82 • THE LOCKSMITH LOTTERY
‘ The Locksmith Lottery ’
Kindly sponsored by ABUS
In each issue of the journal , for the rest of this year , we will pick a subscriber at random to win a prize of vouchers , courtesy of a major supplier to the industry , and a bottle of bubbly from The Locksmith Journal to celebrate .
The winner will also receive FREE coverage in the magazine in the form of a profile of their business . Just one more great reason to subscribe to The Locksmith Journal this year ! Why not give it a go ?
A big thanks to Brisant for providing this month ’ s prize ...
Five new Ultion cylinder locks
GOOD LUCK !
Serving the student community
»»
OUR LUCKY LOTTERY WINNER THIS issue is Tony Short of A . J . S . Locksmith Services in Durham . Tony has been a locksmith for 8 years and his father has owned and run a key cutting shop in the city for 20 years .
Owing to Durham ’ s considerable student population , Tony estimates that students account for 80 % of his work and they have been keeping him particularly busy so far this year as they return to university after the Christmas holidays .
Tony explains , “ We have two family businesses , the mobile locksmithing that I do and key cutting from a base in the City , which is run by my dad who is ex-military . I try to spend a day a week in the shop to keep up-to-date with that side of the business . Having a base serves us well as our customers appreciate having somewhere to call in and drop off their locks to be fixed and deal with someone face-to-face .”
When the locksmith previously used by Tony ’ s dad was approaching retirement , Tony saw an opportunity and took a locksmith course , which he thought was good , but says he has learned so much more since then . He says , “ On completion of my course , I spent 10 months practising picking the locks on 18 fake doors in my garage . As well as business from students we work with most of the estate agent community in Durham , which is massive as a result of all the student accommodation .
“ I also get involved in uPVC maintenance , repairing the gearboxes and hardware mechanisms on uPVC strips and carrying out preventative maintenance such as door realignment . I got into it by doing some work for family and friends and then , once again , practised on fake doors in my garage until I had mastered it .
“ As a local Locksmith , not a national call centre , I offer a 24-hour emergency locksmith service , serving private and business , with no call out fee . I can easily help find what best suits my customer ’ s needs and offer a free quote service . I carry a wide range of locks within my mobile unit , therefore creating a fast and competitive service that covers the areas of Durham , Darlington , Newton Aycliffe , Chester-le-Street , Sunderland , Peterlee , Washington and Consett .”
www . ajslocksmith . co . uk
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL . CO . UK | JAN / FEB 2017 Sponsored by Burg-Wächter