Raising rates on Kwikset rekeys but clients are balking

Been running my locksmith gig for 8 years now, mostly residential rekeys and deadbolt installs. Just bumped my rate from $75 to $95 per Kwikset rekey job to cover the rising cost of blanks and fuel, but damn, half my calls are turning into haggling sessions. Guy in the Locksmiths Facebook group said he went to $120 and business didn't drop off, but I'm sweating it here. Thoughts on how to sell the increase without losing steady work?

screw the cheapskates, they're the first to complain when you rush the job and pins don't shear right.

i raised mine to $110 last year on rekeys and deadbolts. picked up two commercial contracts that month alone.

homeowners these days think locksmiths are uber drivers, expect $50 for a 30-min Kwikset swap.

print up some flyers showing before/after on a botched DIY rekey vs your pro work. helps justify the $95.

virtual locksmith scams are killing legit rates. clients see $40 ads on nextdoor and think that's normal.

frustrated as hell with this too. just lost a repeat customer over a $20 bump on corbin masterkeys.

wait you quoted corbin? those are premium, $120 minimum imo.

same here man, feels like every job's a negotiation now. started adding a 'premium service' line for rush calls at $150.

exactly, my back's thanking me for not bending over backwards for penny-pinchers anymore.

i get it, been there with medeco installs. the ones who balk aren't worth the headache.

how do you guys handle the 'but the other guy quoted $60' line?

don't do rekeys without a full system audit. upsell to $200 for the whole house and they forget the base rate.

PSA: never drop below $90 on a rekey or you'll train clients to undervalue the trade.

watched a bosnianbill vid on key duplication scams, made me double my rates overnight. no regrets.

clients acting like $95 is robbery when blanks alone cost me $15 now. inflation's a bitch.

yeah, tell em the $95 includes liability insurance in case their cheap lock fails.

feels good knowing my $105 rate weeds out the tire-kickers. quality jobs only.

had a laugh when a guy tried to haggle down to $70, showed him my silca machine and he shut up quick.

bump to $100 flat and offer a discount for referrals. worked wonders for my evva key cutting side.

start quoting T&M for evva or ilco blanks, $125/hr minimum. stops the BS.

virtual scammers are the real enemy here, undercutting everyone with fake $50 quotes.

google's flooded with phony locksmith ads. time to fight back with real reviews.

i raised to $115 six months ago, business up 20% cuz serious clients stick around.

pissed me off too, but explain the $20 covers better pins that last longer. they get it.

never quote under $100 for anything involving picking or impressioning. too much skill.

watch for the signs of a scam call before even driving out. saves time on lowballers.

add a fuel surcharge line, $10 on top of $95. clients understand gas prices.

these angie leads are the worst, sending clients expecting $60 rekeys every time.

how's everyone handling the pushback on commercial masterkey systems? mine are $250+ now.

feels like i'm the only one still at $85 sometimes. need to man up and raise it.

i hear ya, the steady work's worth it but not if margins go to zero.

guy in r/Locksmith posted about this last week, consensus was raise and fire the complainers.

exactly, my knees can't take another year of discount deadbolt swaps anyway.