Unlocking the Trade

Something has to be said about the cost of services here in the UK. They're bloody expensive!

During our move to the new apartment, we misplaced the key to the storage room of the old flat so we had to change the lock. When phoning around for a locksmith, the cheapest I found was Pro-Mac, who charged £49.99 for callout charge on a Saturday morning. Add to that the price of a new lock which is around 27 quid plus VAT of 17.5%. I was expected to pay almost £100 to change a lock! Now, I may be new to the country but I think it's fair to say that that is @%$&% ridiculous! Fortunately, Tim, the locksmith, had a brain wave and said he could remove the lock pop to the shop and cut me out a key. Also, cutting a key just costs £7. Hallelujiah!

My colleague only confirmed the fact that being in the trade is very lucrative business. He's even heard of people leaving the IT industry, which already has good earning potential, to become plumbers, electricians, etc. Now, I have to agree with P when he says that there's something f@cked up about that.