Overcharged by a Locksmith? Get Your Money Back

Call your bank — do this first

Credit card over £100 — Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Your card issuer is jointly liable. Call the number on the back of your card and say "I wish to make a Section 75 claim — the price charged was significantly different from the price agreed."

Debit card — chargeback. Call your bank and say "I wish to raise a chargeback — the price charged was significantly different from the price agreed on the phone."

Report to Trading Standards

Call Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 — free, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. They log your complaint and refer it to Trading Standards. Give them the company name you called, the company name on your invoice, the amount quoted, and the amount charged. Mention the phone number you called.

Trading Standards can prosecute under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. The more reports they receive about the same company — the faster they act.

Report to Action Fraud

Report online at reportfraud.police.uk — include the phone number you called, the website URL, and the company name on your invoice. All three pieces help investigators connect incidents across the country.

Reports go to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. Enough reports about the same company can trigger a National Crime Agency investigation.

💰 Report VAT fraud to HMRC

Check the VAT number on your invoice at gov.uk/check-uk-vat-number. If it does not exist or does not match the company name — call HMRC on 0800 788 887. Free. Anonymous. HMRC can freeze accounts and pursue directors personally.

Full VAT fraud guide →

Report the phone number to Ofcom

Text the scam number to 7726 — free from any UK mobile. This reports the number directly to your network provider who shares it with Ofcom. Enough reports and the number gets blocked at network level across all UK networks.

You can also report at ofcom.org.uk. Ofcom's Organised Crime Communications unit can disconnect entire virtual number networks used for systematic fraud.

Report the Google Maps listing

On the Google Maps listing — scroll down and tap Report a problem → This place doesn't exist or The information is wrong. Report each fake review by tapping the three dots next to it → Report review → Fake or spam.

Visual guide to reporting Google listings →

Report to Companies House

If you have the company name from your invoice — search for it on Companies House and report suspicious activity at report.companieshouse.gov.uk. Include the company number, the invoice details, and the amount overcharged.

Companies House can flag suspicious companies on the register and refer to enforcement agencies including HMRC and the National Crime Agency.

Taking a locksmith to small claims court

If your bank chargeback is refused or the amount is too large for a chargeback — you can take the company to the Small Claims Court for amounts up to £10,000. The process is simple, no solicitor is needed, and the court fee is low relative to the amount claimed.

You will need — your invoice, proof of the price quoted on the phone (a recording if you have one, or a note of what was said), and evidence of the company registration from Companies House. File at gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money.

A County Court Judgment against a company — like the two CCJs recorded against Definitive Trading Ltd in 2026 — is a matter of public record and appears on Companies House. It makes future enforcement significantly easier.

Know the company name from your invoice?

Search the bad actors database — 120+ rogue operators documented with Companies House details, phone numbers, and consumer harm evidence.

Search the Database →

Report a rogue locksmith — and get your money back

Taking a locksmith to small claims court