- Identification plus a document tying the person to the address or vehicle, recorded in writing.
- A landlord is not automatically entitled to entry. Decline evictions without a court order.
- Child or pet in a hot car reverses the order. Call emergency services and go immediately.
- One firm total on the phone before dispatch. Requote out loud if the job turns out different.
Establishing the right to entry
Every opening requires proof that the person asking is entitled to be inside. For a home that is photo identification plus a document tying the person to the address, such as a lease, a utility bill, a mortgage statement or a driving license already showing that address. For a vehicle it is identification plus registration, title or insurance.
Write the check down on the invoice. Identification type, document type, address or plate, time, and the name of anybody else present. That single line of record is the thing that answers a police question or an insurance question months later.
Refuse when the story does not hold. Domestic disputes, evictions performed without a court order and repossessions are all situations where opening a door can make you a party to something serious. A landlord is not automatically entitled to have a tenant's door opened. Say no, leave, and charge nothing.
Child or pet locked in a vehicle
This is the one call where the normal sequence changes. If a child or an animal is locked in a vehicle in heat, call emergency services first and go immediately. Do not wait to establish paperwork while a car interior climbs past a hundred and thirty degrees.
On arrival assess before you open. If the occupant is unresponsive, sweating heavily or has stopped sweating, that is a medical emergency and breaking glass is justified. Break the window furthest from the occupant, and use a spring loaded center punch at a corner rather than the middle of the glass.
If the occupant is alert and comfortable, open the vehicle by normal means and do it quickly. Document what you saw, what you did and the time. Charge nothing or charge little. This is the call that makes a locksmith part of the community rather than a vendor in it.
After hours pricing done honestly
Night, weekend and holiday work costs more and customers accept that when it is stated in advance. Bait pricing is the practice of advertising a low call out figure and revealing the real total once the technician is on site and the customer is stranded. It is the single biggest reputational problem the trade has.
Quote a total on the phone. Service call plus labor plus parts, as one number, before dispatch. If the situation turns out to be different from what was described, stop, explain, requote and get agreement before continuing.
Take card payment and issue a written invoice with your business name, address, license number where applicable and the work performed. A customer with a real invoice from a real business is a customer who calls you again and tells somebody else.
Common Questions
When is drilling the right call?
When picking and bypass have both failed or the lock is already broken, and the customer has agreed to the cost of replacing it. Drilling first is a sign of a technician who cannot do the rest.
There is a child or a pet locked inside. What should I do?
Call emergency services first, then a locksmith. A fire crew will be there faster and will not wait for proof of address. Say on the call that somebody is shut in.
Should the price change when I am standing outside in the rain?
No. The number quoted on the phone should be the number on the invoice. A price that grows on arrival is the oldest trick in this trade.
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