Locksmith drilling a Kwikset??!!

[sandplum]

If most of your customers are psychopaths, then I can see why you're hesitant to do anything on a Kwikset other than straight out replacement. Fortunately, situations where Kwikset pin-tumbler locks disintegrate the moment any locksmith touches them are not too common. A customer may also have their own reason for wanting to keep their existing locks. There also many customers who are weary of locksmiths who claim that these locks need replacement, whether they call us for a lockout, or a re-key job. They might see you and your company as a shady shop who is only interested in making sales.

If it is serviceable, I would service it. If I do notice anything that could cause a problem before I start working on it, I'll explain to the customer so that they can make an informed choice. This is one of the things that separates us from contractors, construction, and maintenance workers who don't have the experience to deal with the intricacies of lock work.

Agreed.

Eyes_Only is good at SPP, so he runs no risk picking the lock. A key would do more damage than he would to a lock, and I am not talking only about Kwikset.

I always try to leave the lock working better than I found it, and whenver possible I finish by handing the key to the client and asking them to test the lock and confirm that it is working well. I have never had a call back on the same lock, only repeat business for additional locks.

[mhole]

I'm with Evan here - if you so much as touch it, the customer seems to blame you if they have a problem. Even if you fix something as a freebie, which wasn't working before, they'll call to complain when it stops working! These are the joys of dealing with customers, who as we all know, are always right.