Comments The Locksmith Journals
- Thread starter day late
- Start date
day late
money? whats that?
Well, I carry, but then again I get called to some pretty spooky places at all times of the day and night. As I've mentioned before, there is one apartment complex I TOLD the boss I would not go back to. One of the other guys, an ex-cop, went there one time and told the boss he wouldn't go back either.
day late
money? whats that?
Ask and ye shall receive.
day late
money? whats that?
Weather! If you ever served as a grunt or a jar head, (I AM a grunt and that gives me the right to call Marines that name. They understand because we have chewed the same dirt. They don't get offended just as I don't when they call me grunt. You had to be there.) you know that weather effects everything you do. In the past I have had to open eighteen wheelers at 2 A.M. in the rain. I have been standing there picking the lock on someone's front door with the rain coming off the roof and pouring right down the back of my neck. This is Florida, I've had to open cars for pizza delivery drivers in the middle of a hurricane. I've opened the doors to homes under the same conditions. From about the beginning of April until the middle of November I have to keep an extra shirt in the back of the car so I can change as necessary. There have been times when I go to a job and work only for a few minutes, but simply must change shirts before I go to the next job. After finishing the first one I'm soaking wet. When I was first getting started in this job I once spent over half an hour trying to open an eighteen wheeler. At that time I was new and didn't know I needed a larger air bag for the door of one of those rigs and my boss had forgotten to give me one. By the time I gave up, I was soaked to the skin by my own sweat. The heat and humidity here in Florida is something like childbirth. It must be experienced to be understood. Last night I drove almost 25 miles (one way) to open a F-350 Ford for a lady. I worked less than five minutes. We haven't had any real rainfall here in more than a month and on at least one day last week the temp. hit over 100 degrees. When I finished, I went to the truck and changed shirts before I even got in. My boss and I are also members of the DBC. That stands for the Dead Body Club. So far, only he and I have had the "privilege" of opening a home for family when the home owner has ceased breathing, several days ago. At times like that the one thing you want to do is go home and hold your dearly beloved tighter than they can stand. And, because of the stink, the last thing you want to do is go home and hold your dearly beloved tighter than they can stand. I've mentioned before, I believe, that on one such occasion I called my wife while on the way home, telling her that I needed fresh clothing and for her to stay very far away from me when I got there. The stench of death was all over me. Wouldn't you know it? While on the way home, even after I told my boss that I needed a shower, he sent me another job before I had the chance to get cleaned up. I love my job, but that was not a fun day.
As of right now, the yard is turning brown because of the lack of rain. But people keep needing our services. I will go out as required, but that extra shirt is becoming very important. Oh, there is one other thing. I have informed my boss that when we are having a hurricane coming to visit us I will go out, but NOT outside the city limits. The last thing I want is to be stuck on the road somewhere with water in front of me and fallen trees behind me when one of those storms comes to town.
As of right now, the yard is turning brown because of the lack of rain. But people keep needing our services. I will go out as required, but that extra shirt is becoming very important. Oh, there is one other thing. I have informed my boss that when we are having a hurricane coming to visit us I will go out, but NOT outside the city limits. The last thing I want is to be stuck on the road somewhere with water in front of me and fallen trees behind me when one of those storms comes to town.
Texican
Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
From about the beginning of April until the middle of November I have to keep an extra shirt in the back of the car so I can change as necessary.
DL,
Thanks for the chapter....
You do know they make rain suits for rain and umbrellas....
We had a high winds and heavy rain and hail here this afternoon.... The winds kept changing directions and blew a door to one of our containers open.... Went to close the door and discovered the winds had blown about 40' of metal shed roof off.... Been an interesting day....
Texican....
DL,
Thanks for the chapter....
You do know they make rain suits for rain and umbrellas....
We had a high winds and heavy rain and hail here this afternoon.... The winds kept changing directions and blew a door to one of our containers open.... Went to close the door and discovered the winds had blown about 40' of metal shed roof off.... Been an interesting day....
Texican....
day late
money? whats that?
I've mentioned customers before, but as we all know people in general can be weird. I mean anyone can get strange. I was on my way home from a job a couple of days ago. I'm sitting in a left turn lane, waiting for the light. As is becoming more and more common, there is a guy in the median with a cardboard sign. However instead of the usual plea for help this sign simply read "Native American." I paid no attention to him. There are many of these people around Gainesville and it seems like more every day. I've had one of them try to break into my home while my wife was here alone. I'm not giving them anything. Well this "Native American" walks up next to my car and for no reason begins cursing me. I've never seen him before, I've done nothing to him and there is no reason for this abuse. Fortunately the light changed and I was on my way before he became more aggressive.
Then we have people like the one I had last night. A young guy who was locked out of his Honda Civic. I don't like these cars. Instead of pulling the lock by the handle out, to unlock the door you have to push it in. That makes things more difficult. This guy's Civic was brand new. I mean it looked like it just came off the showroom floor. So, when I get there the first thing he askes me is,
"Does your company have good insurance?"
I told him yes and he goes on.
"I don't want to get the paint scratched."
I handed him one of the air jacks and pointed out it is a nylon bag that I pump up to be able to reach inside to unlock the door.
"Well, is that going to bend the door or do any damage to it?"
I assure him I've been doing this for four years and haven't bent a door yet. Now, being somewhat reassured he wants to help me unlock his baby. Have you ever had a cat follow you by walking just in front of your feet? That's how this guy was. Trying to help by getting in the way. I got the car open and the alarm goes off. Now the guy is searching the inside of the car for his keys. I'm putting my tools away when I hear him start the car. Starting the car doesn't turn off the alarm on a Civic. Now the guy is just about in a panic when I tell him,
"Close the door. Use the key to lock it and then unlock it. That reset's the alarm."
He does and it does, for which he is grateful. Then before we can get started on the paper work he is inspecting the door area for any damage. Eventually he calmed down and we got everything taken care of, but you have to wonder sometimes.
This one didn't happen to me, but it did happen to one of the guys I work with. Sometimes the customers you deal with don't have it all together. One of our guys was set out to install one lock and re-key the other locks in the house to the same key. Just another day in the office. We do this kind of thing all the time. The lock the guy installed came with six factory cut keys in the box. The technician asked the lady if she wanted all six keys. She told him no, she only needed four. He did the job, gave her the keys she asked for and left. The next thing we know she is posting on-line how she feels so unsafe right now because when the technician left he took a set of keys with him. The boss called her and they spoke. She admitted that at the time she wrote that she was off her med's and really had no problem with us. Unfortunately she never changed the review she put on-line. Some people.
Then we have people like the one I had last night. A young guy who was locked out of his Honda Civic. I don't like these cars. Instead of pulling the lock by the handle out, to unlock the door you have to push it in. That makes things more difficult. This guy's Civic was brand new. I mean it looked like it just came off the showroom floor. So, when I get there the first thing he askes me is,
"Does your company have good insurance?"
I told him yes and he goes on.
"I don't want to get the paint scratched."
I handed him one of the air jacks and pointed out it is a nylon bag that I pump up to be able to reach inside to unlock the door.
"Well, is that going to bend the door or do any damage to it?"
I assure him I've been doing this for four years and haven't bent a door yet. Now, being somewhat reassured he wants to help me unlock his baby. Have you ever had a cat follow you by walking just in front of your feet? That's how this guy was. Trying to help by getting in the way. I got the car open and the alarm goes off. Now the guy is searching the inside of the car for his keys. I'm putting my tools away when I hear him start the car. Starting the car doesn't turn off the alarm on a Civic. Now the guy is just about in a panic when I tell him,
"Close the door. Use the key to lock it and then unlock it. That reset's the alarm."
He does and it does, for which he is grateful. Then before we can get started on the paper work he is inspecting the door area for any damage. Eventually he calmed down and we got everything taken care of, but you have to wonder sometimes.
This one didn't happen to me, but it did happen to one of the guys I work with. Sometimes the customers you deal with don't have it all together. One of our guys was set out to install one lock and re-key the other locks in the house to the same key. Just another day in the office. We do this kind of thing all the time. The lock the guy installed came with six factory cut keys in the box. The technician asked the lady if she wanted all six keys. She told him no, she only needed four. He did the job, gave her the keys she asked for and left. The next thing we know she is posting on-line how she feels so unsafe right now because when the technician left he took a set of keys with him. The boss called her and they spoke. She admitted that at the time she wrote that she was off her med's and really had no problem with us. Unfortunately she never changed the review she put on-line. Some people.
day late
money? whats that?
I'm VERY aware of that. But that's one of the reasons I have my concealed carry permit.
day late
money? whats that?
Customers are the biggest thing I deal with from day to day. I mean a lock is a lock. Some can be picked, some can not. No big deal. But the people can be and are so very different. A short time back I had to open a home at about 10 at night. Well after a few minutes it was clear the lock didn't want to let me pick it. I don't like to drill locks, it's hard work for me and an added expense to the customer. So I tell this guy I'm going to look around and see if there is another way to get him in. He says fine and I start looking at windows and such. I went through the gate into the back yard and all of a sudden this guy is acting like I'm trying to steal from him. He was going absolutely ballistic about me going into his back yard. I have no idea what might have been in that back yard that he had to be so protective of, and I don't want to know. I apologized and went back to the front door and he is ranting and raving about calling another locksmith. Honestly I was about to tell him to do so, (that late at night there usually isn't anyone else and if someone is available they are going to charge a lot more.) when the lock turned and I got him inside. But I mean, REALLY! I had been on the job for less than ten minutes and this guy has just gone over the edge.
Then you have people like the guy about three weeks ago. He had just gotten the lease on an office and was working to get it ready for his business. The problem was that the former tenant had installed a keypad door knob and when he moved out he didn't leave the key or the code to open the door. My customer had to get into that room to do whatever was needed to get it ready for his business. Folks, I'm going to tell you right now, if you want a good lock that is very difficult to pick, get a Schlage lock. They are designed with tighter tolerances than other locks and depending on how expensive you want to go, they can throw in extra security measures that make them extremely hard to pick. This keypad door knob had all the bells and whistles. I believe I've mentioned spool pins. They ABSOLUTELY MUST be picked right or nothing happens. One spoon pin is hard. Three spool pins are almost impossible. This door knob had FIVE spool pins in it. Fortunately for me the customer didn't care about the lock and was planning on replacing it anyway. So I just drilled the thing and got the door open.
There have been other times that people who expect instant gratification have threatened to call another locksmith. Usually it happens when a group of people have been out partying and get home to find that they can't get in. Being half sh*t-faced and of the "instant gratification" crowd they expect James Bond to show up, use a credit card to slip the lock and get them in, in seconds. Sorry folks, it don't work that way. You got an old man in his sixties and that is the way it is.
But between the two guys above you can see the ying and yang of my profession. I've said before and often that in being a locksmith, every day is an adventure. You never know what you're going to get
Then you have people like the guy about three weeks ago. He had just gotten the lease on an office and was working to get it ready for his business. The problem was that the former tenant had installed a keypad door knob and when he moved out he didn't leave the key or the code to open the door. My customer had to get into that room to do whatever was needed to get it ready for his business. Folks, I'm going to tell you right now, if you want a good lock that is very difficult to pick, get a Schlage lock. They are designed with tighter tolerances than other locks and depending on how expensive you want to go, they can throw in extra security measures that make them extremely hard to pick. This keypad door knob had all the bells and whistles. I believe I've mentioned spool pins. They ABSOLUTELY MUST be picked right or nothing happens. One spoon pin is hard. Three spool pins are almost impossible. This door knob had FIVE spool pins in it. Fortunately for me the customer didn't care about the lock and was planning on replacing it anyway. So I just drilled the thing and got the door open.
There have been other times that people who expect instant gratification have threatened to call another locksmith. Usually it happens when a group of people have been out partying and get home to find that they can't get in. Being half sh*t-faced and of the "instant gratification" crowd they expect James Bond to show up, use a credit card to slip the lock and get them in, in seconds. Sorry folks, it don't work that way. You got an old man in his sixties and that is the way it is.
But between the two guys above you can see the ying and yang of my profession. I've said before and often that in being a locksmith, every day is an adventure. You never know what you're going to get
day late
money? whats that?
One of the problems I have to face is driving. I put over 20,000 miles a year on my car. That's bad enough, but as we all know whenever the weather gets bad that's when the people who got their license out of a Cracker Jack box decide to go for a drive. With as much time as I spend on the road you get to see it all. One rainy day I went to open a car at an apartment complex. I opened it the customer and I settled the bill and as I'm walking back to my car a really nice looking sportscar of some type drives past in front of me and disappears around the corner of the building I was in front of. This car was being carefully driven and was going slow through the complex. There wasn't even the squeal of tires. Just a loud bang. I stepped up to the corner where I was going left and looked to my right. Some guy in a pickup was in a hurry to get where he was going and hammered that sportscar HARD! I believe the front bumper was now located just above the front wheel. There were several people standing there and I heard one of them say;
"Man, he came sailing around the corner and just smashed into her."
Both vehicles were empty and nobody was panicking, so I assume that the drivers were okay. No one was giving anyone first aid at any rate and I had another call waiting so I had to leave. People are constantly either cutting me off, or hanging on my bumper. If I'm in a neighborhood where there are children I'm doing the speed limit, or a little under. They can just sit back there for all I care. But what really bothers me is having someone do that when I'm on I-75 DOING 75 in a 70 and the guy behind me is pushing me to speed up. Usually he also has one or more lanes to the left that he can use. But no, he just has to try to make me go faster. When I first learned to drive my father taught me a annoying trick to pull of the people. I slow down. It drives them nuts. I'll slow from 75 to 70 and wait. I'm not spiking the brakes mind you, I just take my foot off of the gas. Usually they hit the brakes just in time to avoid hitting my car. They honk the horn sometimes and I just continue on my way. If they crawl back up on my bumper I drop another 5 mph. I keep this up until dumbo gets the message and passes me or until I hit the minimum speed limit.
Many moons ago I used this trick on a car that was much too close to the back wheel of my motorcycle. It was night and all I could see were the bright lights of the car behind me. The road is posted at 55, so I dropped it to 50. Ya know bikes slow down a lot faster than cars. I guy nearly ran me over. He was still hanging there so I went from the right lane to the left. This guy follows me. I dropped in down to 45 with the same result. I pull back over to the right lane and once again he's right there. I go left again and hit the minimum for this rad which is 40. Well you know what happened. Suddenly a car comes screaming across a divided 4 lane highway from my left, cuts off traffic going the other way, nearly takes out my front wheel I lock up the bike the guy behind is now MUCH too close and is doing his best to keep his car on the road. By now I'm not very happy. There are just too many nuts on the road tonight. I was reaching out to twist the throttle and get out of there when the highway patrolman behind me turned on his lights and chased the other guy down.
That slow down trick really works.
But strange stuff still happens. I mentioned getting work done on my car. The dealership gave me a loaner and while I'm on the way home some girl bumps into the back end. It wasn't bad. If it had been my car I would have forgotten it. But I wasn't going to let the dealership make me pay to have the bumper repainted. I have to turn around and go back there so they could inspect it and copy the police report. Then you have days like today. My car has been making noise and I take it to the shop. $800 and about half the day to get it fixed. Once I'm back on the road three of the first four calls I had involved drilling out locks. And I'm doing that in 90+ temperatures. It is now 1 A.M. and I just got home from job number 7 since 3:30 this afternoon.
The third job was interesting. I was called to a blood donation center because the latch on the door knob stopped working and two people were trapped inside the room. This was an industrial type door handle. I ended up talking it off the door in pieces.
"Man, he came sailing around the corner and just smashed into her."
Both vehicles were empty and nobody was panicking, so I assume that the drivers were okay. No one was giving anyone first aid at any rate and I had another call waiting so I had to leave. People are constantly either cutting me off, or hanging on my bumper. If I'm in a neighborhood where there are children I'm doing the speed limit, or a little under. They can just sit back there for all I care. But what really bothers me is having someone do that when I'm on I-75 DOING 75 in a 70 and the guy behind me is pushing me to speed up. Usually he also has one or more lanes to the left that he can use. But no, he just has to try to make me go faster. When I first learned to drive my father taught me a annoying trick to pull of the people. I slow down. It drives them nuts. I'll slow from 75 to 70 and wait. I'm not spiking the brakes mind you, I just take my foot off of the gas. Usually they hit the brakes just in time to avoid hitting my car. They honk the horn sometimes and I just continue on my way. If they crawl back up on my bumper I drop another 5 mph. I keep this up until dumbo gets the message and passes me or until I hit the minimum speed limit.
Many moons ago I used this trick on a car that was much too close to the back wheel of my motorcycle. It was night and all I could see were the bright lights of the car behind me. The road is posted at 55, so I dropped it to 50. Ya know bikes slow down a lot faster than cars. I guy nearly ran me over. He was still hanging there so I went from the right lane to the left. This guy follows me. I dropped in down to 45 with the same result. I pull back over to the right lane and once again he's right there. I go left again and hit the minimum for this rad which is 40. Well you know what happened. Suddenly a car comes screaming across a divided 4 lane highway from my left, cuts off traffic going the other way, nearly takes out my front wheel I lock up the bike the guy behind is now MUCH too close and is doing his best to keep his car on the road. By now I'm not very happy. There are just too many nuts on the road tonight. I was reaching out to twist the throttle and get out of there when the highway patrolman behind me turned on his lights and chased the other guy down.
That slow down trick really works.
But strange stuff still happens. I mentioned getting work done on my car. The dealership gave me a loaner and while I'm on the way home some girl bumps into the back end. It wasn't bad. If it had been my car I would have forgotten it. But I wasn't going to let the dealership make me pay to have the bumper repainted. I have to turn around and go back there so they could inspect it and copy the police report. Then you have days like today. My car has been making noise and I take it to the shop. $800 and about half the day to get it fixed. Once I'm back on the road three of the first four calls I had involved drilling out locks. And I'm doing that in 90+ temperatures. It is now 1 A.M. and I just got home from job number 7 since 3:30 this afternoon.
The third job was interesting. I was called to a blood donation center because the latch on the door knob stopped working and two people were trapped inside the room. This was an industrial type door handle. I ended up talking it off the door in pieces.
day late
money? whats that?
It is a very useful skill that I recommend everyone at least learn, even if you don't ever take up the profession. That way when the zombie apocalypse happens you don't have to attract the zombies by shooting the lock off or beating down the door. You just quietly gain entry to whatever you need and they don't even know you are there.
day late
money? whats that?
Every once in a while I actually run into a customer who isn't either panicked or brain dead. Earlier this week I got called to open a car for a lady at about 11 at night. She actually used common sense. Her car keys were locked in the house, but she carried a spare house key in the car. Of course the car is locked as well. It seems that when she called for help she questioned the boss and found out that opening a car is cheaper than opening her house, so she requested that I open the car. I do, the alarm goes off, she jumps in and gets the house key. She runs into the house gets the car key and shuts off the alarm. Clever lady. She may have made a boo-boo, but she found the cheapest way out of it.
Other folks have shown good sense at different times. Usually when I get to a job where the child is locked in the car, by the time I get there Mom is thinking very seriously about using a brick on the window. Often while on my way, Mom will call me and ask if I think there is enough air in the car to keep her child from suffocating. (I kid you not! I have actually had parents ask the same question when the child was locked in the bed room.) But every once in a while when I get there Mom is doing something like playing peek-a-boo with the baby to keep the child from becoming scared. THAT is exactly the right thing to do. Other times the parent/s will be talking to the child, if they are old enough to understand what is being said, and try to get them to unlock the door. Sometimes that actually happens, like yesterday.
I get the call "child locked in car" and I'm off to the races. I call the customer to assure them I'm on my way and that's when I'm told;
"Oh, it's not my car. The lady who owns it used my phone because hers is in the car."
Well this happens more often than you might think. So no big deal. It takes me twenty minutes in 93 degree temps. to get to the other side of town. I pull into the driveway and there sit what looks like 'Grand mom' with about half a dozen grand kids playing in the yard. I ask her;
"Did you call for a locksmith?"
"No. Are you here about that Challenger?"
"Yes Ma'am."
"Oh they got that open and left about fifteen minutes ago."
Okay, why didn't someone tell me this? I could have saved time and gas.
I was getting new tires put on my SUV a couple of years ago and while doing that I started chatting with one of the other customers at the store. The subject of hide-a-key boxes came up and he just laughed. He told me that he is something of a shade tree mechanic and he was doing some work for a guy who was really into his car. He took immaculate care of his vehicle. So much so that when he had the car washed he actually pressure washed the undercarriage. He was also concerned with being locked out, so he had the box. The problem was the box kept disappearing. So he got a new box and a new key and put them in the same spot as last time. So the mechanic is under the car working when he noticed the box. Then he noticed the second box. Then he found a third. In total he said he found fourteen of those boxes under the car and they all had the same key in them. It turns out that when the car owner had the undercarriage pressure washed, the pressure pushed the box down the frame. So here are all these boxes lined up, one after the other on the underside of the car. You'd think if the guy was so into his car and these boxes kept going away that he would think someone was going to steal the car and change the locks. But he didn't.
Some people are simply amazed at what I do. I went to open a bed room for a student a couple of nights ago. He asked;
"Are going to pick the lock like they do in the movies?"
"Yes."
I went to work and this lock was one of those that was just begging me to open it. The door was open in less than a minute. This guy just thought that, that was the coolest thing he had ever seen. The same day, the same thing, but this time for a young lady. And again the lock was quick and easy. She thought it was cool but she thought a little faster than the guy did.
"I guess this means anyone can get into my room."
What followed was a conversation with her asking the right questions on how to improve her security.
Other folks have shown good sense at different times. Usually when I get to a job where the child is locked in the car, by the time I get there Mom is thinking very seriously about using a brick on the window. Often while on my way, Mom will call me and ask if I think there is enough air in the car to keep her child from suffocating. (I kid you not! I have actually had parents ask the same question when the child was locked in the bed room.) But every once in a while when I get there Mom is doing something like playing peek-a-boo with the baby to keep the child from becoming scared. THAT is exactly the right thing to do. Other times the parent/s will be talking to the child, if they are old enough to understand what is being said, and try to get them to unlock the door. Sometimes that actually happens, like yesterday.
I get the call "child locked in car" and I'm off to the races. I call the customer to assure them I'm on my way and that's when I'm told;
"Oh, it's not my car. The lady who owns it used my phone because hers is in the car."
Well this happens more often than you might think. So no big deal. It takes me twenty minutes in 93 degree temps. to get to the other side of town. I pull into the driveway and there sit what looks like 'Grand mom' with about half a dozen grand kids playing in the yard. I ask her;
"Did you call for a locksmith?"
"No. Are you here about that Challenger?"
"Yes Ma'am."
"Oh they got that open and left about fifteen minutes ago."
Okay, why didn't someone tell me this? I could have saved time and gas.
I was getting new tires put on my SUV a couple of years ago and while doing that I started chatting with one of the other customers at the store. The subject of hide-a-key boxes came up and he just laughed. He told me that he is something of a shade tree mechanic and he was doing some work for a guy who was really into his car. He took immaculate care of his vehicle. So much so that when he had the car washed he actually pressure washed the undercarriage. He was also concerned with being locked out, so he had the box. The problem was the box kept disappearing. So he got a new box and a new key and put them in the same spot as last time. So the mechanic is under the car working when he noticed the box. Then he noticed the second box. Then he found a third. In total he said he found fourteen of those boxes under the car and they all had the same key in them. It turns out that when the car owner had the undercarriage pressure washed, the pressure pushed the box down the frame. So here are all these boxes lined up, one after the other on the underside of the car. You'd think if the guy was so into his car and these boxes kept going away that he would think someone was going to steal the car and change the locks. But he didn't.
Some people are simply amazed at what I do. I went to open a bed room for a student a couple of nights ago. He asked;
"Are going to pick the lock like they do in the movies?"
"Yes."
I went to work and this lock was one of those that was just begging me to open it. The door was open in less than a minute. This guy just thought that, that was the coolest thing he had ever seen. The same day, the same thing, but this time for a young lady. And again the lock was quick and easy. She thought it was cool but she thought a little faster than the guy did.
"I guess this means anyone can get into my room."
What followed was a conversation with her asking the right questions on how to improve her security.
Texican
Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
DL,
Thanks for the chapter....
Yeas ago, my DW was out with the dogs and left the keys in her SUV with the car running with the AC on since it was hot outside. The dogs got to jump on the door and locked the doors with the DW outside.... The DW stated talking and acting making the dogs jump on the door until they unlocked the door and the DW was back in the car.... Problem solved....
Another time, I stopped at Kmarts to shop and noticed the fire department and a woman standing outside a car with a baby in a car seat.... The fireman stated that if the baby started acting distressed that they would break a window to get into the car.... I told the firemen to wait a couple of minutes and I would unlock the car.... Went back to my truck and removed my jimmy tool and tried the drivers door, but no luck.... The firemen were getting antsy, but mom kept the baby entertained and told them let me the right hand door.... Took about twenty seconds and the rider's door was unlocked, mom was so happy that I got a great hug.... The firemen were astonished about how easy it was to unlock the car door and asked me about the jimmy tool and I told them that they could buy one at most auto parts stores....
Got to love tools....
Texican....
Thanks for the chapter....
Yeas ago, my DW was out with the dogs and left the keys in her SUV with the car running with the AC on since it was hot outside. The dogs got to jump on the door and locked the doors with the DW outside.... The DW stated talking and acting making the dogs jump on the door until they unlocked the door and the DW was back in the car.... Problem solved....
Another time, I stopped at Kmarts to shop and noticed the fire department and a woman standing outside a car with a baby in a car seat.... The fireman stated that if the baby started acting distressed that they would break a window to get into the car.... I told the firemen to wait a couple of minutes and I would unlock the car.... Went back to my truck and removed my jimmy tool and tried the drivers door, but no luck.... The firemen were getting antsy, but mom kept the baby entertained and told them let me the right hand door.... Took about twenty seconds and the rider's door was unlocked, mom was so happy that I got a great hug.... The firemen were astonished about how easy it was to unlock the car door and asked me about the jimmy tool and I told them that they could buy one at most auto parts stores....
Got to love tools....
Texican....
day late
money? whats that?
I don't know about where you live but auto parts stores in Florida have stopped selling slim jims. It is considered to be an invitation for car thieves. And I know about those hugs. I've said it before, I can't count the number of times I've had to wipe lipstick off of my face after reuniting mother and child, before I got home to my wife. Wives are kinda funny that way.
Texican
Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
day late
money? whats that?
This one is just too good to wait for other stories. I got called to open a door for a couple who had just bought the home, but the cleaners who were there before them locked the keys in the house. Okay I get there, pick the lock and get them and the real estate agent inside. The new owner now askes if I can re-key the locks. Sure, no problem. So I'm sitting there with the locks in pieces in front of me when I hear the real estate agent going through the home saying;
"This window is unlocked. This window is unlocked, and this window is unlocked."
In short they didn't need me at all. All they had to do was take out a screen, open the window and climb through. But hey, I didn't know that and they did want me to pick the lock to get them in.
"This window is unlocked. This window is unlocked, and this window is unlocked."
In short they didn't need me at all. All they had to do was take out a screen, open the window and climb through. But hey, I didn't know that and they did want me to pick the lock to get them in.
Texican
Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
Job security....
DL, slow night since you posted at 11:42 pm which is appreciated....
Happy Independence Day....
Texican....
Live Free and Die Free....
God, Country, Freedom....
day late
money? whats that?
I had something similar happen last night in the rain (pouring, of course). There was an older couple who have been living there for decades. The locks look like they were installed about a week after God was born. I picked the door knobs on two different doors, but the deadbolts just didn't want to pick. So I looked around in the dark and rain, only to find an unlocked window. I took out the screen, opened the window and climbed inside. Went to the front door and let them in.
Texican
Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
DL,
The theft's way in when the doors are locked....
Looks like a fun night on the 4th....
Texican....
day late
money? whats that?
There are a couple of things I have touched on or haven't mentioned yet that I would like to say something about.
First of all, bosses. I mentioned before that I have two bosses, partners running the business together. At least until a couple of weeks ago. I don't know what happened and as long as it doesn't affect my job I don't care. This is their problem, not mine. It seems that they got into a pi**ing contest and one of them quit. I mean really. What does it say and how comfortable can you be when the boss quits. But now things get interesting. The remaining boss doesn't have the money to buy out the other guy. And now the other guy is saying he will be coming back to work BECAUSE the remaining boss can't buy him out. It looks to me it is time to play turtle. Just pull my head in and wait for the fighting to be over. The funny thing is that these two actually need each other. The remaining boss is very good at spotting an opportunity and taking advantage of it by starting a business. BUT his organizational and computer skills are terrible. The former boss can't see the opportunity and doesn't have what it takes to start a business, but he is very good at organization and handling all of the details. For example, the remaining boss will send me a job. The first thing I have to do is double check the address. He gets it wrong far to often. I do double check most of the time, BUT sometimes he sends me the wrong phone number.
I.E. I'm supposed to get a person into their apartment. I call the customer to inform them I'm on my way. I have to leave a message because they aren't answering the phone. Then I send a text for the same reason. I arrive at the location without an answer. I mean it's an apartment complex. Which apartment am I supposed to open? I call the customer again and leave another message. (Why are people so afraid of answering the phone these days?) Then I send another text. I wait about five minutes and call again. This time a young lady answers and tells me;
"Whoever this is, stop calling this number."
I explain;
"I'm sorry. I'm a locksmith and I was told that someone at this number is locked out of their apartment and I'm here to get them in."
Fortunately she had a sense of humor and took it in stride. So I call the boss and say it's the wrong number, please send me the right one. He sends another number and I call it. Guess what?
"No. I didn't call for a locksmith."
Sorry for disturbing you Ma'am. Call the boss again for the number, I get a third one. Same song and dance. They don't need a locksmith either. Call the boss yet again.
"It's O.K. Just cancel the call."
So because he couldn't get the phone number right, not only did we lose a job, I waisted time and gas on a wild goose chase. But this is the same guy who once sent me an address that I was to be at in twenty-five minutes. The problem was the address was in Poland. YES, Poland, as in eastern Europe. I'm sorry boss, but it is an hour from here to the coast. And once the wheels hit the water forward momentum kind of slows down. I'm not making it to Poland in twenty-five minutes. Maybe if I was on the U.S.S. Enterprise, but not in my car. I played with the address and found the customer was really only ten minutes away. Thanks boss.
Tools are another thing. We have some real amazing things. And the state of the art is always changing. They have recently come up with a picking tool, which I forget the name of at the moment, it is supposed to be great for opening locks. It is so good that one of the guys at the office has forgotten how to use the old fashioned picks. The boss wants me to stop by the office and start practicing with them so I can begin using them. But as they say necessity is the mother of invention. I have made a tool that is great for opening certain kinds of doors in seconds as opposed to minutes. I've made one for every person in the shop and they all seem to be interested in trying them out, but we have to wait for a call for that kind of door. We even have tools for picking locks that look like they were installed about the day after God was born. Skeleton locks are few and far between these days, but they are making a comeback on things like curio cabinets. They just look classy. They aren't hard to pick, but it has been so long since they were the "latest and greatest" that tools for them are almost nonexistent. So we make our own.
First of all, bosses. I mentioned before that I have two bosses, partners running the business together. At least until a couple of weeks ago. I don't know what happened and as long as it doesn't affect my job I don't care. This is their problem, not mine. It seems that they got into a pi**ing contest and one of them quit. I mean really. What does it say and how comfortable can you be when the boss quits. But now things get interesting. The remaining boss doesn't have the money to buy out the other guy. And now the other guy is saying he will be coming back to work BECAUSE the remaining boss can't buy him out. It looks to me it is time to play turtle. Just pull my head in and wait for the fighting to be over. The funny thing is that these two actually need each other. The remaining boss is very good at spotting an opportunity and taking advantage of it by starting a business. BUT his organizational and computer skills are terrible. The former boss can't see the opportunity and doesn't have what it takes to start a business, but he is very good at organization and handling all of the details. For example, the remaining boss will send me a job. The first thing I have to do is double check the address. He gets it wrong far to often. I do double check most of the time, BUT sometimes he sends me the wrong phone number.
I.E. I'm supposed to get a person into their apartment. I call the customer to inform them I'm on my way. I have to leave a message because they aren't answering the phone. Then I send a text for the same reason. I arrive at the location without an answer. I mean it's an apartment complex. Which apartment am I supposed to open? I call the customer again and leave another message. (Why are people so afraid of answering the phone these days?) Then I send another text. I wait about five minutes and call again. This time a young lady answers and tells me;
"Whoever this is, stop calling this number."
I explain;
"I'm sorry. I'm a locksmith and I was told that someone at this number is locked out of their apartment and I'm here to get them in."
Fortunately she had a sense of humor and took it in stride. So I call the boss and say it's the wrong number, please send me the right one. He sends another number and I call it. Guess what?
"No. I didn't call for a locksmith."
Sorry for disturbing you Ma'am. Call the boss again for the number, I get a third one. Same song and dance. They don't need a locksmith either. Call the boss yet again.
"It's O.K. Just cancel the call."
So because he couldn't get the phone number right, not only did we lose a job, I waisted time and gas on a wild goose chase. But this is the same guy who once sent me an address that I was to be at in twenty-five minutes. The problem was the address was in Poland. YES, Poland, as in eastern Europe. I'm sorry boss, but it is an hour from here to the coast. And once the wheels hit the water forward momentum kind of slows down. I'm not making it to Poland in twenty-five minutes. Maybe if I was on the U.S.S. Enterprise, but not in my car. I played with the address and found the customer was really only ten minutes away. Thanks boss.
Tools are another thing. We have some real amazing things. And the state of the art is always changing. They have recently come up with a picking tool, which I forget the name of at the moment, it is supposed to be great for opening locks. It is so good that one of the guys at the office has forgotten how to use the old fashioned picks. The boss wants me to stop by the office and start practicing with them so I can begin using them. But as they say necessity is the mother of invention. I have made a tool that is great for opening certain kinds of doors in seconds as opposed to minutes. I've made one for every person in the shop and they all seem to be interested in trying them out, but we have to wait for a call for that kind of door. We even have tools for picking locks that look like they were installed about the day after God was born. Skeleton locks are few and far between these days, but they are making a comeback on things like curio cabinets. They just look classy. They aren't hard to pick, but it has been so long since they were the "latest and greatest" that tools for them are almost nonexistent. So we make our own.
Texican
Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
DL,
Your work life definitely has challenges....
Hopefully your bosses will resolve their problems.... Work life mirrors family life in more ways than one imagines, that is while it is called a work family.... We at times spend more time with our work family than we do with our actual family which creates a complete other set of problems....
It will resolve or not, stay alert....
Be careful out there....
Texican....
Your work life definitely has challenges....
Hopefully your bosses will resolve their problems.... Work life mirrors family life in more ways than one imagines, that is while it is called a work family.... We at times spend more time with our work family than we do with our actual family which creates a complete other set of problems....
It will resolve or not, stay alert....
Be careful out there....
Texican....
day late
money? whats that?
For those following this thread, I apologize. It has been a while since I posted and will be a while before I do so again. Things have gotten a little crazy on the home front and I have had neither the time or desire to post. If things get back to normal anytime soon I'll return but for now I'm afraid I have to shut this down.
Texican
Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
Sportsman
Veteran Member
No apology needed. We've enjoyed the stories, and appreciate you sharing them with us. When you feel like resuming the series.... we'll be happy to read them. Until then, take care of the home front.
day late
money? whats that?
Just dropping by for a couple of things. Just after I stopped posting I was sent to open a R.V. The lock on that thing just wasn't picking. I worked on it for half an hour. I was just about ready to suggest drilling the thing but decided to have a look around. I walked around to the back side of it and put my hand on the window. It slid open. I grabbed my ladder and the screen on the inside slid open as well. Given the distance I had to drive that was $100 for going through an open window. And then we have yesterday. I was given a job that was a bit unusual. I had to open a van that was on the back of an eighteen wheeler. The problem was that the big rig was parked in the turning lane in the middle of a two lane road. And yes, I did manage to fall off the trailer as the van door came open, fortunately there wasn't any oncoming traffic at that time.
And now for this weekend. It should be interesting. Bad weather always means an increase in business. But with Dorian on the way, it looks to get a bit nuts.
And now for this weekend. It should be interesting. Bad weather always means an increase in business. But with Dorian on the way, it looks to get a bit nuts.
Texican
Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
And yes, I did manage to fall off the trailer as the van door came open, fortunately there wasn't any oncoming traffic at that time.
DL,
Are you not grateful that God looks after chilidren and fools....
Glad to see you back....
Texican....
DL,
Are you not grateful that God looks after chilidren and fools....
Glad to see you back....
Texican....
day late
money? whats that?
"Some days are better than others". That's what they say. For the past week or so the jobs have been 'others' time after time. A couple of days ago I got an out of town job. Normally these don't bother me. Out of town means more money. But come on I had to drive an hour out of town to open a truck. Working time, two minutes. Then an hour to get back. Then when I'm six blocks from home I get another call. I have to drive an hour out of town in a different direction, spend two minutes opening a car and then an hour back. Sometimes I honestly believe that the boss thinks there are about three of me. While I was on my way to the second long distance job I got a call to open an apartment, roughly two miles from my home. No way I'm going to turn around and go to that job when I'm almost half way to the first one. The boss and I had a few words. Fortunately he agreed that I needed to go to the job I was headed to first. Today, I had to open the office at a store in the mall. Now many times when you start talking about business's, you are talking about industrial type locks. Almost impossible to pick and filled with an overabundance of moving parts. I swear that I believe the people who design these things do so with the idea that the more parts they put in them the more they can sell them for. Anyway I'm neck deep in getting this door open when I get a call to go to the other side of town to open an apartment. (Sorry boss, I can't abandon one job to go to another.) So the next guy has to wait. And wait, and wait and wait. Did I mention that industrial locks are a pain in the neck? I got at least three texts from the boss about the next job before I was finished with the one I was on. I answered only one text with the words, "I'm busy". So what happens? I finish the job I'm on and go to the next. I get there and the guy has the unpickable Smart Key locks and doesn't want them drilled. The landlord wouldn't like it. Besides he has gotten in contact with somebody who has a key and is on his way over. Plus the guy doesn't see the sense in paying a service call fee. This is a neighborhood where EVERYONE has a Smart Key lock and the screens are screwed into the window frame. NOT a nice place to be. I wasn't going to stand around and argue about it. My life is worth more than a few bucks.
Speaking of the industrial type locks, why do people feel the need to put them on their houses and/or apartments? Recently I got to a job, there are four apartments inside the building. The door leading into the apartment block has an industrial lock. Thank The Lord the customer knows at least one of her neighbors and they come out to open the outside door. Now the door to her apartment has an industrial lock. I worked on that thing for better than a half an hour, trying to pick it, wound up drilling it and while we have industrial locks at the shop, I'm the "emergency guy" meaning I don't carry those kinds of locks with me. Now I have to put on a temporary door knob so she can lock the door, then run to the shop, pick up what she wants, and go back to install it. Oh, I forgot to mention, the customer wanted the same thing that came out to be put back in. She didn't want to upset the landlord.
On top of all of this, let me highly encourage everyone reading this to NEVER buy a Nissan Rogue. I got mine because of an emergency. It, and the dealership, have given me nothing but trouble since the day I bought it. This year more money has been spent on that thing than it is worth. Happily it was mostly either insurance or warranty jobs. Most recently the drain from the sun roof started leaking into the inside of the car. THAT fried out the electronics. That was to the tune of $4100. Insurance paid for that, BUT as I'm pulling out of the dealership I hear this awful grinding noise from the rear end. I made a U-turn and went back to the dealership. They inspect it and tell me that the rear differential is going out. That is supposed to be covered by a lifetime warranty. We'll see. The point is that the Rogue is a vehicle to be avoided.
Speaking of the industrial type locks, why do people feel the need to put them on their houses and/or apartments? Recently I got to a job, there are four apartments inside the building. The door leading into the apartment block has an industrial lock. Thank The Lord the customer knows at least one of her neighbors and they come out to open the outside door. Now the door to her apartment has an industrial lock. I worked on that thing for better than a half an hour, trying to pick it, wound up drilling it and while we have industrial locks at the shop, I'm the "emergency guy" meaning I don't carry those kinds of locks with me. Now I have to put on a temporary door knob so she can lock the door, then run to the shop, pick up what she wants, and go back to install it. Oh, I forgot to mention, the customer wanted the same thing that came out to be put back in. She didn't want to upset the landlord.
On top of all of this, let me highly encourage everyone reading this to NEVER buy a Nissan Rogue. I got mine because of an emergency. It, and the dealership, have given me nothing but trouble since the day I bought it. This year more money has been spent on that thing than it is worth. Happily it was mostly either insurance or warranty jobs. Most recently the drain from the sun roof started leaking into the inside of the car. THAT fried out the electronics. That was to the tune of $4100. Insurance paid for that, BUT as I'm pulling out of the dealership I hear this awful grinding noise from the rear end. I made a U-turn and went back to the dealership. They inspect it and tell me that the rear differential is going out. That is supposed to be covered by a lifetime warranty. We'll see. The point is that the Rogue is a vehicle to be avoided.
Texican
Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
THAT fried out the electronics. That was to the tune of $4100. Insurance paid for that, BUT as I'm pulling out of the dealership I hear this awful grinding noise from the rear end. I made a U-turn and went back to the dealership. They inspect it and tell me that the rear differential is going out. That is supposed to be covered by a lifetime warranty.
DL,
If it wasn't having bad luck you wouldn't have any luck at all....
Glad to see you posting again....
Have you considered carrying a lucky rabbit's foot.... Remember the rabbit gave it's all to provide the lucky rabbit's feet....
Texican....
DL,
If it wasn't having bad luck you wouldn't have any luck at all....
Glad to see you posting again....
Have you considered carrying a lucky rabbit's foot.... Remember the rabbit gave it's all to provide the lucky rabbit's feet....
Texican....