Comments The Locksmith Journals

Yep, tomorrow is going to be interesting. Nobody picked up the van. Nobody has even called to see if I was willing to cover for Stephanie while she is sick. Since nobody has talked with me I'm assuming (hoping) that the boss has told her to stay home and that she isn't so sick that she can't do anything. But I can see it now. I've turned off the phone, so if they send jobs I'm not going to even get them on my day off. I'm not going to turn on the phone which means someone is going to have to come to my place to find out what's up. When they get here I simply tell them,

"It's my day off. I have a bunch of things to do around the house for the next few days. I'm not available to work until my next scheduled day. If you wanted me to work, someone should have called me a couple of days ago when you found out about Stephanie. She told me she talked with the manager and was ready to work while masked and gloved. Nobody said anything to the contrary to me. Yes, I know the van is in my driveway, but that's not my problem. Someone should have said something. For all I know since the boss's son is getting most of the work anyway I thought he was just going to handle it all for now."

I must also say that for a long time now both before Covid and after being laid off, I usually get ignored by both boss and manager. Maybe this will convince them to either pick up when I call or call in advance when they need something rather than just expecting me to drop everything to jump and run. If they threaten to fire me, there is a Mc Donalds right across the street that is offering $12 an hour to start, for just flipping burgers. And if they fire me, that means the boss has to go back out on the road instead of sitting at home and collecting money. It will take weeks just to find someone and months to get them close to my skill level. So it comes down to this. Fire me, I win. Keep me around until you can train someone to my level, I win. I file for SS in Jan. anyway and we have enough in the bank to make it that far. My first full time job was washing dishes in a restaurant, I don't have a problem doing that again. Make your choice boss.

Good for you... stand your ground!

Summerthyme

summerthyme said:

Good for you... stand your ground!

Summerthyme

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Amen!

day late said:

I'm filing for SS in Jan. and I have no problem washing dishes of bagging groceries to add to the SS.

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GET OUT of Gainesville NOW !!!!!

C'mon out to Trenton/Bell for a peaceful retirement......where there's only 1 red light in the whole of Gilchrist county & where you'll see ALL the stars @ night

BTW, moved up here from Tampa 10 years ago & haven't locked my front door since......course havin' 6 100+ lb dogs runnin' the fence line keeps 'em honest !

Ku Commando said:

GET OUT of Gainesville NOW !!!!!

C'mon out to Trenton/Bell for a peaceful retirement......where there's only 1 red light in the whole of Gilchrist county & where you'll see ALL the stars @ night

BTW, moved up here from Tampa 10 years ago & haven't locked my front door since......course havin' 6 100+ lb dogs runnin' the fence line keeps 'em honest !

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Tempting. I have a nephew who lives in Trenton. But convincing my city girl wife to sell and move to an even smaller town where we know nobody would be a real trick that would require divine intervention.

day late said:

But convincing my city girl wife......

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Neighbor across the lane on 13 acres has a city slicker wife......works out of the house all day as a medical coder......301pm -- in the car to Gainesville......worx for her !!

Now you've got an "ace up your sleeve" -- just re-key the house in town & done is done !! LOL

Things went pretty much as expected. I left the phone off until 11:00. When I turned it on there were a bunch of messages asking if I was working today, Stephanie wanted to know it I could run out to a job she did and correct a problem for her, but the son didn't show up to find out what was up. The boss sent a text asking me to call the manager as soon as I saw his text. I did call the manager at 11:30 and he said Stephanie had the virus and I told him I already knew that. So he askes if I can fill in for her for a few days. I told him I had a bunch of honey-do's and would get back to him. I did but told him I wouldn't be available until after 1:00. I still have to have a private conversation with him about this, but for the moment I still need the job. But only for a month and a half. Ya gotta look out for #1. It was after that when things got interesting.

The first job I got was going to a local Verizon store. They have a very high security lock on the storage room. It's called a three point lock. This type sends a bolt into the door frame at the top, bottom and one side of the door. Even if you get the hinge pins out, this thing is not coming out of the frame. The thing is they had the key, but it only turned part way in the lock and then stopped. Something was jamming the bolts on the inside. I work for half an hour trying every trick I know and got nowhere fast. I called the manager and told him I need help. He happened to be in Gainesville today. He sent the son because he had opened this same door about a year ago. So the son gets there with a smug look on his face, expecting to get the door open in short order. Wrong answer. It was a different problem than the last time. We worked on it together, no luck. The manager was called again and this time he showed up. Now we have three locksmiths working on this thing and the end result was the only way this door is coming open is with either some really good cutting tools or explosives. All in all I was there for over two hours working on this stupid door.

I forgot to mention, I'm in constant contact with the people who installed this thing in the first place. Their office is in New Orleans. Once it was determined that extreme measures, which would involve destroying the door to open it would be needed, since I was the one who took the call, I get the pleasure of informing NOLA. I still can not believe that the guy in NOLA was ORDERING ME to remain on the job and get that door open, but don't force anything. He finally said to drill the plug, not that, that would have done anything. Something on the inside has come loose and the tailpiece on the lock is jamming against the bolts. But by that time we were done. I turned it over to the manager to let him handle it. But I continued to get threatening texts telling me I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE until the door was open. I do confess I deleted two texts before I sent them. The last time I took orders like that I was in the Army. I didn't like it then and I sure don't like it now. Let the manager handle it. That's why he gets the big bucks. Now, I still have to call the lady with the lock that needs to be tweaked and get that taken care of, then have a little conversation with he manager.

day late said:

Things went pretty much as expected. I left the phone off until 11:00. When I turned it on there were a bunch of messages asking if I was working today, Stephanie wanted to know it I could run out to a job she did and correct a problem for her, but the son didn't show up to find out what was up. The boss sent a text asking me to call the manager as soon as I saw his text. I did call the manager at 11:30 and he said Stephanie had the virus and I told him I already knew that. So he askes if I can fill in for her for a few days. I told him I had a bunch of honey-do's and would get back to him. I did but told him I wouldn't be available until after 1:00. I still have to have a private conversation with him about this, but for the moment I still need the job. But only for a month and a half. Ya gotta look out for #1. It was after that when things got interesting.

The first job I got was going to a local Verizon store. They have a very high security lock on the storage room. It's called a three point lock. This type sends a bolt into the door frame at the top, bottom and one side of the door. Even if you get the hinge pins out, this thing is not coming out of the frame. The thing is they had the key, but it only turned part way in the lock and then stopped. Something was jamming the bolts on the inside. I work for half an hour trying every trick I know and got nowhere fast. I called the manager and told him I need help. He happened to be in Gainesville today. He sent the son because he had opened this same door about a year ago. So the son gets there with a smug look on his face, expecting to get the door open in short order. Wrong answer. It was a different problem than the last time. We worked on it together, no luck. The manager was called again and this time he showed up. Now we have three locksmiths working on this thing and the end result was the only way this door is coming open is with either some really good cutting tools or explosives. All in all I was there for over two hours working on this stupid door.

I forgot to mention, I'm in constant contact with the people who installed this thing in the first place. Their office is in New Orleans. Once it was determined that extreme measures, which would involve destroying the door to open it would be needed, since I was the one who took the call, I get the pleasure of informing NOLA. I still can not believe that the guy in NOLA was ORDERING ME to remain on the job and get that door open, but don't force anything. He finally said to drill the plug, not that, that would have done anything. Something on the inside has come loose and the tailpiece on the lock is jamming against the bolts. But by that time we were done. I turned it over to the manager to let him handle it. But I continued to get threatening texts telling me I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE until the door was open. I do confess I deleted two texts before I sent them. The last time I took orders like that I was in the Army. I didn't like it then and I sure don't like it now. Let the manager handle it. That's why he gets the big bucks. Now, I still have to call the lady with the lock that needs to be tweaked and get that taken care of, then have a little conversation with he manager.

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Grrrrrr. Obviously this guy has a PhD. Dear me. I don’t deal well with these people.

But you know? I think I would announce I have changed my retirement plans and then be really quiet until the day you get ready to leave. That day I would turn in all my stuff and say, “gee, I didn’t tell you I was retiring?” and walk out the door. No warning. Be a mercenary and hold thy tongue. Jerks.

Oh my goodness. I would post more but I'm just too beat. I've said the boss was sending the lions share of the work to his son and Stephanie. Since she has been sick I've had to pick up the slack. I didn't realize how much work we have been doing lately. Normally I get three or four calls each averaging between $69 and $79. Today, at a rough guess I did well over $600 worth of work. Yesterday was just as busy. There are things I could say right now, but my bed is calling and I can't resist the song.

day late said:

for the moment I still need the job. But only for a month and a half

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FireDance said:

That day I would turn in all my stuff and say, “gee, I didn’t tell you I was retiring?

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It's Florida -- a right to work state -- just make sure to give back their stuff and say "C'YA !" 6 weeks from now......nuttin' else needs be said by you.

Meantime, mum's the word....

One thing I have found is that different locksmiths do things different ways. When I was getting the wrap on the van fixed a short time ago, the manager came by in case they needed to keep the van and I needed a ride back to Gainesville. Of course we talked shop. Now I always chat with the customer. While it is my nature to be friendly, I'm also gathering information. DOES this person have a legitimate reason for getting into this house/car/whatever? You can learn a lot of things in casual conversation with an unsuspecting person. My wife often wonders, "How do you know that?" I don't just hear, I listen. The manager, that's a different story. He's a nice enough guy. He's got a good sense of humor, but has little time for listening to the customer. At work he is all business. Get in, get the job done, get paid and get out. Still no matter what you do, there are always things that slip between the cracks. Nothing really new here but just a few memories of what has happened in the past. (It's Veterans Day and being a vet. a lot of old things come to the surface.) I think my worst encounter was the time a guy wanted to get into an apartment at about 2 A.M. He had I.D. that showed he lived there. There was no reason for me to believe there was anything wrong. It wasn't until the next day I got a rather hostile call from his sister saying that it was HER apartment I let him into and she had tossed him out the day before. I'm sorry Ma'am. But he did have I.D. with that address. I had no way of knowing what happened between the two of you. Thankfully she calmed down and admitted I didn't have a way to know, but still seemed to me to be blaming me for having to toss him out a second time.

Then there was the time a guy named Wil that used to work with us, went to a job. Mom wanted all the locks re-keyed because she was going to toss the druggie son out. Wil had just gotten inside to go to work when the druggie comes out of a back room and starts to threaten everyone there with a gun. I'm still not sure of exactly what happened but Wil decided that leaving RIGHT FRACKING NOW was a good idea. As he left the home he ran right into the waiting arms of G.P.D. officers with drawn guns. Good thing he was wearing the company shirt at the time. After G.P.D. talked the son down and outside without a shot fired, Wil refused to go back into the home and do the job. Can't say I blame him for that one.

But one of my favorite encounters about chatting with the customer has to be the time I got a young couple into a home at around 10 P.M. After opening the door the guy asked me,

"How do you know we belong here?"

I told him. Everything fits. I have a nicely dressed couple, in a nice neighborhood, with a nice car in the driveway. Burglars don't usually come in mixed couples wearing nice clothes. On top of that while we were talking YOU warned me that the lady has a cat that bites. So, if this isn't her house, how do you know about the cat? If you are not an invited guest, how do you know the cat bites?

"I didn't think of that."

Yes sir. Casual conversation with the customer is always a good idea in my opinion.

Ah Late, I'm going to miss all your little anecdotes and stories in 6 weeks.

A.

dl,

You can learn a lot of things in casual conversation with an unsuspecting person. My wife often wonders, "How do you know that?" I don't just hear, I listen.

So true. Listening instead of hearing does add a totally new perspective to life.

Texican....

accountant said:

Ah Late, I'm going to miss all your little anecdotes and stories in 6 weeks.

A.

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A,

Don't worry.

DL will still post for it is in his blood and he enjoys it.

Right DL?

Texican....

Texican said:

A,

Don't worry.

DL will still post for it is in his blood and he enjoys it.

Right DL?

Texican....

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You tell him, Texican, he can't stop postin'.
Where's my voodoo doll.

But who wants to hear about the joys of sitting on your butt collecting SS?

I greatly enjoy your stories, we need a tow truck driver to post their stories as well.

day late said:

But who wants to hear about the joys of sitting on your butt collecting SS?

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I highly doubt that's going to be YOUR typical day....there's gonna be much more time to do the....sketchier stuff....


r/t 10 sec.

day late said:

But who wants to hear about the joys of sitting on your butt collecting SS?

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dl,

Sitting on your butt will get old quickly even with SS.

You will be posting for it is in our blood. Now what you will post about is still to be answered, but your muse will grab you and the stories will flow. There has to be a myriad number of locksmith stories that you will remember and bring to our readers.

Texican....

It certainly has been a day, and one that didn't start out too well. It was supposed to be a simple job. Re-key the locks on the front door of a house that the guy just moved into. The locks looked like standard Schlage locks, but they weren't. They turned out to be really high end locks that require a special key to work. There was absolutely nothing I could do for the guy. To make it worse, I spent an hour learning that. To start with the normal deadbolt or doorknob has five pins in it. These had seven, and the key had a special cut in one side that the regular key doesn't have, But he was cool about it. He thanked me for the effort and even though I was ready to walk away and charge nothing, he insisted on paying for the service call.

Later I got called to re-key some doorknobs at a local car dealership. The guy wanted locks on two doors, for which they didn't have a key, to work on the same key he had for his office. No big deal, right? Not quite. The key to his office has cuts in it for five pins. The locks he wanted re-keyed had six pins. This ain't gonna work. There were two options. First dig around in my van for a six pin key and just re-key the locks. But that means his office key won't work on those locks. Second choice is to drop the last pin in the lock and re-key the other five. That was the option he chose.

So I'm on my way home and notice I'm down to half a tank of gas. I always run on the top half of the tank. It's just the beginning of rush hour and I get stuck in traffic trying to get to the station I usually use. Of course I get a call. Somebody is locked out of their bedroom in an apartment complex. So I start to run over there, figuring I'll get gas when I'm done. Just one problem. While the customer had given the street address for the complex they didn't say which building or apartment number. I'm supposed to deal with the roommate in the apartment. I call the lady handling the phones to see if she has any more info and she doesn't. ALSO the customer is at work and can't use the phone. So here I am slowly cruising around the complex looking for someone who looks like they need me. I park the van and call dispatch and she says that there is a 18 wheel truck lock out, twenty minutes away from me. Do I want it? Well since I have no idea where the room lockout is, yeah I'll take it. Dispatch sends me the location for the truck lockout and not 30 seconds later sends me the building number and room number of the first lockout. Which one do I take first? This complex is actually where the boss's son lives so they send that to him and I get to travel.

After getting the 18 wheeler open I finally get to stop for gas. While on the way home I get another call for a car lockout. I run over there and do that. I got home about 6:30 and had just enough time to eat when now I have to go to an area in the next town over Alachua, and open a house. On the way back there is a call to go to a rather ritzy area to get a guy into his car. I get home and have a whole twenty minutes before I have to run down town and open a car for some college students. At first one of the more drunk ones wanted to know who I was and why I was messing with his friends car. It was explained I was there to open it and he calmed down. That was followed by conversation about who wanted what from Checkers and how they were going to get there with the car locked up. Anyway the car was opened and it was possible to make the Checkers run so everyone was happy.

This is a day in the life of a locksmith. No wonder sometimes I'm beat at the end of the day.

Well you had enough time to build a three story house between calls for sure.

dl,

It does appear that you did manage to get gas yesterday, since you are posting today or did you run out of gas and have to call for help?

Texican....

Texican said:

dl,

It does appear that you did manage to get gas yesterday, since you are posting today or did you run out of gas and have to call for help?

Texican....

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I picked up gas on the way home. Makes me glad I have the boss's credit card.

Today was another "day in the life" kind of days. It's late and I don't have time to go through all of it, but I will hit the major job of the day. A few months ago the boss's son was called to replace a doorknob on a house. He went out and did the job. Cool. Well it seems that he wasn't told that the customer wanted every lock on every door keyed the same. The job was requested by the daughter, who is my age, because Mom has dementia they don't know where the keys to the other locks are. Now I'm called out to key all the locks the same. Sounds like no big deal. That is until I find out the deadbolts were made by a company that went out of business about twenty years ago. The locks have so many parts that are unnecessary that they stopped making them about that long ago. Now I have to re-key antique locks and figure out how they work, as I'm working on them. I also had to replace the knob on the front door. It had been used so many times that the inside knob actually fell off the door and there was no way to repair it. It seems when they made this kind of knob it was meant to be forever. Once it was put together at the factory, that was it. No repair possible, only replacement. Try finding a modern knob that looks 20+ year old.

Dad added onto their house in 1967. Mom wanted a really pretty, ornate doorknob for the front door. Of course, Dad complied without hesitation. She questioned why Dad about why he paid all that money for not only the front door but the back door too (which is almost never used, as they went in and out a side entrance into the laundry room primarily) and he replied that 30-40 years from now they won't make these knobs any more, wouldn't you like to have a handy replacement already on site and even better, we know exactly where it is after all that time? Prescient as he was, I got to move the back knob to the front door in 2011 and put a good, but not-as-good and plain-looking knob on the back door.

Dad was in it for the long run. Longer than him, in some respects. Every day I stop and thank him for his farsightedness. It's made Mom happy.

day late said:

Try finding a modern knob that looks 20+ year old.

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5 weeks & counting.....

If you have a Habitat for Humanity ReStore in your area, you can often find old and odd fixtures. Gainesville www.alachuahabitat.org

Habitat for Humanity ReStores

Freebirde said:

If you have a Habitat for Humanity ReStore in your area, you can often find old and odd fixtures. Gainesville www.alachuahabitat.org

Habitat for Humanity ReStores

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True, and that would be a good thing to do BUT, I'm on a time clock. The customer doesn't want to wait around for me to drive 15 minutes away, shop for another 15 minutes, just to come back and hopefully be able to re-key whatever I picked up.

Mostly for you it would be customers to get it themselves for you to install and re-key. When things are slow, you can go by there to look around, maybe pick up a few things you probably will need later, and if allowed, leave some business cards. Your boss might think about doing something with them to promote the business.

Once again it's late, it's been quite the day and I'm soon off to bed. But I had to give you a little idea of how the day went. First job of the day came at about 8:15. I have to drive 40 minutes one way going north, to get to the job. It was listed as a home lockout. It wasn't. It was an eviction. I'm greeted by the landlord and two sheriff's deputies. Not at the house, but by the front gate which is maybe 50 yards from the house. It's a ways out in the county. I'm informed that the lady inside hasn't responded to knocks by the sheriff and so now I have to open the door. I'm further informed that one deputy will watch the back doors because they have a lot of glass and he can see through them to the front door. The other deputy will be standing over me while I work, just in case. I follow their cars into the yard, as I get out of the van and we approach the front door the deputy I'm with askes me to hang back while he gives knocking one last try. Low and behold this time the lady inside answers the door, claimed to be asleep before so she didn't hear the knocks and was quite co-operative with law enforcement. The thing of it is because I had to drive that far out of town the landlord was charged $175 for my services, and I didn't do a thing.

A job later in the day required me to drive 45 minutes (again, one way) the other way, going south this time, to get to the job. The couple had just sold their house and were getting ready to move out. The husband had just installed a nice new fancy looking door handle with a thumb button you push down to open the door that is coupled with a deadbolt. The installation was O.K. but incomplete, but the problem was somehow they had lost the keys to the new lock. I get there and this is some oddball arrangement that I've never seen before. But I got it off the door, re-keyed the deadbolt and put it back on the door. The charge? Nearly $200. I know you can make good money in this line, but I'm telling you sometimes my boss just gets plain greedy.

DL,

Counting down the days yet?

Texican....

That's a tricky one. In a way, yes. But during the weekly meeting last night the manager started talking about changes that are coming up. He mentioned money, so if we are doing so well that we are all getting a raise that puts a new twist on retirement. SS says I can only make $18,000 a year without losing bennies. That would mean working even fewer hours after getting SS. He also said they are changing hours so everyone can have more time off. It's looking like the new locksmiths the boss is supposed to be hiring will be picking up the slack.

It is amazing how many people have more dollars than sense. I got a call today where Grandpa was going to have the Grandsons over for a few days. The boys have gotten to an age where they are curious about everything. That means they open closet doors they aren't supposed to open. Grandpa wants to keep the boys safe. He calls and wants to have the regular non-locking closet door handles replaced by locking door handles. That is quite reasonable. Especially since Grandpa is a bit like me. He has more guns than he needs but not as many as he wants. Best to keep the young boys out of this until they are a few years older. So it's a simple job, right? Just replace lever door handles that don't lock with ones that do. Not quite. The closet door is actually double doors. In two different rooms. The one on the right has the lever handle which was quick and easy to replace. The problem is that the left door is only held shut by the latch from the right door and a magnet at the top of the door. So even if Grandpa locks the handle a simple pull on the door and they both come open. After installing the new handles Grandpa discovers this and tells me;

"I think I asked for the wrong thing."

I look it over and tell him the answer is simple. Just install a barrel bolt at the top of the right hand door and then they won't come open. Now this is an easy thing to do and I advise him if he wants me to do it;

"The more I do the more it costs."

He doesn't care. So I'm off to Lowes to pick up a couple of barrel bolts and soon have them on the doors. Now my boss charges $60 an hour for us to work on a job that isn't something like a car or home lockout. When we buy parts, he doubles the price to the customer for those parts. This guy just didn't care. He wanted the job done and was willing to pay whatever it cost. The two lever handles I picked up were only $41. The barrel bolts were a whopping $6.31. Then add my time and the service call charge and it adds up. It was nearly $250 by the time I was done. But Grandpa was happy so who am I to judge?

day late said:

It is amazing how many people have more dollars than sense. I got a call today where Grandpa was going to have the Grandsons over for a few days. The boys have gotten to an age where they are curious about everything. That means they open closet doors they aren't supposed to open. Grandpa wants to keep the boys safe. He calls and wants to have the regular non-locking closet door handles replaced by locking door handles. That is quite reasonable. Especially since Grandpa is a bit like me. He has more guns than he needs but not as many as he wants. Best to keep the young boys out of this until they are a few years older. So it's a simple job, right? Just replace lever door handles that don't lock with ones that do. Not quite. The closet door is actually double doors. In two different rooms. The one on the right has the lever handle which was quick and easy to replace. The problem is that the left door is only held shut by the latch from the right door and a magnet at the top of the door. So even if Grandpa locks the handle a simple pull on the door and they both come open. After installing the new handles Grandpa discovers this and tells me;

"I think I asked for the wrong thing."

I look it over and tell him the answer is simple. Just install a barrel bolt at the top of the right hand door and then they won't come open. Now this is an easy thing to do and I advise him if he wants me to do it;

"The more I do the more it costs."

He doesn't care. So I'm off to Lowes to pick up a couple of barrel bolts and soon have them on the doors. Now my boss charges $60 an hour for us to work on a job that isn't something like a car or home lockout. When we buy parts, he doubles the price to the customer for those parts. This guy just didn't care. He wanted the job done and was willing to pay whatever it cost. The two lever handles I picked up were only $41. The barrel bolts were a whopping $6.31. Then add my time and the service call charge and it adds up. It was nearly $250 by the time I was done. But Grandpa was happy so who am I to judge?

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What would it have cost him if one of the kids got their hands on a gun? He had a "handyman there, ready, willing and able.. you were cheap at twice the price!

Summerthyme (literally..l unless he had tools from previous jobs- in which case he wouldn't have called you- this job would have cost him a grand in New tools, materials to replace damage he caused, and likely another handyman to finish/salvage the job in the end.)

summerthyme said:

What would it have cost him if one of the kids got their hands on a gun? He had a "handyman there, ready, willing and able.. you were cheap at twice the price!

Summerthyme (literally..l unless he had tools from previous jobs- in which case he wouldn't have called you- this job would have cost him a grand in New tools, materials to replace damage he caused, and likely another handyman to finish/salvage the job in the end.)

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Grandpa is a careful man. I noticed that all handguns were in locked cases Ammo stored separately. And for what I was paid to do it would only take a drill, a couple of bits and a screwdriver. Still I shouldn't kick. I made money.

He has more guns than he needs but not as many as he wants.

Definitely a guy thing.

Texican....

Did you miss me? I took a few days off to go hunting and attend a family get together. Had Mom with us during Thanksgiving. It's been nice but tiring. (YOU try trudging through a swamp for eight hours, most of the time half way to your knees in water, and see if that doesn't tire you.) Not much to report. There have been a lot of easy jobs the people had more dollars than sense. I was sent a job that sounded like it was going to be a real problem, but didn't make sense at the same time. I was told that I might have to drill and replace the lock, but the customer was already inside the home. Well, if they are already inside, why do I have to drill? I get there and the story is somewhat different. They have never had a key for one lock, but it is getting hard to turn even from the inside. This lock was last PAINTED about ten years ago by the look of it. Do you have any idea of what paint does to the inside if a lock? Turns out that the call was nothing more that shooting two deadbolts with WD-40. Worked out well for the customer. If I had to replace one of those locks and re-key it to the other existing lock the price was getting around $160+. Two shots of WD-40 and a service call, $65.

I had a similar one happen this morning. It's an old key pad deadbolt. They aren't sure where the key is, they always use the key pad. This morning the lock stopped working, sort of. They punch it the code and things go whir, click but nothing happens. I pick the lock, open the door. I notice the lock is quite stiff, so hit it with WD-40. The lock now works much better. With the wife and I on the inside, the husband was put outside and then using the pad, locked and unlocked, smooth as silk. The good news out of this job was the guy was straight up. He asked if I do side work. I said yes. He asked for my number and intends to redo the locks on his entire house. A little side work never hurt and may just launch me in a new direction with my upcoming semi-retirement.

My goodness, what a day. I had only one call up until noon. Starting at 1:30 I got 11 more. Of the 12 calls, 10 were home lock outs, one was a car and one was a car that wasn't there when I arrived and the customer's phone went straight to voicemail. I'm actually happy for people who manage to solve their own problems before I get there. But is it too much to ask that if you get the car open before I get there, give me a call so I don't waste time and gas?

A couple of the house lockouts were amusing. And throw it a little strange on this first story. The guy is house sitting and has accidentally locked himself out. The strange part is there are three deadbolts on the front door. Only one is locked and of course, it is a smart key, which means drilling. BUT before I do anything destructive, I check around for another way in. He assures me that all of the windows are locked, they checked them earlier, and the back door lock is really old and NOT wanting to turn. So, I look around a little more. I can remove the hinge pins and get the guy in, but don't really want to. I glance at a second set of windows on the back porch and guess what. It is unlocked. It wasn't 5 minutes before I was assured all windows were locked and I told him,

"It's my job. I have to look. You wouldn't believe how many times I've gotten into some place by going through a window."

I took the screen out, opened the window, the guy crawls inside and we meet at the front door to settle up. He also swears he will be singing soprano for the next couple of weeks. Sometimes it's a long way from the window ledge and the floor.

The fact of the matter is that in time, ALL mechanical devices fail. It's something you just can't get away from. But in this line when they fail all kinds of things can happen. Earlier I got to the job and the customer had the code for the key pad deadbolt. But when the code was entered the lock would whir and click but nothing happened. I picked the lock and as it turned, I could feel resistance to the turning. So, I held on to what I had and opened the door. As soon as the pressure was off and the picks removed, the bolt jumped back out into the locked position. I got the customer to try the code now that the door was open. He did, with the same result. The bolt remained in the locked position. I had to replace the key pad. By the time it was all said and done over $350. He decided to upgrade the lock by going with a smart key, key pad deadbolt. The boss gets $250 a lock installed for those things.

I often wonder how many people forget to check for unlocked window in their homes.
In this instance the guy was lucky. It may have been unlucky if a nefarious type had found it.

I always check before setting up the perimeter alarm at night.

Thanks DL.

A.

Guess we're lucky. Some of our windows do not lock....the front door does, I think, but we have never had a key to it....keys are in the tractor, the pickup and the other car, and none of them have tried to wander off...no lock on the gate either... I suppose it helps that we're 2 miles off a state highway on a dead end road that in places resembles Sleepy Hollow, and we're far enough off that county road where we can't see the road from the house or yard. Helps also that around here most if not all know at the very core of their being that, especially after dark, ya don't just go ferkin' around on private property in Texas, and especially not 400 yards from the public road.

I sleep well at night because of all that....and I know that my dogs have good ears

RememberGoliad said:

I sleep well at night because of all that....and I know that my dogs have good ears

Click to expand...

In my job they are called biological burglar alarms.