People are often forgetful and lock themselves out of their home or car. In addition, you will probably be in a hurry. Keep this from happening. Read through the information put together here about locksmiths and you will be prepared next time!
If you find yourself locked out of your house, do not listen to locksmiths who suggest replacing the lock up front. A good locksmith can open a lock or install a new one, depending on your request. Paying for a new lock is a waste of money.
If you lock yourself out of the house, ignore locksmiths who want to replace the lock upfront. A skilled locksmith has the ability to open nearly any lock, without the need to replace it. Replacing a lock will force you to spend extra money for no reason.
When you paint your house, make sure you cover any locks prior to painting the doors. If you accidentally get paint on your lock, your key may no longer work. The time spent covering locks will save you a ton of money over hiring a locksmith to fix them.
Be wary of a locksmith who quotes one number over the phone and a higher price when they arrive. This is a common scam that has been used to get extra money on many unsuspecting consumers. If you’re being told the job is going to cost more than the price you were quoted, tell them to leave and find someone else.
If you are painting, it is important to cover your locks before you begin. If paint gets inside the lock, your key won’t work, and you’re going to have to call on a locksmith for help. It may take a bit of time to cover all the locks, but that pales in comparison to the time a locksmith will take to change all of the locks.
Even if it seems like you’ll never need to hire a locksmith, it’s always good to be prepared. Do your research ahead of time, and find a reputable individual that you can call on in case of an emergency. Put the number in your phone and relax.
Avoid additional fees by using a locksmith during regular hours. Calling a locksmith after normal business hours can cost extra. For instance, if a regular hour service for getting back into your car is only $40, it might be $80 after hours.
Before hiring a locksmith, do research. You need to ensure that the person you hire is working for your best interest and not their own. Unfortunately, there are a few shady locksmiths who make duplicate keys without authorization, so you need to be careful.
Contact the local Better Business Bureau to find out if the locksmith is legitimate. You can see if they have any complaints against them. Check ALOA.org as well.
When you call a locksmith for the first time, always ask how long they have been in business for. Make sure that they’ve been operating from this location the whole time. A business that has been in business for a number of years probably will be easy to work with.
Always be prepared, regardless of whether you think you’ll ever be locked out or not. Do some homework in advance to know a trustworthy professional you can rely on in an emergency situation. Then, save the number in your mobile phone.
Before you allow a locksmith to enter you home, their credentials should be verified. Verify both their address and phone number. You can also run a search on the web to find out whether the majority of people have had negative or positive experiences with the locksmith.
It’s never fun to be locked out of anything, but some cases actually turn into a disaster. A key that gets broken in a lock may lead to unfortunate circumstances which could have been avoided if you had a great locksmith! Remember these tips, and avoid becoming a Murphy’s Law victim.
Get a receipt. The majority of locksmiths are trustworthy, but there are some scammers out there. Always make sure that the receipt you get states that the job is complete and everything is paid in full. Store the receipt safely in the event that a question about payment pops up.