scared girl

Terrifying Lost Keys Scenarios & What to Do About It

There’s a good chance that you’ve been in a situation where you’re looking around and you can’t seem to find your keys anywhere. Pretty terrifying, right? The casual search suddenly turns into a full-blown panic attack while you feeling around in your bag and trying to frantically retrace your steps.

Whether you’ve lost your house or car keys or you managed to lock yourself out, there are a few things you can do to stay calm and get it fixed.

How to Find House Keys

The worst part about realizing that you’ve lost your house keys is the fact that it usually happens when you get home and you’re on your doorstep waiting to go inside. If possible, try to have a spare hidden somewhere but be clever about this because thieves are already on to this trick if you’re going to do it. If you don’t have a spare lying around, it’s best to call a professional locksmith. Someone with qualifications can make a new key, duplicate your spare, and help you get inside safely and quickly.

How to Find Car Keys

If you have a tendency to carry your car keys in your pocket, you probably have experience with them falling out when sitting down. The first thing to do is retrace your steps. If you don’t find them right away, be sure to stay by your car. If someone did pick up your keys and they are trying to steal the vehicle, they will most likely walk among the cars and test out the remote to see which car it belongs to. Your last resort would be to call an emergency locksmith service or the local police.

Tips for Replacement

There are going to be a situation when you simply cannot locate your keys at all. When you can’t find them, a replacement is your only option. If the key that you lost is for your home, it’s best to not only get a replacement but to also change your locks as soon as possible. If you lost your car keys, be sure to invalidate them using your car’s onboard diagnostics port. When you call for a locksmith, ensure that you tell them exactly what’s wrong and what you need.

If you find yourself in one of these spooky situations, give us a call and we will help you get back inside and get those keys replaced for you!

If you reside anywhere in Connecticut or Westchester County, New York, then we’re at your service. Few locksmiths know Connecticut like we do. Why? Because we’ve traveled all over the state to help people with their house keys and car keys. We’ll gladly visit you in Greenwich, Stamford, New Haven, Hartford, and anywhere in between. If you need help anywhere in Connecticut, don’t hesitate to call us now. Don’t think that any town is too far for us, because it’s not. If, for example, you’re in Hartford, and we’re servicing someone in Darien, we’ll gladly come to your aid. As an added bonus, we may just visit The Capital Grille on the way back!

DOOR LOCK KEYS

Door Lock Sticking? Here’s What to Do

Locks are meant to protect you and keep out burglars. It can be extremely frustrating when that same lock sticks and keeps you out of your own home. When your lock starts to get sticky, if not fixed, the problem will only get worse and eventually, the key will be stuck completely and could potentially break off in the lock.

If you have a sticky lock, there are a few things you can do to help.

Check the Bolt and Key

When you first feel the key begin to stick, check the bolt that goes into the strike plate on the door frame. Ensure that it is fitting properly. Also, inspect your key and make sure that it is not bent. The slightest bend in the key can make it difficult to operate. 

A Pencil  

It may sound silly but pencils are made from graphite. Rubbing the entire surface of your key with a pencil will leave a coat of graphite on the key which acts as a lubricant. This will help the key turn easily. Another option is to use a graphite lubricant. You can find powdered graphite at your neighborhood hardware store. It won’t attract dirt or dust which will help it come loose.

WD-40  

Keep in mind that WD-40 is not recommended for long time use. It can gum up the pin tumblers and cause them to stick even more. However, if you’re looking for an immediate fix and it’s the only thing you have around, it’s a good solution until you can find something a little more permanent.

Take it Apart

The first thing you want to do is grab a screwdriver and remove the screws that are holding the lock together. Once apart, use Gum Out or another similar cleaner to clean out the inside of the lock. When using a cleaner, you should have some dirt drip out. After cleaning it, wipe it down to get as much of the cleaner out as possible. Once it’s clean, use a graphite lubricant to help loosen it up before putting the lock back together.

Bring in a Locksmith

If you’ve tried these techniques or don’t want to bother at all with them, it might be time to get a new key. If this still doesn’t work, a new lock altogether may be necessary. While fitting a lock can be straightforward, it’s easier to have a locksmith come to you and replace it.

Sometimes, using home remedies that you found on Google (like coating your key with olive oil or washing the lockout with soapy water) can actually make matters worse.

Stop wasting time. Contact All American Locksmiths to fix all your lock problems.

If the door won’t budge at all, then you’re in luck: we offer 24/7 emergency locksmith services throughout Connecticut. Really, few locksmiths know Connecticut like we do. We’ve been traversing the likes of Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford for years. Remember that to us, there’s no such thing as being “too far.” If you’re in CT or Westchester County, NY, then it It truly doesn’t matter where you’re located. You could be near the Stamford hospital, Cherry Lawn Park in Darien, or Toad’s Place in New Haven–if you’re in need of expert locksmith services, we’ll come to you day, night, rain, or shine.

avoid scammer locksmiths

How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off by Scammers Posing as Locksmiths

Nothing’s worse than realizing you’ve been locked out of your home or that your business doors aren’t properly secured. Having a locksmith you trust in your contacts list is vital. Today scams are common and it’s easy to feel vulnerable when these situations occur.

Here’s how to avoid getting ripped off by scammers posing as reputable locksmiths.

Do Your Research

Unfortunately, thieves are getting smarter today and leveraging technology as a way to fool innocent consumers. They can do things like caller ID spoofing and phone number forwarding so you think you’re calling a local company but the call is rerouted out of state or to a call center in another country. Many are now also creating imposter company names similar to legit businesses in the area in an attempt to trick someone who is in a panicked rush to find a locksmith.

Be sure to check the BBB for credibility and have a company you trust lined up in advance of an issue occurring with your locks. That established relationship will be important to keeping you safe and protecting your wallet from being overcharged.

Be Careful of Low Price Baiting

You may also find yourself questioning if you’ve been had if you choose a locksmith who shows up to do an emergency lock job and hands you an astronomical bill at the end of the service for something that should have been a quick, easy fix. This is another tactic that non-reputable locksmiths are using to prey on those vulnerable and looking to regain access to their home and belongings.

To trap consumers they bait them in with a service listed on their site as being $19 (and up) and then show up to the job and begin up charging and naming fees and services needed for extra security and other false claims ultimately ending in a bill almost 4x the original quote.

Reputable Locksmiths Have Value-Adds

A reputable locksmith such as All American Locksmiths will offer more accurate pricing and quotes for customers. One option that can easily help get a better quote (and that All American Locksmith’s offers) is emailing photos of the actual lock along with a description of the problem they are having.

Companies that plan to use up charging tactics won’t offer this so they can leave room for technicians to give a higher price once they arrive on the scene. With this communication, there’s less room for surprises and you can feel confident in selecting a reputable locksmith company.

We offer prompt lockout services, new locks, and more throughout Connecticut & Westchester County. Get in touch today!