When you have a lock emergency it is always important to have the ability to speak to someone 24/7. We are seeing a lot of “call centre” locksmiths popping up at this time…many of whom are giving arrival times of 5 hours for emergencies (if they turn up at all).
This is not acceptable in our trade, and it is always important to get to a customer at the earliest possible opportunity, and not advertise as ‘local Leicester locksmith’ if you are in fact in Exeter (true story).
JG Locksmiths were contacted by a very nice gentleman in relation to a failed lock on a uPVC door at his fathers’ property. The customer reported that the lock had been temperamental and ‘stiff’ on closing for a couple of weeks, and on this occasion the handle had been lifted and a loud cracking heard…resulting in an inability to lock the door with the key.
From this very brief description a diagnosis was made, and we were able to give the customer a quotation over the phone. The call was received late in the evening and attendance was requested immediately due to security concerns. Within 40 minutes we had arrived at the property and were working on the door.
It was clear from looking at the door in the frame that alignment was an issue caused by a broken top hinge. This had then resulted in the door being difficult to close and unnecessary pressure being placed on the gearbox.
It is very important with doors that if you start to feel pressure, or if the door is difficult to close with metal grinding sounds, you should call a locksmith to adjust it.
Unfortunately, we are unable to carry all types of replacement locks on our vans just due to the vast number that have been designed and built over the years. We try to carry about 99% of the ‘normal brands’…however there is always a chance that we may attend, and it is an old/obscure one/discontinued one. This was one of those occasions.
That being said, we were able to check stock availability (whilst with the customer) and were able to order the replacement piece from our warehouse for next day delivery.
We will not leave a house insecure. We want the customer to feel as secure as possible in their home whilst waiting for their parts to be delivered.
So the occupants could feel this security, we replaced their old broken lock with a temporary overnight lock. This lock works very much like a normal wooden door mortice lock. It offers the security of a lockable door on a bolt, which can be opened with the same key and cylinder that the owner had in previously.
Within 24 hours we returned to the property and were able to fit the owner with a brand-new uPVC door mechanism.
We removed our temporary overnight lock, as this was obviously no longer needed, and the old handles and cylinder were replaced.
Advice was given to the customer in relation to lubricating the moving parts of the new mechanism to ensure longevity, as well as advice in regard to other doors/locks in the property. There was no extra hidden cost for a second visit which some locksmiths may charge – the customer paid what was quoted over the phone for the initial visit.
This was another successful lock repair in Leicester and we look forward to the next one!
