Short answer: every job with us builds up from the same €75 start rate (call-out, travel and VAT). Opening your door adds +€75, so €150 in total during the day and €225 in the evening or at night. A new cylinder adds +€75 for SKG★★ (€150 total during the day) or +€125 for SKG★★★ (€200 total during the day).
The longer answer is more useful, because the interesting part is not the number. It is how the number is
built. Once you understand that, you can tell an honest locksmith from a bait price in about fifteen seconds on the
phone.
The Stacking Model
Every job we do starts at the same base and adds clear steps to it. Nothing appears from nowhere, and the total is
worked out before anyone gets in a van.
| What | Step | Total and what it means |
|---|---|---|
| Start rate | €75 | Call-out, travel and VAT. Never a job on its own: it is the base that every daytime and evening total below builds on. |
| Opening your door | +€75 | €150 total, daytime. The start rate plus the opening itself. |
| New cylinder SKG★★ | +€75 | €150 total, daytime. Cylinder and fitting are inside that step. |
| New cylinder SKG★★★ | +€125 | €200 total, daytime. Cylinder and fitting are inside that step. |
| Evening or night | +€75 | One-off, added on top of the daytime total. Opening your door becomes €225 total. |
| Weekend, daytime | +€0 | No surcharge. A Saturday during the day costs the same as a Tuesday during the day. |
| Extra half hour | +€75 | Only if the job runs longer than the half hour already included, always agreed with you first. Added to the daytime or evening total. |
Read it in one line: start rate €75, plus €75 to open your door, is a €150 total during the day. Evening or night adds one further €75, so €225 total. That is the entire pricing model.
Why We Price It This Way
Because it is the only version that survives contact with a stressed customer at eleven at night.
- You can predict the bill. Two numbers and a time of day give you the total. You do not need to
trust us; you can do the arithmetic yourself. - There is nothing to discover at the door. The call-out, the travel and the VAT are inside the
base, so there is no second conversation once the lock is open. - The same list applies to everyone. No expat rate, no tourist rate, no postcode rate. That
commitment is set out in full on our page for expats. - It is published. Every figure is on the prices page in euros, where you can check
it before you call and hold us to it afterwards.
What a Bait Price Looks Like
The rogue end of this trade works in the opposite direction: start with a number small enough to stop you shopping
around, then build the real invoice on top of it once the door is open and you are relieved and off guard.
The headline figure is usually just the call-out. Then comes labour, then a supplement because it is evening, then a
new cylinder you are told was unavoidable, and the total lands several times higher than the number that got them to
your address. It is legal-looking, hard to argue with while standing in your own hallway, and it is the single most
common complaint in this trade.
The tell is always the same. An honest locksmith gives you a total. A rogue one gives you a starting point. If the answer to “what will this cost me in total?” is anything other than a number, you have your answer.
If you have already been caught by one, scammed by a locksmith? This is what you should do now sets out
what you can still do about it.
What an Honest Quote Sounds Like
It is short, and it contains a total. Something like: “Opening your front door during the day is
€150 in total. That includes the call-out, the travel and the VAT. If the cylinder has to be replaced I will tell
you the price before I touch it.”
Notice what is in there: one number, what it covers, and what would change it, stated in advance rather than
discovered afterwards.
Questions to Ask on the Phone
Four questions, thirty seconds, and you will know exactly who you are dealing with.
- “What is the total, in euros, for this job?” Not the call-out, not a starting point.
The total. - “Does that include VAT and the call-out?” If it does not, ask what the number becomes
once they are added. - “Is there a surcharge at this time of day?” Ours is a single €75 in the evening
or at night, and nothing at all at the weekend during the day. - “What would make the price go up, and will you tell me before you do it?” The honest
answer is short and specific.
What the Price Does Not Include
Two honest caveats, so nothing here reads better than it is.
- Unusually long jobs. The first half hour is inside the total. If a job genuinely runs beyond it,
that is €75 per extra half hour, agreed with you before we carry on. - Heavier or specialist work. Multi-point locks, unusual cylinder sizes and security door furniture
are quoted before we start, never afterwards.
One thing we are always straight about: we do not cut keys. If you are safely indoors and just want a spare cut, a local shoemaker or key service will do it faster and cheaper than we could. If your lock is a certificate lock such as M&C or Nuki, original new keys can be reordered through the manufacturer: call or WhatsApp us with the certificate to hand and we place the order, then deliver or post them. The manufacturer sets the terms, so we cannot promise a price or a delivery time in advance.
Will Your Insurance Cover It?
Sometimes, and it is worth checking before you pay. Break-in damage is usually covered by Dutch home insurance,
while a lockout normally is not. We set the whole thing out, with a three-question checker, in
does home insurance cover a locksmith? Coverage always depends on your own policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a locksmith cost in the Netherlands?
With us it stacks up from one base. The start rate is 75 euro, which covers the call-out, the travel and the VAT. Opening your door adds 75 euro, so 150 euro total during the day. A new SKG two-star cylinder adds 75 euro, so 150 euro total during the day; an SKG three-star cylinder adds 125 euro, so 200 euro total during the day.
Is the start rate charged on top of the price?
No. It is the base the total is built from, not a separate bill. When we quote you 150 euro to open your door during the day, the start rate is already inside that number.
What does a locksmith cost in the evening or at night?
One further 75 euro is added on top of the daytime total. Opening your door becomes 225 euro total in the evening or at night. A weekend during the day carries no surcharge at all.
Is anything ever added to the total afterwards?
One thing only: 75 euro for an extra half hour, added to the daytime or evening total, and only if the job runs longer than the half hour already included. We agree that with you before we carry on, never afterwards.
Why do some locksmiths advertise much lower prices?
Because a low headline figure stops you comparing. It is usually a call-out fee only, with the labour, the parts and an out-of-hours supplement added once the door is open. Ask for the full total in euros before anyone sets off, and you will find out very quickly which kind of company you are speaking to.
Ask Us for a Total
Tell us what has happened and where you are, and you will get the full figure in euros before anyone sets off.
📞 Call 085 4000 911💬 WhatsApp us💰 See all prices
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