Like many harried people, when we're stressed we forget things, like the milk we meant to grab at the grocery store. We also forget to stow our house keys in pockets and pocketbooks -- which means we occasionally must call a 24-hour locksmith service to help us break back into our own home.

Unfortunately, it's hard to tell whether a locksmith is reputable -- particularly when you're locked out and relying on directory assistance or a neighbor's Internet connection. The Council of Better Business Bureaus and the Federal Trade Commission both issued warnings about some locksmiths' business and pricing practices in 2007, and Associated Locksmiths of America, a Dallas-based trade group with more than 10,000 members, advocates that members petition their states to require locksmith licensing. Preliminary data from the Council of Better Business Bureaus show that complaints about locksmiths more than doubled from 2005 to 2007, from 247 to 560.

So what would we experience if we called a variety of locksmiths to help us get back into our home? To find out, we contacted Pop-A-Lock, USA Locksmith, Seattle Locksmith and Abel's Locksmith. The first three locksmith businesses own or offer partner locations in multiple cities, while Abel's is a Seattle-only small business.

The service provided at the door varied greatly. For starters, none of the services arrived within the ambitious time frames promised. Pop-A-Lock's dispatcher told us that a locksmith would arrive within 30 minutes, but the locksmith called to say he had hit traffic and wound up taking 50 from call to arrival. USA Locksmith's dispatcher said a locksmith would arrive within 25 minutes, but the time from call to arrival took just over an hour. Seattle Locksmith's site promised a 15-minute response time once we called a dispatcher, but the time from call to arrival was 46 minutes. Abel's came closest to meeting its "be there in 30 minutes" promise, clocking in at 38 minutes.

Pop-A-Lock was able to quote a price on the phone and didn't modify it once the locksmith arrived. We asked Pop-A-Lock to open a deadbolt lock, and the technician charged us $50 to get the work done with a series of picks. The work took less than 10 minutes and our lock seemed "looser" afterward but still worked. We told the rep that we'd availed ourselves of the company's services at a prior residence, and the rep said that we were eligible for a discount if we could show him prior service receipts. We found the offer ironic: If we can't remember to bring a key with us, how could we possibly know where our Pop-A-Lock receipts are?

USA Locksmith dispatchers told us we'd pay a $55 "service fee" and that the locksmith's labor costs would be determined on-site; labor on our deadbolt, it turns out, cost $119. The locksmith asked to see the house's other doors, too, but we requested he open the deadbolt. He said he would have to drill and asked us to step away from the front porch while he drilled -- and drilled -- and drilled. He eventually popped the lock -- or rather, annihilated it. With the lock ruined, he asked us if we'd like it replaced on the spot, which we declined since our tab was already $174. After he left, the lock was unusable. The next day, we found a drill bit in one of our potted plants. USA Locksmith didn't respond to calls to comment.

Seattle Locksmith's technician told us via phone that the company's "service fee" was $39, with labor additional. Since our deadbolt was now inoperable, we asked him to open a standard doorknob lock. He said that would cost $98, and that he'd try to pick it first, using the drill as a last resort if we gave him permission. After about five minutes of lock picking, during which he talked on his phone, he asked if he could drill. We said no, that we'd wait for our significant other to come home rather than ruin another lock. He said he'd work the lock for a few more minutes, but was unable to open it. He offered to try to open our garage door, but we declined. We paid $58, representing the $39 service fee, tax, and a reduced labor fee of $15 since his work failed.

Abel's came quickly and told us that the fee for lock work would be $110. We had forgotten to ask Abel's their charge when we called to book the job, but the company told us later that, had we asked over the phone, we could have paid a lower rate ($75 to $85).

However, Abel's wasn't able to pick our doorknob lock. We wondered, guiltily, if that's because Seattle Locksmith's noodling had altered it. Abel's rep spent about 15 minutes working with several picks before asking us if we'd like it drilled open and replaced -- which would cost us the $110 plus only $30, which was reasonable, but we declined. Abel's, unlike Seattle Locksmith, didn't reduce its fee to compensate for the locksmith's lack of success.

After Abel's left, we located our doorknob's key and tried to let ourselves in the house. Not surprisingly, we found that our doorknob lock, in addition to our mangled deadbolt, was now inoperable.

COMPANY/WEB SITESERVICE COSTWAIT TIMESERVICE TIMEON-SITE COMMENTPop-A-Lock www.popalock.com $50 to unlock a deadbolt door; cash or credit only 50 minutes from call to arrival 10 minutes Rep said that company offers discounts for repeat customers with receipts from prior service. USA Locksmith www.usalocksmiths.com$174 ($55 for call, $119 to unlock deadbolt door); cash or credit only 62 minutes from call to arrival 18 minutes Rep was strict about seeing our I.D. and a bill with our current address. Company sent text messages to our cellphone during wait. Rep drilled lock. Seattle Locksmith www.seattle-locksmith.com$58 ($39 for call, $98 for labor discounted to $15 due to locksmith inability to open door); cash or credit only 46 minutes from call to arrival 16 minutes Rep's cellphone rang constantly during service; rep asked after nine minutes if he could drill door open, but when we declined, he worked a few minutes more. Abel's Locksmith www.abelslocksmith.com$110 (possibly less if quoted less over phone); cash or credit only 38 minutes from call to arrival 15 minutes Rep told us some insurers will reimburse homeowners for locksmith services, advising us to ask our carrier. Fee for lock replacement ($30) seemed reasonable.

Write to Jane Hodges at rjeditor@dowjones.com

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