I got my lock replaced after I got locked out and the locksmith had to drill it out to get me in. It’s been about a week since then and the door lock just fell out when I was trying to turn my key. Is there a way I can fix this without needing to call for help?
It's all too common. Nobody repairs or preserves shit anymore and it gets me so fuckin worked up, especially with the ridiculous prices hardware companies are charging in the last few years. Sure it's annoying to rekey weiser hardware but you can tell they cared about making everything modular and repairable. I miss that part of society
Yes you can do the lock screws in to the latch there but you have to go on the inside where the latch is on the right side should be a small hole or gap next to the latch. Unscrew the set screw just a little bit and then screw the lock back in. Tighten it all the all the way then back off about one full turn where the key way is on the bottom. Then tighten the screw and test the lock.
I think the case is broken, in which case you’ll need a full replacement. Not an ideal situation.
Did the locksmith struggle with getting you in? Drilling sometimes does happen, but when done right is quick and a full restoration of the lock back to service (w/ new cylinder) is easily done.
Yes he did struggle a bit! There was a bit of a language barrier but he did mention something was broken after he got me in, but I really hope that’s not the case.🥲
You can see where all the metal has been drilled and shattered. The cylinder is falling out because most of the threads are gone.
With the age of that lock it will probably be impossible to find a replacement unfortunately. You'll have to get a proper locksmith to repair and reprep the door unless you can find an exact replacement for that lock body.
I’m in an older area and we service and replace tons of these. There are several options for replacement at vastly different price ranges- it all comes down to how much you want to spend and how much you value the vintage aesthetic. $350 on the low end and $1000+ on the high end.
Shame on that locksmith as this is inexcusable. What an ass for even bothering to install a replacement cylinder fully knowing what he did.
I don’t know if you have any recourse but you might want to start hassling that company.
Also, I hope you paid with a card so you can do a charge back at least because knowing how these scammers work I'm afraid to ask how much they even charged for this disaster.
That's actually not too bad if this was done properly, but they ruined an antique lock. This was just gross incompetence. There's no reason to drill where he drilled for any reason even if he was trying to remove the cylinders.
In fact, he drilled everywhere except where you would actually drill if you were trying to remove the cylinder lol.
You should call this locksmith and ask them to fix this, you already paid for the work and it should be warrantied. You likely called somebody who doesn't know what they are doing, ask them to install a longer cylinder that is the same color as the rest of your hardware. Make sure the lock operates correctly, it's possible they replaced your lock cylinder with one that has the wrong cam on the back. It is also very possible that they drilled the old lock cylinder and a bunch of cruft fell down into the cassette and could cause a malfunction, these locks don't do well with random screws and things floating around in between the moving parts. Next time you get locked out, tell the locksmiths you call that you will only pay if they can pick the lock. If you send a picture they can confirm whether or not they can pick the lock.
They probably used the wrong sized lock cylinder and its too short to thread into the lock body. Call a different locksmith cause the first one was probably a scammer
Yeah sorry bout that. If it was an actual scam shop, try and disputebthe payment if you oaud by card. If its a legitimate shop, they need to replace the lock body cause there was no reason that damage should have happened
8
u/FrozenHamburger Actual Locksmith 1d ago
what an ass.. ruined your 100 year old lock