He Blew His Head off with a shot gun

Mortise lock on Apartment door

Computer Chip car keys



Infinity smart key



Inside of Mortise locks

Throughout my fifteen years locksmith career I have not come across something so sad as this.  Today I had the unfortunate chance of dealing with a case where the person who lived in the apartment that I was changing cylinders on had killed himself with a shot gun. Now I ask myself what would lead a person to kill themselves?  As I was changing the cylinders on the apartment door many of the man's neighbors came out to sort of find out what had happened inside on that fateful day when their neighbor had blown his own head off.  So some of them would peek into the apartment and then start to tear up like they wanted to cry.  A lot of them seemed surprised that this man could have done what he did.  To them this guy was a very happy and out going person. 
Our locksmith company works for many city agencies and this job was for one of those agencies.  In Queens Abbaslocksmith  provides all locksmith service emergency and non-emergency.  We provide residential, commercial and auto locksmith services in all of Queens and all of NYC.  

Due Diligence

When I travel to a customer's house, apartment or business I go with the intention that I am going to help them with whatever issue they have with their locks.  There are times when a client just wants his/her cylinder changed, so they call a locksmith to go over and change it.  When I arrive to a client who wants their cylinder changed the first thing I do is ask them a few questions. One is the lock in working order? Do you want the cylinder changed to get new keys? or is the cylinder not turning that's why you want it changed?  Most of the time they tell me that they lost their keys and they want different keys that is why they are having the cylinders changed. Once I know that information I either go ahead and put in a new cylinder or I go and show them a few different quality cylinders they can choose from.  When I remove the old cylinder from a clients lock I make sure to pay attention to the lock it self because there have been times when I removed the old cylinder and the lock was broken from the inside. 


Heavy duty Apartment door bottom lock



Segal 900 Lock



Aerial view of New York City

Woodhaven Queens



Map of Queens

The normal set up on an apartment door in New York City is a jimmy proof deadbolt on top with a plate and a mortise lock on the bottom with knob set.  When I change cylinders on either one of the locks in an apartment I make sure to check the other lock also.  Clients appreciate due diligence.  When a locksmith observes due diligence they show the client that they are a professional locksmith and not someone who wants to do a quick job, collect money and leave.  Last week I went to a service call out in Elmhurst Queens for bottom lock cylinder change.  I got to the location ask the client what they needed and they told me to change the bottom lock cylinder.  I went ahead and asked the client why they wanted to change the cylinder.  So She tells me that sometimes when she wants to unlock the lock and open the door she can not.  Once she told me that I knew right away that it is not just the cylinder that should be checked out.  I informed the client that in order for me to diagnose the problem I have to take the complete mortise lock out. I told her that if I take out the lock and am able to repair it, that it would be $125 for the repair but if it is not repairable than the replacement would be $225, she agreed and I went ahead and took the lock out.  Once I opened the lock up it became apparent that the bolt spring was broken.  In a mortise lock once the bolt spring breaks the lock never works right.  So lucky for the lady I make my own bolt springs, so I went ahead and made one for her lock.  After installing the bolt spring inside the lock I reinstalled it back in the door, without changing the cylinder.  Checked all the other locks in the apartment, lubricated her hinges and wrote out a receipt. Another satisfied customer.  Abba's locksmith in Queens we always work with due diligence when it comes to fixing lock problems, feel free to call for your next home service call 718-820-2744

Locksmith Help

There are people who take advantage of others who are in need.  Today I went to an apartment to service a lock for a girl.  She called and said that her top lock was not working and she had another company install it two weeks ago. So I asked her why doesn't she call them back to fix it? She tells me that she thinks they are a scam company and she doesn't want to deal with them anymore. To make a long story short, she had called someone from the internet, they came over installed an average lock and charged her $450, complete rip off.  Now that same lock was not working and they were giving her the run around.  So when I went up to the location I saw a Maxtec jimmy proof deadbolt with regular schlage keyway.  The most anyone should have to pay for this lock is $175.00 and if the locksmith had to drill it open and then replace it, then it should be nothing more than $225.00. This particular locksmith did not drill the lock open or anything he basically swapped out the old lock and put up this maxtec.  He should have charged no more than $175.00. She was charged  $450, basically she was ripped off. 
Everyone out there who order locksmith service please be advised that who ever comes to your apartment for service please check their license.  A licensed locksmith would have never charged this lady the amount that she paid.  When you are locked out google search local business so narrow down your searches to your exact location such as (emergency locksmith Astoria Queens).  Once the pages come up don't go with the first three paid ads services usually they are companies out of area advertising locally.  This is exactly what happen to the lady. She went with the first company that popped up, and after doing some research she discovered that the company she thought she had hired did not exist.  It was a phantom company, a company which pays high amounts to google ad words and schedules their ads to show up from 6pm to midnight in the hopes of landing people who are locked out after getting home from work.  So when you see their ads, you end up calling them, but guess what the next day they are no where to be found. Even when you find them they give you the run around so in the end you don't get anything resolved and have to end up calling a real locksmith like Abco Master lock and key in Forest Hills, Admiral lock and key in Astoria, White's locksmith in Corona, JStein Locksmith in Jamaica, Around the Clock locksmith in Woodhaven and Joseph locksmith in Jackson Heights.  Real locksmiths always have store front that serve as their base of operations.  Fly by night companies who spend a lot of money advertising in the internet don't have shops, all they are is an office full of dispatchers who dispatch contracted local locksmiths to jobs. 

Car Lockouts

We depend on our cars for a lot of our daily existence. When we are locked out of your car life as you know it slows down and we feel like we are less than what we really are.  Our car has given us freedom to travel anywhere there is a road to travel.  Our car has also taken our freedom away also.  When we are locked out of our car for some reason we feel as if our legs have been taken away from us.  When there were no cars people use to walk miles and miles just to get some milk at the store.
Most of the cars that are now manufactured are equipped with smart key fobs.  Its hard to get locked out of cars today because all you have to do to start you car is have the fob on you body and you are able to start your car.  Most people get locked out of car because they leave their car running with the keys in the ignition and the car passive security system locks the doors automatically do to antitheft devices in the car's electronics.  Having the fob you can walk away from your car and not worry because the fob is in your hand all the time.  Most cars with the fob system will cost you around
$250 for a new one to be delivered and programed into your car by an emergency locksmith. Nisan, Honda, Infinity, Toyota, and some domestic cars such as GMC, and Chrysler, Dodge are equipped with the Fob system.

http://www.wikihow.com/Retrieve-Keys-Locked-Inside-a-Car

Funny

 http://www.wikihow.com/Break-Into-a-Car

Keys and lockouts

People lose keys all the time.  As our city grows we become busy with everything from getting dressed to making sure we have our keys.  There are times when you rush out of your home so you can make the train to get to work on time.  While your doing what you are doing to make that paycheck most of the time you are too busy to notice if you dropped your keys on the train  or left them at the news stand.  The end of the day you get home and guess what you don't have your keys to get into your apartment.  Please don't panic.
If you have your smart phone Google search emergency locksmith(the town you live in) and press enter.  The first page will have at least ten listings, the first three being locksmiths who pay to be first in the page.  From experiance the first three listings usually don't have shops, because they are mobile emergency dispatch services.  There is nothing wrong with using these companies but 90% of the time they employ sub contractors who split the job with them 50/50.  Now you know if one of those contractors end up at your house they are going to want to charge you the most so to get a better split.  My suggestion look for a listed locksmith that has a shop in your neighborhood or at least in your town or city.  The locksmith shop will always charge less because they are local and they probably want repeat business. 
Once you choose the listed locksmith call them and find out what they charge to open your door.  If the person says we charge service call and then a minimum charge to open the lock try to have them give you the maximum end also.  If you get a quote of $90 or less usually you should ordertheir service.  If you get a quote of under $50 don't bother because by the time they let you in you will probably pay ten times that amount. 90% of the time locksmiths can open locks with minimal amount of damage.  If they end up drilling your lock they should only be changing your cylinder not the whole lock.  Whenever possible call at least three people and get at least three quotes then depending on the locksmith location and time in business you should order there service.  When you are locked out always take your time to order the right service if you panic you have already lost.  The fact is you are locked out, you can not do anything untill you get in.  In Queens there are at least seven very reputable locksmiths Abco Master Lock and Key in Forest Hills, Admiral Lock lock and key in Astoria, Around the Clock locksmith in woodhaven, Jstein Locksmith in Jamaica, Armor Locksmith in Fresh Meadows, All emergency locksmith in Astoria, Frog Locksmith in Roslyn Heights. 

Do not let it slam.

Sometimes a service call is simply just straightening out a bent bolt in  the mortise lock.  99% of apartment doors in NYC are equipped with a mortise lock as the main lock on the door.  This lock is two locks in one.  It serves as a latch lock and also as a deadbolt.  On the lock body there is a button that you can either flip or push in to activate the latch lock, and you always have to use the key to lock the bolt lock. The thing is that when the mortise lock is activated with the latch lock, it automatically locks the door when you close the door behind you.  So some people like to through the bolt out in order to keep the door open if they are stepping out for a moment.  What they don't realize is when the door closes with the bolt sticking out and it hits the frame it gets bent a small amount and over a period of time it could bend enough where it will stop flowing in and out and then your mortise lock is deemed useless.  So I went on a service call to one of our previous customers. Her apartment door mortise lock would not lock with either the key or the thumb turn from the inside.  I automatically knew that the bolt was bent.  So I informed the client and told her that I will try to fix the bolt because replacing the entire mortise lock would be in the hundreds.  When I took the lock apart right away it was apparent that the bolt was bent.  I took out the bolt, straightened it out and installed it back into the mortise lock. I went back to the apartment and reinstalled the lock.  So the next time you want to step out of the apartment and you want to keep the lock open just flip the button to the open position and that would be enough. In Forest Hills Queens there are many buildings that are over sixty years old, these buildings have the old Lockwood mortise locks.  The Lockwood mortise lock is one of the best.  It is very durable and very well made.  Sometimes I end up replacing them with the more modern type of lock by Marks. 

    

Lockout specialists

When you are you locked out, you want someone to come right away and let you in for the cheapest price.  When someone gets locked out the first thing they do now a days is google search emergency locksmith look down the list see a locksmith advertising $15 lockout service and call them. Please stop and ask the person you are about to hire a few questions. One question should be "Do you have a locksmith store or are you a mobile service"? Two "What is the exact price for a typical lockout service?  Three "Are you licensed?  One you have heard the answers to these question then you should be able to make a better decision in hiring the company or not.  If the person who answers the phone call says that there is no physical store front, please do yourself a favor and do not hire them.  The reason being is that either the person coming to let you in is not licensed and if he/she is licensed they are not local.  Don't fall for the minimum service call quote, because it could turn into hundreds if not thousands when they are actually there doing the job.  Hire a company that provides a free visit, and a free quote advisement.
In the locksmith industry there are many companies that are just dispatch locations located far from local who spend a lot of money advertising on line in order to get in front of you and charge you a lot of money.  I have had customers in queens who have hired companies off of the internet and then have been taken advantage of .  When they call from their home in Queens New York they thought they were reaching a local locksmith but instead a company in Maryland had dispatched a sub contractor in the local area.  The thing is that the sub contractor gets paid a commission based amount so the more they charge you the more they make.  If you live in local neighborhoods such as Flushing, Elmhurst, Forest Hills, Astoria, Jackson Heights, Corona, Rego Park, Woodhaven, Whitestone or any other neighborhood in Queens, Please do local Google searches such as "emergency locksmith (neighborhood).com" this will give you a close to an exact local business who will be able to do your job in a timely manor and cost effective way. 
An average lockout service in Queens should never be more than $125 for one lock, normally it should be about $90 but if its after 6 pm then you shouldn't be surprised to pay $125.  If you receive a locksmith to let you into your apartment or home 90% of the time they should be able to pick the lock open without destroying the cylinder to do it.  I have done lockout service in Rego Park at 10pm at night for $90 so when it comes to choosing a locksmith for an emergency lockout service please remember to hire a local locksmith who has a physical location.  Abco master lock and key in Queen is a local locksmith doing business since 1965 always willing to help people in queens with their locksmith services.  Around the Clock is another locksmith in Queens, Admiral lock and key  is another, Jstein is also a very good locksmith.  Any of these guys would be a good choice for emergency locksmith.


broken lock



rekey cylinders

 
  

Always help

I did a locksmith service for a very old lady in Woodside Queens.  Everyone should know what I explained to this old lady.  So she is been living in this apartment for the last twenty five years and she said that her lock never worked right.  When I went to help her she was locked out, apparently her bottom lock collapsed and locked her out.  Normally the bottom lock on an apartment door is a mortise lock.  This lock is designed with two plates that hold all the mechanism together like a VHS video tape and sometimes these plates come loose and guess what? all the mechanisms jump out of their tracks and end up jamming into each other. So this exact thing happened to this old lady.  I had to drill the cylinder out and literally wrench out the deadbolt because it was jammed up so bad. Normally the bottom lock is the responsibility of the management, so I explained to the lady that she can take my receipt and get reimbursed from the land lord because by law the land lord has to either fix the bottom lock or pay to have it fixed. When the mortise lock is ready to collapse it usually gives you clues such as the lock not locking or unlocking smoothly.  When you feel your lock is working very tight you should call your local locksmith to come look at it for you.  Usually good locksmiths provide free estimates for their work.  The few very good locksmiths in Queens are Abco, Admiral, Jstein, Around the clock, Armor, and Joseph locksmith.  I personally have worked for these locksmith and yes they do provide a free walk through when a client requests it.

How not to loose your keys

I recommend using either the Mul-T-Lock or the Medeco Freedom.  There are many reasons for my recommendation.  Mul-t-Lock and Medeco Freedom gives you protection against being picked open, drilled , and also from being kicked in.  Both of these high security locks are designed with internal pins that does not allow raking of the pins.  Usually you would pick a lock open by raking the pins and then turning the plug.  The high security lock pins don't allow the raking motion.  The Medeco cylinder has hardened steel pins that not only have different length cuts but each pin also has a different angle.  This combination gives too many combination to manipulate.  The Mul-T-Lock has a double piston pin system.  Every cylinder has an outer piston and then an inner pin.  So on the key there are two small dimple size cuts where each piston and pin falls into before turning.  So I recommend these two high security locks because of all these security functions but my number one reason I recommend these two locks is that both come with a code card which allows you to make a copy of your key without having the key.  So if you loose your key or leave it in the office but you have your code card in your wallet you can just stop by your local locksmith and copy your key and go open your door.  Most locksmiths hate to see the Mul-t-Lock or medeco when it comes to emergency locksmith service because they are very hard to open.

On top of the Roof

Fire rated doors.  When the fire codes changed in the United States the fire department required all apartment doors, storage rooms in apartment buildings, boiler room doors, basically any room door inside a residential or commercial buildings to be rated at least 90 minutes. This means the door has to be able to withstand fire for 90 minutes before catching fire.  Recently the buildings department has been going around New York requiring building owners to install self closing fire rated doors for elevator machine rooms. The fire rated doors are usually made of at least a 18 gauge steel, with a solid wood core inside. The wood inside is usually treated with a fire retardant.  Usually an experience locksmith would replace an existing door with a fire rated door with an insert iron angle frame. Using an insert frame you avoid measuring the hinges off and insuring a smooth and easy installation.  Also the insert frame usually strengthens the existing frame.  Also when the existing frame has been damaged or worn out a locksmith should use an insert frame. There are times when locksmiths have used iron angle insert frames to strengthen existing wood frames.  I personally have installed insert frames and fire rated doors on many occasions to cover up damaged frames and also to strengthen existing frames. If you live in an apartment and would like to have your existing door upgraded definitely have your locksmith install a fire rated door with an insert angle frame, mortise lock, and preferably a tubular dead bolt.  There are buildings that still have old prewar style doors, I recommend having those doors replaced along with your other reconstruction of the apartment.

 

Iron gates

Iron man gates: http://youtu.be/O8XsOyHuplY

Lost car keys

It happens at the most urgent moments, moments when you are in a massive rush to get somewhere and you need your car.  You look in you pockets, in your house, you turn everything upside down but no luck you can't find your keys to your brand new car.  What to do? You call the dealer they tell you that your car has a special transponder key which will have to be cut by code and then they have to program it to your car. So you ask how long will that take? Well usually two days.  Ok not good enough.  Next you Google locksmith for auto and a bunch of locksmith websites come up.  You start to call and most of the locksmiths are quoting you very high prices.  By the time you call the fifth one you are about to loose your mind, so very rudely you start to ask the person who just answered the emergency locksmith service phone line how much for a car key?  It turned out that the person was a certified locksmith, so he asked you what kind of car is it? By the time you gave him your info he had already started to make you feel better.  It turns out that this locksmith can send out one of their technicians to your location to cut and program the key to your 2015 Toyota Camry. Before you can tell him what kind of key he asks you do you push a button or turn a key in the ignition? You say button so he tells you that's a fob system and it cost $375 you almost faint but the you realize that it is cheaper than the dealer and also no towing the car to the dealer. The technician arrives within the hour and half hour later you have your car key.  Ain't life Wonderfull.  So in case you lose your car key search for emergency locksmith queens and choose a licensed locksmith to come make you a key For your car.

Candid camera

In the security industry the advent of the video camera was a break through.  In the past if someone was to break into your home the police had a hard time catching them.  Nowadays the servilance camera has given home owner another tool to deter a wanna be burglar not to even come near the home, and if they do they will get caught. Abbaslocksmith employs technicians who are experts in the installation, service and sales of digital, and analog servilance cameras.  We provide the bullit, and the vandal proof dome cameras. For home owners it is affordable to have at least two cameras installed in strategic locations to catch the most valuable view. In Flushing Queens we have installed numerous sets of cameras for private homes.  All of our cameras n be programmed to be viewed from remote location and also recorded.  The system comes with cameras, DVR, a hard drive and a screen.  A good system with two cameras and a 500 giga bit hard drive can cost about $900. You can increase the recording capacity by getting a bigger hard drive. 

Locks and Love.

So Pad locks are one of those things that you can use to lock up anything. All you really need is a chain and pad lock and bingo you can lock away any door, bike, drawers, refrigerator and so on. Some of the earliest forms of locks had to do with pad lock. A pad lock is used for gym lockers, and for storage rooms.  Locksmiths love to use them on emergency in addition to hasps.  All you have to do is install a has and pad lock and boom you have just secured a room.  Whenever I go the public storage in Flushing college point Blvd I use my grinder to cut the pad lock off.  There are pad locks from Mul-T-Lock that can cost $200.  All my emergency locksmiths in Queens use pad locks to secure hard to work on doors. If you ever have a pad lock you need cut off rememeber www.abbaslocksmith.com and 5163621459.

Lever handle in Gymboree.

Today I would like to tell you about how to get the best out of your locksmith service.  So many of my service calls involve clients calling to either have their locks changed or new locks installed.  Me being the professional locksmith that I am always end up doing extra work besides what they paid for because I always want my clients to rememnber me for a positive experience.  So if I install a deadbolt lock I always check the hinges on the door and if necessary tighten them up. There are locksmiths that are sub contractors they want to be in and out as fast as possible for that reason they don't bother checking other aspects of the door. So it is up to the client to ask the locksmith to check the frame, hinges, saddle, and so forth.  Now when I go to clients to either rekey or change their cylinders there has been times I have walked off the job. Why you ask? Well this one client in Bayside wanted me to rekey all her locks around her house. So she had three dead bolts and three knob sets. These locks were the standard level one kwikset locks you get at home depot. So her total was going to be about $350, I told her that it wasn't worth rekeyong those locks because they are not so secure and not that sturdy. She would not try to understand me. So I went and brought out some Arrow tubular deadbolts and some Mul-t-Lock deadbolts just so cn show her the comparison. So the difference between the arrow deadbolts was about $105 more then the rekeys and the Mul-t-Lock was a difference of about $900. So after showing her all her choices she still felt like it was ok to rekey the kwiksets so I refused to do the job, maybe I was wrong but know for sure that I was thinking of her safety because after all that I even offered her the arrows for the same price as the rekey but she wouldn't budge. So anyways after some thought I agreed to rekey the locks under objection off course.  After all the client should get what they want.  So back to getting the most out of your locksmith, no matter if you live in Corona, Flushing, Elmhurst, Whitestone, Woodhaven, Rego Park or Astoria you have the right to make sure all your security needs are looked at when the locksmith is in your house. So if your locksmith is changing your cylinder have him/her lubricate the lock and make sure it's in working condition before he puts it back.  And remember people just like everything in this world locks need maintenance also, so every year have abbaslocksmith check your locks it's free.
Today I had the pleasure of installing a lever handle for the Gymboree in Forest Hills. This lever handle operated a push bar exit device.

A door for the dungeon.

Today we installed a full framed fire rated Hollow metal door in a sub basement of an apartment building in Forest Hills.  The FDNY has implented a rule of fire code law that requires building to have fire rated 90 minutes on all apartment door and all other room doors.  This particular room was going to house all appliances that tenants threw out for recycling.  Previously the room had a wood door with a wood frame that actually had broken apart so all the equipment inside was vulnerable to vandalism. So we had Supreme Fire Proof Doors in the Bronx make up the door for us. So we started to install the frame into the opening of the entrance to the room, unfortunately we realized that it was to wide for the opening. So we had to come up with a fix on the spot, we couldn't me it back to the Bronx. So Raule and I came up with the idea to cut one inch off one side of the frame so we can squeeze it into the space. So we cut the frame and long be hold it worked, we were able to squeeze it in and bolt it onto the cinder blocks with bang in bolts.  We use bang in bolts to secure doors, gates and any kind of iron work into cement, brick or cider blocks.  The door fit perfectly.  We installed a mortise lock and strike plate. We sealed up any crevices with calking and we were done.  What a relief because we thought that we were gonna be stuck.  To be considered a master locksmith you gonna have to come up with on the spot fixes.  Abbaslocksmith employs some of the most innovative technicians out there.  We have technicains that are able to open any safe. Technicians that can make a car key from scratch, and technicains who install doors in no time.  For the past ten years I have personally Have installed doors in the Bronx, all parts of Queens and some parts of Brooklyn.  My locksmiths can provide service for any locksmith emergency.

Sunday full of broken locks

Sundays are usually slow and uneventfull, but today we helped people in Forest Hills, Woodhaven, Jackson Heights, Corona, Astoria, and Sunnyside. In Forest Hills I sent my locksmith Michael to open the door for the newly opened Pediatrics PM and then fix the lock. In Woodhaven there was a lady locked in her house, so I got Michael over there. He opened the security storm door lock which was jammed and then replaced it.  In Jackson Heights I had Raule open an apartment door mortise lock. In Corona Raule replaced an Adams Rite latch lock and push paddle. In Sunnyside I had Raule let a gentleman back into his apartment. The couple in Astoria couldn't open their bathroom door so Raule unjammed the door and opened it. When it comes to emergency locksmith service in Queens abbaslocksmith gets locksmiths to locations in under 30 minutes.  So out of all the jobs on this Sunday we ran ten minutes late to the Sunnyside location.  Abbaslocksmith does not charge extra for Sunday service.  We don't charge a visit fee and our prices are determined by the type of locks our clients want.  Our locksmith service in Queens is considered the best by our clients.

They broke the door down.

Whenever the FDNY goes out on a call for an unresponsive person locked inside the apartment, they don't usually call a locksmith to open the door, they usually break the door down either with a sludge hammer or they use their heavy craw bars to wedge the door open. Either method they use they usually damage the door beyond repair. So we received a call at abbaslocksmith last week from one of our commercial account management company. They told us to go to an address on Yellowstone Blvd to see if we could secure an apartment door that the fire department broke down.  I got to the location and saw the apartment door bent out of shape. There was no repairing it. Since the tenant had been taken to the hospital I had to secure the apartment, so I went ahead and straighten out the frame and door as much as I could in order to install a Jimmy proof deadbolt on it. Once I had the apartment secured I took measurements of the door and ordered a new fire rated door.  Usually a Kalamine fire rated door can cost between $650-$900 depending on the size and hardware. I requested a rush delivery and thanks to Supreme fire proof door company in the Bronx I was able to receive my door within a week. Usually it takes two to three weeks. They equipped the door for me with a peep hole chime, a mortise lock, an iron insert frame and spring loaded hinges. @abbaslocksmith we are able to repair, replace and refurbish any type of door.  For the quickest door delivery just call 24 hrs, 516-362-1459. Our clients have used our door service in Rego Park, Forest Hills, Corona, Woodhaven, and Elmhurst.  Abbaslocksmith deals with fire rated doors, wood frames and doors, Kalamine, hallow metal, and fiber glass doors on a regular bases.

Stop and secure

Your door is as strong as the deadbolt that's on it.  Having a heavy deadbolt such as a Mul-t-Lock tubular deadbolt will increase your doors strength. Now if you accompany the deadbolt with a heavy duty super strike then you have successfully stoped anyone from breaking your door down. We at abbaslocksmith use the Mul-t-Lock on all our residential door applications.  This lock is designed to withstand blows from sludgehammers, and it is completely pick proof. Also the key can be restricted from being copied without permission.

Emergency Lockout Queens

So what is wrong with your lock? You come home tired and stressed out, you take your key out of your pocket, purse, or key chain hook; you put your key into your bottom lock on your apartment door expecting to turn your key and go in, but instead the key turns but the lock does not seem to want to open. So I hate to be the one to tell you, but my dears you have yourself a collapsed mortise lock.  See 90% of apartments in NYC have what is called a mortise lock as the bottom lock.  So this lock is in the shape of an old VHS video tape (if you are old enough to remember) and if you remember that video tape would have all the film held inside with two plates, its exactly the same concept, except the mortise lock has all the metal parts such as the bolt, the latch, the cylinder and all the springs, brackets,and more springs.  So the reason you cant open your lock is because that video tape looking lock has come apart and all the mechanism inside has jammed into each other not allowing you to be able to unlock your lock. So go ahead and take a deep breath and calm down. Try these two quick ideas, one grab the knob and violently move the door back and forth, second bang the lock with either your fist(not the knuckles) and then try to use your key. If you have tried these ideas and they didn't work please call Abbaslocksmith.com @ 516 362 1459.  Now you should know and be prepared for the cost of this service.  Any locksmith who comes to your location to provide a solution to this problem should not charge you more than $100 to open the door and nothing more then $295 if they replace the whole mortise lock, granted that it is the biggest size mortise lock, if its the small size then you should not pay more than $200 for the lock.  Abbaslocksmith.com has provided similar services to neighborhoods such as Elmhurst, Corona, Flushing, Forest Hills, Rego Park, Bayside, Whitestone, College Point, Howard Beach, Woodhaven and Maspeth for Ten years and warantee their parts and labor.  www.abbaslocksmith.com/emergency locksmith/queens