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
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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