Some Customers . . .

My locksmith business is service oriented more than product oriented. Yes, I furnish a working key which is the reason these customers called in the first place. I provide the magic ingredient of knowing how to produce that working key. I ask questions to identify the exact wishes and needs to a particular job and then provide options to either meet or exceed their original request based on price and practicality.

Last week I got a call from a whole sale car agent. His accent led me to believe that he was from one of those countries over near Iraq, Iran or Syria. He’d gotten my name from the local Ford dealership who had recommended my services based on price and ability to complete the job. I was to make an ignition key for an old Ford Torino that he needed to take to auction. He was in a hurry and wanted me to leave the key on the driver side front wheel and that he would have my money in the office with a friend. I made the ignition key and threw in a trunk key at no extra charge, got paid and left my receipt.

That was a week ago; today he called and the first thing out of his mouth was a complaint. He had to have the car towed to auction because the car had no gas and I had not made a key for the locking gas cap. In the same breath he wanted to know how much I would charge to make a key for an ignition switch on a 1992 Acura because somebody had installed a new one and the key was different from the door key. I quoted him my wholesale price and you would have thought I was bargaining for his first born child. I let him go on for a few minutes, listening to how outrageous my price offer had been. I told him that I had no intention of arguing or lowering the price as I instructed him to call some other locksmith and promptly hung up on him.

I could have been just as insulting; but I hardly know the fellow. Maybe he can have the car air lifted back to the Middle East where it could serve as a suicide bomb delivery system with him as the driver; but he would still need to have the ignition key, that is unless he wanted to have the car left on the side of the road and wait for the right opportunity. In either case I would recommend he use the Acura; it’s a lot harder to find a Torino that still runs.

It has been over an hour and he just now called back, after finding that the price I quoted was indeed the most reasonable in town. I told him to take it somewhere else and hung up on him, again. Some customers are worth missing out on.