Terms and Conditions

1. About these terms

These terms apply to all quotes, bookings, and services provided by Car Key HQ. Car Key HQ is the trading name of Charlie Ager.

2. Our services

We provide mobile auto locksmith services, which may include car key cutting, key programming, remote and key fob repair, vehicle entry, ignition and steering lock work, broken key extraction, and other services agreed with you before work starts.

3. Quotes and pricing

• Quotes are based on the information you provide, including registration, make, model, year, key type, and fault description.

• Prices may change if the vehicle, key type, or fault differs from what was described.

• We will confirm the price before starting work, where possible.

4. Bookings and arrival times

• Arrival times are estimates and can change due to traffic, weather, and earlier jobs taking longer than expected.

• You must ensure we can safely and legally access the vehicle at the agreed location.

• If we arrive and cannot access the vehicle, or the job cannot proceed due to missing information or authorisation, a call out or wasted visit fee may apply. If so, we will explain this during booking where possible.

5. Proof of ownership and authorisation

We require reasonable proof that you are the vehicle owner, registered keeper, or authorised to request work on the vehicle. If proof cannot be provided, we may refuse service.

6. Customer responsibilities

You agree to:

• Provide accurate vehicle details and a clear description of the problem.

• Provide safe access to the vehicle, including any keys, locks, and relevant security information you are aware of.

• Confirm you are the owner or authorised user and can provide proof of ownership.

• Tell us if there have been previous locksmith attempts, diagnostic work, or electrical issues that may affect the job.

7. Vehicle condition and limitations

• We use non-destructive methods wherever possible, but some situations may require additional work or parts.

• We are not responsible for existing faults, prior damage, or issues caused by third party repairs or attempted coding before we attend.

• Some vehicles may have security systems that limit what can be done on site. If this applies, we will explain the options.

8. Battery support and programming

Some key programming and diagnostic work requires stable vehicle voltage. Where appropriate, we may use a battery support unit to help keep the vehicle voltage stable during programming.

Battery support does not guarantee that the vehicle will not have separate battery, charging system, wiring, module, immobiliser, software or electrical faults.

If the vehicle has low voltage, poor battery condition, charging faults or existing electrical issues, programming may fail, keys may not be accepted, or further diagnosis may be required.

9. Key programming and diagnostic risks

Key programming, immobiliser programming, remote programming and diagnostic work can involve communication with the vehicle security system, immobiliser, ECU, UCH, BCM, body control module, key memory, remote locking system and related electronic modules.

Although we take reasonable care and use appropriate equipment, some vehicle systems can be unpredictable, especially where there are existing faults, low voltage, previous programming attempts, damaged modules, wiring issues, software issues, aftermarket equipment, water damage or unknown vehicle history.

You understand that during or after programming or diagnostic work:

• Existing keys or remotes may stop working and may need to be programmed again.

• A key, remote or transponder may not programme successfully.

• The vehicle may not start until further programming, diagnosis or repair is carried out.

• The vehicle may reject programming or require manufacturer level equipment.

• The vehicle may need to be referred to a main dealer, specialist auto electrician or module repair specialist.

• Recovery, towing, dealer diagnosis, module replacement, ECU, UCH, BCM, immobiliser or other repair work may be required where the issue is caused by the vehicle system or a pre existing fault.

• We are not responsible for pre existing faults, vehicle module faults, immobiliser faults, wiring faults, software faults, battery or voltage issues, previous programming attempts, or faults that become apparent during programming or diagnostic work, unless caused by our failure to use reasonable care and skill.

Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights.

10. Customer supplied parts

If you ask us to cut, programme, fit or test customer supplied parts, you accept that we cannot guarantee the quality, compatibility, condition or previous history of those parts.

Customer supplied keys, remotes, fobs, transponders, shells, locks, ECUs, UCH units, BCMs or other parts may be faulty, incorrect, locked, previously used, damaged or incompatible with the vehicle.

Charges may still apply for our time, diagnosis, cutting, programming attempts, attendance or labour even if a customer supplied part does not work.

Any warranty on customer supplied parts must be taken up with the supplier of those parts.

11. Diagnosis and no guarantee of outcome

We will use reasonable care and skill when carrying out diagnosis, programming and repair work.

However, some faults cannot be fully confirmed until work has started or specialist testing has been carried out. We cannot guarantee that every vehicle fault can be fixed on site or that every key, remote, module or immobiliser system will accept programming.

Where a job cannot be completed because of a vehicle fault, incompatible part, missing information, security restriction, module fault, low voltage, previous repair attempt or issue outside our control, charges may still apply for attendance, diagnosis, labour, parts used or work already carried out.

12. Special order parts

Some keys, remotes, fobs, locks, modules and vehicle specific parts may need to be ordered or prepared in advance.

Once a special order part has been ordered, prepared, cut, coded, programmed or otherwise personalised for your vehicle, cancellation or refund options may be limited unless the part is faulty or we have failed to use reasonable care and skill.

We will explain any special order requirements before ordering parts where possible.

13. Cancellations

Where consumer cancellation rights apply, you may have the right to cancel within 14 days of booking.

If you ask us to attend, order parts, prepare a key, cut a key, programme a key, carry out diagnosis or start work during the 14 day cancellation period, you agree that we may begin providing the service before the cancellation period has ended.

If the service is completed within the cancellation period with your agreement, you may lose the right to cancel once the work has been completed.

If you cancel after we have started work, travelled, ordered parts, prepared a key, cut a key, programmed a key, carried out diagnosis or otherwise incurred costs, you may need to pay for the work carried out, attendance, parts, labour or reasonable costs up to the point of cancellation.

This does not affect your statutory rights.

14. Payments

A booking deposit may be required to secure scheduled work. The deposit is deducted from the final balance.

An emergency call out fee may be required before dispatch. This fee covers travel and attendance and is deducted from the final invoice where work is completed, unless agreed otherwise.

If you cancel, fail to attend, provide incorrect details, do not provide proof of ownership, or the vehicle is unavailable or inaccessible, we may retain part or all of the deposit or call out fee to cover reasonable costs already incurred, including travel, administration, ordered parts, prepared keys or lost appointment time.

Where no reasonable costs have been incurred, we will review the deposit or call out fee fairly.

Payment is due on completion unless otherwise agreed in writing. We accept the payment methods confirmed at booking or listed on our website. Ownership of supplied goods remains with us until paid in full.

15. Warranty

Warranty terms are set out in our Warranty policy. Warranty does not affect your statutory rights.

16. Complaints

If you are unhappy with any part of our service, please contact us as soon as possible with your name, vehicle registration, date of service and a clear description of the issue.

We may ask for photos, videos or the opportunity to inspect the vehicle, key, remote or part before deciding on the next step.

You must give us a reasonable opportunity to inspect and, where appropriate, attempt to put things right before arranging third party repair work.

17. Liability

We will take reasonable care and skill when providing our services.

To the extent permitted by law, our liability is limited to the cost of the service provided.

We are not liable for indirect losses, loss of earnings, loss of use, recovery costs, vehicle hire, missed appointments or consequential losses, unless the law does not allow this limitation.

Nothing in these terms limits or excludes liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including liability caused by our failure to use reasonable care and skill, fraud, or any rights you have under consumer law.

18. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Disputes will be handled by the courts of England and Wales.