I'm running a business, not a charity!

[aulocksmith]

And don't get me wrong, if I can help a charity out, I will be bend over backwards to help them. Particularly if that charity helped me when I was younger.

Anyway, I get a call this afternoon. Pretty standard stuff, need to open a locked door, but it's not urgent as it's a garage.

The guy starts in on a story about how it's his neighbours garage, who's gone away for a couple of months, and a magpie has gotten in and is causing damage inside. Fair enough I think, so I give him the option me coming out today, or tomorrow morning.

He decides on tomorrow morning, which again, is fair enough. At this point, I'm thinking he wants tomorrow morning simply because it would be far cheaper. Little did I know.

SC: "So, are you going to charhge me for this, or will you do out of the goodness of your heart?"
Me: "Sorry, but I have to charge. It costs me money just get to job locations, and besides, would you do your job for free?" (As an aside, being the owner* can be awesome sometimes!)
SC: "What!?!?!? *blargle* *blargle* FAGEDDABOUTIT!" *click*

I've spent so many years here lurking and sympathising with everyone, which I believe has made me a better customer in retail establishments. This is the first time I've ever wanted to reach through a phone and strangle someone though.

* The business was originally started by my father, and I've effectively been manager wou could do what he wanted for the last few years. However, the business is currently being fully transferred to me so my father can finally retire.

[mysticgirl5]

It just never fails to amaze me, though I hear it every day, how an SC will think that everyone should pay for a service BUT them. Of course if you ask them to put one toe out of their way for someone else it's all

On a side note, magpies are awesome. I hope it gets out and shits on his head as it flies away.

[Teskeria]

Is it legal for you to open someone else's garage without the owner's permission? or does the SC have a poa?

[Argabarga]

Opening locked cars are the MOST haggled over service for us as well, I don't know why, but some people seem to think in their twisted logic that since opening doors is so fundamentally essential to living that only a HEARTLESS person would CHARGE MONEY to get a door open.... and not do it as a courtesy to help a fellow human keep on living life....

Yeah

It's heartless

Why, next thing you know, they'll be charging you for the water in your house.... and to even get something to eat! The very idea! It's corporate greed I tell ya!

[MadMike]

Opening locked cars are the MOST haggled over service for us as well, I don't know why, but some people seem to think in their twisted logic that since opening doors is so fundamentally essential to living that only a HEARTLESS person would CHARGE MONEY to get a door open.... and not do it as a courtesy to help a fellow human keep on living life....

The first time I locked my keys in the car, I didn't feel that way. I was just glad to have my keys back. Since my apartment keys were on the same ring, I wasn't just locked out of my car, I was locked out of my apartment as well.

[EricKei]

My car has one of those keypad thingies, which, of course, I use seldom enough that I can't recall the code...So I put it in my cellphone by disguising it as part of a "friend's" fake telephone number (just in case someone does snag my phone when I'm not looking)

[aulocksmith]

Is it legal for you to open someone else's garage without the owner's permission? or does the SC have a poa?

It's a tricky area. It really depends on a combination of gut feeling and ID recording. If I get the feeling that someone is not being honest with me about an opening, then I walk away.

I have a book that I record ID and details of the job in, which the customer has to sign to say the accept responsibility for anything once I've opened up. This book is like a bible for locksmiths. If we get pulled in to police and can't provide evidence that we did what was thought to be a legitimate job, we are the ones that end up in jail for B&E or burglary.

In the case above, what I'd be doing is open it up, help the guy chase the bird out of the garage and lock it back up myself. This way, I know it's a genuine call, and not an excuse to be able to rip someone off.

Opening locked cars are the MOST haggled over service for us as well, I don't know why, but some people seem to think in their twisted logic that since opening doors is so fundamentally essential to living that only a HEARTLESS person would CHARGE MONEY to get a door open.... and not do it as a courtesy to help a fellow human keep on living life....

I've had more than a few argue with me about price. They've agreed to the price before I start, so I open up, and then they try to haggle me down to insanely low levels because I had whatever open almost as quick as using a key.

The ones that keep going after I've said I can't budge on the price, well.... Most often they end up back in the same predicament they were in in the first place.

[Shalom]

The ones that keep going after I've said I can't budge on the price, well.... Most often they end up back in the same predicament they were in in the first place.

I've heard a few stories like that myself, back when I was in that line of business.

http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...51&postcount=7

[XCashier]

The first time I locked my keys in the car, I didn't feel that way. I was just glad to have my keys back.

Same here. And since it was my fault I locked the keys in the car, I figured paying the locksmith was a Lesson Learned Tax.

[Pimento]

Yeah. I tried that business for a bit as an apprentice. Didnt work out due to my small city having about 45 different outfits.

Though I've found a pick and tension wrench hidden somewhere outside my house is a lot better than a spare key lol. At least it makes me feel better

[Antares]

Opening locked cars are the MOST haggled over service for us as well, I don't know why, but some people seem to think in their twisted logic that since opening doors is so fundamentally essential to living that only a HEARTLESS person would CHARGE MONEY to get a door open.... and not do it as a courtesy to help a fellow human keep on living life....

Yeah

It's heartless

Why, next thing you know, they'll be charging you for the water in your house.... and to even get something to eat! The very idea! It's corporate greed I tell ya!

The only way I can lock the keys into my new car is if I do it purposely. I have to press the lock button 3 times if the key is in the car before it locks.

If I do that, I deserve to pay whatever you're charging.

[bbbr]

locked my keys in my car last August getting ready to start a 105 mile bike ride as part of my final prep for the ADA's Tour de Cure ride around Lake Seneca. Since i was riding a ferry that ran once a day and it would leave well before the tow truck would arrive to unlock me, I decided to call AAA to get my keys out once I returned to my car, 9 hours later. Had a great ride outside of crossing one scary ass bridge (Mt Hope bridge in RI, can't recomend avoiding that one on bike enough), called for the lock out service once i got to my car and had a very relaxing cup of coffee on the dock. Truck showed up, signed the paperwork and in a matter of moments he had my locks open and i was finally able to get out of my smelly riding gear.

if i wasn't a member of AAA I would've gladly payed what ever the going rate was as the idiot tax for locking myself out. No point in getting pissy with the man who can get me back into my car over the cost (the AAA membership has payed for itself the # of times I've locked myself out...) of something I can't do myself.

[Seshat]

My father taught me to always have a spare key. He carries one in his right pocket, one in his left. If whatever I'm wearing has pockets, I have one in my pocket, one in my handbag. Or one in my wheelchair/scooter bag (if I can't use a stick that day), one in my handbag. Or whatever.

[AccountingDrone]

When we have dogs, I always attach one to a collar, I would have paid to see someone try to take it off my 150 pound wolf hybrid ...

We keep one in our goose pen.

[Caractacus_Potts]

Is it legal for you to open someone else's garage without the owner's permission? or does the SC have a poa?

When my wife and I were in Florida the person we had house/cat sitting locked himself out. We called a local lock place, explained the situation, gave them our address and paid in advance with a credit card over the phone.

It wasn't until after the fact that we started to wonder why the locksmith would just take our word for everything and open the house for a guy who had no way to prove he should have access to the house. I guess we sounded sincere.

The first time I locked my keys in the car, I didn't feel that way. I was just glad to have my keys back. Since my apartment keys were on the same ring, I wasn't just locked out of my car, I was locked out of my apartment as well.

I've never had to call a locksmith for a car. Wire coat hangers or the slim jim I picked up at the auto-parts store always did it for me. Of course it's probably been twenty years since I locked myself out of a car so I don't know how well those methods would work on a new vehicle.