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Agree on a fixed fee before the lock is picked. Add that if the locksmith broke the lock, he would have to replace it out of his own pocket.

However, if the fee is higher than the price of the lock, why not break the lock yourself?

Presumably if you had the tools etc to do that with you, you also have your key.

A screwdriver and a hammer or simply kicking the door in. Replacing the lock can be cheaper than calling in a locksmith.

I've seen doors kicked in where it was the jamb that broke and not the lock. I think I'd rather call a locksmith...

I've never seen the lock break in this case. It's always the jam or the door.

If you've seen a fair few kick-ins, do you have an opinion on the effectiveness of kickstops?