Had to pay a lot of money for locksmith
By Lena Kovadlo
@lovebuglena (52217)
Staten Island, New York
September 18, 2019 1:06pm CST
For some time now whenever we put the key into my mom's middle lock at times it would be hard to take back out.
Today mom called me and said that she could not get the key out of the lock and in the end it broke in half, the half stuck inside the lock. She asked me to call a locksmith to take a look at it.
I called the guy and he came over within the hour.. He removed the broken key from the lock, sprayed the lock with wd-40 and then took the lock apart completely.
He said it is broken. When you turn it it doesn't go easily and doesn't even turn all the way. Even if we are able to close the lock it we may not be able to open it. No reason in getting a new key. And he said he won't even try to fix the lock. There is no point. The other lock they have, which is a mul-t-lock, is great and it's all they really need.
The cost (with tax) was about $163. The amount of time the guy spent wasn't even half an hour. And all he really did was remove the broken key from the lock and took the lock part to see what's inside. He didn't really repair anything. Locksmiths make some really good money from just one visit.
10 people like this
9 responses
@moffittjc (128854)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Sep 19
It's not just locksmiths who make really good money. It's really any tradesmen, like electricians, HVAV repair, plumbers, welders, etc.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128854)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Sep 19
@lovebuglena Doesn't he make good money as a car salesman? Some of them can make really good money!
@lovebuglena (52217)
• Staten Island, New York
19 Sep 19
Maybe hubby is in the wrong profession. 
Maybe he should be one of these tradesmen instead of a car salesman.
Maybe he should be one of these tradesmen instead of a car salesman.1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (52217)
• Staten Island, New York
19 Sep 19
@moffittjc It's not stable. One month you can make many thousands. Another month you can make only a few thousand. And some times even less. And it's not like every year the annual total keeps going up. It goes up and down. That's why I hate this job. So many hours put in every week and the amount of money made is not worth it, at least in his case. And it's hard to save up money because you never know how much money you will make and there are bills to pay and money to be spent elsewhere.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (52217)
• Staten Island, New York
19 Sep 19
You have to know what you are doing and have the right tools. Plus, the cost of the lock depends on what kinda lock you wanna get. Not all locks are cheap. But what we paid was way too much for what was done in my opinion. And if my mom decides to actually replace the lock it will cost probably twice as much.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (52217)
• Staten Island, New York
19 Sep 19
@porwest I tend to forget that if we are unsure on how to do or fix something that YouTube is a handy tool to use. Nothing wrong with trying to fix things yourself before calling a professional. And hopefully your attempt to fix something won't result in more damage.
1 person likes this
@porwest (112929)
• United States
19 Sep 19
@lovebuglena Well yes, you do indeed have to know what you are doing. Worst case scenario there is always YouTube. For example, I know how to replace a windshield wiper blade on pretty much any vehicle, but I was stumped a bit on how to replace a BACK window wiper. YouTube got me there pretty quick and the job was done in minutes and did not have to take it into a shop to have them do it for me.
@kobesbuddy (78833)
• East Tawas, Michigan
18 Sep 19
If your mother knew it wasn't working, the lock would be easy to replace. Ours broke a few months back. Jay went over to Wal Mart, bought a new lock and put it on. It's working fine, for less than $20.
@lovebuglena (52217)
• Staten Island, New York
18 Sep 19
The guy said not to do anything. But if she were to replace it she'd not wanna get a cheap one.
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (78833)
• East Tawas, Michigan
18 Sep 19
@lovebuglena Our front door cost $400, the lock is replaceable.
@lovebuglena (52217)
• Staten Island, New York
19 Sep 19
@kobesbuddy How much was the lock?
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222841)
• United States
18 Sep 19
Locksmiths usually can come out right away. They charge for that. Was that just for the time or for the time plus a lock?
@lovebuglena (52217)
• Staten Island, New York
18 Sep 19
He didn't replace the lock or fix it really. So I guess it's for removing the key from the lock and taking apart the lock to look at it...
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (52217)
• Staten Island, New York
18 Sep 19
@LindaOHio I have no idea. But it didn't seem like he did much for what we paid him. My dad was shocked when I told him how much we paid. Though I left out the tax I think.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (52217)
• Staten Island, New York
19 Sep 19
@samysotelo18 She better. It's not my house or my lock.
It's not my house or my lock.1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (52217)
• Staten Island, New York
19 Sep 19
Well, my mom is gonna reimburse me as it's her lock. But it sucks that she had to pay that much.
1 person likes this
@samysotelo18 (7743)
• Mexico
19 Sep 19
@lovebuglena yeah its nice of her to reimburse you but still a lot of money :c
@lovebuglena (52217)
• Staten Island, New York
18 Sep 19
This is a reputable guy. We used him before. And my brother has used him as well. He is not cheap but he is great and reliable. I am not sure if someone else would have been that much cheaper.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
18 Sep 19
OMG! This needs to be my new job! I can change a lock out in minutes. Cha ching!
I change locks often being a landlady because people lose the kits or hand out copies. A lock won`t cost much, $8 to $10, for the fancier type a little more.
@lovebuglena (52217)
• Staten Island, New York
18 Sep 19
When we had to change a lock in our house with the install fee we paid over $300.
@lovebuglena (52217)
• Staten Island, New York
18 Sep 19
I wonder if we could've taken out the broken key ourselves with pliers. But I had no idea that the lock was not closed. Otherwise, I'd have gone to her house and tried to get the key from the lock myself. But then again, calling the locksmith now we know the lock is no good.
1 person likes this
