A Phoenix Locksmith Blog

Road Trip to Surprise

Andrew McColley

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Today we ventured across the valley to Surprise AZ for a client with a 1997 Ford Mustang who needed a car key made. The quickest way to get the job done is to pull the lock from the door to read the key cuts. After the key was tested on the lock to verify it worked, we put the car door back together, and used the direct programming feature to program the new transponder key to the car. The drive for the Mesa locksmiths took them longer then the actual completion of the job but it just goes to show the passion we have for servicing the Phoenix Metro valley and helping anyone with any lock and key problem they have whenever we can!

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Making Key for 2005 Nissian Titan

Andrew McColley

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Today the locksmith in Mesa got a call from a young couple that lost keys to their 2005 Nissan Titan. They told us about calling several other local locksmiths but received the best locksmith price from us. We quickly pulled the tailgate lock and read the cuts, then tested it on the front door lock. The key opened the door without a problem, but wouldn't start the trucks. We immediately knew that the Titan'so original key had a chip in the head of it and the customer confirmed. Once we cut a new key with chip and programmed it to the vehicles computer it started right up and the job was complete. 

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Keyless Entry Access & Security Cameras

Andrew McColley

Friday, February 26, 2016

Being a member of Professional Associated Locksmiths of Arizona (PAL) and the Society Of Professional Locksmiths (SOPL) we are always ready and able to assist other Phoenix area locksmiths with larger jobs. For the past couple of years Andrews Lock and Key has worked hand-in-hand with Jim of Copperstate Lock and Security. Recently we completed a job together in North Phoenix at a gym that had just moved from the other side of town, cleaning up the mess of a security system installer that vanished before finishing the job. 

After we were able to survey the property and understand where the problem was, we started working on rewiring the control panel and configuring the computers to work properly. This was no easy task as we soon found out that the equiptment was not fully supported anymore and the computers the owner has the software running on was corrupted.

Understanding the importance of having a fully functional and risk free keyless access system and security cameras working correctly the owner placed an order for a new computer to install the access management software on and we worked on factory resetting the computer which held the security camera software. 

Once everything was back up and running we gave the company's management a brief tutorial on how to use the system and left them with what they originally had before moving locations. 

Locksmith to the Rescue

Andrew McColley

Friday, February 26, 2016

Today we went out to a house opening in Mesa, rekeyed the house to new keys, and also open a Cadillac Escalade and made a key for it after the owners had been broken into and their keys taken while on vacation. Andrew talked to them while they were on their way back and scheduled the job. Once we arrived,   Andrew quickly open the SUV while Ryan picked into the house as they got to work making this family feel secure again.

Once Ryan got through the security screen door and into the front door he started removing all the locks and rekeying them. Andrew got into the Cadillac and pulled the ignition to create a new car key for the SUV. The work was being completed in front of the home owners mother and brother who got excited wthat how fast Ryan was able to get the front door open so they could comfort the dog before secure him so that the rest of the locksmith work could be completed. 

By the time the homeowners arrived the job was just about done. They were very happy to find out that it could have costed several hundreds more dollars if they didn't find Andrew's Lock and Key or any other professional locksmith because of the major locksmith scam happening on the internet currently. 

The New York Times Review - Business Section

Andrew McColley

Friday, February 12, 2016

David Segle of The New York Times issued a publication featuring local locksmiths out of Phoenix, Arizona and some other professionals who are aware of the locksmith scam issue going on around the country. The main focus of the article addresses the problem found in Google Maps, a lawsuit filed on a locksmith lead generation company by Charles Eastwood of Locksmith Charley, and Bryan Seely, a hacker and Cyber Security specialist who has a deep background battling Google Maps.

The article shreds light on what can be seen as nothing less than an Internet cartel with an enforcement of criminal activity stopping legitimate professional locksmith's from being found on Google services. A ring of companies that don't exist and transfer to call centers around the country and sometimes in other countries have infiltrated Google Maps most reflecting back to Israeli employers from an international job board found online in Hebrew. These listings are invalid abandoned lots, listing for different businesses such as coffee shops, and other deceitful tactics. These organizations have been successfully controlling Google's Adwords, Maps, and Local services utilizing genius Search Engine Optimization and covering themselves under the legalities of Google's Terms of Service in order to remain listed, all the while still violating several other policies.

They also speak with Dan Austin, an ex Google Mapper, which is a volunteer position within the company, who assisted in removing spam listings from the service but when he noticed that no permanent solution was being implemented he exploited the service and was relieved of his duty upon submission. Imagine fired for showing that there's a flaw within a system.

But one of the most interesting interview and most eye opening problem screaming documentations of this issue came from the discussion with Bryan Seely. Even The New York Times refused to publish the details behind what Mr. Seely did stating “In the interest of minimizing mischief, the methods Mr. Seely described will not be detailed here.” Bryan who is also the author of “Cyber Fraud: The Web of Lies,” is one of the biggest technology publishers in the country has some of the most authentic documentation on the Google Map issue as a whole and discusses in more detail in the TedX talk below: