Supporting the industry
The Master Locksmiths Association was formed by locksmiths for locksmiths, and this continues to be the essence of the association today. By joining the MLA, you are to helping to support the locksmithing trade and taking a stand to eliminate bad practices and tactics that irrefutably threaten to irrefutably damage the industry.
In an industry where reputation means everything, we’re continually working to raise awareness to those practices that aren’t acting in the interests of locksmithing.
Unfortunately, we continue to receive reports from consumers where they believe they have been a victim of a rogue tradesman. Usually, they believe they have been overcharged, quite often have been subjected to aggressive behaviour and in worst cases left feeling vulnerable and unsafe in their own homes. One common factor amongst these reports is that they found a locksmith using a search engine.
This exact issue was covered in a recent ‘RIP off Britain’ episode, where two consumers had approached the programme with their stories of being ripped off by a locksmith. We were keen to use this this opportunity to turn the discussion to the search engines which are enabling this behaviour pointing out the recent ban Google placed on locksmith ads in some other European countries who had experienced similar issues with rogue advertising. We pointed out the issues which struck a chord with them as it turns out the two case studies had indeed used locksmiths that had been found on Google. We were pleased to see the question being asked as to what the search engines plan to do about this issue, but not surprised with the lack of answers from them. We’re continuing to try to get through to Google but it’s a very difficult nut to crack.
Support your industry. Support the MLA.
A supportive community
By becoming a member of the MLA, you become a member of the community. You’ll be invited to join our Facebook members group, where you’ll be introduced and welcomed by members. This is a positive group where you can share ideas and concerns, and ask questions. If you’re not a member you can still join our general Facebook group where you’ll be updated regularly with upcoming events, training, and campaigns.
There is no doubt that this supportive community is at the heart of the association and our regional meetings are the perfect example of this community in action. Our regional meetings offer a great opportunity to network, take advantage of some free training and get up to speed with industry advancements.
Our London region meet every 2nd Wednesday of the month at the Moby Dick in Romford. Their Christmas Dinner will be held on December the 14th at the same venue – everyone welcome.
The Midland region recently met for a successful, jam-packed weekend in Solihull, with very informative, hands-on product demonstrations and training from ABUS. One member even won himself an all-expenses paid trip to Germany.
“Thanks very much all for the brilliant Midland Region Meeting. Brilliant to meet everyone again…”
“…These types of gatherings are the beating heart of the association, in my opinion …”
All members and non-members are welcome at our regional meetings, so please come and join the one closest to you to find out what we’re all about. Please follow us on Facebook for all the latest regional meeting news.
Helping you grow. Being an MLA approved company can really pay off.
All our approved companies are given a page on our website linking from our ‘find a locksmith’ search function. This can not only help to boost your business, but also means we can offer consumers a place to come to find a locksmith with the peace of mind they are vetted, inspected and qualified.
Here’s what a few of our newest approved companies had to say:
“Already receiving around three queries a day through MLA – three converted to jobs already!” K G Key Services
“Had my newly approved company listed on the MLA “find a locksmith” page for no less than 4 days had 5 enquires resulting in 4 jobs. What a brilliant start. Nearly the subs paid for already. Thank you.” Lloyd Morgan, London Locks
We realise that, especially for smaller businesses, it is increasingly hard to invest a lot of time branding and marketing your business that’s why, as well as marketing your business through our own website, we will soon be offering tools to help our approved company members market their businesses.
Helping you grow your skills
Now is a great time to invest in some new skills and expand your business.
We are investing more and more in new courses which offer existing members an opportunity to hone their skills, diversify and scale their business.
Our newest course – Fire Door Maintenance has been very successful and will run again in the New Year. Due to the nature of the course, we can only offer spaces to MLA members.
“Eye opening, informative and very professionally run. A must for any locksmith working on fire doors. Ignorance is no excuse.” Lloyd Morgan
“I found the course to be very well-run and structured in such a way that the subject matter was fully understood, which has given me the confidence to carry out works on the fire doors, knowing that I am doing it and the correct way. The week after the course I carried out, works to a door which I would not have felt competent to undertake had I not completed the course. I would recommend anyone who carries out work on timber fire doors to take this training course.” Barry Fitzgerald
“The course was very informative, and it is good to have the knowledge of what you can and can’t do when working on fire doors, especially with the new regulations coming into force in January.” – Daniel Herbert
Our Van Lock Fitting and High Security Cylinder courses have been very popular and well attended and so will also be returning in the New Year.
We will be running a project management course which can help those that already work with larger commercial contracts or want to get into this type of work, to manage them smoothly and have awareness of all the relevant regulations.
We also expect to launch a series of courses aimed at giving you and your team skills to run your business more effectively from branding, marketing, and finance.
Offering training and qualifications is one way the MLA is helping to raise standards in the industry.
Saving you money
Another less known benefit of the association is the offers, deals and discounts we give to our members. Make some great savings on tools, insurance, vehicle breakdown and even computer equipment.
The savings you make can really add up for example we have helped our members save an average of £231 per vehicle on business breakdown cover.
Members can log into their member area by visiting locksmiths.co.uk and clicking ‘Login’ at the top right.
Expo
MLA Expo is another fantastic networking event and a brilliant opportunity to meet new people, find out about some new products and practices.
A range of seminars and training will be available at the event, details of which and booking will be launched very soon. Please follow MLA Expo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn to keep up with all the latest news and early registration access.
If you’d like to exhibit, please email Justin.freeman@locksmiths.co.uk today, space is limited and filling up fast.
Love it Lock it. Be sure its Sold Secure.
Administered by the Master Locksmith Association, Sold Secure is dedicated to reducing the risk of crime by the assessment of security products through manual attack testing. We are very pleased to report that building regulations covering door security (PAS 24) for new build homes now include Sold Secure approved lock cylinders and security handles or escutcheons.
SS 312 has now been referenced in the latest version of PAS 24 along with SS 301 Specification for Mechanical Security Systems for Domestic Buildings. You can choose a SS 312 Diamond cylinder that needs no protection from a security handle or escutcheon or a SS 312 Gold cylinder supported by a SS 301 Bronze security handle or escutcheon. The reference can be found in PAS 24 2022.
www.locksmiths.co.uk