When to go with Lock Replacement or a New Key?
There are times when lock replacement may seem like the best option for a home owner. However, most security experts say that replacing an entire lock often is not necessary. Many locks can be re-keyed, offering the same security upgrade for less money.
When to Consider Lock Replacement or a New Key?
Moving to a new house. This is a pretty obvious situation. You are moving into a home where copies of keys may have been distributed over the years and some copies may have been surreptitiously made – whether by family members for boyfriends or girlfriends or by unscrupulous people who had access to your home. Don’t think when you get a couple of pairs of keys from the old homeowner that you have anywhere even close to the whole universe of keys to the house.
A break-in. Most people will change out at least their keys, and often the entire locks, if they have been the victim of a burglary. That is particularly the case if the burglar got in without forced entry. Was the door open or did the intruder somehow have a key? Crime statistics show that a good portion of the nearly 40 percent of burglaries that gain entrance through a door do not involve forced entry.
Lost or stolen keys. If a set of keys to the house is lost, the first assumption should be that someone who wants to gain access to your home has the keys. Of course, that is often not the case. But security experts preach being prepared, and it makes no sense to take the risk that no one who may find the keys can even tie them to your home.
Why Choose Lock Replacement Over New Keys?
While experts say re-keyed locks provide the same security as new locks for much less money, there are situations when it makes sense to go with lock replacement instead of making new keys.
Upgrade locks. If you decide you want to go from a single cylinder to double cylinder lock or to switch out complete for a more secure mortise lock, that’s a situation where total lock replacement is the only way to go.
Fault locks. If you find that your key catches frequently in the lock and a locksmith is unable to clean the lock to solve the problem, or other difficulties arise with your current lock, then getting a new key isn’t going to help the problem. The source of the problem is the lock and only a lock replacement will ensure a fully-functioning lock for your door.
Arties Hardware & Locksmith
140 W 14th St,
New York, NY 10011
Locksmith NYC – Locksmith New York – Emergency Locksmith
Locksmith service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
www.locksmithnyc.com
Arties Hardware & Locksmith New York / NYC provides emergency locksmith services & advanced security solutions in New York for over 85 years.
We service Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island & New Jersey.
Rekey Your Lock Instead of Replacing
If you move into a new home, rent a new apartment, lease new commercial space, fire an employee, or change cleaning companies you may find yourself thinking about changing your locks. Even if you do get your keys back from previous owners, occupants, employees or contractors, they have had the opportunity to duplicate your keys. You have no way of knowing how many duplicates may have been made, or who has them. In almost any situation where you think a lock needs to be changed a local locksmith can rekey the lock at a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time it would take to select new locks and replace them. You do not need to replace the entire lock to protect your property, files, and cash.
Rekeying a lock is the process of changing the tumblers of a lock cylinder with tumblers of different sizes. When you rekey a lock the old key can be thrown away as it will no longer open the lock. The lock will require the new key that coincides with the new tumblers to operate. Local locksmiths can rekey locks at a significantly lower cost than full replacement of the lock. If the security grade of the lock has an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Grade 1 designation there should not be a need to replace the entire lock.
In addition to rekeying locks for security many homeowners choose to rekey locks for convenience. One way to reduce confusion and the weight of many keys on your key ring is to have all of your exterior locks rekeyed to use the same key. A locksmith can rekey an unlimited number of locks in your home to all work with the same key. For owners of rental property such as apartment buildings, or for condominium associations, it is often necessary to have a master key that will open multiple locks. These locks then each have a key that will open only that tenant’s lock. Locksmiths can perform master rekeying to almost any configuration to meet the needs of rental property owners, businesses, and homeowners.
There are several reasons you may choose to rekey the lock or locks on the doors in your home, place of business, or other secure location. Some of the more common ones include moving into a new place, losing a key, loaning out a key and not getting it back, or wanting to have different keys for your front, back and side door. While you may think that rekeying is a cost effective alternative to actually replacing the old lock sets, the process can still add up if an entire house needs to be done.
The decision to rekey or replace your locks may come down to the expense. But keep in mind that in many states you are required to rekey old locks between tenants if you own residential rental property.
Arties Hardware & Locksmith
140 W 14th St,
New York, NY 10011
Locksmith NYC – Locksmith New York – Emergency Locksmith
Locksmith service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
www.locksmithnyc.com
Arties Hardware & Locksmith New York / NYC provides emergency locksmith services & advanced security solutions in New York for over 85 years.
We service Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island & New Jersey.
The Evolution of Locksmith Services
The first thing you probably think of when you think of a locksmith is getting locked out of your car. This is only the most common locksmith service, but a locksmith can do many things for your home as well. Unfortunately, most of these services happen under unfortunate circumstances: changing the locks to keep out unwelcome guests, being locked out of your home, and inspecting your house after a burglary, earthquake, or fire. Traditionally, locksmiths have been thought of as artisans. It’s easy to imagine the first locks and locksmiths being seen as having mystical powers. Today, new locks and locking technology have expanded the prerequisite knowledge of the locksmith profession exponentially.
24-Hour Locksmith
Several locksmiths offer or specialize in 24-hour locksmith services. These locksmiths usually don’t make locks but perform lock-picking, lock repair, and other urgent keying services. If the worst happens and someone does break into your home, your first call is going to be to the police, but it’s not a bad idea to call a 24-hour locksmith, either. They may be able to tell you exactly how the perpetrator entered your home. Plus, your locks probably need to be replaced, anyway. Better yet, if you’re unsure how secure your home is, you can hire a locksmith to test your entrances and give you an honest appraisal of your home’s security. If you do have to call a locksmith off hours, expect to pay a surcharge.
Modern Locksmith Services
Several locksmith companies offer services and technologies well beyond conventional lock-picking and replacement. Electronic and magnetic locks are becoming more accessible and affordable to homeowners. Comprehensive companies offer a combination of locksmith services and home security systems, including home safes, intercoms, secure doors, windows, and gates with the latest technologies such as fingerprint readers. Of course, no home security system is impenetrable, but you can get pretty close. The casual burglar won’t be able to get in, and the experienced burglar is probably going to pass over your home.
By Jon Nunan, a freelance writer who draws on his experience in construction, ranging from landscaping to log home building, for his articles on home improvement
Arties Hardware & Locksmith
140 W 14th St,
New York, NY 10011
Locksmith NYC – Locksmith New York – Emergency Locksmith
Locksmith service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
www.locksmithnyc.com
Arties Hardware & Locksmith New York / NYC provides emergency locksmith services & advanced security solutions in New York for over 85 years.
We service Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island & New Jersey.
The Skills of a Locksmith
In the broadest sense, locksmiths are people whose trade is principally concerned with the installation, maintenance and repair of access prevention hardware. This hardware may be of the traditional, mechanical sort such as deadbolts, master key systems and car locks or it may be electronic equipment such as CCTV systems, biometric access control devices and electronic locking hardware.
Locksmiths incorporate the skills of a carpenter, mechanic, machinist and security expert during the course of their work. There is a subset of locksmith skills that has always garnered a great deal of interest from the public at large: defeating locks! Locksmiths study how various locking devices work and, through that study, they learn how to defeat those locking mechanisms. These are the most closely-guarded trade secrets among locksmiths. The knowledge possessed by even apprentice locksmiths is enough to defeat most common security measures. For this reason, locksmiths are typically rigorously screened by their mentors before they’re offered an apprenticeship.
Locksmiths are somewhat defined by the clients for whom they work. Their specific skills, depending on their market, can vary greatly. Those locksmiths who specialize in residential service often spend a great deal of their time outfitting new construction with locking hardware and repairing and replacing aged and broken systems. Most residential locksmiths also offer at least some light automotive locksmithing services including cutting new keys and opening locked doors.
Commercial locksmiths provide their skills principally to corporate and government clients. Today’s commercial locksmiths are oftentimes trained and experienced in dealing with sophisticated electronic equipment. Those who specialize in electronic security are often employed maintaining large facilities where security is a great concern.
Among the most respected of locksmiths are those who work on safes. The locksmithing skills required working with safes and vaults take many years of study to master. These locksmiths are often called in when a safe, for some reason, is rendered unable to open. These individuals with skilled trades, given enough time, are able to open most any device without damaging the contents. Sometimes, they’re able to “crack” a safe without damaging the locking mechanism, as well. This skill doesn’t at all resemble the way it’s portrayed in films. Mastering the art of safe cracking requires knowledge of many different safes, metallurgy, the operation of very powerful and complex drilling equipment, electronic devices and much more.
Many locksmiths are self-employed and lead a very independent existence. Because the skill is so specialized, there are few opportunities for “staff” locksmiths. These independent locksmiths often work odd hours, opening doors in the middle of the night for stranded homeowners and drivers, as well as installing security systems during the hours when buildings are being used the least.
Locksmiths are required to obtain different types of licensing, depending on where they work. Locksmiths are also traditionally “bonded” which is a legal means of assuring their trustworthiness to their clients. Traditionally, locksmiths undergo an apprenticeship though many have received training through an employer or by attending a school specific to the trade.
Although a locksmith’s job seems very exciting and appealing to most people, there is a lot of skill, education, and experience involved.
Arties Hardware & Locksmith
140 W 14th St,
New York, NY 10011
Locksmith NYC – Locksmith New York – Emergency Locksmith
Locksmith service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
www.locksmithnyc.com
Arties Hardware & Locksmith New York / NYC provides emergency locksmith services & advanced security solutions in New York for over 85 years.
We service Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island & New Jersey.
Tales of a Locksmith
Locksmiths encounter some interesting situations in their line of work. In one instance, a locksmith received a lock cylinder from a car door that had been taken off the car because the owner lost the keys.
In another instance, a locksmith had to open a mausoleum niche so that a potato chip can could be removed. Someone had taken the body’s remains out of the hallowed space and left the can in place.
Locksmiths get frantic calls in the hot summer to unlock car doors when preoccupied mothers or fathers accidentally lock their keys in the car with their infants or toddlers. They get calls in the winter when parents lock their keys in the cold cars or the cars that are left running. Unfortunately, these stories don’t always end on a positive note.
A locksmith of the year 1977 had to remove a wad of mud left by a colony of wasps in a lock on the door of a University mausoleum. The mausoleum is a historical monument of artistic beauty. The tomb was built in 1888 and is the home of Egyptian sphinxes of granite, bronze outer gate, polished granite doors, Italian marble walls, ceilings and floor, and three sarcophagi of marble cut. A sarcophagus is a coffin of sorts, like the mummies of Egypt were placed in before being taken to their tombs.
Some locksmiths who unlock car doors or the doors to homes require the person they are assisting to provide proof of legal entry to show that this person has a legal right to enter. The professional must protect himself/herself from being prosecuted for aiding entry to the wrong person.
Locksmiths have had to come to the rescue of people recovering from a night of too much alcohol consumption. The people get drunk and lose their keys or lock the keys in the vehicle.
Locksmiths also have had to rescue the elderly whose caretakers would lock themselves out of the house. They have been counselors to customers who would be in the mood to confide their troubles as the locksmith is working. Locksmiths have saved people from going to jail when they lock themselves out of their cars at busy intersections.
The profession exposes the locksmith to people who are many times in a frantic mood because of a missed appointment, who may be late for work, who have an emergency to get to, who must catch a plane or a bus, and people who have locked their keys inside the car while it’s still running.
There are most likely plenty of stories that someone in this profession would be embarrassed to tell. Many stories have been forgotten over the years. Many stories would be too sad to tell. But the gratification the locksmith gets from the customers who truly appreciate the help and show it is sure to be worth the effort. No job is perfect, and there are probably as many drawbacks as there are happy memories. But as with any other job, there will be good days and bad days and plenty to relate to the children and grandchildren.
Arties Hardware & Locksmith
140 W 14th St,
New York, NY 10011
Locksmith NYC – Locksmith New York – Emergency Locksmith
Locksmith service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
www.locksmithnyc.com
Arties Hardware & Locksmith New York / NYC provides emergency locksmith services & advanced security solutions in New York for over 85 years.
We service Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island & New Jersey.
Tags: locksmith
Trains. Firemen. Locksmiths.
Trains. Firemen. Locksmiths.
Okay, fine. Yeah, I’ll admit it. I recently experienced an unfortunate incident wherein I required the assistance of a locksmith.
Again.
Oh stop. Don’t mock. I had my keys. Both times. Okay?
So here’s what happened:
As we all know, I am in no way “hip and up-and-coming.” We’ve established this, am I wrong? Combine that with being exhausted from NaNoWriMo, December weather, and the fact that the beginning of the month has involved a lot of travel, and it makes no sense that I feel the need to go out on this Saturday night. In fact, I’ve planned to spend the day home, doing nothing except for breathe and maybe blink a few times. I’ve even skipped Shabbat services, or, as I confess to my mother later that day, I’ve “cut shul.”
Point is I’m tired (more than I usually am), and it’s cold.
But it’s also the second night of Hanukkah, and I’m in a mood (more than I usually am). One can’t live a life of work and sleep, right? And it’s the first night of the Sephardic Music Festival, and Galeet Dardashti is playing, and she has a new album coming out, and it just seems wrong for me to be home during such an event.
Besides, it’s only three subway stops away. No big deal, right?
Wrong.
Fast forward to later that evening, when I’m lost and freezing on a dark, disgusting, deserted block of Chinatown and unable to find a cab. Fast forward to me sitting on a tall chair at the 92nd Street Y in TriBeCa, sipping a coke, and, despite the effort I’ve made to doll myself up, realizing that one Saturday night out on the town does not a hip and up-and-coming person make. Fast forward to me leaving before the third act, seeing as I have Creature to get home to and a bed that’s feeling neglected, and then to me dealing with the Little Engine That Couldn’t (technically known as the Q). And finally, you get to me standing at the bottom of my stoop, feeling relieved to be home.
It’s midnight, the hour at which the non hip among us should vanish into thin air and/or turn into pumpkins. I get to the front door of my building, and put the key in the lock. I turn the doorknob.
Nothing happens.
I try again.
Now, we all know that I don’t have the best track record with keys and locks, and we know about “Classic Melissa Stories.” So, it’s only natural that I jump to the conclusion that I am a klutz. All the Brownstones around here look the same. It’s dark. Maybe I’m at the wrong house. I refuse to believe that I am experiencing deja vu.
We also know that when all else fails, I call my mother.
I’m still blaming myself, and feeling pathetic. My mother reminds me that this same lock was broken the week I moved in, and that it was fixed, but not replaced. She also tells me to go over to a family friend’s house and sleep on her couch. I refuse, and start a pointless monologue about not having any contact lens solution with me. Besides, Creature is alone.
I try the key again, not wanting to call my landlord who lives on the first floor of the Brownstone because it’s after midnight and I know she has H1N1. But there’s nothing else I can do, so I call. Her phone is off. I ring her bell. Her dogs bark, but she doesn’t answer. On top of everything else, I’m worried about her. I try buzzing a neighbor and prepare to apologize profusely, but the buzzer system doesn’t work. This is, after all, a New York City apartment building. Oh, and the light on the stoop isn’t working.
Next, I call my super. No dice.
The streets are almost deserted, except for a few dog-walkers who are looking at me like I’m a criminal, a psycho, a drunk or all of the above. I’m tempted to flag one down and ask them to try my key and prove that I’m an idiotic klutz. But now that it’s getting later, and colder, there’s nobody around.
And that’s when I snap out of my denial and realize what’s happening. It’s the middle of the night, and I’m completely alone on a December night in New York City. My dog is upstairs. I know he’s safe, but I don’t like this one bit.
I should call a locksmith, I think. But I’ve been there and done that. It’s expensive, and they’ll probably show up, open my door as if nothing were wrong, and charge me over a $100.
Then I have an idea. I live less than a block away from a fire station. It’s not just any fire station. It was one of the first to show up at the World Trade Center on September 11th. Knowing this, I feel horrible for even thinking that I could go bother them with something so minor. Instead, I walk around aimlessly looking for a restaurant or store that’s still open. But I find nothing.
I make a list of all the reasons it’s okay to bother the firefighters:
1. I’m a woman alone wandering aimlessly in the middle of the night with no place to go, in New York City.
2. I’m freezing.
3. If I had a cat, and said cat was stuck in a tree, aren’t these the people I’d call? (Are they? I don’t know.)
4. If I can’t get in because the lock is actually broken, the people inside may not be able to get out. I, unfortunately, know from being locked in. If there were a fire. . . I can’t bring myself to finish the thought.
It’s the fourth reason that seals the deal. I go to the fire station. It’s all closed up. I walk away, then walk back. I find a door, and a bell. I ring the bell. Nobody answers, I start running away in shame. Then somebody answers.
I go back. Two firefighters are standing in the doorway, in FDNY t-shirts and boxers. I feel like the protagonist in a Kristan Higgins novel. A million scenarios for my next novel spin around in my head.
I explain the problem, emphasizing the “my neighbors probably can’t get out.” They close the door, get dressed, and come meet me on the street. They follow me up the block, with axes over their shoulders. All my romance writer scenarios crash and burn as I realize the firemen are not happy about this midnight chore.
I give them my key, absolutely convinced that they’ll open the door on the first try, I’ll blush from embarrassment, and run upstairs to my dog. That’d be Classic Mel, right? Oh yeah, and I plan to leave them a bottle of wine the next day.
However.
The door still doesn’t open. They go to my landlord’s apartment and lean on the bell. Again, the dogs bark but we don’t hear anybody get up. They offer to break the door down with their axes, but make it clear that these Brownstone doors are historic and my landlord most likely wouldn’t appreciate it.
They also make a comment about the lack of light and the broken buzzer system.
“It’s your choice,” they say.
I can’t let them do it. They leave me standing on the stoop.
I know these are important, busy firemen with better things to do. And dissing the FDNY seems sacrilegious. But they just leave me there, freezing on my stoop. They don’t even offer to help me call a locksmith or a police officer. I decide they’re so not getting wine.
Then, like a mirage, I see some hip and up-and-coming girls enter the garden apartment. I haven’t met them, so they don’t recognize me. I explain the problem and they say they can’t help. I understand that they don’t want to let me use their entrance, but I mentally make a list of other ways they could’ve helped.
Left with no other choice, I open the Google app on my phone and look for a local locksmith. I’m good at this, you may remember. After a few tries to places that are closed, I reach some guy named Roger, who seems annoyed with me and wants to know who’s going to pay. He says he’ll send a guy out in half an hour and that I have to go to an ATM and get $160 in cash.
Which is what I do. The fact that I’m all alone in an ATM vestibule after 1 a.m. with a light shining on me so the whole world can see that I’m withdrawing money is not lost on me. I go back to my stoop with a wallet full of cash, and wait. At least I know I’m not imagining this. I try my landlord and super again just in case I can prevent the locksmith from having to ruin the lock. The super finally calls back, and gives his blessing for the lock destruction.
My phone rings again. It’s my new friend and savior Roger. He informs me that Noah is on his way.
Noah? Huh. Possible “Nice Jewish Guy?” I wonder. You never know. I wait for Noah, plotting another novel wherein the hero is a locksmith and the heroine is. . . I don’t know. Freezing? Tired? Edgy?
Noah finally arrives. He’s a sweetheart with the sexiest Brooklyn accent ever, and my age, but unfortunately not my type. Although I do realize that with my luck, marrying a locksmith might not be such a bad idea. Apparently, he was sitting in front of the T.V. with a beer and about to go to bed when Roger informed him that there was a girl stranded on her stoop and he was afraid I’d freeze.
G-d bless Roger. And G-d bless Noah for not getting a D.U.I.
There’s no light, but he has a flashlight he can attach to his head. He tries to pick the lock, and he explains that this happens all the time. That doesn’t make me feel any better. Neither does his comment that this is the worst he’s seen, or his confirmation that the door can’t open from the other side. Then he needs to break out the drill.
Sorry neighbors, I think. Creature’s about to howl his brains out.
Then the door opens. Noah lets me through so I can run up the stairs and get the dog. I open the door to my apartment, thrilled and a bit surprised that it opens without incident, and get Creature.
Noah takes one look at the cocker spaniel in front of him and is clearly shocked that such a small, adorable thing could make such a racket. But the two men hit it off so well I’m tempted to send Creature home with him.
A few minutes after that, I climb into bed. Not that I could fall asleep, but at least I’m warm.
The lessons from all this?
When in doubt, just call the locksmith. If they destroy the lock, who cares. If you’re living in an old New York building, the lock is probably a hundred years past its prime. Time to let it go.
More importantly — there’s something to be said for staying home. I still love Galeet Dardashti, but I love her most when I’m watching her on YouTube (thank you http://shemspeed.com), from the comfort of my bedroom.
Note:
My first locksmith story was so much fun to write. It’s my favorite post to date. Even though I was trapped inside, it didn’t feel quite as dangerous. It was funny. I hope to tell the story at a Moth story slam someday. Based on that, I was looking forward to writing the sequel. The thing is, I’m having trouble finding the humor in this story. My mother was upset for days. She wants me to own a place so I can have control over things like locks and lights. When I told this story to another teacher at work who has a daughter my age, she said that if it had been her daughter, she would have been beside herself.
There’s a new lock on the front door now, and the landlord has paid me back for the locksmith and promised to get an electrician to fix the lights. I’m grateful that I’m fine, and my neighbors are fine, and that it wasn’t snowing or even colder than it was.
Meanwhile, I’m off to JDate. It’s enough already. It’s time to start looking for an eligible Jewish locksmith.
Locksmith NYC – Locksmith New York – Emergency Locksmith
Locksmith service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
www.locksmithnyc.com
Arties Hardware & Locksmith New York / NYC provides emergency locksmith services & advanced security solutions in New York for over 85 years. We service Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island & New Jersey.
Arties Hardware & Locksmith
140 W 14th St,
New York, NY 10011
Locksmith NYC – Locksmith New York – Emergency Locksmith
Locksmith service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
www.locksmithnyc.com
Arties Hardware & Locksmith New York / NYC provides emergency locksmith services & advanced security solutions in New York for over 85 years.
We service Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island & New Jersey.
Tags: locksmith, new york locksmith
Locksmith’s Take on Lockouts
Locksmiths get people in when they are locked out. Hopefully the person hiring the locksmith belongs in the place they hired the locksmith to break into, but it is not always the case. My first choice was to see a picture ID identifying the person and matching the address of the property. However, for many legitimate reasons ID may not be available. For example, it may be locked inside the place. Or, they might have just moved to that location and not had their ID changed yet to match their address. In this case I would use their ID to verify their name, and then tell the person that once I had gotten them in they would produce a piece of mail, preferably a utility bill addressed to them at the address in question, or perhaps a lease. I let them know in advance that if they couled not produce evidence that they belonged in the place I would call the police.
Even that didn’t work every time. I picked a lock for one young man who promptly produced mail with his name on it corroborated by his identification once inside. Then his girlfriend showed up and was angry because she had kicked him out the week before. She threatened to call the police and implied that I was to blame, too.
“I think you should call the police,” I said. “But as far as I’m concerned, you might as well arrest one of my screwdrivers.”
When she asked me what I meant, I said, “I’m just your boyfriend’s tool, here. He produced satisfactory identification and I let him in. If he does not belong here you should call the police. I will be happy to wait here for them to come.”
She said that that would not be necessary. I gave her a business card, the boyfriend paid me and I left. In a few days she called me back and had me change her locks.
Lockouts are not a very good business. They are not conveniently scheduled, but happen at completely random times. The person who is locked out will sometimes call several locksmiths and hire the first one who shows up, leaving the others to waste their time. Locksmiths do not like this. More than once I arrived at a lockout to find two different competitors’ trucks already there, and we agreed that we would all leave and leave the inconsiderate lockout victim stranded. While we were wasting our time on behalf of this lockout, we could have been doing our scheduled work instead and making real money.
There are a few disreputable locksmiths who specialize in lockouts. A person who is locked out after hours can expect to pay one of these sharks several hundred dollars to get them back in, and may end up with ruined hardware and a damaged door besides. Consumers need to be careful whom they hire. The police may have someone to recommend. Otherwise a neighborhood locksmith from a good neighborhood might be a wise choice. Unfortunately when you are locked out you are in many ways at the mercy of fate and the locksmith.
A locksmith might be disreputable if:
- Their company vehicle is a pink Cadillac
- They arrive dressed in formal attire
- Their primary tool for gaining entry is a large pair of pliers
So have a good look at the company truck, the locksmith, and the locksmith’s tools.
Perhaps you can go to a friend’s house and see if there are any locksmith reviews online for your town, or ask your landlord, your neighbors or your friends to see if they can recommend a reputable locksmith.
Locksmith NYC – Locksmith New York – Emergency Locksmith
Locksmith service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
www.locksmithnyc.com
Arties Hardware & Locksmith New York / NYC provides emergency locksmith services & advanced security solutions in New York for over 85 years. We service Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island & New Jersey.
Arties Hardware & Locksmith
140 W 14th St,
New York, NY 10011
Locksmith NYC – Locksmith New York – Emergency Locksmith
Locksmith service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
www.locksmithnyc.com
Arties Hardware & Locksmith New York / NYC provides emergency locksmith services & advanced security solutions in New York for over 85 years.
We service Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island & New Jersey.
A Locksmith. A Dog. A Pizza Guy.
By NYC Resident Melissa Kantor
This really wasn’t something I was expecting to tweet on the last day of school (or ever):
“Having an unfortunate incident wherein I can’t open my front door. Locksmith on the way. Pizza guy for whom I couldn’t open door is pissed.”
Let’s rewind a bit, shall we?
It’s the last day of school. I’m on three hours of sleep, thanks to the eighth grade graduation and a messed up train schedule. I’ve had more work than I can handle. I haven’t been feeling well and have barely eaten in two days. The end of the year is emotional.
Blah, blah, blah.
This usually nice, Jewish girl is such a wreck she’s ready to start calling on Greek Orthodox saints and kissing icons. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just not something that I, being a Nice Jewish Girl and all, personally do.
(Although my friend Diane says that if I ever want to convert, she’ll provide the kiddie pool for my baptism and make a video of the ceremony. Now that’s a friend.)
Well, I confess that the words “Ag, Panagia Mou” have escaped my lips more than a few times and I am thisclose to crossing myself frantically and perhaps lighting a candle or two.
Again, not that there’s anything wrong with that. But I digress. Just trying to set the scene.
So I leave school, all teary and emotional, and get on the Subway. I make a plan. Pizza and a Buffy marathon.
Yes, as we know, Chez Mel is party central.
Party plans are looking good. Favorite pajama bottoms and Yankees t-shirt? Check. Glasses instead of contacts? Check. Pizza? On its way. I fire up Hulu, and wait.
Pizza Guy finally arrives.
And that’s when the afore mentioned “unfortunate incident” begins.
You see, New York apartments, it’s been said, are basically columns of dust held up by 125 years worth of paint. And my apartment, well. . . in spite of the nice neighborhood, leaves a lot to be desired.
My front door won’t open. At all.
Now, I’d like to believe that Pizza Guy wants to be helpful. I really do. Except for his English? Not so hot. . .
He pulls. I pull. He pushes. I push.
Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
I even take a screwdriver and take the doorknob off. (And feel quite handy, if you don’t mind me saying so.)
He asks for my keys. I pass them under the door. (Don’t yell at me. I know that’s unsafe, but I know this guy. I order from this place all the time. And let’s face it. It wasn’t like I believed the door was actually going to open.)
I end up paying him under the door, which is actually a lot less illegal than it sounds. He takes the money. Unfortunately, he also takes my pizza. And my change. At least he returns my keys.
I call my landlord. Press “2″ for emergency. I get a recording telling me to call the emergency number in the lobby.
And therein, we find our problem, as the lobby, as you can imagine, is on the other side of my front door. Luckily, the super’s number is in my phone.
Or not.
Somehow, in the whole syncing process that I have yet to understand, my iPhone has deleted a bunch of contacts.
At this point, I’m thinking of forgoing the Greek Orthodoxy dream and becoming Amish, as they don’t have iPhones. At least as far as I know.
I’m proud to say that I then proceed to do what any mature thirty-one year old would do. I call my mother at work. Do I care that she lives 3,000 miles away? Not so much.
And then I get onto Twitter. Hey, can you blame me for for wanting company? (Hi Tweeps!) I get the sympathy I need. Or rather, people laughing at my plight, which is the next best thing. And hey, I even have the fabulous Tori Carrington, creator of all things Sofie, cheering me on. How cool is that?
Where was I? Oh, yeah, I’m still locked in. Mom and Tweeps, supportive as they’ve been, have yet to rescue me. So, I turn to Google. I enter “locksmith” and my zip code.
I dial the first number that comes up. Locksmith gets all worked up. “You can’t get out?” he askes. I realize he’s more upset than I am. I also realize he’s Isareli.
He’s just gotten home, but turns out “home” is just a few blocks away from me.
A few minutes later, I hear my name being shouted through my front door. I realize then that some total stranger, presumably with experience in the Isareli army, is picking my lock. I can’t even see him.
But at least I know that if he murders me, my tweets and my in Internet history will lead the cops right to him.
A few minutes after that, he shouts my name again. “Melissa!” He then says, “This lock is broken.” (I’d let you know how I wanted to reply to that, but I prefer to keep this blog G rated. You never know.)
“I know,” I tell him.
“I’m going to have to saw it.”
Lovely.
This brings us to my next two tweets:
“Did you know that some dogs don’t care for locksmiths who saw off doorknobs? Just saying…”
“And y’all know how flipping LOUD some dogs are…..”
The sawing is successful, and the door opens. Locksmith barges in and finds me, in my afore mentioned Buffy watching, pizza eating attire, holding a convulsing tricolor cocker spaniel who’s trying, but failing, to show his teeth. He checks out my obnoxious purple fingernails (hey, it was a graduation gift to my 8th graders, long story).
Poor Locksmith, a sweet guy in his 60’s, is drenched in sweat and manages to look more war torn than I do. There are doorknob guts and tools all over my doormat,
Pizza Guy chooses this very moment to come back with the pizza. But not my change.
I feel like I’m staring in a pilot for some cheesy new sitcom.
Anyway, while Locksmith finishes up whatever it is he has to do, he tells me about how he used to live above my laundromat, before it was a laundromat.
Then he tells me about the two dead bodies he once found in front of the restaurant on my corner. “The neighborhood is much better now,” he assures me, before explaining how proud he was to be the one who called the police.
He also tells me about the tricolor cocker spaniel he once bought at Macy’s. Somehow, I like this story better, especially since he gives me tips about cleaning the fur on cocker spaniel ears with a mixture of vinegar and water.
Imagine the amusement of Israeli Locksmith when he finds out that my tricolor cocker spaniel’s name is Hamudi (cutie, in Hebrew). He gives Hamudi several commands in Hebrew, which Hamudi follows beautifully, thus giving his mother nachas and many opportunities to kvell.
Locksmith announces that he’s not even going to check my ID because he believes the apartment is mine (as if I’d break into an apartment, put on pajamas, lock myself in – and then order pizza). Eventually, he leaves. “Lehitraot!” I call after him. He compliments my Hebrew pronunciation.
I’m left with a hole in my front door. But I repair it like the capable, single woman I am. I even think my handiwork is prettier than the original dead as a doornail doorknob. It’s kind of like the way I once fixed a broken USB cable with a hammer and a bunch of girlie stuff.
I’m happy to report that I now have a shiny, new doorknob. It rocks. Too bad I’m moving in two weeks and won’t be able to enjoy it for years to come.
How sad is it that more than one person has commented that this is “such a Melissa story?” Do I even want to know what a “Melissa story” is? I think not.
By the way, Locksmith was disgusted at the poor quality of the lock AND how poorly it was installed. Which brings us back to the subject of New York apartments and landlords.
This story brought to you by:
Locksmith NYC – Locksmith New York – Emergency Locksmith
Locksmith service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
www.locksmithnyc.com
Arties Hardware & Locksmith New York / NYC provides emergency locksmith services & advanced security solutions in New York for over 85 years. We service Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island & New Jersey.
Arties Hardware & Locksmith
140 W 14th St,
New York, NY 10011
Locksmith NYC – Locksmith New York – Emergency Locksmith
Locksmith service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
www.locksmithnyc.com
Arties Hardware & Locksmith New York / NYC provides emergency locksmith services & advanced security solutions in New York for over 85 years.
We service Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island & New Jersey.
Tags: new york locksmith
A little history
Arties Hardware & Locksmith, as most of you probably don’t know, is made up of two companies that merged in 2005; Hardware Mart Inc., and Aaron-Hotz Locksmith. Aaron-Hotz Locksmith was established in 1923, the same year the House that Ruth Built opened its’ doors up in the Bronx. Harry Hotz was the principal owner. The store was originally on 21st St., but moved to 14th St some years later and has been there ever since, moving to its’ current location in the Pratt Building at 140 West 14th St. after the merger that created Arties. Locksmithing back in the day was a simpler business; more skeleton keys, no high-security, and the repair of existing locks was much more common than replacements or new installations. Most of the ‘old school’ locksmiths were men of Jewish or Irish backgrounds who had trained as apprentices and then started their own business or took over running the business of the person with whom they had apprenticed.
Those old guys are all gone now, having been bought out or replaced in the last 20-30 years with a new younger breed of locksmiths. For whatever reason, locksmithing in the city has become the domain of Israeli immigrants, much like deli’s tend to be Korean and diners, Greek. Locksmiths have also gained a dubious reputation, some of it deserved, but in the case of the actual storefronts scattered throughout the city, like Arties, most of it is not.
Check back next time for a ‘behind the scenes’ look at what really goes on when you call a locksmith, and how you can avoid calling someone who feeds the ‘dubious reputation’ I just mentioned.
Arties Hardware & Locksmith
140 W 14th St,
New York, NY 10011
Locksmith NYC – Locksmith New York – Emergency Locksmith
Locksmith service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
www.locksmithnyc.com
Arties Hardware & Locksmith New York / NYC provides emergency locksmith services & advanced security solutions in New York for over 85 years.
We service Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island & New Jersey.