They Are Trying to Put Us Out Of Busines

[Ray_Air]

I disagree with them trying to put you out of business. Most people are lazy and won't bother having to learn how to re-pin a lock.

[Stray]

Wouldn't Smart Key from Weiser be a bigger problem if it gets popular?

[Johnny P]

A man called me Christmas Eve and wanted me to come open his safe at a convenience store or restaurant or whatever. this was at 8:30 at night and I was on another lockout call.

When it comes to safes, I mainly do combination changes and maintenance/service, but also some manipulation and other methods of opening safes, but this fellow told me to "make it easier for me" he had already drilled a hole and you "can see the lock."

There is no telling what he may have done in his DIY effort, including and probably firing a re-locker and that's beyond my limits sight unseen. For this, I would have called a locksmith that specializes in safes IF I could have gotten one to go out on Christmas Eve. And that's a big IF.

I told the "gentleman" that it was very possible he may have fired one of the re-lockers and that would make the job more difficult. He told me he didn't want me to re-lock the safe, he wanted me to unlock it. Obviously a communication gap here.

Frankly, I turned the job down because of the possible re-locker problem, the fact I had no idea wha kind of drill he used, how large, where he drilled, or did he even use a hole saw? I told him he was going to have to try to find a specialist now that he had already drilled.

Many lockout situations with safes can often be solved by using diagnostic solutions if you know what you're looking for. In other words, no manipulation or drilling required to open the safe i the combination is know. The problem is usually something simple and once the safe is opened, the problem can be easily fixed. But DIYers don't realize that and just make the problem much worse - not to mention much costlier.

[Mutzy]

DIY Repinning time 2hrs, 38 mins.

(Plus 30 min drive to locksmith after stuffing up lock.


Locksmith repinning time 2 min 24sec...

Which works fine until the next time you lose your keys...

[globallockytoo]

Whilst I understand the need for DIY'ers to try to do it themselves....most will likely be daunted by the intricacy of locksmithing. So I dont think it will be too much problem....but if you are concerned...maybe you should put your business card up on the local noticeboard of HD. You might get some extra business as a result. .....couldn't hurt eh?

[Raccoon]

Buy up all those DIY pinning kits, slip your business card behind the cardboard packaging, then return the pinning kits.

[HeadHunterCEO]

Buy up all those DIY pinning kits, slip your business card behind the cardboard packaging, then return the pinning kits.

excellent

[unlisted]

Buy up all those DIY pinning kits, slip your business card behind the cardboard packaging, then return the pinning kits.

If you are purchasing all the kits, I would recommend emptying all the contents, and than leaving just your business card. Than when the person gets home, and opens the package, theres your business card- nothing else.

Oh, and on the cards, offer something like 15% off, so they don't feel totally ripped off, hey they just bought cheaper service...

[UWSDWF]

Lordy lordy lordy whats we gonna do now massa whats we gonna do them other are startin to learn.

RUN IN FEAR the general population is being given the tools to do things them selves RUUUUUUNNNNNN

this is stupid should I got turn myself in somewhere I rekeyed my lock sometime ago and I'm not a lockie.... oh no I hear the dogs a coming

[frizzen]

Maybe I'm looking at this from the wrong angle. I'm a mechanic (Federal Aviation Administration certified Airframe and Powerplant maintainance technician) I don't have a problem with people knowing how things work, letting them have the tools and materials to let them work on it themselves. If I hadn't learned on cars, I wouldn't have moved on to working on airplanes.

On an aircraft, there are only a couple things that an owner can legally do by themselves; but look at a car, you can do absolutely anything you want to it as long as you keep it reasonably close to "street legal". Anyone can go out and buy any part on their car/truck/van that they want, do all the work themselves, and even thumb their noses at the repair shops if they want. Yet have you ever called an automotive repair station and had them tell you it would be a couple days before they got time to even lookd at you? Obviously it sure hurts professional business to allow the DIY attitude. Only... People are lazy, don't want to learn, and don't want to be bothered.

The way I see it, lockies don't have much to worry about here. Most of the general population isn't even willing to install their own lock on their door, let alone even CONSIDER actually ripping their lock open and repinning it. I'd bet that more than half of the repin kits that are sold will never even get taken out of the package! And of those that do, there will be many cases where they do it wrong.

Did you guys get this worked up when somebody started selling lockout tools to the general public? "Oh no the sky is falling, a couple amatures can try doing something for themselves." Sure, it might take a little tiny nibble out of your business, but I don't think so. The people that try and succeed will have learned from this; those that try and fail will have gained even more respect for you. Might also get a few more people interested in learning LockSport, or even becoming locksmiths.

Besides, with a code of 335533 it's not like it'd be the most secure pinning. So it's another case where the lockie would be able to give a superior product than their little kit.

Locks are black magic. People want to believe that even their Master #3 is the most secure thing in the world. In general, I've found people really don't want to learn how anything works, let alone how to change it.

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