Reply With QuoteBeing of the absent-minded persuasion I tend to keep keys at all times on a paracord lanyard around my neck.
Moved house recently and the new place has a uPVC door with split spindle lock...ie opens with the handle on the inside and you need a key from the outside, even if not locked. Despite saying to myself multiple times over the last couple of months "that's going to catch me out one day", I did nothing to mitigate and sure enough I closed the front door on myself when I nipped out to the car to get something! I had nothing I could use to get through the letterbox and pull the handle so I had to call a locksmith. I chose one who lived a few doors down the road from me thinking it might be the most cost effective. He came in 2 minutes with a "letterbox tool" which is basically an adjustable bent rod that goes through the letterbox and turns the handle from the inside. In 30 seconds I was back in. The cost? £85! Totally admit its through my error and I get that locksmiths are skilled tradesmen that often do a lot more skilled jobs, but it did smart when I think it took 10 minutes total from his door to going back into his door! He said he'd done that job multiple times that day! It's a shame no-one offers a cheap letterbox opener service...you wouldn't need skill and could advertise no entry, no fee. I would have given that a go first.
My wife cheered me up saying, look on the bright side, it's not as bad as the time I lived in a shared flat and locked myself out, rang the bell and phoned my housemate but no answer. Had to call a locksmith who destroyed the lock and replaced it - charging £200...only to find the flatmate was inside and couldn't be bothered to answer the door or pick up the phone!!!
Anyway, anyone had similar idiotic moments that cost them?
I'm now looking at a secured and hidden key safe as an option but not convinced on the merits versus the additional risk.
Being of the absent-minded persuasion I tend to keep keys at all times on a paracord lanyard around my neck.
I identified two things that could catch me out in the future...doing the same again or going out with a key and having a second, such as the wifes key, in the inside lock...another method of locking oneself out! Your idea definitely helps for the first...I think I might do that!Originally Posted by draftsmann
I have one of these mounted somewhere discreet.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122946678529
Been used in anger once or twice! Even if found by scrotes, they'd have to find the lock box then get past the CCTV and alarm systems so not entirely silly leaving a door key outside.
As for the £85, I always view these things as £5 for the time and £80 for the knowledge and experience. I get paid a lot in my job but it took 30 years to get to the level of experience I am paid for.
£85 is very fair IMO. You’re paying once for something you’re unlikely ever to do again (hopefully!)
A few years ago I flew to China for work. Got off the plane to a voicemail from the wife saying she’d locked herself out and our friends with a spare set were on holiday, so she panicked and called a locksmith.
Thankfully he was a good one and saw she was edgy and upset. He had to drill and replace the main lock (but was fortunately able to pick the second lock). He was there for an hour in the pissing rain and charged £200. When I got home I replaced the lock he’d replaced with a like for like which cost another £60.
Meh. All part of life’s rich tapestry. “We” haven’t locked ourselves out since though!
All very true...I don't begrudge it...the only time I thought a small child would come in really useful to reach in through the letterbox!
I used to work with locksmiths and worked for a lock manufacturer.
If you are using a key safe, make sure it is a Police approved "Secured by Design" product. Probably more like £50-60 but worth the investment.
e.g. https://keysafe.co.uk/c500-keysafe.html
Thanks Mike...very useful info. If I go that route, I'll defintely do that and also make sure it is well concealed to add further protection.
I completed a locksmith course a few years ago when my job looked like it may come to an end. Interestingly, the trainer said a lot of locksmiths had stopped doing 24hr emergency call outs because it often only took a matter of minutes to get in and people objected to paying a call out charge (bearing in mind it usually involved getting someone out of bed at 2.00 in the morning). They also said they never spend more than 5 minutes trying to pick a lock because people accuse them of wasting time to bump the charge up - as a skilled job, I did get the impression that it could be pretty thankless at times
The course was fascinating and myself and the other trainee through the whole week, would express expletive laden comments when we were shown how easy it was to get past locks, even the most expensive models. I had recently changed my windows to double glazing including a new front door and that upset me the most because I paid for upgraded locks
I agree with some of the comments here, £85 was pretty reasonable as that includes travel costs etc and they never know whether the job will take a few minutes or an hour if they have to drill and replace
kIt's always something that has intrigued me, watching those videos from the lock picking lawyer.
For obvious reasons there seems to be a surpression of information on the tools and skills required to break locks...could anyone have just booked onto the course?
A few years ago I had a strip out job in an old bank, when the bank left the building they closed the vault (an old 1900s style walk in vault) the door was at least a foot thick and the concrete walls had ball bearings in them to prevent people drilling through.
We needed to get in to vault, there was no way we could drill through the iron door, or the concrete sides so we called a specialist locksmith.
A small man about 70 turned up with just a leather document folder about A4 in size no other equipment.
He went down stairs looked at the vault nodded his head. He then instructed us to shut him in the basement, blocking the doorways with ply screwed to the frames he would not allow anyone down there with him. We all stood at the top of the stairs waiting, less than 10 minutes later there was a knock on the ply. "its open he said" we could not believe it, but sure enough the door and the inner iron grill were both open.
I made him a cupper and had a chat, he a lovely old chap, I asked how he did it, but he would not tell me, he said it was easy though. He did tell me the older safes were easier to pick than more modern ones.
Apparently he had a template for most lock types and that if he was having trouble opening a lock it he would tape the template on the door and drill through one specific point that would render the lock useless; but according to him modern safes have a device that renders the lock inoperable if you drill them so you have no choice but to pick them. He had never found a lock he could not open though. He would not tell us where he learnt his trade either. He did say he was well paid to keep him honest. I often think about the old boy, he was one of those people you meet briefly in life that leave an impression.
^Haha excellent - a true master of his trade.
I was going to become a locksmith many years ago.
Did the training and bought all kit (still have it including the letter box kit)
It amazed me how easy some locks are to pick, open.
I could pick most euro/ Yale locks in minutes and even honed my skills to pick the b's 5 lever locks.
You have to invest quite a bit of money in kit to become a professional locksmith and not just a driller!!
Didn't think the price was two bad considering business expenses, etc for the one man band guy, he's got to eat.
In our first house together the internal door of the porch had a night latch style lock, one day leaving the house door swings shut behind us me and the Mrs both assumed other one had the keys.
Think it cost around £80 for the call out for the locksmith. What made it worse was he just used a credit card sized tool in the right spot between door and frame and it opened took him less than 2 mins.
Alot of locksmiths advertise as 24 hours but after some twat attempted to break into to our new home at 2am by snapping the locks had to ring around 5 local ones before anyone would pickup. Very grateful that he did.
My father in law locked himself in his garden last summer, the patio doors blew shut whilst he was lighting the BBQ and locked themselves and the only way to open them was to go round with the spare front door key (which turned out to be for something else entirely) and rescue him. No such luck and we had to call a mobile locksmith who turned up about 45 mins later and within a few minutes he had opened the door with a little brute force and some plastic sheets.
It was sunny and I had some beers that may have been tasted whilst we waited for the locksmith and thus the bbq.
Cost the FIL £160 but it was a Sunday of a bank holiday in SW London. Lesson learnt and we now have a spare key that 100% works.
What a fantastic story, a true master of his craft.
I have one of these mounted somewhere discreet.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122946678529
Been used in anger once or twice! Even if found by scrotes, they'd have to find the lock box then get past the CCTV and alarm systems so not entirely silly leaving a door key outside.
As for the £85, I always view these things as £5 for the time and £80 for the knowledge and experience. I get paid a lot in my job but it took 30 years to get to the level of experience I am paid for.
i have one of these on the garage door for the opener which allows me access to the house as i dont use house keys and its saved my bacon if i have forgotten my door remote in one of the cars . I tend to drive into the garage and park the cars in there and never use the door lol
I imagine a shut-in job would be £85 minimum, even if you had to supply your own ply.
it cost a fair bit more than 85 quid if I remember correctly
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