How Do I Hire An Effective Locksmith

When you have to depend on the services of a locksmith in Dunwoody, GA, might think that it will be hard to find one that is actually effective. To find a reputable and reliable locksmith like Dunwoody GA Locksmith isn’t as difficult as you might think it is when you know what to look for. Getting the most from your experience with a locksmith requires you to do some research. This is well-worth the effort if you do not wish to waste your money or time with someone who can’t handle the job. Don’t jump at the first locksmith that says they can address your service needs simply because they offered you the help at a price you couldn’t refuse. There are service providers who will promise you the earth, moon and stars and not deliver. This doesn’t justify getting low cost service if they can’t effectively handle the job. That is why it is important that you find out as much about a particular service provider upfront prior to hiring them to assist you with your lock or key needs.

Here a couple of helpful suggestions on finding an effective locksmith in your area.

The Quote

Whenever you ask a locksmith if they can provide you with a written quote and they refuse, run! Often this is because they are attempting to charge you what they want based on their needs. You should never have to force a locksmith to provide you with a written quote. Be on the lookout for those locksmith services who will give you one quote and then change the quote upon arrival. If this occurs, you can simply let them know that that was not the initial price quoted to you and that you will find someone who honors their quotes. Get several different quotes and go with the one that you feel is best locksmith suited for the job.

Trustworthy & Reputable

Doing your research might involve asking others about their experiences with locksmith providers in the area. Most people are helpful in this regard. They don’t mind sharing information about the service provider whether the experience is good or bad. It makes it easier to decide if you will go with a particular service provider or not based on other peoples experiences with them. Check out the many reputable online review sites to find out what other customers are saying about the services they have received. If someone is taking the time to write a review, this means they either had a really good experience or a really bad experience. Either way, you’ll be able to get a good idea of the type of service offered by a specific locksmith in Dunwoody.

Qualifications & Affiliations

A professional locksmith services is usually associate with several professional locksmith associations or organizations. By qualifying to be a part of these groups, it shows that the service provider is serious about their craft and that they want to be able to provide their customers with a good experience. They make sure that they are keeping up with the latest technology to ensure a more efficient service experience. Some of these groups make it very difficult to be a part of but those who are serious about being associated with a professional trade group will do whatever it takes.

Time Doing Business

It is usually a very good sign if a company has been around for a long time. Just because a locksmith service is family owned doesn’t mean that it is a good service. If a service provider has been in business for a long time, this means that there is something that they are doing right. It doesn’t matter if they are family owned and operated or not. This is often told to customers in an attempt to win their business but shouldn’t be used as a basis for hiring a locksmith. Those who take over the family business may lack the knowledge or understanding of how to effectively do business or the job. This would be totally counterproductive for you.

References

Getting referrals is a great way to get your hands on a good service provider. However, you still need to be careful. Now days you can’t just let anyone come inside your home who is recommended to you. The person providing you with the recommendation must be someone who is discerning and trustworthy. A close friend or family member, who isn’t going to get some type of kickback, is a great place to start. Never be reluctant to ask the locksmith service that you are considering if they would be able to provide you with references. Those who are eager to do so are confident in what will be said about their services. This is a great sign that they are an effective service provider.

Credentials

Again, you can’t let just anybody in your home and that is why it is always best to ask for the credentials of a service provider before doing so. Get a copy of the services business license or certifications that they may have. If they cannot provide proof of their business, this probably isn’t the place you want to do business with. If they are reputable, they will often provide this information without hesitation. Some may say that they can get this information online. While this is true, the objective is to see just how forthcoming they will be in offering you the requested information.

Look at ID

Even after getting all of the above information, you still need to make sure that the person coming to perform the job is whom the service provider you contacted sent. Prior to letting them inside your home, ask them to show you id. They might have on a uniform with the company name on it but may no longer work for the company, therefore, it might even be a good idea to ask for the name of the locksmith they are sending to your home.

Article source here: How Do I Hire An Effective Locksmith

Various Kinds of Locks

Locks and keys go together like bread and butter, car and driver, and tea and honey. Even small children understand that locks protect the things that are important to us. Humans have used locks for thousands of years to protect their possessions from theft, harm, and misuse. As far back as ancient Babylon people have used locks to protect treasure, personal belongings, tribute, and even goods for the gods. Today, thousands of years later, we use locks for the same reason; to protect our property and our valuables and to gain privacy for ourselves and our families. Our modern day locks range from basic lock tumblers and keys, all the way to advanced fingerprint technology and chip encoded identity badges that allow us to enter buildings and can track our whereabouts at all times. Here at Dunwoody GA Locksmith we specialize in all kinds of locks and lock technology including these examples:

Deadbolt Locks

Most homes today have a deadbolt installed on the front door for added security. Even the best deadbolts are affordable and easy to buy and install. They provide peace of mind as well as a welcome second layer of protection. Here in Dunwoody, GA like most places in the country, burglars want fast and easy access to your property and once they get past your door locks they don’t want to have to bypass your deadbolt, as well. Usually they will give up and move on to another property or quit the burglary attempt completely, out of frustration. Having a deadbolt buys you additional time to arm yourself and/or to call for help. Deadbolts for residential and commercial use are readily available in single and double cylinder models from most locksmith shops and hardware stores. Be sure to ask your favorite Dunwoody, GA locksmith professionals for additional details on these handy and very helpful locks

Padlocks

We’ve all used padlocks! If you’ve ever locked a shed, storage room or bicycle, you’ve used a padlock. Padlocks are portable and removable so you can use them in dozens of ways to protect many forms of property. They are very inexpensive and can be purchased online or in local stores. Padlocks can be opened with a simple key or by using a combination sequence. Padlocks can be tiny, as in the case of locking a diary or jewelry box. They are much larger and more durable when locking a warehouse or industrial garage door. Using a key is a simpler form of locking your padlock as you don’t have to remember a key code or combination. One drawback of the tiny padlocks is that they are very easy to open using a screwdriver or a simple hammer.

Mortise Locks

The mortise lock is most often used in residential front doors. Mortise means “recess” and these locks are recessed inside the door frame as opposed to being mounted on the surface of the door. Your door needs to be at least 2 inches thick in order to install these. You can open one of these locks from the inside by simply turning to handle. You can lock them from the outside by using your key and then pulling down on the latch. Often these locks are hard to install yourself so we recommend that you call a local residential locksmith like our shop for help. These locks are generally more secure and much stronger than typical cylinder locks and are very hard to open by burglars. The latest studies show that most crooks tend to give up if the lock is not picked open in the first 30 seconds of the crime.

Cam Locks 

You can find cam locks on low level security items like lock boxes, mailboxes, and file cabinets. These locks use a small tail piece that is made of metal. This tail piece moves in and out of a slot by turning the key. Keys can rotate either clockwise or counter clockwise to lock. As we mentioned, these are used as low level security protection. They are very affordable and easy to change, or install yourself.

 

 

Keyless Locks

Just like the name says, these locks do not use keys. They are used at home and at businesses. With keyless locks you never have to worry about lost or forgotten keys or broken-off keys as they are simply not used at all. Instead a keypad is used with a number sequence entered. Also, you can use fingerprint lock technology in place of physical keys. Keypads are becoming more popular as the key code or combination can be changed any time needed. Think about it; if someone in your family or business has given out your code or combination you don’t need new locks. Just change your key code! Modern keyless locks are also made to sound an alarm if one or more incorrect entries is made into the keypad. This keeps burglars from standing outside your door trying one code after another!

Knob Locks

These are usually residential locks and can be found on front doors or interior doors they have a rotatable knob on one side and a key cylinder on the other side. Iff you use knob locks on your front door or back door they should always be used with a deadbolt as its relatively easy to take a hammer and simply smash the knob while using a pair of pliers to disengage the inside mechanism. These knob locks are very easy to pick open and here at Dunwoody GA Locksmith we don’t recommended them for home use unless you add additional hardware.

High Security Locks

Our Dunwoody GA Locksmith experts recommend high security locks as they offer the ultimate in lock protection and security. They can protect both your home and your business. They are often called pick-proof locks. Unlike standard common locks that are usually made of hollow tin, high security locks are made of solid brass. They use an interlocking bolt that is impossible to force open with a screwdriver or even with a crowbar! High security locks also have steel inserts that are strategically placed in the lock to prevent a burglar from drilling it open. The entire lock is also secured with a metal cover that prevents objects from being slipped between the lock and the door in order to manipulate it open. You can’t drill, pick, or even bump open a high security lock! Surprisingly, they are easy to afford and come with guarantees and warranty protection.

Article source here: Various Kinds of Locks

DID YOU LOSE YOUR TRANSPONDER KEY? HERE’S WHAT TO DO!

Since the nineties, losing one’s car keys has grown a lot more complicated than it used to be in the old days. Back before computer chips, you could easily just get a spare key made at any hardware store or locksmith, or at the dealership. A basic car key, with its distinctive cuts and grooves, used to be just like a house key, simple to copy for just a few bucks.

The disadvantage of this sort of car key, of course, was that because it wasn’t difficult to copy, it was also relatively easy for a car thief to steal your automobile. Because of today’s advances in transponder key technology, vehicles are much more difficult to steal. For sure, a transponder key for your car, even though it costs more, is worth the peace of mind it allows you to have.

 

What kind of transponder key have you lost?

Inside the key’s plastic head, a transponder key has a transponder chip, which sends out a unique signal, which goes to a receiver in your car, telling it to start up. The basic difference between a standard key and a transponder key is that the chip in the transponder key has to be programmed. For most vehicles today, an electronic key fob (also referred to as a remote) is an integral part of your key set. At all times, it’s essential to safeguard your transponder key, because, depending on the automaker and the complexity level of its design, the replacement of your electronic fob can be pretty expensive. First of all, the fob must be programmed properly. A few dealerships will do this for you free of charge, but most will charge you quite a lot.

For some types of vehicles, the transponder key and the fob are one unit. Also known as a laser-cut key, the shank is a little bit thicker and has fewer carved-out grooves. Laser-cut keys are sometimes referred to as sidewinder keys, because of the winding-shaped cut on the shank. The laser-cut key’s built-in transponder chip has to be programmed. In that case, it will be harder to get a spare key made anywhere except at the dealership. Again, although it’s more expensive, at least this fact means that your car is much more secure.

A switchblade key is another kind of key that has a transponder chip inside. A switchblade key has a shank, which folds into the fob whenever it’s not in use. You press a button and it pops out. This sort of key has either a laser cut or a basic cut. One advantage of the switchblade key is that you can buy its parts separately. If you have lost your key entirely, obviously you’ll have to program both components.

A smart key is not actually a key in the traditional sense of the word. This key is actually just a fob. You either insert into the dash, or you keep in on your belt buckle, pocket, or purse. As you get into the driver’s seat, you can turn the car on and off just by pressing a button. A smart key is highly secure, because it has rolling security codes. That is, it’s continually randomizing the correct code, an amazing feature which prevents a potential car thief from hacking it with a code grabber. Your dealership can replace your smart key.

 

Do it yourself.

One low-cost measure you can take to allow access to your vehicle is that you can order the basic key only, without the transmitter. This key will do everything else, except it won’t start up the engine. This will come in handy if you ever lock your car keys inside your automobile.

There is also the element of programming for remote unlocking and locking. This feature is usually viewed as a luxury, since it’s not actually vital for you to be able to gain entry and drive your vehicle; but you can program this part yourself, or you can hire a professional automotive locksmith to do it for you.

 

Always keep a spare key.

Are you constantly losing your keys, and arguing with your spouse or your teenager about who lost whose keys? Save money on transponder key programming by making a third spare key. If you already have two keys, many automobile makes and models will permit you to program a third key on your own. You can ask a professional locksmith to cut the third key for you, and then you can follow the instructions in your owner’s manual to program it yourself.

The following 3-step procedure works on many American-made vehicles. But before spending anything, first check with your dealership or with a local automotive locksmith technician to see if it will actually work with your car. If you are in Dunwoody, Georgia, consult with an automotive locksmith specialist, such as the mobile technicians on staff at Dunwoody GA Locksmith.

1. First, insert one of your two working keys, and turn the ignition to the “on” position for at least 3 seconds (without starting the car).
2. Second, do the same with your second key.
3. Third, insert the new third key, and again turn it to the “on” position for another 3 seconds. This will effectively program your extra key.

 

Be sure not to lose your transponder key again!

Any way you slice it, a transponder key isn’t cheap. So the best defense against losing it again is to prepare ahead of time. Do you currently have only one set of keys? It’s so much better to have a backup spare key made now, than to stress out about it later, when you’ll end up spending a lot more money than you wanted to, in what is likely to be an urgent situation. So don’t tempt fate.

Wherever you choose to program your transponder key, you’ll require:

• your vehicle’s chassis number
• proof that you’re the real owner, with 2 forms of ID
• the unique code from the automobile manufacturer’s original code card, which came with the vehicle

If you don’t have that code, there are automotive locksmiths who can do some reprogramming to get you back on the road again. Oftentimes, a dependable professional will be qualified to assist you, and typically at a lower cost than what the dealership would charge.

Article source here: DID YOU LOSE YOUR TRANSPONDER KEY? HERE’S WHAT TO DO!