Two weeks ago, I had the misfortune of needing locksmith services. The husband was out of town, and my only set of keys snapped off inside the lock when I was just getting in from work. I´m not going to lie, it had been a long and trying day up to that point, so I guess that the key debacle was the proverbial cherry on top.
I contacted a Locksmith I drive by on my way to work every day whose name I remember since it’s funny. I was angry, tired and already predisposed. I could bet all my money I was going to be taken advantage of. Just like you probably have, I’d heard from friends and a co-worker about how terrible Locksmiths services are, how they benefit from your urgency and overprice everything.The struggle is real.
Even though, I found a locksmith number after a quick google search and called.This is how it went.
The Call
When you call a locksmith service – and this is something I learned later – you should try having someone recommend one they had a good experience with, or do a little research before you actually need one. Visit a couple of local locksmith services, ask for fees and save the numbers of those you feel most comfortable with.Looking for a locksmith while you are amidst an emergency situation exposes you to scams and overpriced services.
I got in touch with the locksmith operator and after a short wait, I was informed he’d be at my location very shortly.
The Wait
When you are in an emergency, time seems to speed up. You might feel like a lot of time has passed when in reality just a handful of minutes have elapsed. I know this happens to me,I’m a slightly impatient person. So I try to keep aware of it. I recommend that you check your watch regularly, that way you can actually see the time and be aware of how long has it been.
In my case I didn’t have to wait long. The locksmith van was there in under 10 minutes! Although he explained to me later that a 20 minutes response time is the standard, but his company prides itself on cutting that time in half.
The Arrival
When the locksmith arrived, he was a very friendly and professional. He introduced himself, produced his personal and company ID – which I thought was slightly unnecessary since the giant company logo was on the side of his vehicle – but he insisted it was the proper way. He then assessed the situation, walking me step by step on what the job would entail and why.
In my case, the key had broken with little metal exposing from the slot. It meant that it was tricky to extract. I also needed a couple of duplicates of the broken one. He told me the price of the services and offered me a table chart with the prices. I signed a receipt, and he got to work.
The Locksmithing
The Locksmith was kind enough to guide me through his work and answer my questions about the process.That’s when he advised me to look for services like locksmith and electricians before the need arises. He was very quick; I think he was done in less than 15 minutes.
The Payment
Once the job was finished and I had my brand-new keys, andone spare set for emergencies, I paid him in cash after he insisted for me to try each copy out several times to verify it was all working correctly, I thanked him, gave him a tip (I honestly felt he deserved the extra cash) and, after wishing me a good day, he took off.
It was a most pleasant surprise. I was expecting a rude person to show up hours later and try to rip me off. Instead, a polite DML locksmith expert arrived after a few minutes had passed, guided me through the best way around my problem, showed me a price chart before committing to do the job, and bent over backwards to make me feel I was in good hands.
So that was my first experience with a Locksmith. I decided to write about it and share it with you. It might help clean the name of many honest locksmiths out there.
I thought it was fitting you should also hear how a good locksmith operates and what their service entails. I hope this serves as a gauge to measure locksmith services quality in the future.
Locksmith Services 