FLAM'S-WHERE EXPENSIVE IS CHEAP!

"There is No Such thing as Cheap or Expensive,But Thinking Makes It So"Shakespeare, if he were alive today.

I am writing this blog today because we have heard  from consumers, on occasion,  that they would choose Flam's Lock and Key if we were not so expensive. What is expensive?

The subject of pricing, no matter what you sell,always has been and always will be,relative.

WHY IS FLAM'S SO EXPENSIVE?

We only 'appear' expensive because our service call is more than 80% of most other locksmith's you may call,but when you compare the bottom line, not the service call line, we are cheaper. 

More important,we choose a higher price point for our trip charge so we can maintain our standards of excellence and stay in business.

Some of these standards that are for your benefit include:

1. Maintaining a shop location and paying rent so we can offer you more choices than a mobile     

    only service. We want you to touch and feel, not just listen over the phone. We also want to   

    offer  products like high security locks because you can only get your proprietary keys cut at a       shop.

    Flam's physical location also allows us to cater to commercial clients, property management

    companies, homeowners associations and quality residential clientel,

 

    We were also raised with old fashion values that taught us that having a physical location lends 

    greater credibility to our reputation and integrity. Sixty years in business proves this advice was

    correct.

2. We believe in hiring the best and most experienced and ethical employees and paying them 

    more. It adds to our cost but less to yours' because they can problem solve and you can trust

    they are a good fit to work in a culture that demands excellence, continuing education and       

    integrity.

    We don't pay them as independent contractors, like most, to avoid paying workers comp

    insurance avoiding matching social security taxes. 

3. We charge what it cost to pay for a truck, insurance, repairs and travel time ( we actually 

     don't charge enough to cover these costs) so we can stay in business and honor your

     warranties.

    WE DO THE RIGHT THING!

5. WE DON'T WANT EVERYONE'S BUSINESS and yes you read that correctly. We choose

    to eliminate price shoppers who have no appreciation for the difference between a locksmith and a

    'security professional' and who are not concerned with the reputation of who hands them there keys.

    These are the consumers who pay the most and learn that 'cheap is expensive'. 

WHY ARE FLAM'S PRICES SO CHEAP?

So now that you know why we may charge more you may wonder why we are less expensive.

1.  We charge enough so you are not ripped off with the lure of a cheap service call which is made

     up by charging you 4 times more for product and labor.

2.  We maintain a location so you can bring things in for repair without needing a trip charge.

3. Remember that standard about paying more for experienced and ethical employees?

    Well, they can repair and not just replace, they will not pretend your lock can't be picked so

    they can make more by replacing it, they will get the job done faster because they can, keeping

    your labor costs down. They can problem solve and tell you the truth because they know about

    more products.

4. We don't send out independent contractors who make commission and don't protect you

    against liability.

5. We maintain our State Contractors license's, require our employee's to have their Consumers

     Affairs License so you know we are not sending criminals or sex offenders. Yes, you read 

     correctly again, most locksmiths do not do background checks. We know of one sex offender

     currently in business and another that employed him for 12 years. 

"There is No Such Thing as Cheap or Expensive, But Thinkng Makes It so"

 There is such a thing as good and bad.

Protecting what you most value!

Vikki Flam 

IS YOUR LOCKSMITH SAFE?

No one ever accused me of not being straight forward and this blog topic is no exception.

 At Flam's Lock and Key your security is our business and the lockmith you choose is your first step in protection, but do you know if the person coming to your home or business is a REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER?  Yes, that's right, for over 12 years an established locksmith company employed just such a person and it was only after his own daughter was a victim that he found out.

How do you know if the company you trust does background checks before they hire? How do you know if they follow the law and require each employee to apply for and obtain their consumer affairs license which requires finger printing?

How many of you ask if their locksmith is licensed and simply believe their verbal answer without asking them to email or fax copies?

If you still only care about what appears to be the cheapest price, think again; this same registered sex offender now owns his own company but just operates without a license because he relies on your naivety.

I hope this blog promotes awareness and smarter consumers. At least in our industry there are required credentials you can ask to see. Shop smart, smart safe.

Protecting what you most value,
Vikki Flam

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Celebrating 60 years event

Thank You! Because of you, Flam's Lock & Key is celebrating 60 years in business. To celebrate, we want to cordially invite you to our Customer Appreciation event being held October 24 from 10 to 1.

Being in business for 60 years, we have seen security evolve in such amazing and hi-tech ways. As your local security expert, we pride ourselves on staying current with technology and regulations keeping you and your business safe and secure. To help us celebrate our past 60 and future 60 years, the ASSA ABLOY Security Professionals Showroom will be on site to show you the latest in security technology.

The ASSA ABLOY Security Professionals Showroom (SPS) is the latest addition to the ASSA ABLOY fleet of mobile innovation showrooms and displays products from 5 different group brands: Adams Rite, Arrow, HES, Medeco, and Securitron. Offering hands-on time with ASSA ABLOY's newest products, during the SPS tours you will preview the newest product innovations from ASSA ABLOY including

• Full suite of Arrow Revolution which are aesthetically pleasing Touch Screen Locks, with voice guided programming
• Arrow levers with classroom intruder function for K12 applications
• Medeco's Smart High Security Solutions with patented key control
• Fire, outdoor, and windstorm rated solutions
• Stand alone Medeco loss and liability products that retrofits existing hardware
• Smart magnalocks with integrated camera and motion detector from Securitron
• New electrification options for aluminum storefront doors by Adams Rite
• ASSA ABOY latest product Aperio which provides real-time wireless access control with audit trail

Mark you calendar and join us for a fun filled day of food, prizes, tours, and celebration

Will You Be the Next Victim of Crime? Your Odds Just Increased

CNN Justice: " Supreme Court won't delay release of California inmates"

For those readers who follow my blog you know my intent is not to promote our business, but with the impending release of 10,000 prisoner's I would be remiss to ignore passing along this information.

Thousands who have not completed their terms have already been released from L.A. county jails ( over 23,000) and county officials say some have been convicted of violent crimes. Statistics show that 99% of these felons will be back in jail with 3 years.

With that said, will your family, home or business be victim to the resulting crime that sends them back? For all of us, our odds just increased!

For heaven sake, I don't care who you call ( actually I do) but you can no longer wait to install high secruity locks or keep your head in the sand. Your Alarm is your second line of defense not your first.

It is easy to be numb to warnings of disaster but like a hurricane warning will you be the one who waits for the tree to fall on you before you act?

We may be in the Security business but we are human beings who care first!

Protecting what you most Value,
Vikki Flam

Increase in Crime and Sherman Oaks and 11 other areas

STOP AND READ ME-YOU ARE WORTH IT!
It is Vikki again and most of you know that my blog is usually not intended to promote Flam's Lock and key, however today is different and here are the reasons:
Yesterday I received a neighborhood crime alert from Public Safety First that reported a significant increase in violent and property crimes in Sherman Oaks and 11 other areas. This is for the period July 14 through July 20.

I was pleased to get the alert but when I read this I was once again concerned as as your security expert because that the article advised visiting Public Safety First for information on how to make your neighborhood safer.

I have blogged before on the importance of knowing that we are the security professionals, not the police, not big box store employees or scam locksmiths.
It is OUR job to keep abreast of over 2,000 security products, including high security locks and to know that it is the entire door that provides security, not just your lock. It is our job to protect what you most value and that your
pysical security (not our alarms) is the first line of defense.

It is your job to keep your head above the sand and to know who to call BEFORE you need a security professional and not after. Crime will only get worse when prisoners are released. It is also your job to shop integrity and not price as integrity ensures the best price, not to mention you don't want to hand your keys to a stranger.
Flam's has been blessed to be a part of Sherman Oaks and the rest of the Valley for over 60 years and 3 generations and simply and perhaps corney we just care!
Whether it is to scedule a goup security event or upgrade your home or business security just know we have an educated team to protect what you most value.

Yours in Security,
Vikki

LIE-locksmith scam advise you shouldn't ignore

So who watched the ABC program called “Lookout” this week and the segment about scam locksmiths?

Part of the information was old news but a needed reminder of the following:

1.       When you are locked out of your home or business most locksmiths rip you off by when they drill a lock that can be easily picked adding up to hundreds of dollars.They also insist on cash payments.

2.       Don’t think because you are calling a local locksmith that they are local.Many companies are based in other states and send independent contractors all over the nation. They get millions of calls a year and send out complete strangers who are handing you your keys.

3.       We personally know one valley locksmith who employed a registered sex offender for 12 years. He does not do background checks before hiring.PRETTY SCARY STUFF! Now this individual owns his own security company.

4.       Every company charged 3 to 4 times more than they quoted these vulnerable folks who asked first.

5.       Most companies show an address on google maps but when ABC went to these address’s they were all fake( not a surprise to us)

SO LISTEN UP-HERE IS FLAM’S ADVICE:

     1.LIE, YES I SAID LIE! When Flam’s is not available for lockouts we tell our customers to say something 

       Like this; “ I have locked myself out 3 times already ( I am such a ditz) to thankfully I know my lock

       Can be picked”. If they still have to drill it it means they are either inept or you have a high security

       Lock which is designed to be pick resistant(not*even Flam’s has had to drill a common lock but is

       About 1% of the time).

     2. Find a local brick and mortar 24/7 locksmith BEFORE you need them and don’t believe the internet.

     3. As a general rule most locksmiths who run 24/7 and have the largest ads are not the companies

         You would call for your more important security needs-that would of course be Flam’s. But

        Kidding aside, they do not have the required California State Contractors license and do mostly

        Lockouts.

Protecting what you most value,

Vikki Flam

The Pros and Cons of Business Review Sites

Flam's Lock and key is proud of their reviews and we are often approached to advertise on Yelp and Angie's List because of the majority of positive reviews.
I started this blog telling you this so you will agree that what I write is not biased or with an agenda to promote our company.
There are just a few things that you need to know before basing your decision to use ANY business based on its reviews but I will use Locksmith's as an example:

• Many reviews are based on services that do apply to the problems you need to solve. For example, if most of the reviews are raving about lockout services for auto and home the companies usually are not high end residential and commercial security professionals but 24/7 mobile services.They are easy to spot because that is what they advertise, There are always exceptions to the rule but you shouldn't have to look for a needle in a haystack.

• When a review says the company arrived on time and did a great job how does the customer always know? For example, was a lock replaced that could have been repaired? If the customer needed re- keys do they know the quality of pins and keys the company used? If they called a locksmith and said they need their locks changed because they just moved to a new location did the locksmith sell them new locks when the cylinders only needed repinning(I know companies that do that)? Do you know if the company replaced a lock that could have been easily picked? I know you don't and that is one of the major scams.

• Do you use Yelp? If so are you aware that many positive reviews are filtered on the bottom of the page because they have a system that 'automatically' determines if it is a ligitimate review. They often get it wrong!
• Yelp also claims that paid advertisers are treated the same as non-sponsored business's but it is interesting to note the number of reviews that are not filtered when they pay to advertise. I will continue to test what for now is a theory.

I think the take away  from this blog is that consumers should not 'entirely' rely on review sites and need to take some extra steps in researching companies. Word of mouth referrals that allow you to ask questions are still in the smart shoppers tool kit. There is a rule that still hold true...if you hear 3 good things about the same company it is usually true and the same for 3 bad things.
Protecting what you most value,
Vikki Flam