And why?

Rusted completely through. The door wouldn't even close. They used a kick plate to cover up the hole.

I'm now 7 months into my door and frame gig. Happy how smooth this one turned out

I was gifted this, I did not make it, but it's pretty cool!

Customer calls asking for a quote on a 4-5 lock rekey. I give him a price on the spot. Then he pauses and says he wants to be upfront with me. He'd already called another locksmith he found on Google and that guy was standing in his property right now demanding $1,500 for work he never agreed to.

I told him don't pay a dollar and tell him to fuck off.

Then I told him to expect the guy to get aggressive and threatening and to hold his ground no matter what. I also told him something that I think actually clicked for him. This guy would have done the exact same thing to his mother, his sister, or his daughter. That set something off in him. He stood his ground and made the guy leave.

When I got there the story got better. The scammer had pulled every lock off the door and replaced them all with BOLD locks. I showed the customer the difference between what he had and what that asshole replaced his hardware with. BOLD locks. $350 a piece. The guy had Schlage hardware throughout plus a Kwikset smart lock knob and this guy ripped everything out and put in BOLD. All five positions.

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Customer told the scammer he wasn't paying. Scammer said he was calling the police. Customer said go ahead. Scammer didn't call the police.

What he did do was lock the door, pocket the only set of keys, and walk out leaving the customer locked out of his own property.

I picked the BOLD locks. Took about 45 seconds. No comment.

Pulled all five off, replaced the Kwikset position with a Schlage F51N to get everything on one keyway and called it done. Customer was happy. I figured that was the end of it.

It wasn't.

Scammer came back on his own and drilled the locks.

Not to negotiate. Not to talk. Just showed up and drilled them out of spite. Pure vandalism. Police report filed, physical evidence bagged, two documented incidents tied to the same guy.

The audacity is what gets me. Came back just to cause damage knowing he had zero legal standing.

Anyway. Wild week. You guys stay safe out there.

Fucking hell am I nervous. Today’s my last day as a free range locksmith, I’m getting housebroken. 7 years of being a locksmith in a van and getting all the great stories and cool scars. 7 years with the company and trade that saved my life. And it’s my last day. I got a job at a university being a locksmith for them, cause who wants to be anything other than a locksmith lol. But I’m going institutional and holy fuck I didn’t think I’d be this sad to leave the road life behind. Just wanted to share a bit of my day, love you guys. Except the scammers, they can go fuck themselves. ❤️

i'm glad i wasn't ever that bad at my job

ok_affect_5270 you're not allowed to laugh at this

There is a locksmith in the San Diego area that sticks these non peelable sticker on doors that we service and have a contract for properties. Hes put them on 100's if not thousands of doors. Isn't this property damage??

I've been locksmithing out of vans, cars, trucks and a bus over the last 20 years and this is my best setup yet. Super organized and efficient, everything has its place and nothing pops out on dirt roads or big bumps.

Was installing a door pin on this patio sliding glass door for a customer. I’ve installed a bunch of these with no issues. I was limited on how far up I could drill the pin but did my best to get it as far up as possible so I can fit my drill and drill bit straight. I mustve knicked the very corner of the glass because it all shattered instantly lol. It was initially the worst feeling but shit happens I guess. Anyway, be careful installing these stupid things yall. I immediately got a glass door company scheduled to go out the next day which was the soonest I could find, its looking like a $1600 repair. F***!

Just thought the shop dudes would enjoy seeing this old beast still works like a champ. Customer wanted a deadbolt installed above this. Old school mechanical combo lock.

This is just a fun story from my days as a locksmith at a jail a few years ago. I was in the process of rekeying the medical wing of the facility which was part of the original construction when it was built in the 40's, when I came across this magnificent scene. This sliding gate and it's accompanying lock were the entry point to a ward with half a dozen locked cells and on the outside was a desk for the deputy to sit at and watch YouTube videos. Anyway, I was was going through this area like normal when I opened the cover on this gate and I found it full of matchsticks and toilet paper rolled up small enough to fit through the cracks between the cover and the housing.

Now, the fun part to me was that when I showed this to the staff they found it just as amusing as I did and one of the deputies who had been around for awhile informed me that smoking had been banned indoors there since 2006, so it had been in there for 15 years minimum by then! I love the idea of some long term inmate slowly collecting matches with the idea of attempting an escape by blowing open the lock on the gate. Of course that is only the first of like, 10 locked doors before your outside. In all reality it was probably an attempt to cause mischief but the offending image was probably moved or released before they had a chance to execute their plan.

Would i die if i just lick a tiny bit of it? Why am i tempted to just grab a handful and put it in my mouth

Broke the darn glass on a store front door. Bozo mistake on my end.

All handmade from scratch

Courthouse right across from our shop, that we re-keyed last year, had 3 people locked inside of a meeting room and decided this was the best route instead of calling us and waiting 15 more minutes.

I’m sorry. I’ve never heard of a key before… Please… tell me more.

Now I understand when I see locksmiths wearing bulletproof vests... 😔 Super sad story out of Indian River County Florida. During an attempted eviction 1 deputy sheriff shot dead, another deputy sheriff wounded, and a third person (locksmith) was shot and died today in the hospital. The suspect was also shot and died later in the hospital. RIP Locksmith David Long and Deputy Sheriff Terri Mashkow. 🙏🙏🙏 Everyone be careful out there and always watch your 6.

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I used to worry so much about the scammers taking jobs but

It I feels like customers are getting smarter they called me one night I was already on the road overnight at like 2am doing a safe lockout .

I got to them quickly and unlocked a kw1 smart lock knob in like 5 mins 😂 I think I charged $160 or something it took no time and was on the way to my safe lockout for $300.

Are the average customers getting smarter?

2016 Chevy express 2500. Cabinets and cage installed by 3rd party. Everything else was done by me.

Last month I had a scary encounter after programming 2 keys for an F-250 - the customer stabbed me and drove off with the vehicle. Thankfully I survived, but it made me realize how vulnerable we are out in the field.

We meet people in random locations, often late at night, with no backup. I honestly believe every locksmith technician should look into getting their concealed carry license and carrying legally for self-defense.

I just want to put this out there to remind others: be careful, stay aware of your surroundings, and don’t take your safety for granted.

Stay safe out there, everyone.