Hartley Lock & Key

01/15/2023

Unfortunately all too common. We have been serving the needs of greater Bristol since 1975.

11/26/2022

Lots of businesses got broken into last night call us to help you proactively secure your front door which is the common way these breaking and entering cases happen

07/26/2022

05/30/2022

We are generally able to respond with our full mobile shop the same day you call us. Your local Bristol Locksmith since 1975.

04/07/2022

Remember State Consumer Protection requires all Locksmiths to hold a valid State Registration. Is yours?? Hartley Lock and Key State Registration LCK125

02/06/2022

From a plumbing site but we can relate:

HOW TO ENGAGE THE SERVICES OF A PLUMBER.

-Call the plumber after lunch on friday or before a public holiday weekend.

- Hassle him to fit you in.

- Estimate the time and ease of job. (They like that) explain that it is a five minute job that you could do yourself if “only you had the time.”

- Negotiate the smallest most inconvenient window of booking opportunity. (I have to go to the gym or some other more important engagement than your blocked bog, will smooth this over.

- Ask for a fixed price. (Even of its a burst pipe or blocked drain) When the plumber refuses to be nailed down, some jovial comment like “I should have been a plumber”will keep the negotiation nice and light.

- Tell him that you will run it by your wife and call back in five.

- Call ten other plumbers and then phone back. If he answers the phone again and arrives be sure to be in the shower or on the way home.

- Show him the job which does not vaguely resemble what you described.

- Ask him to move his van. Someone needs to get their car out and it clearly cant wait the “five minutes”.

- Show him where the problem is. Explain how you cant find the key to the side gate and he will have to lug his equipment around.

- Now is probably a good time to point out that the problem appeared on Monday.

- Embark on a long winded story involving names of people he could not give a toss about, and every completely unrelated event leading to this moment in time.

- Share your half cocked theory on what is going on. (“Air in the pipes” perhaps?)

- Apologise for the 20 years of p**s cheese build up on around your toilet where he will be working. Explain how it is someone else’s fault. It will make it more palatable.

- Tell them one of your close relatives was a plumber. (He will be extremely interested and it will create a sense of kinship between you)

- Explain that you would be quite capable of doing the job and that you have done heaps of plumbing in the past. (He will love to hear that his knowledge, skills and necessary equipment amount to being a glorified handyman.

- Tell the plumber that normally you use a different plumber but he was not answering his phone.

- Wait until he is nearly finished and ask him if he has time to embark on the dreaded “Friday tap “marathon”. There are now sweeter words on a Friday afternoon at 3 pm than “while Ive got you here”

- Make sure you have one of them terrifying, cold, damp, dead skin removing scrunchy things keeping guard over the shower handle.

- Watch the plumber closely. The plumbing skills you gleaned from your family member will place you well to critique his every action.

- Pull out some parts you picked up at the big hardware chain 10 years ago. (No sense wasting huh?)

- Keep locking the door. It may be a minor inconvenience for the plumber to keep having to ask you to unlock it whenever he needs to go to his truck, but home invasions are on the rise.

- Grill the plumber over why he has to leave site to pick up part for your Chinese imported toilet suite. That you “got a great deal on”.

- Complain about the invoice and winge to all your mates about the plumbers price and unpleasant demeanour.

- Call a week later and say “Ever since your guy was here, the refrigerator light isn’t coming on”

11/30/2021

CUSTOMER: "How much will it cost to do this job?"
CONTRACTOR: "$2,800 Dollars."

CUSTOMER: "That's WAY too expensive for this job!!"
CONTRACTOR: "How much do YOU think it would cost?"

CUSTOMER: "No more than $800 Dollars - MAX!! It's a simple job!"
CONTRACTOR: "I can't prioritize my time for so little."

CUSTOMER: "People in your line of work are so greedy."
CONTRACTOR: "Sorry you feel that way. Why not do it yourself?"

CUSTOMER: "But... but... I don't know how to do any of this."
CONTRACTOR: "For $900 Dollars, I'll teach you EXACTLY how to get this job done. Then you can spend $800 to do the job and you'll still be saving $1,100 Dollars - PLUS... you'll get the knowledge and experience for the next time you want to do a job yourself."

CUSTOMER: "Deal!! Let's do it."
CONTRACTOR: To get started you'll need tools. So you'll have to buy a welder, a grinder, a chop saw, a drill press, a welding hood, gloves and a few other things."

CUSTOMER: "But I don't have all this equipment and I can't buy all of these for one job."
CONTRACTOR: "Well then for another $300 more I'll let you rent my tools... and you'll still be saving $800 Dollars."

CUSTOMER: "That's cutting into my savings. But I'll rent your tools."
CONTRACTOR: "Okay! I'll be back on Saturday and we can start."

CUSTOMER: "Wait. I can't on Saturday. I only have time today."
CONTRACTOR: "Sorry, I only give lessons on Saturday, because I have to prioritize my time and my tools have to be at other jobs with other customers all week long.

CUSTOMER: "Okay!! I'll sacrifice my family plans on Saturday."
CONTRACTOR: "Yeah... me too. Oh... and I forgot... to do your job yourself, you also have to pay for the materials. Everything is in high demand right now, so your best bet is to get your truck and load up at 6AM before everyone else gets there."

CUSTOMER: "SIX AM??? On a Saturday??? That's way to early for me. And also... I don't have a truck."
"CONTRACTOR: "I guess you'll have to rent one. Do you have a couple of strong men to help you load and unload everything?"

CUSTOMER: "Ummm... ya know... I've been thinking. It's probably best if YOU get this job done. I'd rather pay someone to get it done correctly than go through all the hassle.
CONTRACTOR: "Smart move, sign this and please get out of the way so I can work."

THE REALITY IS THIS...

When you pay for a job, especially handcrafted, you pay not only for the material used, but you are also paying for:

- Knowledge
- Experience
- Tools
- Services
- Time
- Punctuality
- Accountability
- Professionalism
- Accuracy
- Labor
- Sacrifices
- Safety and Security
- Payment of tax obligations

No one should denigrate a professional's work by judging prices - ESPECIALLY when they don't know all the elements or costs necessary for the production of such work.

This was just a remix of an old story I once heard and I am sharing this in support of craftsmen, specialists and entrepreneurs everywhere!

You can't haggle over a service that you don't actually have the skills or knowledge to do yourself. You can't get a high quality gourmet dinner party for the same price as a Happy Meal from McDonald's. And you can't be mad when skilled people actually KNOW their own worth.

Be smart. Trust a reputable professional. And never forget... that you ALWAYS get what you pay for.

11/23/2021

Consumers. Be aware. All Locksmiths must be Registered with consumer protection and display registration information my registration LCK125. Be an informed consumer ask for detailed cost information and remember if it sounds too good to be true it may be a scam. No company can afford to come out with a fully equipped mobile shop for 35.00.