One of the best reasons to be an MLA member is that, as a member, you are recognised as being part of a trusted and well-established association.
This only works however, when consumers – your customers – know who we are, what we stand for and use us when they need a locksmith.
We are doing a lot of work to raise awareness of the organisation to consumers, your customers.
Since November 2020 the Master Locksmith Association has secured coverage in numerous national titles including Mirror, Daily Express, This is Money, Wales online and on Radio 4. We estimate coverage has generated over 2.58 million online views and reached 1.4 million offline audiences.
We will be supporting this activity with increased amounts of awareness in the social space – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, to educate consumers on home security and to position the Master Locksmiths Association as the destination for trusted security knowledge, advice and skilled locksmiths.
Unfortunately, we are increasingly seeing more and more consumers – at least one per day – submitting their experiences with what they believe are 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. Whilst, without regulation, there is very little we can do for these people other than point them in the direction of trading standards and their local MP – we can raise consumer awareness to the situation. This is one area we will be focusing our media attention on in the coming months.
The government debate which took place on the 22nd of September 2021 included discussions about the rogue trader element of the industry and the lack of regulation. As expected, the government’s view of not needing any government run regulation has not changed but the debate worked extremely well in terms of establishing and embedding the Master Locksmith Association in the minds of the government as custodians of the locksmith industry. In his closing statement from Damian Hinds, the Minister of State for Security and Borders stated:
As my hon. Friend knows, there is already a robust certification scheme in place from the Master Locksmiths Association. That scheme, which is approved by the police crime prevention initiative, Secured by Design, ensures that approved locksmiths are appropriately inspected and qualified to deliver the services required by customers—as he rightly says, sometimes in very difficult circumstances. The association also provides guidance and advice to consumers on pricing, products and equipment, hiring locksmiths and how to spot scammers.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Master Locksmiths Association for its efforts to ensure that the public are further protected against scammers and rogue traders via its approval scheme. As I said, I would encourage members of the public to utilise the association’s advice, and I would also encourage locksmiths to use the scheme.
So, a government minister has encouraged consumers to use the MLA and locksmiths to join our approval scheme – which other bodies in the industry can lay testament to having the same said about them? We are now seeking to become a government approved organisation to make this official and, particularly in the minds of consumers, position the Master Locksmiths Association as the right place to come to find a trusted and skilled locksmith.
So, when you join the Master Locksmiths Association
what are you really getting?
We are the UKs largest not for profit association dedicated to the locksmith industry.
We offer a choice
We know the industry isn’t regulated, but we also know that there are people out there that aren’t working in the interest of our community or our customers. We appreciate that these people are a minority and there are many, many skilled and trustworthy locksmiths working every day.
We are simply offering a different choice – a choice where we have vetted, inspected and qualified approved company members so we are confident consumers – your customers – can come to us to make an informed choice. That when they do employ a Master Locksmiths Association approved locksmith company, they know they are getting a highly skilled expert they can trust to do a good job at a fair price and that they’ve made a good choice.
We’re also offering a different choice for our locksmiths who can learn new skills from knowledgeable trainers, find a supportive community, and to build confidence to allow their business to thrive and grow.
We may not be the right choice for everyone. We get that.
A different choice, an informed choice, a better choice, the right choice.
We offer a supportive community
When you become a member of the MLA you become part of our community.
When you’re a small business it’s easy to feel a little bit alone. The MLA community can really help with that, we offer a space to share knowledge, experiences and even just a joke.
All members are invited to join the MLA members exclusive forum and Facebook group. You can use this space to connect with your peers, and we’ll keep you up to date with the latest training days, member offers and events.
Our regional events offer a great networking opportunity as well as free training and insight into forthcoming legislation and technical information.
Bi-monthly magazine, Keyways, and e-newsletter will help you stay connected, and both offer opportunities for you to advertise job vacancies, events are more.
We have a very supportive team here at MLA HQ, so if you have a query about training, membership, or anything else we are here to help you.
Better together.
We can help your business to grow
We deliver a diverse programme of training that can help train a new member of your staff as a total beginner through to more advanced courses allowing experienced locksmiths to build their skill set and expand upon the services they offer. As an MLA member you will benefit from discounts on all training courses, as well as up to 15% off when you book 5 or more modules. Staff of approved companies can also benefit from discounted training and can use the MLA exam to demonstrate their progression. So, whatever your business aspirations we can help take you there.
During April 2022 (period 26th March – 26th April 2022), we saw over 29,500 searches on our find a locksmith page. We directed over 3,000 phone calls, over 1,500 WhatsApp messages and 900 emails from searches on our find a locksmith directory to MLA Approved Company members, all of whom are automatically entered on the directory.
All our members have access to a range of discounts on vehicles & vans, insurance, break down cover, credit card processing, computers, finance, advertising and many more products and services that you’ll find useful to your business.
Visit the member area of locksmiths.co.uk to find more information.