info@towergatelocksmiths.co.uk 07935 628828

Contact Info

Facebook

Blog 2

Blog 2

Reviews – Were You Happy With Your Locksmith?

  Oh to be a locksmith. Everyday is a bit different in this profession. Because on any given day as a locksmith you never quite know what part of the job you’ll be doing, where you’ll be doing it or at what time you’ll be doing it. Although the time that most jobs need to be done is best described as…now. But no problem folks. Part of the job and all that. As is the satisfaction once you have helped someone, especially if there has been a ‘now’ involved, and you’re told just how grateful they are for your work. Some even try to press another £5 in your hand as an extra thank you. And of course that’s appreciated but truly the best thank you’s of all aren’t just those shared with us after a job, it’s those shared with everybody. You got it, online reviews. The ‘thank you’s’ everybody sees. Because even if someone is locked out, desperate for time and perhaps even the toilet, chances are they are still going to check out previous customer reviews first to assuage any doubt you are the one to call, even if it doesn’t help their rumbling stomach. Then it’s not just us you are helping with a solid, your review may be helping someone else with one too. Too much? Ok, but you get the point. And a positive review doesn’t solely convince customers you can be trusted, it persuades another important party that definitely take notice of reviews. Google. And they are right to, because given all the competition who should Google promote up the search rankings, the business with a few good reviews or one they see with hundred’s. Exactly. So if you found us by virtue of a good review, and on Google we have over 300+ and counting, thank you so very much But an extra big thank goes to the lovely people who provided those reviews in the first place. And those who did the same on Facebook, other social platforms and the various tradesman’s websites too. Actually, we wonder how many reviews we might have if only we actually asked more. And yes, the irony of that statement given this blog post does not escape us. But even when you’re not asked, if we, another locksmith, or any tradesman does a good job, please consider leaving a review anyway to tell everybody how happy you are with their service. Because while it might take a little more effort than an extra £5 in the hand, that really is the fiver everybody appreciates. You instantly become a 5 star customer to us as well.        

New Home? Add This To Your ‘To-Do List’.

Moving home or recently done so? Then this one’s for you. Because for all the reasons in moving home, even if it’s not something most do regularly, there’s one thing you should always do when changing to a new property. And can you guess what that is? That’s right, you should also change the locks. Well, ok, fair enough not so much in a new build. And I concede there is more than one thing to do for any home move but this is a locksmith blog after all so we’re sticking to what we know. But it should be obvious, you’ve spent Lord knows how much on your new home, or invested considerably in a new rented property and then what, do you just leave it to chance that you have all of the only keys to it? No, that’s something you don’t want to risk. Even though in doing research for this article I found out that 58% of people who move into a new place don’t get around to changing their locks. Crazy right. Because another titbit of research I unearthed, in an article by Martin Lewis no less, he stated according to one Home Insurance company that in the last ten years 12 million people had gone and lost their house keys, and at least 6 times. 12 million! 6 times!! – I do believe however that the good people of Yorkshire must be a lot more careful than that. Nevertheless, the point is you don’t know what the previous occupants of your home did with their keys. How many keys were cut? Did a friend or tradesmen get one? Were they all returned? And if they were not Yorkshire bred and therefore losing house keys constantly? All it takes is one unaccounted key to spoil everything. And it’s not just the risk to your home security it’s also that most home insurance companies only pay out a claim when there’s been forced entry into a property. So if someone did simply let themselves in with an old key, no forced entry means no insurance payout. No kidding. You though will have lots of regret for not changing the locks when you know you should have. Don’t do that to yourself, we know for a fact it’s not worth it. So to any new or prospective homeowners out there, congratulations. We hope you’re very happy there. But be proud owners of new locks as well. *This is where we can say to new home owners that if you do do the sensible thing, we have special rates when changing multiple locks. So call us, ask for details and we will ensure that your new home is exclusive only to you.

BS3621 – Are Your Locks Up To Standard?

  We all like standards in life don’t we. A certain standard of living, important personal standards and hopefully at least a minimum standard of hygiene from our co-workers or local Mcdonalds. But when it comes to locks there’s a standard everybody can aspire to. BS3621, or more fully, British Standards Institute BS3621. A standard that even if you know very little about locks you’ll recognise from the familiar BSI ‘kitemark’ logo embossed on any lock that does have that high benchmark of materials, manufacture, and security. It’s certainly been around long enough, BS3621 was first introduced on locks in 1963, (hey, happy 60th BS3621) and specifically for “locks operated by key from both the inside and outside of the door”, ie for common Mortice or Sash Locks which most homes have – ‘Yale’ type locks with a lever on the inside half of the lock are a different number, but in truth there’s actually been several versions of BS3621 since The Beatles’ first no 1. There’s been 5… BS3621 2017BS3621 2007BS3621 1998BS3621 1980BS3621 1963 And a little tip here, if you look at any lock that is BS3621 – go on, check the locks in your own property, now you will notice the year stamped on them as well! You can roughly know how old that lock of yours is. Ta dah! Yes, good old BS3621, it may well be 60 years old but you can literally say it’s wearing well. I’ve removed original BS3621 locks in older properties that have still worked nicely. Although 60 is a good retirement age for any faithful servant like that. But if I have got you checking the external locks in your property, and they don’t have the kitemark symbol at all, then it is definitely time for an upgrade anyway. Not just for yourself, and the security of your home since any lock without the kitemark is, how should I put this professionally, not good at security, but since most insurance companies require you to have BS3621 locks fitted, if you are burgled because of a substandard lock now your insurance company has the right to refuse your claim. Also you will agree, not good. So dear reader, do yourself this favour. If you have mortice locks in your external doors, take a stroll over and see if they do have that reassuring British Standards Institute BS3621 stamp on the faceplate, and the famous kitemark. If they have, unless there is a reason to swap, carry on. If not, then you really, really should change them. As standard.  

Emergency Locksmiths – What You Don’t Want To Hear

There are all types of locksmiths out there. Good ones, that would be us, ones that are good enough and ones it would be good if you never called upon at all. And while all locksmiths should be handy enough for most situations with a screwdriver and a chisel in hand, what perhaps really separates the best from the best avoided is what they’ll do for you, or to you, when you find yourself locked out. Y’know, the time you deal with a locksmith and feel the most stressed and hurried. For instance, when you call a good locksmith he will be able to say he will use ‘non destructive methods’, to get you back inside. Something you don’t need Google Translate to work out means without causing any damage to your lock or door. And a good locksmith will do that but in truth no locksmith can absolutely guarantee it. If they do, it’s only a sign they are good at bluffing, not locksmithing, and is something else to be wary of. It does depend on the lock and whether picking it, sliding the latch, bumping the lock or the other myriad adjectives we use when going through our techniques to gain entry, the method a good locksmith is always at pains not to want to use is ‘drilling’. Yep, that’s the bad one, because drilling is never non-damaging is it. But sometimes even the most well meaning and diligent attempts to open a lock non-destructively won’t do. Drilling always works. It also ruins the lock so that you will need a new one. But now you know the last resort of a good locksmith, you also know the first resort of a bad one. If you call them, explain the situation, describe your lock and especially if it’s a common Yale type lock which is the most amenable to successful no damage entry, they still tell you they will have to drill it and fit a replacement, they are either no good at locksmithing in the first place or their first thought is ‘here’s someone desperate we can charge for re-entry AND for fitting a new lock!’ Well dear reader, if you hear that, now you know where you can tell a locksmith like that to go. And it definitely shouldn’t be to your home address.        

Some Ho Ho Ho for Your Christmas

  It’s Christmas!!!!! Yes it is, so being Christmas, and frankly me thinking I deserved an easy month of it, instead of the usual hard hitting article with some bad jokes included, this time I thought I know, ‘lets go directly to the bad jokes’. And folks, that’s exactly what you’re getting. Since I promise you after extensive research on the interweb the only locksmith and key related ‘jokes’ I could find are most definitely as bad as mine. Actually I feel rather better about my own efforts now. Because while you don’t encounter many light hearted situations as a locksmith, trust me, you do need a sense of humour for this job. Anyway, here are the best of a very bad bunch. Prepare to grimace.   Chewbacca locked the keys in the Millennium Falcon….It was a Wookie mistake! What kind of car does a locksmith drive?A Kia. Which kind of dinosaurs were the locksmiths of their day?Key-Rex. My neighbours went on holiday, and gave me a spare key so I could feed their dog.I’m not sure though, I’ve never seen a dog eat a spare key before. What kind of key does a ghost use?A spoo-key A locksmith had to go to court to give evidence.Apparently he was the key witness.   Ok, I’ll stop it there, you’ve suffered enough. And I’m sorry, I really expected to find some better ones. In fact, I even thought of one myself. And this really, really is all my very own, you won’t find it anywhere else. Well, at least until the next desperate blogger looking for half decent locksmith jokes steals it for themselves that is.   Knock knock. Who’s there? A locksmith. A locksmith who? A locksmith who should have got a call you weren’t locked out anymore.   Wait for it, wait for it…yeah, now you get it. Based on a real event too. See, I told you locksmiths needed a sense of humour.           So there it is, Merry Christmas. From Towergate Locksmiths, thank you to all of our lovely customers, and readers, and a Happy New Year.    

Recent Post

Lock repair
What Are the Most Common Lock
August 09, 2024
Burglary repair
What to Do After a Burglary?
August 09, 2024
Locksmith
How Can I Enhance the Security
August 09, 2024