Local Locksmithing Practices

[licehunter2]

So the other day I borrow a friend's car (a Rover, from just before they went tits up), and there is two identical keys in the keyring. I try one and it doesn't work so I try the other and it does. I ask her what the other key is for, she tells me the lock on the boot was broken so she took the car to the workshop and they replaced it, the second key is for that lock.

A couple days latter I notice her dad's Land Rover has a different key for the petrol cap--same story.

She's an architect and her father owns a small building company, so I figure they get to deal with locksmiths pretty often and start to ask for different scenarios. What does the locksmith do if you get locked out of your house, what do they do if you break your key in the lock, what do they do if... well, the answer to all of the above is: a drill! Apparently all locksmiths do in this part of the world (Catalunya, to be specific) is a) they install new locks, and b) if something goes wrong they drill locks and install new ones.

My friend believes the justification for this is partly on cost grounds (saves you the lockie charging extra for coding a new lock the same as the old one), but she also admits that local tradesmen don't have any of the skills you would expect from a locksmith.

And I was wondering why she's already called me four times in the last month, to open one lock, fix another, and get a broken key out (twice, from the same lock). I have also offered to repin all the communal doors in her apartment building so they open with the same key, rather than each owner having ten different keys. Apparently they couldn't find a locksmith who would do that. ???

So what do you think? Is it considered proper practice in your area to use a drill as a first measure? What about replacing locks (such as car locks, or apt. building entrances) with new ones requiring a different key? From my inquires, this does not seem to bother people around here, they just sort of take it as a fact of life.

[capt.dunc]

drilling first is bad practice in the uk but it doesn't stop hundreds of cowboys, the public tend to put up with it. not sure about auto work, but installing a new lock, re-pinning the old, or fitting a new lever pack to a bs lock would be the norm. if you've lost your keys it makes sense, since anyone may have picked them up.

[Chrispy]

if you've lost your keys it makes sense, since anyone may have picked them up.

Which is a good reason to install a new lock. But drilling/replacing locks willy nilly is also a good way to charge for the new lock, installation of that lock and also come away with a lock to take back to the workshop for parts/whatever. It also depends on the job, the location of this lock and what the lock would be used for.

[Shrub]

So what do you think? Is it considered proper practice in your area to use a drill as a first measure? What about replacing locks (such as car locks, or apt. building entrances) with new ones requiring a different key? From my inquires, this does not seem to bother people around here, they just sort of take it as a fact of life.

As capt hinted, have a look in the euopean section and you will see what is thought of lockies that drill locks

[fixer]

Especially in automotive work, many locksmiths carry spare cylinders that are already pinned up from the supplier. They don't carry vehicle pinning kits as there are too many of them. A poor workman will rip out the old lock, replace it with a stock cylinder and collect their money. A good tradesman would do the same except they offer to re-pin the lock if the customer brings it into their shop. If I know I am going to a specific vehicle, I usually pull the pinning kit from the workshop as I leave the shop so I have everything I need to complete the work on-site.

[Mad Mick]

Some auto locks cannot be rekeyed without the proper tools, as the process involves crimping a new faceplate onto the cylinder. In general, auto dealers aren't equipped to do this work and just fit a randomly keyed lock. If the lock is able to be easily rekeyed, the techs are probably ignorant of/unable to do this, or company policy simply dictates that the lock is fitted and the job is complete. Where possible, the company I work for will accomodate rekeying new auto locks, but the cost involved in doing so is quite high in relation to what a lockie would charge.

I suppose the reasoning behind this is down to overheads...does the phrase "more chiefs than indians" spring to mind?