11 More Things Your Locksmith Won’t Tell You

The information following reprint was found in Readers Digest and all of the contributors were locksmiths from around the country.  I found it interesting and a bit surprising, so hopefully will you.

11. I’ve seen my share of dead bodies.  It’s always a bad sign when the landlord calls to get into an apartment and nobody’s seen the tenant for 10 days.

12. Divorce lockouts are a challenge. The soon-to-be ex-wife will call and say she’s locked out, so I get her in and change the locks.  The husband then calls with the same request.  I refer him to a competitor.

13. Don’t feel bad if you have to call me twice in a short span of time.  I once had a guy lock himself out of his house 3 times in one day.

14. If you’re locked out, please just call one of us.  More than once, I arrived at a lockout to find 2 competitors trucks already there.  At that point, we all agreed to leave and abandon the inconsiderate victim.

15.  Never tell me “don’t worry, it’s an easy lock”.  Every time someone says that it takes an extra 10 minutes to get it open.  Its the kiss of death. 

16.  If its 2am and some guy calls me because he’s locked out of his car at a strip club, a service call that’s normally $55 is now $100.  If he’s got money for club’s, he’s got money for me.

17. Don’t believe a car dealer who says only he can duplicate keys.  In most cases, a locksmith who specializes in automotive work can make you a key – usually cheaper.

18. Try the door.  I’ve gone to houses and found it open, but I’m still going to charge you for coming out.

19. If your key won’t turn, try WD40 or silicone spray.  Sometimes the pins get jammed and 25-40% of the time, that solves the problem.

20. Have a house keeper that needs a key?  Ask me to key your door so that your master key works on both the dead bolt and the door knob but hers just works the door knob.  On the day she comes, only lock the knob.

21. Many locksmiths in the phonebook or online are scammers.  They’ll quote you one price, but when they get there, they’ll say you have a special lock they can’t pick, so they’ll have to drill it open.  Then they charge you $125 or more for a replacement lock you can buy at Home Depot for $25.

These are all topics that locksmiths deal with on a daily basis.  As your trusted locksmith, Pop-A-Lock seeks to 1) educate consumers about best practices in locksmithing , 2) provide secure solutions at an affordable price, and 3) identify and take steps against the scammers that prey upon consumers.