Twelve straight answers

Because it works, once, on people in a hurry. The $19 buys a visit from a dispatcher network — not an opened door. On arrival the price “grows”: the lock is suddenly high-security, it must be drilled, the replacement is $150, the labor is special. Totals of $300–$800 are routine, and regulators track thousands of complaints a year about exactly this. Our smallest possible bill is printed on this site — a $95 daytime house lockout — and it never grows on your doorstep.

Yes, and here's exactly how much: one flat $40 on the visit between 6 and 10 pm, one flat $85 overnight, Sundays, and holidays. It's an adder on the trip, not a multiplier on the work, and we say it on the phone before we roll. Daytime Monday to Saturday there is no adder at all.

Almost certainly not. Around 19 in 20 lockouts open with picks, bypass tools, or shims — no damage. Drilling is a last resort for failed or damaged cylinders, and it only happens after we've told you why, quoted the replacement in writing, and you've said yes.

North Carolina licenses locksmiths through the NC Locksmith Licensing Board, and every licence is searchable in the state's public database. Our number is on every van door, every quote, and every invoice — and our techs carry the physical licence card. Ask for it. A legitimate locksmith is glad you did. (On this demo site the number shown is fictional.)

Because a locksmith who'll open any door for anyone is a burglary tool with a van. We match your photo ID to the address — or mail, a lease, a neighbor's confirmation when your ID is locked inside. It costs two minutes and it's the reason you can trust that we wouldn't open your door for someone else either.

Cards, tap-to-pay, and checks from account customers — and you get an itemized invoice with parts, labor, and the trip fee broken out, every time. “Cash only, no receipt” from a locksmith is a red flag with legs. Walk away.

Inside Durham, lockouts usually see us in 20–40 minutes; our whole-area windows are published on the service-area page. The honest part: we quote the window when we take your call, based on where the van actually is — we will never say “15 minutes” to win the job and arrive in 90.

It's an honest range built from the same price book on our pricing page, and the top of the range is a ceiling. Before any work starts, the technician confirms a firm number in writing. If the job turns out different from what you described, you get a new number first — and you can say no at no charge.

For most makes, yes — usually 30–50% less, at your car, with no tow. Transponder keys and proximity fobs are where the gap is biggest. The exceptions are a few European models with dealer-locked keys; if yours is one, we'll tell you on the phone instead of experimenting on your ignition.

A good one, on a well-aligned door, installed with the factory codes wiped — yes. We only supply models with a physical key backup and a keypad or app audit trail, we check your door's alignment first, and we leave every code in your hands, not ours.

One key that opens everything for you, and individual keys that open only what each person needs — the standard setup for offices, churches, and rental buildings. Done right it starts with a survey and a key-control chart on paper; done wrong it's a security hole. That's why we won't price one over the phone.

No — and we'd rather tell you that than learn on yours. Safe work is its own trade. We keep the number of a safe specialist we trust and hand it over free of charge.