Pull up a chair, grab a cold one, and talk about life as a locksmith. Trade stories of good and bad customers, general work day frustrations, any fun projects you worked on recently, or anything else you want to chat about with fellow locksmiths.
by ststephen » 18 Feb 2006 18:31
Well, I know I am a noob here still, but I am so excited that I landed my first locksmithing job today. WOOHOO! I start Monday and will get about 4-5 calls per day at first. The owner is pretty cool and has alot of knowledge to share. He is also very straightforward and direct, which I like.
He was impressed at the amount of knowledge I gained (mostly from here!) without any formal training. He also liked Tshock's plug spinner http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?t=9096 , kudos to you and thanks for sharing! Tshock, I did you you FULL credit!
I will be doing mostly lockouts at first, but I look forward to learning from him and having a chance to do something other than rekey locks. WISH ME LUCK!
Thank you SO MUCH EVERYONE! My Wife and baby are VERY happy Daddy has a job! 
The first to admit ignorance is the first to gain wisdom.
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ststephen
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by 2hammers » 18 Feb 2006 20:08
Best of luck mate I hope the jobs roll in for you and you can do justice to the locksmith trade.
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by paul1982 » 19 Feb 2006 15:26
Congratulations mate and well done. Hope all goes wel for you 
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by ststephen » 22 Feb 2006 1:57
Thanks a bunch!
So far I have been pretty busy and I like the work. I had one irate lady on a car lockout who refused to pay the quoted price once I arrived, luckily, I have them sign the Work Order/Invoice before I open the door. She saw the price and got mad, but at least I didn't have to call the police for theft of services. So, I was out some gas, but not a whole lot and I figured she wasn't worth the bother. I would imagine she would have been unhappy even if I did it free.  (Even my buddies buy me 12 pack or do me a favor in turn).
Anyway, I also helped an elderly woman after a fire burned her apartment. She had some unsavory contractors keep her door key. So, her insurance agent paid me to rekey the whole house. I was missing my Kwikset cylinder release tool, so I had to improvise. She was a nice lady and her son thanked me profusely.
So the good, the bad and nothing too ugly.
Time for sleep....
The first to admit ignorance is the first to gain wisdom.
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ststephen
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by horsefeathers » 22 Feb 2006 16:03
"theft of services"
what a lovely phrase - can you really call the police for that? Could do with some local police help here in UK sometimes, especially when using mica on a yale latch and opening door in 3 seconds. " I not paying all that - you were only here a minute!!"
Welcome to our world!
regards
wayne
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by vector40 » 22 Feb 2006 17:14
I'd recommend always quoting your price over the phone, stephen; that way they have a chance to balk before you go to any trouble.
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by xmanrocks » 22 Feb 2006 17:34
Uh ststephen,
Is your new job with 24/7 emergency locksmith off of Orchard Rd. down in the tech center?
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by Chucklz » 22 Feb 2006 18:22
horsefeathers,
If I was a locksmith and someone said they werent going to pay me, I would just lock the door right back up and begin to pack my tools up. I'm rather sure they would pay, or I would just leave.
Or you can tell them the story about the boiler repairman.
Hitting valve with hammer $0.01
Knowing exactly what valve to hit and how hard to hit it $499.99
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by Shrub » 22 Feb 2006 18:25
Chucklz wrote: If I was a locksmith and someone said they werent going to pay me, I would just lock the door right back up and begin to pack my tools up. I'm rather sure they would pay, or I would just leave.
Then charge for another opening
Im only kidding, ill leave that to the cowboys.
Bit hard to do on a mortice lockout though 
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by horsefeathers » 23 Feb 2006 4:14
Mind you, I didnt say that they didnt pay - just that they moaned about paying full amount quoted when job took less than a minute. Of course, being 7 foot 4 inches tall and 3 ft wide helps convince the customer the error of their ways....
regards
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horsefeathers
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by Chucklz » 23 Feb 2006 14:07
Sweet man! Being that big, do you even have to pick the locks, or just stare at them angrily! 
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by horsefeathers » 23 Feb 2006 14:21
Chucklz wrote:Sweet <censored> man! Being that big, do you even have to pick the locks, or just stare at them angrily! 
oops - made a typo! Meant to say that I was 4 foot 7 inches tall. Perhaps they take pity on me!
regards
wayne
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by ameriloc » 7 Mar 2006 19:04
I tell custimers that they are not paying for the job I do. They are paying for the knowlage to do the job right.
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by Gundanium » 8 Mar 2006 12:36
Good Luck man!! keep us posted for sure!
someone love me!
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by ststephen » 13 Mar 2006 10:43
So far all is good with the new job. Many of my skills are improving. Vehicle lockouts was a big worry for me (for some reason, I don't know) but I am getting better all the time.
Seems like the customers are very happy with the work I do, so that is good.
The first to admit ignorance is the first to gain wisdom.
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ststephen
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