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 Locksmith Blog Return

 Locksmiths Blog | Local Locksmiths | Door Repairs

I have been away fro quite some time now, it has been pretty busy in the locksmithing world and I have had plenty of work to be getting on with so I kind of neglected to update the locksmith blog.

I have also been working on a lot of other sites providing SEO for locksmiths across the country which turned out to be quite time consuming.

Hopefully I will be updating the locksmith blog shortly with some fresh content, new locksmith secrets and latest product reviews.

In the meantime if you are struggling to get your locksmith fix you can check out Rick the locksmith.

Locksmith Call Centers, Time To Take Action | Locksmith Blog

Avoiding National Locksmith Call Centers!

Working as a locksmith it is becoming increasingly common to meet customers who have been ripped off or left unhappy with the work, some even fearing that they may have disclosed security information to untrustworthy individuals. Victims of the money grabbing national call center operations that charge ludicrous hidden fees and charge for unnecessary work.

So what the hell is going on here?

Large national locksmith chains spend millions of pounds each year on advertising. They buy up multiple pages of adverts in physical directories using different company names and redirect phone numbers to appear local and dupe the customers into believing they are dealing with a genuine local locksmith. This massive expenditure is passed directly onto the customers who would be lucky to ever pay less than £100 for the simplest of jobs and anywhere upto £500 (one of the worst I heard of).

More often than not the 'locksmith' or engineer as they like to refer to them as, typically with less than a few months experience under the belt, will be dispatched from their nearest point, which could be miiiiiiiiiiiles away. The customer is always reassured they will be no more than 30 mins away, but this is rarely the case and I have met customers that were left stranded for hours before eventually trying to cancel. At this point they have usually already taken note of your card details and will bill you for their call out anyway despite failing to show.

If they actually show up to do the work it is usually of poor standard due to the locksmiths lack of experience. I have been to jobs where they have fled tail between legs after wrecking door mechanisms and claiming they need to order parts.

Why don't they employ real locksmiths?

Truth is, no half decent locksmith in Cannock would entertain them. Firstly he would be working for a small percentage of the job. Secondly, who wants to help a competitor take work from their own area?

Having had the misfortune of working for several of these national locksmiths in my earlier years I quickly decided that I did not want to be the person handing over ridiculous bills to the elderly, having to beg the call center to pay me my money on time and work for peanuts.

We need to educate our customers on the best ways to avoid these national scammers to ensure we do not all get tarred with the same brush. It is not acceptable and we must make a stand.
Adding this banner onto your webpage along with a summary of what it is about will help customers make the right choice, choose a local locksmith and avoid being the next victim.

Best Locksmiths of 2014 | Locksmith Blog

Best Locksmiths of 2014 | Locksmith Blog

There have been a lot of new locksmith start ups over the past year that have worked hard to establish themselves in this highly competitive trade.

I have watched these new companies grow and become serious players in their local areas, despite strong opposition from more established firms and organisations that would rather new startups die off quickly.

It is without a doubt one of the hardest careers to get started in and is a competitive dog eat dog industry dominated by multi-million pound national locksmith chains eating up all the bread and butter work.

I have dedicated this post as a shout out to my favorite locksmith companies of the year and to help promote their businesses further.

In no particular order:

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JS Locksmiths - Manchester

uPVC Door Locks

29 Aintree Ave
Sale
Manchester
M334QH
Tel: 07789593034
Web: http://www.locksmith-4-manchester.co.uk

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Hugo Locksmiths Romford
5 Hugo Gardens
Rainham
Essex
RM137LA
Tel:  07957624954
Web: http://www.locksmith-in-romford.co.uk
Web: http://www.locksmith-in-rainham.co.uk


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Budget uPVC Cylinder

Legend Locksmiths
27 Bevan Road
Cockfosters
Barnet
EN49DZ
Tel: 07586903255
Web: http://www.locksmith-in-barnet.com

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Jewellery Box Keys

About Turn Locks
303 Firtree Road
Epsom
KT173LF
Tel: 01372727104
Web: http://www.about-turnlocks.co.uk

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Pennine Security Solutions
18 Clough Head
Penistone
Sheffield
S366UA
Tel: 07917421482

Aluminium Door Locks

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Wolverhampton Locksmiths
51 Drancy Avenue
Willenhall
Wolverhampton
WV125RD
Tel: 07724828289
Web: https://www.locksmith-in-wolverhampton.co.uk
Web: http://www.locksmith-walsall.com

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Sir Locksalot Locksmiths
32 Ronaldshay Terrace
Redcar
Cleveland
Tel: 07986614865


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Lockbusters Auto Keys
87 Goddard Street
Stoke on Trent
ST31LR
Tel: 01782244891
Web: http://www.stokeontrentlocksmiths.com/

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JG Locksmiths
1 Burnet Close
Leicester
LE51TQ
Tel: 07846 962825
Web:  http://www.jglocksmiths.co.uk

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Impact Locksmiths
50 Riviera Drive
Croxteth
Liverpool
L114US
Tel: 07590208096

Locksmith Training Courses | Locksmith Blog

With competition for locksmith and door repairs work increasing on a weekly basis there are more and more locksmiths jumping on the training bandwagon to top up their income.

Just a quick search for locksmith training brings up pages of results varying from large training facilities run by locksmith organisations to random Joes training for peanuts from a garden shed.

Since there is no recognised qualification for locksmithing, a lot of these companies will invent their own certifications to lure in customers seeking to join the profession. Let me first warn anyone reading this that these qualifications are not worth the paper they are written on!

This can make choosing a locksmith training course pretty confusing for a newcomer looking to train so I have decided to point anyone looking in what I believe to be the right direction and offer a little advice.

Safe Lock Opening

Firstly, the larger organisations promote exclusiveness and appear to offer good support to their trainees. This usually comes at a hefty price and annual fees and membership are required to maintain this support. Usually access to work and clients is promised, however many of the members I have spoken to suggest this is only the case for the inner circle and main faces of the organisation with little passed on if any to the newer members.

Now the other end of the spectrum; the locksmith on Ebay offering to teach you the basics for a few hundred quid and a 6 pack of beer... As tempting as this may be it is probably best avoided and I would expect only the bare minimum of lock butchery to be taught here with no access to any specialist tools or equipment that would be used by a professional locksmith.

The inbetweeners  are usually self employed locksmiths that have established a recognised training school and have their own purpose built facility offering the same level of teaching as the exclusive organisations but without all the frills and unnecessary extras. In my opinion these are usually the best locksmith courses as will offer better value for money and not try to sell a load of side orders that you really don't need to buy into.

I have met a lot of locksmiths in my time in the trade and have been a member of numerous forums and clubs and there has always been one name in locksmith training that has always stood out, offering unrivalled post course support and has an enviable following of loyal friends.

Island Locks - Locksmith Training are in my opinion the course to choose, if only for the incredible support you will receive afterwards via the dedicated online locksmiths forum.

Knowing Your Customer | Locksmith Blog

Pennine Security Solutions | 01142135134 | Locksmith Sheffield

Learning to know your customer is something that a locksmith learns from experience.

Admittedly sometimes I may be overly judgemental and I probably turn down ten locksmith jobs a month where I make the descision that this particular customer may either cause a problem, not have the money to pay or I just feel wasn't very polite on the phone.

I have been out countless times in the past to customers locked out who then argue the toss over price once the door is open and when working alone this can be an intimidating experience.

The concern became so great that I eventually stopped attending jobs that I deemed to be too risky for me to waste my time on, however with locksmith work falling thin on some weeks you occassionally have to take that gamble.

One job in particular that stands out in the back of my mind is when a gang of youths showed up wanting  me to open an apartment door they didn't own or have any paperwork to show me.
I didn't particularly fancy getting my head kicked in that evening, nor did I want to be aiding a burglary so sat there for 5 minutes pretending to pick open a lock before claiming it was a high security lock and I couldn't do it.

They weren't happy but I left with a clear conscience in an undamaged head :-)

So i may be discriminating against people that sound too shady over the phone or feel are at risk of pulling a fast one but one thing is for sure i trust my intuition nowadays avoiding late night calls from drugged up teens and gangster types that can't speak proper English.

 

Locksmith Blog -

Locksmith Cradley Heath | Locksmith Blogs

Five more random Locksmith Tips | Locksmith Blog

Wow!

Had loads of positive feedback regarding the last post i made earlier in the month sharing five random locksmith tips.

So by popular demand i shall follow with a further five tips to improve your locksmithing experience, just the little things that can improve an awkward job, speed things up a little and make life easier for us.

1/ Inserting the Yale tailpiece

When changing a nightlatch cylinder it is often difficult to re-insert the tailpiece of the rim cylinder into the slot in the back of the nightlatch, particularly on the small backsets.
I find that filing the corners slightly off the tailpiece will guide it home much smoother without trying to poke it in place with a wire.

2/ Picking Eclipse/Walsall lever locks

These new grey cheapo BS lever locks have a serious flaw. My mate, a locksmith in Stoke, noticed only the frontmost lever in the pack is capable of engaging the antipick notch due to the ridiculous design of the bolt. An easy pick knowing that once the back four are set all you need to do is lift that front lever in.

3/  Yale MPL grub screws

Lost the grub screw from that old yale mech? Cut down a normal euro retaining screw and remove the head.  Saw a small notch into the end and file tidy before inserting with a flat blade screwdriver.

4/  Save good curtainwheels

Hang on to unworn curtainwheels from old locks. These come in handy when repairing welded gate locks. Nine times out of ten I have found the problem is a worn curtainwheel and replacing the innards saves you serious time and more importantly the customers money.

5/ Latched PVC door - No letterbox

Split spindles can have a customer locked out even though the door is as good as open. When there is no letterbox handy to use a letterbox tool I use a flat steel bar and pry open the latch area.
The PVC has more than enough flex to remain undamaged and the door will simply pop open unscathed. Childsplay, just try make it look more technical than it really is.

Hope these few nuggetts are of help to you.

Rick - Ricks Locksmiths

Locksmiths Letterbox Tool | Locksmith Blog

Sidewinder lock tool

opening a thumbturn cylinder

There have been a few new locksmith  tools pop up in the last couple of months, however the tool that I feel deserves a special feature on my Locksmith Blog is the Sidewinder, developed by Outside In lock tools, a small tool manufacturer owned by Simon Barber, a local locksmith in Ipswich.

The sidewinder is basically an add on for the souber letterbox tool that can be fixed to the end and used to manipulate thumbturns, bunches of keys and nightlatches with knobs.

The way in which this tool delivers a direct turning force to the target is the secret to its success and after my first few uses was left smiling with satisfaction at the ease in which it helped me gain entry.

This tool is a MUST HAVE for any warrant locksmith and in fact all locksmiths! Im not quite sure how i ever managed without one.

And it doesn't stop there folks!

Simon has also developed a further attachment which when combined with the Sidewinder can also defeat letterbox guards which are now commonplace on local housing properties.

Testimonials:

Rick - Walsall Locksmiths
The new sidewinder attachment is a fantastic tool and already saving me a fortune in carbide drills.
Possibly the greatest tool since the snapper bar.

Mike -
Combined with the rattler tool this is superior to any other letterbox tool to date. Payed for itself in a single job.

Locksmiths vs handymen | Locksmith Blog

Iv been the second/third locksmith to be called to a job lately in which a chancer (one of which works for a national locksmith franchise...) has turned up and walked away without even trying to help.

Today for example; a guy had got the wrong key stuck in his deadlock. The first locksmith shrugged and left the customer stuck in his own house without attempting to remove the key.

I took the handle off and forced the curtainwheel around in about 10 seconds...
No damage to the lock and the correct key worked perfectly no need to change the lock.

It seems most are now chasing the easy jobs and can't be bothered to have a crack at the real work which to be honest i find more enjoyable.

I guess its the nitty gritty jobs that separate the real locksmiths from the handymen and will undoubtedly lead to their business failing.

Cold Weather lock problems | Locksmith Blog

pss locksmiths in sheffield

During the colder months we locksmiths are going to be seeing an increase in multipoint lock failures.

upvc and composite doors are prone to shrinking in the colder climate and will often stiffen up during the winter season.

If your door starts to show resistance on the handle when pushing upwards usually accompanies by some sort of crunching sound you should get your door adjusted as soon as you can.

Repeated stress on the locks gears will undoubtedly lead to failure, usually at the most inconvenent of times in my experience with patio door repairs.

Adjustment is usually a quick job for a skilled locksmith who will tweak the hinges and keeps to ensure the lock is meshing smoothly with the frame.

It is part and parcel of owning a plastic door and will usually need readjusting in the summer months when things heat up a little.

Here is another good article on door repairs written by Rickthepick.

Have a merry Xmas and a happy new year.
 

Repairing Euro lock cases | Locksmith Blog

inside euro lock case

I recently spoke with a locksmith friend that works as a local locksmith who encountered a common problem whilst servicing a particular brand of lock installed all over a large office block that he manages.

These locks were oval profile mortice sash locks.

If you aren't familiar with this type of lock they usually work by throwing the bolt which is then locked into place by a single lever.




The problem this locksmith kept encountering involved the spring steel lever spring fracturing.
This causes the bolt of the lock to fall between open and closed if the key is turned to quickly.

When the user comes to unlock the door they find it wont work as the euro cam is trapped in the wrong part of the lock case by the intermittent bolt position.

So i put this question up on one of the locksmith forums i use and here's the fix that was recommended by one of the veteran locksmiths:

"replace the lever spring". LOL I never realised you could buy spare lever springs to make repairs like this and it is going to save a lot of hassle ordering a new lock case and of course the extra cost.

It is simply a case of inserting the new lever spring into the groove and peening over the metal to hold it tight.

Carefully bend the lever spring into position and try to get the majority of the bend in the first half inch so that it isn't too highly sprung at the other end which could cause it to jump out of position.

If the lock is beyond repair and a new case is required then try and order a superior model such as the Walsall ACE lockcase recommended to me by Walsall locksmiths. These incorporate a heavy duty machined piece to hold the bolts position as opposed the the lesser quality sprung lever as pictured above.

Rogue Customers - Locksmith Blog

Rogue traders get plenty of exposure in the news and on television however it seems the rogue customers are free to cause as much trouble as possible without any kind of exposure.

Working as a self employed locksmith brings me into contact with rogue customers on a regular basis.

One of my more recent 'customers' was locked out.
Naturally as a 24 hour locksmith I dropped everything and drove the ten mile to the home of the customer who lived in an apartment block.

Now upon arrival there are several apartment blocks in this particular street and hard to distinguish in the pitch black so i call to ask for further directions only to be told "oh it doesn't matter now we managed to get in...." (Insert cursing words here)

I know the sure fire way to avoid this kind of scenario is to take card payment up front, but firstly you need the equipment to do so and I think it may put off some customers.

You could demand payment for your time and have a good old argument about it however being a small self employed locksmith leaves you vulnerable to hoax calls and further trouble so i find its best to bite your lip and move on.

Then there are the customers that want to haggle after the work is complete.

This usually happens on those jobs you have already quoted at a reduced price for friends of friends or on particularly quiet weeks.

I am all for haggling beforehand, its natural for a customer to try and get the best deal, in any trade not just locksmiths.Then there are customers that fall into the down right criminal category, usually larger companies that think they don't have to pay the small guy and will fight to the last straw to avoid parting with a penny.

A recent post on a locksmith forum shows the trouble and financial problems a large customer can cause. Fortunately for this chap he had his day in court and won!
I know a locksmith in Walsall that was recently swindled by a squatter claiming to live at a property.They had all relevant ID and utility bills linking them to the property so access was gained and locks changed.

A few weeks later the cheque bounced and the customer upon further investigation through the letting agent turned out to be a serial fraudster named Tina Patel.


So i guess my main gripe is that the spotlight is always on the tradesmen, when in fact there are far more 'rogues' and crooked customers out there waiting to rip off the next self employed guy that doesn't have the bottle or time to defend himself and I think its about time Domonic Littlewood and all his cronies start to fight for the victims on the other side of the coin for once instead of tarnishing good reputations.