What to Know Before You Hire a Locksmith
You should know several things before hiring a locksmith to ensure you receive the highest quality service available. After all, the design of most locks is to protect what is most valuable to you. When it comes to safety, never settle for anything less than the very best.
The Art of Locksmithing
Locksmithing is the art of creating and breaking locks. It is an ancient practice that people often overlook until it is necessary. To be a locksmith requires accreditation and skills honed from years of experience. Anyone can learn how to make and break a lock, but only some can claim to be locksmiths.
When Do You Need a Locksmith?
When you hire a locksmith, it is almost always to install, remove, or replace keys and locks. If you need to change the locks around your residence, get back into your vehicle when you lose the keys, or need stronger locks, you will hire a locksmith to ensure a qualified individual handles these situations.
But locksmiths do more than change, repair, and break locks. If you are a business owner or renter, they can also perform a safety audit for your business or residential property to check for unprotected access points. Accredited locksmiths can only perform this particular service, so when you type “locksmiths near me,” ensure that your chosen provider can perform the service.
As a quick tip, you should also hire a locksmith locally. Using a locksmith in Colorado Springs should be your priority if you live in Colorado Springs, as they know what kind of local threats you might subject to your property without proper protection.
Can You Install Your Own Locks?
It would be best if you did not try to install locks without a professional, qualified locksmith. Although the temptation is to save a few extra dollars and install it yourself, you risk installing an incorrectly sized lock while damaging the door’s frame or the door itself. Worst of all, when there is too much damage to the structure, a lock cannot be installed correctly by a qualified locksmith, so you have caused more financial strain than necessary.
What to Look For Before Hiring a Locksmith
Before you start typing “locksmiths near me” and pick the first locksmith in Colorado Springs, the search engine brings you, there are some things you need to look out for.
Availability
As mentioned, you should search for a locksmith in Colorado Springs if you live in Colorado Springs. Not only is it more convenient and efficient for you, but the availability of those locksmiths and their service can often fluctuate depending on the travel distance.
Furthermore, if you are too far from a locksmith, they may not immediately arrive to change, install, or replace your locks. Doing so can leave you at the mercy of whatever may come. Keep this in mind when you hire a locksmith.
Finally, you should see if the locksmith has an after-hours service. After-hours services ensure that, should you need to hire a locksmith at an untimely hour, they will be able to service you and give you peace of mind. It is imperative if you end up locked out of your residence or business.
Response Times
Alongside availability, you should check their response times when you hire a locksmith. Response time is the time it takes for a locksmith to answer your call, quote you, and arrive at the location to perform the service. Response times can vary between locksmiths, so ensuring you find one who can provide the service you requested as soon as possible is paramount.
Qualifications and Experience
You should always check their qualifications and skills whenever you hire a locksmith. You want to avoid accidentally calling, scheduling, and quoting out a job with a locksmith who cannot perform the required services.
As mentioned, locksmiths can also perform a security audit for a business, checking access points for compromised security. When you hire a locksmith to perform the audit, you should ensure that they have the necessary insurance (to protect your business property should it be damaged during the audit) and that they have performed security audits for other businesses in the past.
Furthermore, when you hire a locksmith, you should ask how experienced they are in a particular audit or lock replacement. While locksmiths are certified to perform many functions, some may have more experience than others, and it is up to you to decide if the locksmith you hired is a qualified smith for your needs.
How to “Verify” Your Locksmith
Once you have decided to hire a locksmith, and they satisfy your requirements and needs, the final step is to verify this locksmith is worth your employment. You can do this in several ways, but the two most common and most effective methods are asking the locksmiths for their references and checking third-party reviews.
Ask For References
Asking for references may seem like you are prying for too much information. Still, locksmiths who pride themselves on their quality and work will gladly give you former clients and examples of their work. If you hire a locksmith and they dance around the subject of references, that could be a red flag, as the quality, service, or standard might not be at the level you deserve.
Check Reviews
Whether you use Yelp, Google, or the Better Business Bureau, you should see how customers react to the locksmith. While specific sites, such as Yelp and Google, can be bombarded with bad faith reviews, it can be a good indicator of recognizing where a business succeeds. Even the angriest review has some hint of truth, and if the good outweighs the negative, then that is a net positive for the company.
Our Recommendation
Now that you have all this information, you are ready to hire a locksmith. But who do we recommend? Our go-to choice for a locksmith in Colorado Springs is Magic Key Locksmiths. Not only has Magic Key Locksmiths performed hundreds of locksmith services for both residential and commercial partners.
With a 24-hour service call for emergency lockouts, stellar customer reviews, transparent qualifications, and speedy installation, removal, and replacement service, the magic key to your locksmith service needs are just a call away.
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