Ali Lijee, from Eccles, is a bit of an online entrepreneur, having set up portals for fixing computers and windscreens in the past. Now he is turning his attention to locks, and has created Rated Locksmiths, which links customers with nearly three hundred independent domestic, commercial, and auto locksmiths.
Customers can go onto the Rated Locksmiths website*, click on the 'Get Quotes' tab, enter a location and the portal gives a list of local technicians based on specific locksmithing skill sets. It's a strange business for someone to get into who has never picked or fitted a lock in his life - but Ali is determined to make the two month old portal a top marketplace for locksmithing services...
"Lock and key services came to mind following an incident where a family member had a broken key stuck in their front door lock and phoned me for help" he recalls "I couldn't extract the key, so tried to call for help from a locksmith, only to find it difficult to pinpoint one that was not only local but had the appropriate skills to do the job, and was available right away.
"So, Rated Locksmiths was born, and skilled locksmiths across the UK began to sign up in large numbers, which was very gratifying" says the IT specialist who built websites in the early days of the net, before working for UKFast for eight years...
"I'd been involved in IT a lot and thought 'How can I support those guys on the road doing locksmithing?'" he says "They don't know much about websites and social media and don't have the time or are not interested in online stuff. They get out doing the work and I'm there supporting them and driving work their way. We facilitate the communication between customer and locksmith."
For the customer, the site is easy to use and free, putting them directly in touch with domestic, commercial, and automotive locksmiths who pay a small membership fee of £40 per month (on a rolling monthly contract) which gives them access to leads. The monthly fee is the same regardless of the size of their operation (sole trader or SME). Leads cost on average from £1 to £5 each.
"Our focus is to be a well-known brand out there..." Ali says "I also understand that many people in the UK want a quality locksmithing service from a local technician with many years of experience, without having to pay the inflated prices..."
Update: 28th February 2021 - there is a new site now for this service https://www.autolocksmiths.com/
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