Locksmiths must be licensed and trained, and no sub contractors can be used
Austin, Texas (PRWEB) January 13, 2014
Bigger isn’t always better. If you’re locked out of your home, office or auto, experts advise you to steer clear of large, national locksmith chains and opt for local companies familiar with neighborhood terrain for the swiftest and most reasonably priced service.
“In Texas, locksmiths must be licensed and trained, and no sub contractors can be used,” says Yair Frenkel, owner of Texas Premier Locksmith, headquartered in Austin. “No such requirement exists for nationally owned companies that usually charge higher fees for inexperienced technicians who have no familiarity with the local market.”
Frenkel’s family-owned company has expanded in the past two years to include locations throughout central Texas. Starting as a locksmith in Austin, Texas Premier Locksmith covers San Antonio, Killeen, Waco, Houston, Corpus Christi and San Marcos, with expansion to Dallas planned in 2014. Often the only locksmith in town to offer unlocking of vehicles as well as residences and offices, Frenkel says his service fee is generally lower than the car dealer’s, and includes service right at the customer’s locale.
His staff of locksmiths is extensively trained, licensed, insured and experienced (a minimum of five years). They’ve seen it all, from 20 puppies inside a locked pickup truck who kept accidentally re-locking the door, to a discreet search for gold at the home of a couple in the throes of divorce. “The wife, along with her lawyer and private investigator, called me when the husband was out of town on a diving trip in the Cayman Islands, wanting to capitalize on their only opportunity to discover what valuables he was hiding in the house. We found a safe underneath the (insert room) carpet that contained $250,000 worth of gold, and we counted it all out, documented it, and put it back very carefully.” The operation was a complete success, enabling Frenkel’s client to recover her share of the bounty.
Busting Myths, Not Locks
While many a thief on television effortlessly slides a credit card under a locked door to gain a smooth entry, in real life, it’s not that easy. With a deadbolt, for instance, the credit card entry is rendered useless. “Common residential locks are not easily jimmied,” says Frenkel, “and special tools are needed to best circumvent a lock.” A professional locksmith won’t immediately start drilling or using invasive entry methods, but will first try lock picks, bypass tools or other special instruments, or fitting a key by code.
Another common misconception is that big, expensive locks offer maximum protection, regardless of the structure they’re protecting. “Flimsy doors and frames are easy to kick in, and the lock doesn’t matter at all. Good locksmiths can evaluate the frame of your house, and can reinforce if needed; the entire process is much less expensive than buying an expensive lock.”
More tips from the Texas Premier Locksmith pros:
1. Eliminate the need for a locksmith entirely by keeping spare keys with a close friend or family member who lives nearby.
2. Get your house locks checked at least once a year to make sure all the mechanisms are working properly. Because excessive use can wear the locks and changes in weather adjust doors and door frames, periodic adjusting and lubrication is often all that’s needed to keep everything working smoothly.
3. Before paying for an automobile lockout, check with your insurance company to see if they will cover it. Most will cover at least part of the payment without increasing your rate.
4. Make sure your service comes with a warranty to protect yourself from having to pay again in the near future.
Texas Premier Locksmith offers a wide variety of security solutions and unlocking services 24 hours a day, including: lost car keys, transponder programming, key duplication, bump proof locks, key cylinder replacement, high security installation such as panic bars. For more information, call (512) 222-3315 any time 7 days a week; visit main website at http://www.txpremierlocksmith.com