Masterkeying Problems - Your Incompetent Locksmith Has Filed Down Your Cylinders

Chances are there are some locksmiths in your area that are highly incompetent. They drive the vehicle, wear the shirt, and have the advertisements; but they have no real clue about quality work. In Nashville, TN, even some of the oldest locksmiths are destroying customers locks so that they cannot be master-keyed securely. You would be surprised by who it is, because they are highly regarded in the community. When an incompetent locksmith re-keys your locks, he removes them, puts the wrong sized tumblers in the chambers, and grinds the lock cylinder down on a grinder or he hand files them. When he does this, he is removing from .020 to ,045 of an inch of valuable metal from your lock. He is ruining your lock!

Now, let us say that you call another locksmith in to master-key the locks. When a lock is master-keyed, a master key works the lock and an individual, different key works the lock as well. In fact, a master key system can have more levels than just two. But the problem comes when your incompetent locksmith files the cylinder plugs down to fit his wrong tumblers. Why? Because there are master pins that start at .024 of an inch. If he files the plug down to .045 of an inch, you can see that a .024 inch master pin will float in empty space and jam your lock.

There is a way around this problem, however. Today I did a small master key job where a locally famous, incompetent locksmith preceded me. The plugs were all filed down and some of the chambers were mauled. Because the master key system was small, I designed it to take larger master pins. Instead of making small two-step increments in the system, like a #2 cut in the master and a #4 cut in the change key, I went to a #5 in the change key. The difference between the #4 and #5 was sufficient enough to compensate for the filed cylinder plugs. So, the difference between a #2 master key cut and #5 change key cut is 3. A 3 master pin is thicker than a number 2 master pin.

I will tell you just how prevalent lock cylinder filing is. A number of years ago there was locksmith school here in the southern part of the country. The owner told me to insert the pins, grind the cylinder, and that would take care of the job; and this guy was grinding away a fourth of the cylinder. His excuse was that the lock was not pick-proof anyway. What he did was to make the lock no longer fit to be keyed. He also made the lock easier to pick and made the chances greater that a wrong key could "jiggle" the lock open.

So, if you want your locks master-keyed, you will need to know if your locksmith has filed the cylinders down. If he has, and he won't tell you they have been filed, he will have to sell you replacement cylinders. The cost of your job will be double.

If you suspect that your locksmith is filing your cylinders, have another locksmith install a new cylinder and call the suspect locksmith to key it. Have the first locksmith inspect the work. If the lock has been filed, fire the old locksmith.

Locksmiths With Blank Invoices Should Be Turned Away - The Scams Abound!

There is a locksmith running around the Murfreesboro, Smyrna, and Nashville area who is reached through a 1-800 number. Of course, not every locksmith who uses a 1-800 number is a scam business either. But this locksmith will show up, probably be unable to fix your most basic commercial job, and, if he is unable to do the job, will charge you a service call. He will hand you a blank receipt without a name, address or Tennessee locksmith license number, and demand cash. This locksmith is sent to you when you use the Internet PAID ADVERTISING SITES. When you call a 1-800 number from the premium website search result listings, you usually get the scam artists who work out of another state. Here are some things you should know.

1. Never hire a locksmith who has a 1-800 number unless you know he is local and you have checked his references.
2. When any locksmith shows up at your place of business, ask for 1) his Tennessee locksmith license ID card and 2) his invoice booklet. If he has no license and his invoices are blank, ask him to leave because he is working under the radar and cannot be trusted to do the work correctly and charge you fairly.
3. If you get one of these locksmiths, do not pay him a service call, as he will not be able to collect since he is operating outside of Tennessee law. Get his vehicle type and write down his vehicle license plate number and call the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance.
4. Always ask a price before you ask the locksmith to make a service call. If the locksmith call center tells you that the service call will be $14, $15, $19 or some other low amount, and if the person refuses to give you a final price, cancel the call.
5. The locksmiths who are dispatched are dispatched from businesses you will not be able to find, hence the blank receipts. These locksmiths also get half of the money for the job they do, so of course the price is going to be jacked up. I have seen an $85 job go for $375; and the invoice was blank! The customer could not lodge a complaint nor get a refund.
6. If you do get stuck with one of these hucksters, and he is doing your work, rest assured that he will come to you when he is done and give you a bill three to four times what you thought it was going to be. In the event you do not pay the up-charge, the locksmith will remove your locks at closing time and threaten you with legal action. Do not pay the bill and do not sign it. Get his tag numbers and call the police, because the locksmith will remove your locks and leave you vulnerable!
7. For more information, go to www.a-bestlocksmith.com or www.commerciallockservice.com.

Locksmith Rates in Murfreesboro & Nashville, TN

Here are some rates you can expect to pay in Murfreesboro and Nashville, Tennessee. I will also share with you the scam price quotes designed to hook you. Generally, the scams will only give you a cheapy service call rate and refuse to give you a final price for the entire job. They will just surprise you when it is all over and you will be gouged. Scams will quote you on an $85 job and you will end up paying $375 for that $85 job! These are usually the guys in the top paid Internet listings.

• Car Openings - $45 to $75 (Scam - $14, $15, $19)
• Service Call - $45 to $75 (Scam - $14, $15, $19)
• Price Per Cylinder Re-Keyed - $13 to $20 (Scam - Will Not Quote)
• Safe Combination Change - $95 to $150
• Deadbolt Installation (Add Service Call) - $60 to $95
• General Glass Door Lock Service - $65 to $125
• Door Closer Install (Surface Mount - $165 to $450, Concealed - $350 to $450)
• Key Copies $2.00 to $4.00
• New Commercial Mortise Cylinder, Glass Door - $27.50 to $70

Before You Hire a Locksmith on the Internet

Just because a company has an advertisement on the internet doesn't guarantee you professional service. First, I will tell you what people looking for locksmiths online have experienced by clicking on paid advertising and then I will tell you how go about making sure you are safe before you schedule an online-advertising locksmith.

Here is what can very easily happen to you.

1.  You get a company run by people who do not do lock work. These companies only run advertisements in the top Internet slots and hire people they have never met to do the service.  These "locksmiths" have been known to be under-trained.  In one case, the locksmith had no key machine, gave the only key he had to the customer after the re-key, and the key would not even copy.  I was called in to clean up the mess. Do you want somebody re-keying your home or business who cannot be found tomorrow?

2.  The top Internet ads always advertise a low service call fee. You will see $14, $15, or $19.  When you see this, run! You should know that nobody can cover costs with a fee like that.  The lock company will lead you to believe that your service project is going to be done inexpensively. In the end, however, what should have been an $85 job ends up costing you $375. (Actual example from a business on Middle Tennessee Boulevard in Murfreesboro, TN.)

This is what you can do to protect yourself when hiring a locksmith online.

1.  Ask for a firm price and do not sign the bill beforehand.  If the locksmith jacks the price up in the end and tells you that he already did the job, do not pay.  He will threaten to sue you, but simply tell him that you did not agree to the charges.  Because the locksmith is "shady", he does not want legal involvement. He will usually relent. 

2.  Ask for his locksmith license number if your state requires licensing.  Or, tell the locksmith before he arrives that you will need to record his driver's license number before he begins to work.

3.  Check his references and do know that references can be part of a scam.