Comments The Locksmith Journals
- Thread starter day late
- Start date
day late
money? whats that?
I do think today is going to be one the boss will remember. My usual workday starts with the alarm at 7 A.M. By 8 I have showered, shaved, and finished my first cup of coffee. I report in at that time. Then, wait for the calls. It was after 10:30 before I got the first one.
"You need to run to the shop and pick up a part. I'm going to send you a picture of the shipping label. Then you have to take it to the boss. I'll text you the address."
The address is a restaurant in the southern-most part of Ocala. It's a one hour trip from my house. The shop is downtown. So, I collect the part and I'm on my merry way. I'm about twenty minutes from the address when the boss calls for and ETA. I tell him and all is good. When I get there, they have what amounts to a one-way parking lot. You pull in,find a place to park, and when you leave, you have to go around the building to exit. It turns out the boss and one of the Ocala guys are by the front door. This is great. I pull up, they unload the part, and I'm on my way home.
Wrong answer. When I left the house, it was coolish, and I was wearing a light jacket. By the time I got there, I wanted out of it. I pulled around behind the place and parked long enough to get it off. The phone rings.
"Do you have an angle grinder on your van?"
"Yeah."
"We need it."
The angle grinder is a tool I have to use fairly often. This is not something I want to leave an hour behind me. I ask if I'm to wait or is he going to bring it back to Gainesville.
"Oh, we just have to cut this one piece and then you can take it."
They cut the piece they need to cut, hand it back to me, and I'm on my way, again. For a whole two blocks this time. The phone rings.
"We need the grinder again."
I turn around and go back. This time I don't ask. I hand the boss the grinder along with two spare blades, just in case, and ask him to return it when he gets back.
That turned out to be the only call I got all day. The strange part is that later in the evening when I went to get the grinder back, the boss asked me how the day went. I told him the only call I got was to help you out. He got that deer-in-the-headlights look and said,
"Really? I heard it was pretty busy here today."
If it was, nobody told me about it. Who knows? Maybe the younger folks are looking out for the old fart and giving him a cushy job in his golden years.
Nah! The truth is I only need so much per paycheck. So, all of the expensive jobs go to the younger people who are just getting started. They need the money more. After all, I don't have a mortgage, and neither do most of them. But I own a house and most of them still rent an apartment.
"You need to run to the shop and pick up a part. I'm going to send you a picture of the shipping label. Then you have to take it to the boss. I'll text you the address."
The address is a restaurant in the southern-most part of Ocala. It's a one hour trip from my house. The shop is downtown. So, I collect the part and I'm on my merry way. I'm about twenty minutes from the address when the boss calls for and ETA. I tell him and all is good. When I get there, they have what amounts to a one-way parking lot. You pull in,find a place to park, and when you leave, you have to go around the building to exit. It turns out the boss and one of the Ocala guys are by the front door. This is great. I pull up, they unload the part, and I'm on my way home.
Wrong answer. When I left the house, it was coolish, and I was wearing a light jacket. By the time I got there, I wanted out of it. I pulled around behind the place and parked long enough to get it off. The phone rings.
"Do you have an angle grinder on your van?"
"Yeah."
"We need it."
The angle grinder is a tool I have to use fairly often. This is not something I want to leave an hour behind me. I ask if I'm to wait or is he going to bring it back to Gainesville.
"Oh, we just have to cut this one piece and then you can take it."
They cut the piece they need to cut, hand it back to me, and I'm on my way, again. For a whole two blocks this time. The phone rings.
"We need the grinder again."
I turn around and go back. This time I don't ask. I hand the boss the grinder along with two spare blades, just in case, and ask him to return it when he gets back.
That turned out to be the only call I got all day. The strange part is that later in the evening when I went to get the grinder back, the boss asked me how the day went. I told him the only call I got was to help you out. He got that deer-in-the-headlights look and said,
"Really? I heard it was pretty busy here today."
If it was, nobody told me about it. Who knows? Maybe the younger folks are looking out for the old fart and giving him a cushy job in his golden years.
Nah! The truth is I only need so much per paycheck. So, all of the expensive jobs go to the younger people who are just getting started. They need the money more. After all, I don't have a mortgage, and neither do most of them. But I own a house and most of them still rent an apartment.
day late
money? whats that?
Well, boys and girls, I don't know. I sense that once again something is going on behind the scenes. I've been off the past few days and the boss is again sending out texts that seem a little over-reaching. And I'm sure that a lot of it is just a failure to communicate. It isn't unusual for us to get dispatches that are about as clear as mud. I had a couple last week. The first one said I had to rekey a lock, drill the door and install another lock and a couple of other things. Now I'm supposed to get the invoice for the customer as ready as I can before I get there, so they know what they are paying for and how much it will cost before I even start. I don't exactly do that. Sometimes the customer will count doors instead of locks. I.E. they see one door, so one lock. I see that door and I see a deadbolt and a doorknob. That's two locks. So, I walk through the home with the customer counting locks and seeing exactly what locks they are and what tools I'm going to need, before I start. The dispatch indicated this was going to be a $300 or more job. I get there and the customer tells me,
"I just want the front door deadbolt rekeyed."
That's $65 for the service call and $20 for the actual rekey. With tax it's still under $100. Somebody screwed up somewhere. Then a couple of days later I have another job. This one is going to be paid by insurance, so I'm told not to charge the customer unless I repair or replace a lock. When I arrive, it is a brand-new home, with brand-new locks and not a chance that any of them will need to be replaced. I mean these deadbolts are painted black and they don't have the first scratch on them. Then when I'm off duty the boss sends out a group text telling us that only he or the lady who is now in charge of the phones can make the call about repair/replacement. That's not right. We are in the field with eyes on the problem. We need to have the freedom to make that call. It can't be left to someone twenty miles away who doesn't even know what brand of lock we are working on. I do believe the boss has some explaining to do.
And then we have this morning. I don't do car keys and fobs. I don't know how and the van isn't set up for it. The text I got this morning is for all the smiths who do car keys. One of the tools we use is called a Lishi. (Lee She) They are a different kind of pick that is really a close contender for replacing any and all other picks that came before it. It's that good. The Lishi not only allows you to pick the lock, but it can also give you the numbers you need to judge the depth of the cut needed on the key to make it work. They make them for both homes and vehicles. Now the boss is saying it is now REQUIRED to Lishi all vehicles when making car keys. AND it is required that this be done for 20 minutes. This makes no sense. If you're making and programming a key and fob for a vehicle you want those numbers as quick as you can get them. Even when everything goes right, cutting the key, accessing the onboard computer and programming the fob is a minimum 45-minute job. Spending too much time on one job means losing another one or two jobs. Somethings not right here and all I can do is wait to see how it all shakes out. Makes me glad I'm just part time.
But it comes at a good time, I guess. I was talking with the guy I share the van with and told him I'm going to get on the boss about being able to at least cut valet keys. They don't start the car, but they do open the door. Because car lockouts are the thing I do most often it seems reasonable that I should be able to cut them. I know if I could, I would have made a lot more money over the years. When you are standing next to your car, paying me for getting you into it, a valet key hidden on the car sounds like a good idea. That could take these $65 jobs and by charging another $25 for the key, I just made it a $90 job. That works well for the new guy. Sooner or later I go bye-bye and then he has all he needs to make the keys and it is a natural that he needs to be taught to program them. I'm semi-retired and he's a young guy getting started. He needs that more than I do. I gotta find time to talk with the boss.
"I just want the front door deadbolt rekeyed."
That's $65 for the service call and $20 for the actual rekey. With tax it's still under $100. Somebody screwed up somewhere. Then a couple of days later I have another job. This one is going to be paid by insurance, so I'm told not to charge the customer unless I repair or replace a lock. When I arrive, it is a brand-new home, with brand-new locks and not a chance that any of them will need to be replaced. I mean these deadbolts are painted black and they don't have the first scratch on them. Then when I'm off duty the boss sends out a group text telling us that only he or the lady who is now in charge of the phones can make the call about repair/replacement. That's not right. We are in the field with eyes on the problem. We need to have the freedom to make that call. It can't be left to someone twenty miles away who doesn't even know what brand of lock we are working on. I do believe the boss has some explaining to do.
And then we have this morning. I don't do car keys and fobs. I don't know how and the van isn't set up for it. The text I got this morning is for all the smiths who do car keys. One of the tools we use is called a Lishi. (Lee She) They are a different kind of pick that is really a close contender for replacing any and all other picks that came before it. It's that good. The Lishi not only allows you to pick the lock, but it can also give you the numbers you need to judge the depth of the cut needed on the key to make it work. They make them for both homes and vehicles. Now the boss is saying it is now REQUIRED to Lishi all vehicles when making car keys. AND it is required that this be done for 20 minutes. This makes no sense. If you're making and programming a key and fob for a vehicle you want those numbers as quick as you can get them. Even when everything goes right, cutting the key, accessing the onboard computer and programming the fob is a minimum 45-minute job. Spending too much time on one job means losing another one or two jobs. Somethings not right here and all I can do is wait to see how it all shakes out. Makes me glad I'm just part time.
But it comes at a good time, I guess. I was talking with the guy I share the van with and told him I'm going to get on the boss about being able to at least cut valet keys. They don't start the car, but they do open the door. Because car lockouts are the thing I do most often it seems reasonable that I should be able to cut them. I know if I could, I would have made a lot more money over the years. When you are standing next to your car, paying me for getting you into it, a valet key hidden on the car sounds like a good idea. That could take these $65 jobs and by charging another $25 for the key, I just made it a $90 job. That works well for the new guy. Sooner or later I go bye-bye and then he has all he needs to make the keys and it is a natural that he needs to be taught to program them. I'm semi-retired and he's a young guy getting started. He needs that more than I do. I gotta find time to talk with the boss.
day late
money? whats that?
Okay, I did say that something seemed to be going on behind the curtain. Today they clued me in, when the boss asked me to stop by his place after the job I was on. It seems the company has gotten successful enough that they need another full-time smith here in Gainesville. I figured that out some time ago and when he said that today I thought at first I was going to be retired. But not quite. I said sales, which seems to not be quite right. They are calling it networking. A couple of times this month I accompany the boss's wife to some kind of meeting with local businesses. There they apparently make contacts, hire one another and/or refer one another to other people and businesses. That will be a four-hour meeting twice a month, followed by two one-hour meetings with potential customers each week. They say I'd be perfect for the job since I'm someone who finds it easy to start up a conversation. I've also been told that I could charm the birds out of the trees, but that is just a bit too much. But I did learn long ago that when you speak properly, people respect your intelligence. Even if you don't have any. I combine that with the idea that it doesn't matter what the job is or where it is. When I get there the customer is going to be pissed. Not at me, at themselves, the person who did this to them or the lock that just died. But they aren't happy, so I speak well, calmly, reassuringly, and before you know it, they aren't venting on me anymore. They have found some kind of common ground and misery always loves company. Especially when that company can end the misery. I've also been informed that since I've been with the company so long, gone everywhere, done everything, they just couldn't cut me off and hang me out to dry.
So, that's the big deal. I have no idea how this works, but the boss's wife is going to show me. I'll be off the road as far as doing jobs goes. I'll be trying to line up future jobs with local businesses. I've already done a little of that. I like going to estate sales and auctions. Very often those folks come up with locked containers of all kinds, big and small. (I helped a guy get his father's filing cabinet open one time. It was too heavy to move. After it was opened, we found out why. Every drawer in the thing was packed with as much ammo as it could hold.) Some of those locked containers can be worth a dime or two, so if we can open them without damage, then they want us to do it. Replacement locks on Amazon are cheap if we can't rekey them, and once open the locks are easy to replace. One auctioneer likes us, hands our card to another auctioneer and so it goes. They say they are confident of my abilities, I guess we're going to find out. For right now, I'll stay on the road part-time. Ease into this whole network thing and see what they have going on. And the boss even gave me the indication that if this doesn't work out, maybe we can do a little consulting work arrangement kind of thing. Lend a hand here and there. Be the second set of hands on the big job the boss first thought was a one-man job. The downside is that they would want me to pick up the job of doing inventory for all the vans. I hate counting beans. One thought I had was to take the weekend nights. It's always more interesting after dark.
From what they say, if I can stomach it, this networking thing might be the way to go. They are talking 40 hours a month rather than a week. That leaves a lot of time for hunting.
So, that's the big deal. I have no idea how this works, but the boss's wife is going to show me. I'll be off the road as far as doing jobs goes. I'll be trying to line up future jobs with local businesses. I've already done a little of that. I like going to estate sales and auctions. Very often those folks come up with locked containers of all kinds, big and small. (I helped a guy get his father's filing cabinet open one time. It was too heavy to move. After it was opened, we found out why. Every drawer in the thing was packed with as much ammo as it could hold.) Some of those locked containers can be worth a dime or two, so if we can open them without damage, then they want us to do it. Replacement locks on Amazon are cheap if we can't rekey them, and once open the locks are easy to replace. One auctioneer likes us, hands our card to another auctioneer and so it goes. They say they are confident of my abilities, I guess we're going to find out. For right now, I'll stay on the road part-time. Ease into this whole network thing and see what they have going on. And the boss even gave me the indication that if this doesn't work out, maybe we can do a little consulting work arrangement kind of thing. Lend a hand here and there. Be the second set of hands on the big job the boss first thought was a one-man job. The downside is that they would want me to pick up the job of doing inventory for all the vans. I hate counting beans. One thought I had was to take the weekend nights. It's always more interesting after dark.
From what they say, if I can stomach it, this networking thing might be the way to go. They are talking 40 hours a month rather than a week. That leaves a lot of time for hunting.
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As to "bean" counting, get a set of programable digital scales. The ones that you put a container, coffee filter or small plastic cup, then reset to zero. Then add a small number of "beans", enter quantity, then it will tell you how many "beans" you put on it until you reprogram it. If you cannot find/afford a portable set, then you will need to take the van to where the scale is set up, office if the company pays for it or your home if you pay for it. Bonus is if you buy nuts/bolts/screws in bulk, then they can be portioned in a pre-decided number and bagged for quick count /distribution.
day late
money? whats that?
This bean counting gets quite involved. Think about all the different colors you've seen in door knobs. Now I have to carry two of each color, as well as two of each type, Kwikset or Schlage. Then matching deadbolts. A machine for cutting new keys and the blank keys for it. The pin set we use to rekey locks has about four dozen different sized pins in it, plus springs. I'll be keeping it stocked. From there things start to get more involved. This one may be my own fault. I recently recommended that each van keep a list with what they should have and what they actually do have. Then when drivers change out, the new driver knows what he has and what he has to restock. The boss likes the idea and is now handing the job to me.
Set up a spreadsheet, and print out the inventory for each van. Try yo convince the drivers to check off what they use on a job, but realize you'll have to double check everything. ( a small "prize" for the most accurate locksmith monthly may help! A Starbucks gift certificate or something)
Summerthyme
day late
money? whats that?
DON'T LAUGH! DON'T LAUGH! DON'T LAUGH!!! That's what was going through my mind earlier today. Being Gainesville, there are people coming and going all the time. So, we get calls to open U-Haul trucks all the time. The thing about those trucks is you never know which end you are going to have to open. I arrive at the apartment complex and there is only one of them in the parking lot. Easy to find. I ask the customer which end needs to be opened. This time it is the front. I can see the key right there on the driver's seat. As I'm opening the truck, we chat. I find out that one of the ladies present is leaving town for good. She got a job offer in Georgia. Once she gets in the truck it is goodbye Gainesville. I get it open, she pays the bill, and I'm on the far side of the van when the truck starts, and I hear the engine start to rev a little. This is followed by a very loud CRUNCH!!! I step around the van to see the U-Haul parked in the middle of the intersection I have to go through to leave. The driver is walking back towards where the truck had been and calls out to her friend,
"Is it bad?"
"It's pretty bad."
There was a little white car parked next to the truck. When the lady went to leave, she cut it too close and took out the rear tail-light and banged up the quarter panel with that big metal step on the back of the truck. I had to finish putting my stuff away and take care of paperwork before closing the job. I'm doing my best not to bust a gut while getting ready to leave. The two ladies did leave before I did. Somehow, I don't think they left a note.
The part of the day that got to me was I was told it was inventory time. I spent two hours counting and organizing the back of the van. I was told the lady doing the inventory would be by soon. I got a call and as I finished the next call was 'go to the shop and we'll do inventory there'. I left my list at the house. Now I'm off to the shop to have the van inventoried. At least the re-organization helped speed up the count. But if this promotion goes through, I'm going to be seeing a lot more of this.
"Is it bad?"
"It's pretty bad."
There was a little white car parked next to the truck. When the lady went to leave, she cut it too close and took out the rear tail-light and banged up the quarter panel with that big metal step on the back of the truck. I had to finish putting my stuff away and take care of paperwork before closing the job. I'm doing my best not to bust a gut while getting ready to leave. The two ladies did leave before I did. Somehow, I don't think they left a note.
The part of the day that got to me was I was told it was inventory time. I spent two hours counting and organizing the back of the van. I was told the lady doing the inventory would be by soon. I got a call and as I finished the next call was 'go to the shop and we'll do inventory there'. I left my list at the house. Now I'm off to the shop to have the van inventoried. At least the re-organization helped speed up the count. But if this promotion goes through, I'm going to be seeing a lot more of this.
larry_minn
Contributing Member
Be careful. Some real crazy folks out there. Trucker accused of killing locksmith with his semi
as it sounds. Driver got locked out. Called locksmith. Truck unlocked, driver refused to pay, ran over locksmith.
as it sounds. Driver got locked out. Called locksmith. Truck unlocked, driver refused to pay, ran over locksmith.
day late
money? whats that?
Which is a real good reason for me to have my CCW.
day late
money? whats that?
Ya hang-on tight and try to enjoy the ride. Like they say, you only pass this way once. Or as R. A. Heinlein said, it was something like,
"Always remember the rocking chair. Assuming to survive all of the hazards of life, the day will come when you are sitting in that chair, sucking on your gums and remembering your life. The question is, what do you what to remember? Will it be all the fun times you had, the crazy risks you took and the really interesting people you met? Or will it be the regret of not taking the chance, of not going out more often and the loneliness of being alone because you never met that many people? They were just too different. The truth is it doesn't matter which path you take. That chair is waiting for each of us and it is very patient."
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day late
money? whats that?
There is a song I remember part of from back when I was growing up in the sixties. If you were there, you may recall that sometimes things got a wee bit strange. Especially the music. My brother used to say that,
"If you claim to remember the sixties, you weren't there."
I don't remember the name of the song, but one line seems to describe my life lately. It went,
"Backwards, forwards, sideways, down.
In and out and square and round."
I admit, when the boss sat me down and told me that he needs a full timer and understood that I couldn't do that because of SS I really thought I was being put out to pasture. Then they offered me the networking job and I don't know. I mean, if I'm no good at networking, do I still have a job? My level of concern went up earlier this week when the lady who sets the schedule asked me if I was OK with helping to train the new guy in Gainesville who's going to be full time? Oh yes, you are training him to be 'the emergency guy'.
That's me. You want me to train my replacement?
Yeah, things are getting a little cloudy. But that got cleared up earlier today. I spent the day doing yard work for my Mom. I suddenly get a message from the boss's wife telling me that they are signing up everyone who has been with the company more than sixty days with AFLAK. That certainly includes me. I need to go to this link and fill out the paperwork. I know only what I have seen in the commercials about AFLAK, but if the boss is going to pay for it, sign me up. And doing that does help to calm the insecurities.
"If you claim to remember the sixties, you weren't there."
I don't remember the name of the song, but one line seems to describe my life lately. It went,
"Backwards, forwards, sideways, down.
In and out and square and round."
I admit, when the boss sat me down and told me that he needs a full timer and understood that I couldn't do that because of SS I really thought I was being put out to pasture. Then they offered me the networking job and I don't know. I mean, if I'm no good at networking, do I still have a job? My level of concern went up earlier this week when the lady who sets the schedule asked me if I was OK with helping to train the new guy in Gainesville who's going to be full time? Oh yes, you are training him to be 'the emergency guy'.
That's me. You want me to train my replacement?
Yeah, things are getting a little cloudy. But that got cleared up earlier today. I spent the day doing yard work for my Mom. I suddenly get a message from the boss's wife telling me that they are signing up everyone who has been with the company more than sixty days with AFLAK. That certainly includes me. I need to go to this link and fill out the paperwork. I know only what I have seen in the commercials about AFLAK, but if the boss is going to pay for it, sign me up. And doing that does help to calm the insecurities.
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day late
money? whats that?
Sorry for the delay in getting this up, but there is a lot going on. The guy who is going to replace me hasn't ever been a locksmith before. That's okay. I wasn't a locksmith until I became one. We all have to learn how to do our jobs. Nobody is born a brain surgeon. And the guy does have a lot of snap. I show him something and I won't say he gets it all on the first viewing, but he does remember most of what he saw and can repeat it, with just a little coaching. This is promising. I left him with a lock, three keys, my re-key set and instructions to re-key that lock, to each key, over the weekend. He is also to practice how to 'shim' a lock, using the same lock, more than once. We are not getting on him, we are trying to improve his skills. I do think the boss has some unrealistic expectations. He wants this guy on his own by the end of the week. It's going to take a little longer than that. Especially if I'm the only one training him.
I know I'm not, just by what he has told me. He said that others told him that re-keying a lock is easy. All you have to do is match the pin you put in with the number that is on the key. That IS true, as far as it goes. But out there in the field it happens quite often that the customer wants the new lock to work on his old key. That key is about the third generation of a copy made for the original key that was lost 10 years ago. There ARE NO numbers on that key. What do you do? You learn that the deeper the cut on the key, the longer the pin you need to re-key the lock. After that, it is hunt and peck. You have a deep cut, go for the longest pin. If it is too long, swap it for the next shortest pin. And vice/versa for the shallower cuts and shorter pins. Keep going until you find the right one. The process of elimination.
This is the real world. Not the world on everything provided for you, like numbers on keys. I'm trying to teach the real world. The place where locks don't always just jump open as soon as you put the picks in. You are not James Bond, after all. The place where you learn that WD-40 is your friend. The place where you accept the odd looks you get by pulling into the parking lot of the county jail in a vehicle that says "LOCKSMITH" on the side. The guards always want to know just what you are there to open. The place where you DO leave a customer on the side of the road because you can easily tell he/she is in no condition to drive. (Think about it. If you put a drunk behind the wheel and something happens, aren't you at least partially responsible?) This is the place where dogs are an occupational hazard. Where sometimes the dogs they say won't bite are the ones that do. The place where you stay in contact with the customer because GPS is not always your friend. It tries to take you down roads that haven't existed in ten years, and sometimes four-wheel drive is a good idea. The place where cops pay you to do things that they put other people in jail for. The place you learn that R.A.Heinlien was right. "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity." And this is just the beginning. There is still so much more to learn.
Still, he shows promise. I've been taking him out with me to do jobs. I warned him. I was a Boy Scout. They say, 'learn by doing'. O.K. you've been shown how to open cars, so do it. I shove him right into the middle of it. I help as needed and take over if required. But the rest is on him. This has worked so far. I showed him how to re-key two different types of locks and as luck would have it, we had to re-key those types of locks during our time together. I took the set on the front door while he took the back one. He did his part with minimal help, and in a decent amount of time for someone just getting started.
However, I must say it is an odd feeling, training your own replacement.
I know I'm not, just by what he has told me. He said that others told him that re-keying a lock is easy. All you have to do is match the pin you put in with the number that is on the key. That IS true, as far as it goes. But out there in the field it happens quite often that the customer wants the new lock to work on his old key. That key is about the third generation of a copy made for the original key that was lost 10 years ago. There ARE NO numbers on that key. What do you do? You learn that the deeper the cut on the key, the longer the pin you need to re-key the lock. After that, it is hunt and peck. You have a deep cut, go for the longest pin. If it is too long, swap it for the next shortest pin. And vice/versa for the shallower cuts and shorter pins. Keep going until you find the right one. The process of elimination.
This is the real world. Not the world on everything provided for you, like numbers on keys. I'm trying to teach the real world. The place where locks don't always just jump open as soon as you put the picks in. You are not James Bond, after all. The place where you learn that WD-40 is your friend. The place where you accept the odd looks you get by pulling into the parking lot of the county jail in a vehicle that says "LOCKSMITH" on the side. The guards always want to know just what you are there to open. The place where you DO leave a customer on the side of the road because you can easily tell he/she is in no condition to drive. (Think about it. If you put a drunk behind the wheel and something happens, aren't you at least partially responsible?) This is the place where dogs are an occupational hazard. Where sometimes the dogs they say won't bite are the ones that do. The place where you stay in contact with the customer because GPS is not always your friend. It tries to take you down roads that haven't existed in ten years, and sometimes four-wheel drive is a good idea. The place where cops pay you to do things that they put other people in jail for. The place you learn that R.A.Heinlien was right. "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity." And this is just the beginning. There is still so much more to learn.
Still, he shows promise. I've been taking him out with me to do jobs. I warned him. I was a Boy Scout. They say, 'learn by doing'. O.K. you've been shown how to open cars, so do it. I shove him right into the middle of it. I help as needed and take over if required. But the rest is on him. This has worked so far. I showed him how to re-key two different types of locks and as luck would have it, we had to re-key those types of locks during our time together. I took the set on the front door while he took the back one. He did his part with minimal help, and in a decent amount of time for someone just getting started.
However, I must say it is an odd feeling, training your own replacement.
day late
money? whats that?
My oh my. I knew it was coming, but thought I had a little more time. I have a quota hunt permit for February. It's the last hunt of the season. I really want to make it. I called the lady who sets the schedule to make sure I could get those days off. That's when I was told that this is my last week in the field. Except for the meetings of the networking group, I'll be setting my own schedule. I still only have a vague idea of what I'm doing, but the worst that can happen is I get by on SS until I can find a new job.
I still get a couple of more days with my replacement before he goes solo. I'm going to have to make him carry it all in the next few days. After that, if he gets stuck he can call me, and I'll try to talk him through whatever the problem is. He also has the option of calling other smiths. But he is fixing to get thrown in without a life preserver and I hope he can make it. If not, I may get called back to pick up a few jobs, here and there. But it looks like I'm pretty much out of it. I'm going to miss all this fun. You never know. They may well find a reason to send me back out. Time will tell. Let's see what happens.
I still get a couple of more days with my replacement before he goes solo. I'm going to have to make him carry it all in the next few days. After that, if he gets stuck he can call me, and I'll try to talk him through whatever the problem is. He also has the option of calling other smiths. But he is fixing to get thrown in without a life preserver and I hope he can make it. If not, I may get called back to pick up a few jobs, here and there. But it looks like I'm pretty much out of it. I'm going to miss all this fun. You never know. They may well find a reason to send me back out. Time will tell. Let's see what happens.
Siskiyoumom
Veteran Member
Thank you for catching us up!
day late
money? whats that?
Give the man a cigar!!! That is the song I was thinking of. I forgot it was by the Yardbirds. That's the problem with getting old. The memory goes first. I will say the new guy, my replacement, shows a lot of promise. We went to a job today and it was simple. Unlock a bedroom door. It was a nice house in a good neighborhood. The previous owner had put locking knobs on the bedroom doors and rented them to students. The new owners didn't have the key for that bedroom. It took no time to unlock it and then we heard the words, "While you are here, can you look at this?". The new owners don't want keyed knobs on the bedrooms. "Do you have anything that can match the other doorknobs that don't need a key, but can be locked from the inside?"
Um...Yeah.
Long story short a $75 job turned into one worth over $300. I took two knobs and gave him the third. I was about halfway through the second one when he walked up and wanted to know what's next. Timing wise for a newbie, not bad. And with the type of knob they were even I had a little trouble getting them on. It's looking good.
day late
money? whats that?
I knew it!!! My last day in the field and something I've never seen before gets thrown at me. It was a simple, but LARGE job. The customer wanted the house rekeyed. Nothing new there. People like knowing that a former owner or one of their friends can't come to visit in the middle of the night. Usually that means four or at most five locks to be rekeyed. Two on the front, two on the back and one leading into the garage. Not this place. They had nine to be rekeyed. When I got there, I was told that one doorknob they couldn't get the key to even go in, and with another the key was an iffy thing. Sometimes it went in, sometimes it didn't. Most of the job went without a hitch, but I worked on the first knob for a good twenty minutes and never could get the thing apart. The customer was cool with that. Just rekey everything else and put that knob on the side door we never use. I got to the last knob. This goes on the back door by the pool and at first the key resisted. I hit it with WD-40 and raked it with my pick a couple of times. Something fell out into my hand. I looked at it and then showed it to the customer. Someone had been using the darts on her back porch to try to pick the lock. They left the tip of one of the darts in the lock. She shook her head and said,
"Probably one of my kids."
With the dart tip removed the lock worked perfectly. That was it. My last time behind the wheel in the van. They may call me back out on the road some time, but that would be because someone quit or got fired. Maybe if one of the new guys needs a hand or something. But now we are off to the wild world of networking. I wonder what awaits there.
"Probably one of my kids."
With the dart tip removed the lock worked perfectly. That was it. My last time behind the wheel in the van. They may call me back out on the road some time, but that would be because someone quit or got fired. Maybe if one of the new guys needs a hand or something. But now we are off to the wild world of networking. I wonder what awaits there.
Net working is like working a net. You have to practice what works for you. Experience will teach you where to cast your net and how to draw the net back to you. Sometimes you will need to keep the pressure on and sometimes you will have to let off the pressure to allow them to stop fighting. Also, sometimes you draw in some you don't want, don't be afraid to cast them back. To quote James Butler, "Don't be afraid to fire a customer."
day late
money? whats that?
I've done that before.
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money? whats that?
I guess I should have seen it coming. It seems the guy being trained as my replacement isn't working out. I got a call from the lady who is now the de-facto manager asking if I was willing to take the van and go back out on the road, three days a week like before, in about two weeks. They are giving this guy that long to improve or get out. I think they are being a bit unfair. He has the talent, I've seen it. He just needs the experience. And as I recall, I wasn't too quick on the uptake myself. But we will need to talk about other things. The boss can't expect me to spend three days locksmithing and the rest of the time networking. Somethings gotta give here.
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money? whats that?
Well, somethings going on for sure. I got a call about five minutes ago. They want to know if I have a problem getting the van and hitting the road again starting this Monday. No, I don't really. My wife will love it. She was worried about the wear and tear I would be putting on my car, while working for the boss. I mean in five days I hit over 40 businesses, locally, and left cards. If I've got to drive about 60 miles one way to do the same in another town, I'm not going to be making a wasted trip. Each time I go, I'm hitting as many places as I can. The boss's wife made a roundabout statement that my efforts so far, have shown some benefit. But was short on details. All that is good. I don't know what I'm doing, but people like it and call the company. That's good. But now they want me back on the road. My networking time will be cut. As I understand it, the boss has already sunk about a grand into this networking thing, dues to make me a member, that kind of thing. Now he wants to cut back on that and put me on the road again. Uh, boss? You do remember the whole semiretirement thing, don't you? More conversation is needed.
But I feel really bad for the new guy. He's a good kid. Sharp, talented, and in the short time he's been on the road, he's gotten a few good reviews. I think the boss should at least wait until the middle of March, like they said. Give him a chance. The only thing I can think of is that the sudden change in timing must be due to something that happened on the job. Anyway, I told them I loaned some tools to the new guy. If they expect me to rekey locks, I'm going to need them back. We'll see what happens on Sunday night when I get the van.
But I feel really bad for the new guy. He's a good kid. Sharp, talented, and in the short time he's been on the road, he's gotten a few good reviews. I think the boss should at least wait until the middle of March, like they said. Give him a chance. The only thing I can think of is that the sudden change in timing must be due to something that happened on the job. Anyway, I told them I loaned some tools to the new guy. If they expect me to rekey locks, I'm going to need them back. We'll see what happens on Sunday night when I get the van.
day late
money? whats that?
This should be fun. Tonight, I have to have the guy trained to be my replacement, partially by me, pick me up, and then I drop him off at his place, in order to get the van for tomorrow. Just got the schedule. Yeah, we gotta talk about that one. The locksmithing hours are fine. By breaking up things, I'll be working about 2 1/2 days a week. The networking thing still needs discussion. Going to meetings, that makes up the extra 1/2 day I need. But all this running around, talking to people, putting wear and tear on my car, that has to be worth something. But we have that pesky SS thing to deal with. This coming week could become most interesting.
day late
money? whats that?
Right now, I need to calm down. I've been needing to calm down since 8:00 this FREAKING evening. It is now about quarter to 11. My first two days back driving the van. First job out of the box, I have to travel a little out of town and open a truck for a guy, who turns out to be an ex-cop. The next one up was one of those that makes me feel bad. Again, out of town, and this time I end up charging $150 to change the batteries in his keypad deadbolt. $65 was for the "lock repair" and the rest was the service call. There was a car lockout, but it was close by and easy.
Then we get to today. The first job isn't hard, just time consuming. And it turns out this guy is a member of the networking group. That means an automatic 5% discount. I'm really bad with math. I called in and asked for the lady on the phone to run the numbers for me, she agrees, the job is done, the customer is happy, and all is well. Except somewhere there was a miscommunication and it's said I'm handing out discounts to the customers. That was followed by another job.
A combination of installing new locks and rekeying existing ones. During the conversation, the lady told me a neighbor was recently broken into and now she and her husband wanted to upgrade their security. Normally music to my ears. BUT she REALLY meant upgrade. They are going to have the doors in their house, both front and back, torn out and newer and more secure ones installed. So why pay us to rekey the locks on doors that are going to be removed and then call us out a second time to do the same job again? I ended up just getting the trip charge out of her. I did lube a couple of locks and the work much better now, which I didn't charge her for. She was happy and said just getting those locks to work better was worth the money. She promises when the new doors are in, we are going to get the job.
Very nice, but a disappointment, moneywise. I later get a couple of calls and a half hour conference call lecturing me on giving discounts and "don't you understand that this company is in business to make money?" I'm sorry. Things have been a bit tense on the home front lately. I like to keep home life and work life separate. But I was in the mood. I will say I made a point or two which caused the boss and manager to take a step back and I didn't get fired. Yet. They even asked for my thoughts on how things could be improved. I gave them my thoughts, which I'm also certain they will ignore. But where I pushed it, and I think may have scored a point or two, was when I told the boss.
"I spent over 25 years working for myself and running my own business. I understand about profit and loss. But you know as well as I do that some time things happen in the field. The smiths need more flexibility in things. Sometimes, we CAN'T get in touch with you. That means we have to adjust prices. I did that while I was self-employed. So, I know what you are talking about. "Boss" I've worked for you for almost eight years. I've always been here. I've made a lot of money. I want to keep making money. So quite honestly, I'm highly offended by this call."
There were other things said, but they were along the same line. You see, I use the most unfair means of arguing that there is. I speak the truth. He remembers all the things I've done over the years and said nothing about. The things he made money off of. Once reminded of a thing or two, he had to admit I was right in what I was saying. It was after that they backed up a bit and became more polite. By the end it was "This isn't really about you, it's about the business". But I'm still pi**ed. After all this time, after going everywhere, doing everything, and rarely asking for either help or time off, he wants to treat me like this?
So, maybe by this time tomorrow, I'm unemployed. Maybe not. More likely, not now but soon. I hope not. I do love this job. Maybe starting to look for a new employer would be a good idea. If he's starting to care about the money more than the customer and only sees me as a money-making machine, it's time to move on.
Then we get to today. The first job isn't hard, just time consuming. And it turns out this guy is a member of the networking group. That means an automatic 5% discount. I'm really bad with math. I called in and asked for the lady on the phone to run the numbers for me, she agrees, the job is done, the customer is happy, and all is well. Except somewhere there was a miscommunication and it's said I'm handing out discounts to the customers. That was followed by another job.
A combination of installing new locks and rekeying existing ones. During the conversation, the lady told me a neighbor was recently broken into and now she and her husband wanted to upgrade their security. Normally music to my ears. BUT she REALLY meant upgrade. They are going to have the doors in their house, both front and back, torn out and newer and more secure ones installed. So why pay us to rekey the locks on doors that are going to be removed and then call us out a second time to do the same job again? I ended up just getting the trip charge out of her. I did lube a couple of locks and the work much better now, which I didn't charge her for. She was happy and said just getting those locks to work better was worth the money. She promises when the new doors are in, we are going to get the job.
Very nice, but a disappointment, moneywise. I later get a couple of calls and a half hour conference call lecturing me on giving discounts and "don't you understand that this company is in business to make money?" I'm sorry. Things have been a bit tense on the home front lately. I like to keep home life and work life separate. But I was in the mood. I will say I made a point or two which caused the boss and manager to take a step back and I didn't get fired. Yet. They even asked for my thoughts on how things could be improved. I gave them my thoughts, which I'm also certain they will ignore. But where I pushed it, and I think may have scored a point or two, was when I told the boss.
"I spent over 25 years working for myself and running my own business. I understand about profit and loss. But you know as well as I do that some time things happen in the field. The smiths need more flexibility in things. Sometimes, we CAN'T get in touch with you. That means we have to adjust prices. I did that while I was self-employed. So, I know what you are talking about. "Boss" I've worked for you for almost eight years. I've always been here. I've made a lot of money. I want to keep making money. So quite honestly, I'm highly offended by this call."
There were other things said, but they were along the same line. You see, I use the most unfair means of arguing that there is. I speak the truth. He remembers all the things I've done over the years and said nothing about. The things he made money off of. Once reminded of a thing or two, he had to admit I was right in what I was saying. It was after that they backed up a bit and became more polite. By the end it was "This isn't really about you, it's about the business". But I'm still pi**ed. After all this time, after going everywhere, doing everything, and rarely asking for either help or time off, he wants to treat me like this?
So, maybe by this time tomorrow, I'm unemployed. Maybe not. More likely, not now but soon. I hope not. I do love this job. Maybe starting to look for a new employer would be a good idea. If he's starting to care about the money more than the customer and only sees me as a money-making machine, it's time to move on.
day late
money? whats that?
Please pardon me. I'm still very unhappy with the boss. I'm not stupid. Allow me to explain. At the end of January, the boss told all of us that if we could get the daily profit average to $2,200 or above, we would all get a $200 bonus at the end of the month. Long story short, we averaged about $2175. Not $2,200. No bonus. I understand that. But that extra $175 a day, over the course of 28 days works out to an extra $4,900 over and above the norm. Where did the money go? Normal business profit takes care of expenses and salaries. So don't tell me that it was reinvested in the business. That nearly five grand extra went somewhere. I wonder where? We know where. It went into the boss's pocket. Right now, he has arranged a little party for everyone this Sunday. So, after putting almost $5,000 in his pocket we get a couple of slices of pizza and a drink. Because yesterday was so good, he has authorized all of us to get a free CUP OF COFFEE from Starbucks. Somehow, I feel underwhelmed.
The new de-facto manager told me on the phone that we are just barely making enough money to keep the business going. So, we all need to work harder. If it is true that we are having a hard time meeting payroll, why when I called her about a problem, did she beg off the call because she was interviewing a new locksmith for the Ocala office? If the company is struggling, that is not the time you hire new people. That's the time you lay off people and do everything you can to cut back on expenses. This does not compute.
Daily, I'm becoming more convinced that I need a new job, no matter how much I love this one. There's a car wash just down the road. They are hiring and promise $!5 an hour. The boss pays $11. AND gives me a ration of crap because the job I went to was delayed, not canceled. He will still make the money, just not as soon as he wanted. I am not happy.
The new de-facto manager told me on the phone that we are just barely making enough money to keep the business going. So, we all need to work harder. If it is true that we are having a hard time meeting payroll, why when I called her about a problem, did she beg off the call because she was interviewing a new locksmith for the Ocala office? If the company is struggling, that is not the time you hire new people. That's the time you lay off people and do everything you can to cut back on expenses. This does not compute.
Daily, I'm becoming more convinced that I need a new job, no matter how much I love this one. There's a car wash just down the road. They are hiring and promise $!5 an hour. The boss pays $11. AND gives me a ration of crap because the job I went to was delayed, not canceled. He will still make the money, just not as soon as he wanted. I am not happy.
Waitaminnit! You're being paid ELEVEN BUCKS AN HOUR?!? Please tell me that's plus commission! You are doing a job that requires skills and integrity (I can only imagine the opportunities an unscrupulous locksmith could take advantage of!), as well as good people skills. You are being robbed, and crapped on at the same time.
Summerthyme
day late
money? whats that?
PRIOR to Covid and semi-retirement, it was plus commission. Now, Social Security limits how much I can make without losing benefits.
day late
money? whats that?
I should have kept my trap shut. The subject of a new job is on hold for the moment. I want to see what my paycheck is going to look like before going any further. I will say during a brief face to face the boss did apologize. But today was a little odd.
I got sent on a call not more than six or seven blocks from my home. Maybe ten minutes to get there. I have to open a car. By the time I arrive a number of things have happened. First of all, only the dog was locked in the car. Before I got the call, the lady had called the sheriff's dept. They said call the fire department or a locksmith. She called both. I arrived first, not knowing about the FD. As I pull up, the lady apologizes and tells me the dog stepped on the button and rolled down the window. She doesn't need me but is willing to pay for the service call. That's when the FD showed up. Now she has to explain things all over again and I haven't turned off the engine yet. When it comes time to pay, she wants a discount because it was the dog who rolled down the window. This is followed with phone calls, ect. She did get the discount. But it kinda stunk from where I'm sitting.
Where I really screwed up today is while driving, I heard an ad for the 'Gator Nationals' (Drag racing) this coming weekend. We always get calls from there, and we never advertise. Sounds like an opportunity. I told the boss. Now I've got to run out that way tomorrow with a fist full of business cards to hand out to the security folks and maybe some vendors. It's a big event. One year I had security driving in front of me, making a path through the crowd, so I could get to a customer and open a trailer for him.
I got sent on a call not more than six or seven blocks from my home. Maybe ten minutes to get there. I have to open a car. By the time I arrive a number of things have happened. First of all, only the dog was locked in the car. Before I got the call, the lady had called the sheriff's dept. They said call the fire department or a locksmith. She called both. I arrived first, not knowing about the FD. As I pull up, the lady apologizes and tells me the dog stepped on the button and rolled down the window. She doesn't need me but is willing to pay for the service call. That's when the FD showed up. Now she has to explain things all over again and I haven't turned off the engine yet. When it comes time to pay, she wants a discount because it was the dog who rolled down the window. This is followed with phone calls, ect. She did get the discount. But it kinda stunk from where I'm sitting.
Where I really screwed up today is while driving, I heard an ad for the 'Gator Nationals' (Drag racing) this coming weekend. We always get calls from there, and we never advertise. Sounds like an opportunity. I told the boss. Now I've got to run out that way tomorrow with a fist full of business cards to hand out to the security folks and maybe some vendors. It's a big event. One year I had security driving in front of me, making a path through the crowd, so I could get to a customer and open a trailer for him.
day late
money? whats that?
Whooooooooooo boy. I'm glad it's my day off. I got a call from the guy who's driving the van right now. The van that the boss spent $530 on last Sunday getting an oil change, brake job, and rotation. The van that is now being reported as making REALLY WIERD noises in the passenger rear wheel. Gator Nationals are this weekend. We are going to need that van. The good news is that I folded the receipt and put it in the glove box. No question of who did what, when. I'm supposed to get it at 8 tonight and work on Saturday. Let's see what happens.
Edit to add. This works out well for me. I had an appointment for 9:30 A.M. tomorrow. I tried to confirm the appointment today, and it isn't on the schedule anymore. They re-scheduled and gave it to the boss's son. So, if the van goes down, at least we didn't lose a job.
Edit to add. This works out well for me. I had an appointment for 9:30 A.M. tomorrow. I tried to confirm the appointment today, and it isn't on the schedule anymore. They re-scheduled and gave it to the boss's son. So, if the van goes down, at least we didn't lose a job.
Ain't it nice to be able to refer to the paper trail?