — not afterwards.
That is not generosity, it is how a trade that wants repeat customers has to operate. The alternative — a teaser number on the phone and a real number once a technician is standing at your door — is the business model this industry is famous for, and it is the reason a page like this needs to exist at all.
The twenty-nine-dollar callout you see advertised is not a price. It is a way of getting a vehicle to your door before the price is discussed.
What moves the price
Six Factors, In Order Of Impact
Every honest locksmith quote in Ontario turns on these.
Time of day
A 2 p.m. Tuesday call and a 2 a.m. Sunday call are not the same job. After-hours, weekend and holiday rates are higher everywhere — the difference is whether you are told up front.
Distance
King City village, Nobleton, Schomberg and a concession road north of Kettleby are very different drives. On a rural callout the travel is a real part of the cost and we say so.
Hardware grade
A basic knobset and a Grade 1 commercial mortise lock differ by an order of magnitude in parts cost alone. See high-security locks.
Key type
A basic transponder key, a laser-cut high-security blade and a proximity smart key sit at very different price points, and the programming equipment differs too.
Door and frame condition
If the frame has dropped or the strike no longer aligns, the carpentry is part of the job — and skipping it means the problem comes back. See door repair.
How many cylinders or keys
Rekeying five doors keyed alike costs far less per door than five separate visits, and a second car key cut in the same session costs a fraction of a separate one.
Where people overpay
Four Ways To Spend Less Without Losing Anything
Rekey instead of replacing. If the hardware works and the only problem is who holds a key, rekeying gives you exactly the same outcome for a fraction of the cost. If somebody recommends replacement when nothing is wrong with the hardware, ask them why.
Do every door in one visit. The callout is the fixed cost. Five cylinders rekeyed in one visit costs far less than three now and two next month.
Make two car keys, not one. The programming session is already open. A second key in the same session is a small addition; a separate visit later is a whole new job.
Book non-urgent work during the day. Rekeys, upgrades, spare keys and commercial maintenance do not need an after-hours rate. We will tell you when something can wait until Tuesday.
And the one thing that saves the most
✓ Get a spare car key while you still have a working one.
✓ Duplication and all-keys-lost are different jobs at different prices.
✓ Keep the spare somewhere other than the same keyring.
✓ Rekey at every change of tenant or owner.
✓ Fix the strike plate before buying an expensive cylinder.
✓ Deal with a stiff key before it snaps in the barrel.
Almost every expensive job we attend was a cheap one a year earlier.
After hours
Why Night Work Costs More Everywhere
Every trade in Ontario charges more outside business hours, and locksmithing is no exception. A technician is being woken up, a vehicle is being driven at an hour when nobody else is working, and the job is very rarely convenient.
What varies between companies is not whether there is a premium, but whether you hear about it before or after. We quote the after-hours rate on the phone, before dispatching. If the job can safely wait until morning, we will tell you that too — and a fair number of calls end that way.
If somebody quotes you a suspiciously flat rate at two in the morning, the premium has not disappeared. It has been moved somewhere less visible on the invoice.
What You Should Always Get, At Any Price
A price range before the work starts. A marked vehicle. A technician who can tell you the legal name of the business they work for. An attempt at non-destructive entry on a standard lock before anything is drilled. Your old hardware handed back if it is replaced. And a written, itemised invoice with a real company name on it.
Those six things cost a legitimate business nothing to provide. If any of them are missing, that is the signal — not the number on the quote.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Why will you not give me an exact price on the phone?
Because we do not know what is behind the door yet. We give a range that we honour, and we tell you before starting if what we find is different from what you described.
Is there a callout fee?
There is a callout component in any mobile trade, and it is included in the range we quote. There is no separate surprise line on the invoice.
Do you charge more in Nobleton or Schomberg?
Travel time is a real cost and longer drives cost more. We tell you the range for your location on the phone, not after we arrive.
How do you take payment?
We invoice in writing with the business name on it. Cash-only with no paperwork is the hallmark of the operations this industry is known for, and it is not how we work.
Is a locksmith cheaper than a dealership for car keys?
Usually, and often significantly, because there is no tow and no list-price parts markup. For a small number of models the dealer is the right route and we say so.
Can you quote a rekey for my whole house?
Yes, over the phone. Tell us how many exterior doors and whether you want them keyed alike, and you will get a range you can rely on.
Service area
We Come To You
We are a mobile service — there is no shop counter to drive to. King City is our base, and we cover King Township and northern York Region.
Not on the list? If you are anywhere in York Region, call and ask.
Locked Out? We Answer The Phone.
24/7 mobile locksmith service across King City, Nobleton, Schomberg and York Region. Real prices on the phone, a marked vehicle at your door, and a written invoice when we are done.