Here's a news story about a couple that were going through a separation and the husband broke into the house:

Ill. murder suspect threatened to kill 2nd wife

The husband was a Chicago police sergeant and had lock picking tools.

The husband offered to change the locks on the house for the wife after the separation. The wife woke up in the middle of the night and found the former husband standing over her.

The wife did not know if the husband had made a set of keys or used the locksmith tools she said he carried.

When we (Sunshine Locksmith Team) rekey locks, we put spool pins into the locks whenever possible. This makes lock picking much more difficult. Not impossible, but it's going to be a lot harder for somebody without much picking experience to open the locks. I'm not aware of any other locksmith company in the Tampa Bay area that uses spool pins inside their locks. I don't know why. It does make a difference in the security level.

The next time you need your locks rekeyed we recommend you ask your locksmith to use spool pins (or mushroom pins). After all, it could mean the difference in your personal security.

Here's a story about a child in New Zealand that managed to lock himself in a vehicle:

One Click and Ashley's Trapped

It seems he grabbed his mother's keys and remote while getting strapped into the vehicle and ended locking himself in the car after his mother closed his door and went to the driver's side.

Sneaky kid. Remotes aren't toys.

The mother initially called the police. But the police couldn't open the car. So a locksmith was called that eventually got the car opened.

Careful with those keys, parents. It could happen to anybody I suppose.

Here's a rather funny story about somebody in Perkasie, Pennsylvania that tried to save a few bucks and ended up paying the price:

He Should Have Called a Locksmith

It seems somebody locked himself out of his car, and instead of calling a locksmith to open the vehicle, he called the police. People can either pay a locksmith and have a professional open the vehicle, or call the police and have somebody with little training open the car.

The police don't have the best tools or training to unlock a car. But that's not really the point of the story here.

The police arrived to unlock the vehicle and once the vehicle was opened they found marijuana and drug paraphernalia inside.

Not the brightest person. Good for the police.

Here's a story that appears today about bump keys and what some in New Jersey want done:

Scutari Wants To Increase Penalties For Illegal Use Of “Bump Keys”

What are "bump keys"?

Sunshine Locksmith Team has complied a page here about bump keys: What Are Bump Keys?

Bump keys are specially designed keys that work almost like a lock pick does. It manipulates the pins inside a lock to allow somebody to open a lock without the correct key.

This method used to be a locksmith's secret, but with the advent of the Internet, the secret has been revealed and bump keys are available from several sources online.

The news story referenced above discusses the penalties that New Jersey is considering for bump keys. Currently, bump key possession in New Jersey carries a $1,000 penalty and 6 months in prison. The penalties are being considered to increase to a $10,000 fine and 18 months in prison.

This bill is heading to Senate for discussion.

Personally, I'm all for a bill like this. Bump keys are way too easy to make, obtain, and use. I'd like to see better locks made, but in the meantime, stopping the possession and use of the bump key is a high priority for anybody concerned about security.

In some areas of the country, the police and fire departments open vehicles for free.

This poses several problems.

1. These people usually have never been trained properly and have a much higher chance of damaging your vehicle. Then they leave you with the bill to repair.


2. The time and resources spent on unlocking a vehicle should be spent where the taxpayers want the money to go... community protection and catching bad guys. Not unlocking vehicles for people that don't bother with spare keys.


3. These services are usually done free, which hurts private enterprise that invests real money in tools and advertising.


4. The police generally bypass the licensing requirements, business licences, taxes, paperwork, etc. that puts a legitimate business at a disadvantage.

Sure, there are instances where unlocking a vehicle by the police would be warranted. Such as if a child or pet was trapped inside. Or some other emergency that put somebody's life at risk. But those instances are very, very rare compared to the majority of vehicle unlocking calls.

This article discusses a locksmith that has this problem with his local police department in Marietta, Ohio:

Local businessman in competition with the police

Another story of an online locksmith that's scamming consumers:

Online Locksmith Swindling Consumers

Taken from the article:

"Vern Derung is the owner of Minneapolis Lock and Key and he's had irate customers call him after the non-local company does a job, believing it was actually his company.

The out-of-state locksmith will make you think you're calling a local business, but the number actually rolls to an 800 call center. They send a person to do the job, but Vern says he's had customers tell him the person sometimes doesn't seem to be qualified.

Also, if you call a locksmith when you get locked out of your car, beware. The out-of-state company quotes a low price over the phone, and then charges you more when they get on the scene.

There are ways to protect yourself. Ask the company for a local address. Also, do your research now, and put a legit company in your cell phone, so you'll have it. If you feel you were scammed, report it to the Attorney General's Office."

This is a common scam that takes place in cities all across the USA. Typically the price quoted on the phone will be "$29 plus labor". Labor isn't calculated until the "locksmith" gets on site, but it's quoted as "$15 and up" on the phone. This is very deceptive marketing.

Check the Locksmith Wiki Knowledge Base for more information and stories of this type.

This story is about a locksmith in West Berlin that copied special security keys for the police that opened traffic light boxes, police call stations, and many stations in the city. Keys to a hotel, vehicles, mailboxes, and a television station were also made and given to the police.

File reveals West Berlin locksmith copied police keys for Stasi

What did the locksmith get sentenced to? Eighteen months of probation.

Here's a story of a locksmith that was kidnapped in Jamaica while working:

Locksmith Kidnapped

Text taken from the article:

"Its alleged that on January 13, a female approached the complainant who operates a locksmith business in St Ann and asked him to open the lock for the door of a motorcar.

While he was walking towards the motorcar, a man brandished a gun and ordered him into the vehicle.

The four allegedly blindfolded the man and took him to a location where he was kept for several days.

A demand was then made for ransom."

Sometimes I get calls to rekey the locks at a house where people are still living. I don't enjoy being the guy that locks them out.

I've done dozens of evictions and foreclosures. The vast majority are peaceful without confrontation. (Some aren't, and will be the subject of a future blog I'm sure.)

This story here describes an eviction that was tougher than most:

Aptos renter evicted, arrested three days after police standoff

The Sheriff went with a locksmith to evict this renter, but the renter would not open the door.

Normally in this situation the locksmith would need to pick open the locks. This is the part I absolutely hate. I never know if the person on the other side of the door has a gun and they are going to shoot through the door.

Well, this renter had screwed the doors shut through the frames. And he had a history of firearm use at this house.

So I guess the police entered forcefully a few days later and busted through the doors. No locksmith needed. I would have refused to open that house on that situation. The police would have to use their forceful entry tools and bust the door down.

I'm sure the locksmith was able to get the house secured after that.

This is something that lays in the back of my mind every time I go to open up a house for a landlord.

The story I'm referring to is here:

Woman may have lain dead three months

It's about a locksmith in the United Kingdom that was called to open up a building and rekey the unit for the landlord. The locksmith opened up the locks and finds a body inside the building that was there for 3 months.

That's just not something I want to discover.

I've had to open up locks for landlords and when the door is opened there will be monstrous messes. Clothes, papers, toys, etc. all strewn about throughout the house. Sometimes there's animal poop inside the house, on top of the mess. Sometimes there's fleas. (I have to come home and change my clothes after doing the houses with fleas.) Sometimes there's dozens and dozens of cockroaches. (Really! Some are just awful!) Sometimes I'll see mice dart between piles of junk. Or hear mice scratching in the oven. Sometimes there's food left in a refrigerator that has been turned off for 2 or 3 weeks. (The smell of rotten meat can be just downright nasty.) Sometimes there's holes punched in the walls. Or evidence of rodents living in the mattresses. Oh... some places are... well... disgusting!

But I've never seen a dead body. Nor do I want to see one. I hope I'm never that locksmith that discovers one.

No, we're not going out of business. We're here for you and we'll be here for a long time.

We have noticed that quite a few locksmith companies in Pinellas County have gone out of business in the last few years.

Some of the companies we have noticed that have closed and gone out of business are these:

• "A & D Lock & Safe" of Clearwater


• "A-Aaction Locksmith" of Seminole


• "AA-Discount & Pinellas Park Locksmith" of St Petersburg


• "A C R Locksmith" (also known as "Elcerrajero Locksmith") of Clearwater


• "A Louie The Locksmith" of Largo


• "Anytime Locksmith" of Seminole


• "B K Lock" of Largo


• "Hobens Locksmith Service" of Tarpon Springs


• "Holiday Lock & Security" of Holiday


• "Ironman Locksmith" of Tarpon Springs


• "Jerry's Mobile Locksmith" of Tampa


• "Key Craft" of St Petersburg


• "Keymart Locksmith of West Florida" of Pinellas Park


• "Lock-Worx" of St Petersburg


• "Open Sesame LLC" of St Petersburg


• "Rodriguez Lock & Key" of Largo


• "Sure Lock Locksmiths" of St Petersburg


• "Tampa Bay Lock & Key Enterprises" of Clearwater


• "The Allied Lock & Key" of Clearwater


• "Treasure Island Lock & Key Company" of Treasure Island

That's a lot of companies!

Quite frequently we'll get phone calls almost exactly like this:

Sunshine Locksmith Team: Thank you for calling Sunshine Locksmith Team. How can I help you?
Customer: How much do you charge to (insert service here, such as rekey, open up, make lost keys)?
S: It's $xx.xx.
C: Well, the last time I had that done it was $xx.xx with a different locksmith company. I tried calling them but they are out of business.

Really? Do you know why they are out of business? If we charged that amount we'd probably be forced out of business too.

It takes more than low prices to keep a business running strong.

We don't compromise your security by skipping corners. We compete on service, quality, and customer satisfaction. And sure, our prices are reasonable too. If you really want the cheapest locksmith, then keep looking; You'll find one. But the next time you need a locksmith you'll have to do that shopping all over again because I'm sure they'll be out of business.

One thing to watch out for, however, are the locksmiths that do the "bait and switch" routine on you. There are a lot of fraudulent listings in the Yellow Pages phone books and the Internet directories full of companies that will quote "$29 plus labor" with labor at "$15 and up". It never is $15. You'll end up with a bill higher than if you had called us. These are what we refer to in the industry as "scammer locksmiths". However, our prices on the phone are upfront and very accurate. Please program our telephone number into your phone right now before you need to find a locksmith. 727-216-7912.

One of the reasons that some of these companies are forced to close down are because of the scammer locksmiths out there. They flood the directories with listings, forcing the small guys to go out of business. This is the subject of another blog, but in the meantime you can read more here:

• 1000 Locksmiths in New York City


• New York City Locksmiths - A Map Spammer’s Guide


• Google Maps Data Quality: Where do we stand after the Locksmith Onslaught?

We keep track of monthly sales and it always seems that January and February are the worst months sales-wise for us.

It must be slow for other locksmiths in the Tampa Bay area, not just with our company, Sunshine Locksmith Team.

The reason I say this is because we have had an inordinate amount of telephone calls within the last month from people looking for locksmith employment.

Things generally pick up for us again in March, but until then business is generally slower than usual.

So, take advantage of this. Our response times are generally quicker than normal. If you need a locksmith we can usually get somebody to your door in the Tampa Bay area within 60 minutes.

A local locksmith company, "Yellow Jacket Locksmith", based in Clearwater at Lakeview Road and Missouri Avenue South suffered damage to the store when a vehicle struck the building last week.

Nobody suffered life-threatening injuries. The condition of the business involved is not known.

Here are some links to local news stations that reported on the incident:

Clearwater man sidesteps second near miss by car - Tampabay.com

4 injured as vehicle slams into Clearwater business - Tampa Tribune

Car hits building in Clearwater - 10 Connects

Crash ends with car in Clearwater store - MyFox Tampa Bay

Several injured as car crashes into Clearwater business

I'm glad that nobody was killed and I hope the locksmith business involved is able to recover from this incident.

We finally have a blog feature on our website.

This feature will be used to announce new things happening with our company, and other locksmith-related events you may be interested in.

Please feel free to suggest items you want to hear about, or to leave comments about things that spark your interest.