day in the life of a locksmith

[femurat]

So out of 4 jobs I only get paid for 2 but at least I am alive.

That's a nice way to look at it

Cheers

[ltdbjd]

I'm curious, do you tell them why you wouldn't take the call, or do you make up an excuse? I usually give them a generic like about being too busy.

[shutterstuff]

I'm curious, do you tell them why you wouldn't take the call, or do you make up an excuse? I usually give them a generic like about being too busy.

In our town we have a problem of people living in RV's parked on the streets. I get a call about once a week with someone who lost their keys and want me to make new ones. They are always in a hurry. I tell them I am in the middle of a large job and it would be a few days. Last week was a gal who sounded very tweaked out, wanted keys to her RV and 2 cars and needed them right away. Red flag!

[femurat]

I'm curious, do you tell them why you wouldn't take the call, or do you make up an excuse? I usually give them a generic like about being too busy.

I guess you're busy looking for the key.
The one in your avatar

[Tyler J. Thomas]

I'm curious, do you tell them why you wouldn't take the call, or do you make up an excuse? I usually give them a generic like about being too busy.

In a shady situation like Cledry's I'll flat out tell them why I'm not doing it.

[ltdbjd]

SO THAT'S WHERE THE KEY WENT!!! I've been looking all over for it. Figures it's in the one place I didn't look!

[billdeserthills]

I got a call this morning from a landlord who had contacted the constable, apparently his renter had quit paying rent, but continued to squat in his home. He wanted me to meet the constable and the police and rekey the place. When I arrived the constable from phoenix was already there, we waited for the other constable to arrive and then they started 'working' on the squatters. Of course the squatters said they had permission from the court to stay in the home, unfortunately then the constables called in the police, the first police car arrived and he explained that the papers the landlord had said the squatters needed to pack up and get out--Now, then he pulled his M-16 out and racked the slide--I was very impressed, the constable explained that if the squatters didn't allow me inside the home to rekey it, they would have me pick the door open and take the squatters to jail, which sounded good to me, anyhow finally the people inside opened the door and by that time we had 5 police vehicles outside and a bunch of annoyed cops inside.

I pulled off the 10 locks and rekeyed them, and put them back on, all that time the police had allowed the squatters to move their 3 dogs and 2 cats and lots of stuff out of the house.
When I left they finally kicked the squatters the heck out of there, along with their pets, leaving a houseful of boxes and who knows what left in the place.

[billdeserthills]

I'm curious, do you tell them why you wouldn't take the call, or do you make up an excuse? I usually give them a generic like about being too busy.

In a shady situation like Cledry's I'll flat out tell them why I'm not doing it.

I had a real shady job right before my Dad retired, he actually took the call and send me out, it was in a trailer park and I had to rekey a trailer, when I got done, the lady told me that her boyfriend had the money and he would be home real soon...

about 20 minutes later (I was more patient 25 years ago) I finally got up the nerve to tell her I had to go, and her boyfriend could pick up the new keys
at the shop--She paid me with food stamps and an old aluminum ladder that I still have. Come payday I got paid with the same ladder and of course the
food stamps, along with a little cash. It was a good training call for a new locksmith and like I said, I still do have that ladder to remember it by

[shutterstuff]

the constable explained that if the squatters didn't allow me inside the home to rekey it, they would have me pick the door open and take the squatters to jail, which sounded good to me, anyhow finally the people inside opened the door and by that time we had 5 police vehicles outside and a bunch of annoyed cops inside.

I had an eviction last year kind of like the but only one Sheriff. He had the bullet proof vest on and I didn't... but once he told the guy inside that if he did not open the door willingly he would go to jail. The door opened right up.

The place was so filthy I went home to change and shower after. That stench!!!

[mseifert]

, then he pulled his M-16 out and racked the slide--I was very impressed,

Sorry cant help it .. M16 doesn't have a slide, It has a charging handle .. And the M16 is the military designation for a AR-15

[billdeserthills]

, then he pulled his M-16 out and racked the slide--I was very impressed,

Sorry cant help it .. M16 doesn't have a slide, It has a charging handle .. And the M16 is the military designation for a AR-15

You shoulda seen his clip!!

BTW the police in my area use M-16's, it's the little people who carry AR-15's

[billdeserthills]

the constable explained that if the squatters didn't allow me inside the home to rekey it, they would have me pick the door open and take the squatters to jail, which sounded good to me, anyhow finally the people inside opened the door and by that time we had 5 police vehicles outside and a bunch of annoyed cops inside.

I had an eviction last year kind of like the but only one Sheriff. He had the bullet proof vest on and I didn't... but once he told the guy inside that if he did not open the door willingly he would go to jail. The door opened right up.

The place was so filthy I went home to change and shower after. That stench!!!

Yes, the stench, that is the old crackhouse signature, and it is caused when people keep stacking dirty dishes and the food on those
dishes begins to rot right off of them-- Nasty stuff and the house I was in was very clean in comparison, with no holes in the walls, or doors
Still they managed to fill the entire garage with boxes of stuff, they didn't even get to take any of that with them, sposed to come back
next week for it.

[cledry]

I'm curious, do you tell them why you wouldn't take the call, or do you make up an excuse? I usually give them a generic like about being too busy.

I told them flat out why I wasn't doing the job and why I wasn't too happy about being lied to.

[Jacob Morgan]

I pulled off the 10 locks and rekeyed them, and put them back on, all that time the police had allowed the squatters to move their 3 dogs and 2 cats and lots of stuff out of the house.
When I left they finally kicked the squatters the heck out of there, along with their pets, leaving a houseful of boxes and who knows what left in the place.

That is a lot of locks, must have been a large house. Do you charge by the hour when you have to wait on the police to sort things out?

[ltdbjd]

That's all I did for the first year or so as a locksmith. I worked for a residential real estate company in southern CA. They'd buy 5 to 8 houses a day at foreclosure auctions. It was my job to take possession of the houses if they were vacant, or handle the eviction if they were occupied. I've been in some nasty, nasty houses.

What was annoying was the people who destroyed the house because they were pissed they were evicted. Of course, the owner/lender that evicted them no longer owned the house, so it was the buyer who got shafted. Not so bad when you're a company spending.$1,000,000 a day on houses. But if you're a mom-and-pop operation trying to flip one house at a time, it could bankrupt you.