20 • INDUSTRYNEWS
Paul Batty
[Sutton Locksmiths
and SASHSTOP]
» » IN HULL, I AM KNOWN AS THE
LockDoc and we advertise as Sutton
Locksmiths and Glaziers around Hull and
surrounding areas. For me, it all started
when I was trained up as a ‘brickie’
and then a plasterer, and that led me to
eventually becoming a uPVC window
fitter about 32 years ago, wow doesn’t the
time fly?
This was the 1908s, a time when
uPVC double glazing was booming, and
companies concentrated on new fix and
install rather than repairs. I began thinking
and soon realised after a couple of years
there was a gap in the market for repairs
and maintenance…why replace when a
repair could be just as good, if not better if
carried out thoroughly and correctly?
This led me to start a company called
Window Repair Centre and I was the only
person in Hull at the time concentrating
in this field. Very quickly I was then the
main go-to and knowledgeable guy
specialising in uPVC locking mechanisms
and upgrades ultimately leading me into
locksmithing.
I was then contacted by Hull City Council
who wanted me to repair high rise flats;
particularly all of the patio doors, entrance
doors which were being replaced rather
than repaired – from there it would
have seemed as though all the Housing
Associations heard about us and there
would have been a point when we were
probably looking after 80% of rental
properties in Hull, not to mention all our
customers with residential properties too.
uPVC door and window mechanisms
are really my speciality; probably
because I am familiar with so many
different makes and models nowadays,
something that only comes with
experience of course, saying that – it is
certainly something I am proud to hang
my hat on and more importantly – put my
name on the jobs I do.
‘Normal’ locksmiths didn’t repair
uPVC, usually only wood or aluminium
etc. However, most properties now
have double glazing so they need to
be familiar with these too, so I began
training so many people in this field,
and nearly all of them are self-employed
locally and my contractors on a daily
basis.
My typical day starts around 10am as I
tend to avoid rush hour traffic; there is no
point unless there is an urgent job and
most of my jobs now are for residential
customers, (although I do have several
contract companies). I usually finish by
4pm.
It’s a running joke amongst my mates
or fellow locksmith pals who I see at
exhibitions that I only work ‘part time’
and my radius is only four miles; but I’ve
built my business up on a 5-star rating
and we now always make sure that we
give every customer the service they are
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paying me and my team for; usually a
great, old-fashioned, thorough service at
the right price, and I am known for never
leaving a job until it is absolutely perfect,
and the customer is 100% happy. Over
shoes, dust sheets, and being polite
is not rocket science, neither is good
honest work for a decent price, but also
it is about talking to the customer which
goes a long way.
I remember once being asked by the
council to enter an old lady’s house as
they were concerned for her welfare, I
obliged, but when I arrived there were
mice running along the window-sill and
we honestly thought she was dead!
Anyway, I proceeded to open the door
and squeezed in only to be attacked by
a really old woman with a walking stick
as she thought I was a burglar. Wow, it
certainly hurt, was an experience that I
won’t forget, but bless her!
The best bits, for me, are making
people feel safe in their homes and
talking to the old pensioners too -
sometimes you’re the only person they
see that day, or for a few days perhaps,
and I have regularly had my dinner
cooked and cakes made for me - I love
that, and it costs me nothing, yet the gain
to them is enormous.