How to Avoid Calling a Locksmith and Save Money

If you live in North London and need an emergency response locksmith do choose wisely.

As a trusted emergency locksmith in Barnet I come across situations where customers could have avoided paying for a locksmith at all. There are also occasions when I can help a customer resolve an issue over the phone with no charge which for the customer is better than a cheap locksmith.

Leave a key with a Neighbour

If you can leave a key with a neighbour it could save you a lot of money on locksmith bills! Especially if you are in the habit of getting locked out, loosing keys and locking your keys in the house. If this sounds like you, you may want to read here about how to avoid getting locked out.

Having access to a spare key can save lots of stress and money however as I have mentioned here is this post about where not to hide keys outside, I don’t recommend hiding a key outside your house. It’s just too risky these days. Read here about how Read here about where not to leave a spare key outside! Think about if you have family who live nearby or a neighbour you can trust to leave a key with. This is not always easy especially if you have just moved to an area. If this is the case it is also worth keeping a spare key in your wallet or at your workplace.

A small mistake could cost you dearly and could mean that you have to pay for a completely new lock as well as a call out charge! If you are really unlucky and call one of the many rip off locksmiths operating you could be landed with an unreasonably large bill.  Read here about how to choose a locksmith who won’t charge the earth. If you do need an emergency response locksmith don’t just choose the nearest locksmith quoting the cheapest price, it could cost much more that you really need to pay.

WD40 to the Rescue!

A little can of WD40 can solve so many household problems from tap issues, fridge door problems and much more. When it comes to lock problems there are a number of situations where WD40 can save the day;

• Key stuck in the lock
• Key not turning in the lock

Basically point, squirt and hope for the best! It’s not rocket science. The can of WD40 comes with a straw that will help you target the product into the lock. The lubricant will run out of the lock bringing any dirt and debris with it. In many cases it will free up the lock and help things run more smoothly. I strongly advise you to try this before calling an emergency locksmith, especially if it’s out of hours and prices will be much higher!

This leads me to my next point – look after your locks!

Look After Your Locks

It’s really easy to look after your locks; it doesn’t take much time or money and can save you a fortune on an emergency locksmith! Many people are not great when it comes to maintaining their locks, either because they don’t know how to or even realise they need to.

Read here about how to care for your locks. If you regularly give your locks a bit of TLC you are less likely to have issues with locks sticking and keys snapping.

You now have the advantage of knowing how to care for your locks, save money on emergency locksmiths and get as long as possible out of your locks. Locks have a life span and looking after them will prolong their lifespan!

Blow Into Your Lock

Ok, I know this sounds like a strange one, but hear me out. When the weather gets cold and the frost sets in I seem to get an increase in calls. There is a reason for this! The cold can play havoc with the metal inside your lock. It is not uncommon for locks to cease up when temperatures drop. If your lock won’t turn and the weather is cold there is a simple solution. Put your lips to the lock and blow! The warmth of your breath will warm the pins inside your lock and with any luck you will avoid calling a locksmith.

I’m a 24/7 Emergency Locksmith – Why Would I Want to Tell People How to Avoid Using a Locksmith!?

It may seem like I am talking myself out of business here but I like to see people getting value for money when they pay money for my services.

Ideally I don’t want to charge people for squirting WD40 or blowing into their lock but if I am called out to a job and this is what is required I need to charge a call out charge. If I didn’t charge for these types of jobs my business simply wouldn’t survive! Any time I spend attending a job needs to be profitable, especially when there are numerous locksmiths near me securing jobs through dishonest means.   If you want to know how much you should realistically pay for a locksmith read here.

The most satisfying jobs are those where people want to install security measure to prevent security problems such as burglary.  We do a lot of burglary repairs work. I always find it a shame when I go to a job and I know that the customer could have avoided the burglary or the broken lock if they had had the right security measures in place and had been aware of the risks.

This is an interesting read from an American based locksmith.

The aim of this post is to impart some of my knowledge and experience as a locksmith to enable people to resolve the small issues themselves and have more time and money to think about investing in security measures to avoid and prevent serious security problems and the devastation that burglary can cause.

I hope you have found this information helpful.

Stay Safe

Martin

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