FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
I charge flat rate for my work. It's based on $75/hour if everything goes well. I'm almost a perfectionist so often I have to do more work than I anticipated to get the lock to work a well as I demand of it. I don't feel it's fair to charge the customer for my obsession, so I usually just include it as part of the job. Only if it's something really major and time consuming will I point it out as an extra charge item.
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
When I was 5 years old I took my bedroom door lock apart. I saw how it worked and filed it's key into a skeleton key that would work all the locks in our home. I wasn't as skilled with my dad's wrist-watch, which is why I'm not a watch repair guy.
- What types of customers have you worked with?
Most common is re-keying someone's home. Next is getting someone in who locked themselves out. Almost always I can pick the lock, even if it's "pick resistant". Maybe 3 or 4 times a year, I'll have to drill the lock to get in.