It’s the closing time. Your last customer has moved out, the floor has been mopped and cleaned, you’ve made sure, and double counted that everything on the list has been done, and you lock the doors and leave. You have the sigh of relief while walking out that everything fixed to be done for today has been completed. And suddenly you realize that you have left the keys inside. Isn’t it amazing? What do you do now? You try finding ways, and you figure out that you need to hire a locksmith. Quickly.
Luckily with the advancement in technology, you don’t have to flip through the yellow pages to find the number of the locksmith you once hired. Whenever doubt comes up, just google, it’s the most trusted source today.
You don’t even have to go through some pages listed on the Google just pick the first number. After all, Google ranking depicts something right. But don’t hire them to do your job unless they can answer some of the questions of yours. Listed below is a questionnaire that you should ask your locksmith before picking them for the job.
- Are you insured and licensed?
You may think what is the need for asking this question. Well, there are some states in which it is mandatory for the locksmiths to have a license. Apart from it, all the technicians who help on the job should be insured. A reputed and an experienced locksmith will know the rules of the states, and let you know if it is compulsory for them to have a license. But, if they are not insured keep searching for the right one.
- What are the services the locksmith provides?
Asking this question make you aware of the list of the jobs he is good at. To prove themselves the best, some technicians always say “oh yes, we can do this” when they have never got that type of work before in reality. And later when the job is done from their end you will be searching for another company to do the repairing work that the previous technician left.
- What is the warranty period?
A reputed technician offers thirty days warranty period if any issues arise in the hardware used for fixing a new lock. If the locksmith is not assuring you to provide a warrant period, it’s time to search someone else.
- What are the rates?
The rate card of the technician does not ensure the quality of the technician, but, it is important for you to know it. Some technicians have a particular charge assigned to every task while some charge on an hourly basis. For instance, if you need to rekey a lock you will have to pay for each lock instead of the amount of time they take. The techs who charge on an hourly basis will ask you for a minimum of an hour wage no matter how quick they complete it.
Some techs offer you free recommendations and visits. Make sure you ask it before you call them. If the techs do not provide free visits, they may charge you according to the location. This fee increases with the distance and the tolls (if any) between your place and their location.
You must follow this process for any of the technician no matter what your location is. Look for a locksmith who has a good reputation and experience in handling different types of jobs.