New Extra Page on my website.

A bit of a waffle … but some good info if you’re looking for a locksmith !

http://www.a1-lockman.co.uk/locksmith-edinburgh.htm

Would you work for nothing ?

I suppose you might do something for charity and not charge for your time and / or materials. Perhaps even for a relative or a very good friend.

So I’m not quite sure why someone for whom I have done a fair bit of work for over the years, suddenly thinks it’s OK not to pay me. I’ve sent two polite reminders and even got a reply telling me I was on “the list”.

Being on “the list” does not pay my bills, feed me or my family. Being on “the list” is as much use as a chocolate teapot!

“H”, if you are reading this, I’m sure you will know I’m talking about you. It’s this sort of thing that directly leads to cash-flow problems and can cripple a small business and if there were two or three people like you, it might be enough to bring it down.

Don’t leave it any longer …. PAY UP !

P.S.
Don’t expect me to do any more work for you without money up front.

P.P.S.
I do in fact do work for a very famous charity. They don’t expect me to do it for nothing, however I do give them a small discount and they pay me as soon as they receive my invoice.

Another couple of break-ins !

Over the last couple of years I must have fitted well into the hundreds of HMO locks , mostly to student flats here in Edinburgh.

One of the break-ins last week was at a flat where I had fitted one of them. The student tenants had lost a fair bit of kit … laptops, cameras and a couple of phones.

Had the thieves got past my HMO lock? …. No … the tenants had made it easy … they hadn’t bothered locking it and all Burglar Bill had to do was give the door a kick and hey presto the Yale lock gave in and they were in the door and out again within minutes.

No matter how well a Yale lock is fitted, the chances are it won’t stand up to much punishment.

If you have a mortice lock … use it!
It takes a couple of seconds to lock it and it will save a lot of heartache.

All HMO properties in Edinburgh MUST now have an approved lock fitted to the flat door. Normally this is a cylinder thumb turn operated mortice lock. I can fit them for less than £100. Happy to give you advice and or a survey. Full details from my website ….. Edinburgh Locksmith – A1-Lockman Security.

Can’t believe it was April since I last posted !

It’s been a busy’ish summer with some good signs of trade improving not just for myself but in general too. The summer seems to have flown by and at least we did have a summer !

Unfortunately we are well into Autumn and the clocks change next weekend. The nights are getting darker and as usual it’s the time of year when you need to make sure everything is locked up and secure. It’s a sad fact that as the night grow longer crime increases.

Don’t leave it too late … get that dodgy lock looked at now. Perhaps even think about upgrading your security. That old 3 lever lock on the back door is no defence against any burglar worth his salt. Most insurance companies require a minimum of a 5 lever deadlock to BS3621 to be fitted to any and all external doors. If you have a claim and your locks are not up to scratch the chances are they will reduce or reject your claim.

Give me a call to discuss your concerns. My advice is free.  07973 376767 or have a look at the main website www.a1-lockman.co.uk

Looks like spring has arrived at long last.

Well at least it shows some promise. I was able to walk the dogs this morning without a full Gore-tex outfit.

Some of you will be getting started on the gardening now. Make sure you keep your front door locked if you are in the back garden. An opportunist thief can be into your hallway and away with your handbag, car keys, house keys, wallet etc. faster than you can blink !

Free survey and quote.

7 Things you need to know before you call out a Locksmith.

I came across this on an old “Blogspot” blog. I wrote it about 4 years ago but I think most of the advice still holds up.

You’re running late. You pick up your keys from the coffee table. You’re out the door. BANG ! The door shuts behind you. You go to lock the mortice lock only to discover you have picked up the wrong blooming keys !

Yes … you’re locked out.

You have two choices. 1. Panic. 2. Don’t panic.

You decide to go for the second one because your neighbour with whom you have left a spare set of keys is bound to be in. Then you remember she’s off on holiday to somewhere horribly hot and sunny. You still decide to go for option 2. Somebody is bound to be in next door and they will have a copy of “Yellow Pages” or at least you will be able to use their computer to go online to search Google or Yell.com .

Thankfully you are correct.

Here we go …. “Oh my God I didn’t realise there were so many locksmiths in Edinburgh!”

7 things you need to know before you call a locksmith in Edinburgh.

1. Don’t go for the first advert you see. Don’t panic! Take your time.
2. Avoid the big adverts. If they can afford to pay for an advert that size then they are going to be charging you a lot of money.
3. Small to medium size advert but with a string of 0800 numbers? Chances are this is a service company probably located somewhere like Manchester, London or Birmingham. They won’t have a clue where “Stockbridge” or “Gorgie” is. They are probably going to sub-contract a local locksmith to do the work. Again you are going to get charged an arm and a leg because they have to pay for all these 0800 numbers, pay the local locksmith and make some money themselves.
4. If you call a locksmith and they are asking for your debit or credit card details before they accept your business, then forget it. NO reputable locksmith is going to do that.
5. Go for an advert that indicates you will be speaking directly to the locksmith. If you end up speaking to a call centre or a message handling service then once again you are probably speaking to a service company.
6. Look for an address on the advert. If the locksmith is local he will have his address in the advert to show that he is local. Local businesses like local business.
7. Don’t be afraid to ask how much you are going to be charged. If the locksmith is vague about his charges he has something to hide. Most reputable companies will at least give you a ballpark figure. Often it is not easy to give an accurate quote over the phone. If it’s not an urgent job, then ask if the locksmith will come and give you a free estimate.

Don’t leave your car keys lying around !

I was called out by one of my existing customers who was looking after their neighbour’s house. The owners had gone off to the other side of the world for a funeral and had asked my customer to keep an eye on things. Unfortunately the first sign something was wrong was when they noticed the owner’s car had gone !

It transpired that the thieves had got in thru’ a very small hopper window, found both house and car keys lying in the hallway, opened the front door and off they went with the car. Fortunately the car was found later undamaged. A new set of locks on the front door and the hopper window secured properly at least meant they wouldn’t be back to help themselves to anything else.

Going away ? …. Hide your spare house keys and car keys so that they can’t be used ! Think about installing a small security safe …. you can get them for about £40 or £50 … a lot lot cheaper than having to replace house and car locks !

Christmas .. and Student Flats.

Yes, it’s that time of year yet again ! All those hard working students will be packing up and heading home to Mummy for Christmas.

A bit of advice … which might save some heartache if this cold weather keeps up … or gets worse !

• Landlords make sure you have keys so that you can get into your flats in case of emergencies if they are unoccupied over the holidays.

• Students … make sure you don’t leave any windows open. Don’t leave taps dripping… and don’t switch off the heating completely.

I’ve lost count of the number of times over the last “few” years that I have been called out to gain entry to an empty flat where the students have left a window wide open in the bathroom and the pipes have frozen and then burst. A real mess and very expensive all round, plus when they get back after the holidays they find they are locked out !

It might sound as if I am talking myself out of business but these things have a nasty habit of happening on Christmas Eve or Boxing Day when (to be honest) I would rather be having a few days off !