This happened to me, about 6 years ago, and it was a fairly widely-known phenomenon then, too. Fortunately, I wasn't on the hook for the bill -- the only key to my apartment had been ruined by Home Depot while cutting a copy, during a series of mistakes on their part. They are generally the first listing you'll find when Googling something like "locksmiths near <your city>"
The only negative part was that, of course, he announced after pretending (badly) to work on the lock for a bit that the (very standard, relatively low-security) lock on my door was "too difficult" and he wouldn't be able to cut a key for it, so he had to drill it out and give me new keys, which I then had to distribute to my landlord. Other than that, I got in, was reimbursed, so win for me.
I hired a legitimate lock smith a few years later to create a missing key for my motorcycle, and the difference between the two was VAST. He had a key-cutting facility in the back of his van that was better-stocked and had more tools and machinery than the ones you sometimes find in brick-and-mortar lock smith shops.
The only negative part was that, of course, he announced after pretending (badly) to work on the lock for a bit that the (very standard, relatively low-security) lock on my door was "too difficult" and he wouldn't be able to cut a key for it, so he had to drill it out and give me new keys, which I then had to distribute to my landlord. Other than that, I got in, was reimbursed, so win for me.
I hired a legitimate lock smith a few years later to create a missing key for my motorcycle, and the difference between the two was VAST. He had a key-cutting facility in the back of his van that was better-stocked and had more tools and machinery than the ones you sometimes find in brick-and-mortar lock smith shops.