Why Not to Hire the Cheap Locksmith

We often get called out to repair damage done by someone posing as a locksmith who then damages a home owner’s property. This story recounts one of those times.

I responded to a call around 10 am one morning last week. We offer 24 hour emergency locksmith services and this was one of those calls. The client was locked out of her apartment and she described a situation that happened to her early in the morning. She had asked the concierge to call her a locksmith as she had misplaced her keys. Three men with drills and small tool bags arrived and proceeded to drill her lock in an attempt to get it open. Three men despite a lock opening being a one-person job. Three locksmiths? This started to sound like one of the many locksmith scam story that we hear about.

My client continued to tell me the story: After a length of time a male friend of the client arrived and the “locksmiths” had still not gotten in. The door was still locked and she was still locked out. She told them to go and she stayed at a hotel. When I arrived later to properly open the door and get her in, I identified the lock as a mortise lockset and I examined the damage. The damage showed no understanding of the lock mechanism.
I opened the door open in 15 seconds without any further damage using a method that would have worked just as easily without the drilling, keeping the entire lockset intact. The lock was permanently damaged from the unskilled and ignorant attempt to open it. If you need a competent locksmith contact Mobile Locksmith St. John’s and don’t be taken by unskilled locksmiths.

The lock was a mortise entry lockset, an expensive piece of hardware. Small broken dill bits were among the metal on the floor in front of the lock when I arrived. The lever handle had been forced causing it to hang at an angle. The cylinder had been drilled and the cylinder faceplate had been cut and peeled back.

The cylinder showed four points where drilling was attempted. Broken drill bits were still in two of the holes drilled in the door. Only one of the points chosen to drill at could have assisted in opening the lock but would add $300-500 to the cost of replacement parts needed!

Trying to save $50-100 may end up costing you an extra $500 not to mention the wasted time. Nothing’s cheap without good reason and as for a cheap locksmithing service call, it could get a lot more expensive after the service!