Don's Key and Lock is the Locksmith shop you deserve, not the one you need right now. If you need to have a nice warm and fuzzy experience and positive self-affirmation call your mom. If you want extremely knowledgable lock service and hardware purchase advice from a guy in the neighborhood who's been doing this forever then go see Don. He might a bit rough around the edges but once you bust through that he's the most helpful locksmith I've ever dealt with. Some background: I recently bought a condo where the previous owner was foreclosed and current tenant evicted (boohoo - just kidding, wasn't rent controlled so relax). Anyhow, the net result with respect to the front door locks is that they had been serviced by someone who's job it was to just "get the damn thing working." That didn't last very long of course and as the new owner I needed to get the mortise working properly. Called the manufacturer and was sent over to Don. Turns out, it was Don's company that had initially installed all the lock hardware in the building a dozen or so years earlier so he was very familiar with what I had. He asked me to bring in the mortise hardware and he'd open it up and have a look. Brought in my lock, he opened it up, determined the problem and even showed me what had gone wrong when it was previously serviced. Sold me what I needed and showed me how to install it properly and I was on my way. He didn't have to do that, could've insisted that I needed one of his guys to make a service call that would've left me 80 bucks lighter. Very cool. A few months later had to go back to Don because the HOA needed some handles replaced in the garage and I volunteered to perform the labor now that I'm an "expert" thanks to Don's training. Once again he was very helpful. Sold me exactly what I needed even though there were way more expensive options that he could've talked me into - showed me those as well and explained why I didn't need to spend the extra money but was more than happy to let me if I insisted. I didn't. Bottom line, Don is a master of his trade and if those guys making pour overs down the street are allowed to have an attitude about it then Don can be as surly as he wants. read more

Don's lock and key has been servicing our building for years and they always do a wonderful Job! The technician came out within the timeframe that I was given and fixed our lock! It was easy to make an appointment, quick response and excellent service! read more

If your company breaks something when you are fixing something else - you prioritize that client and at the very least offer good communication during the process of figuring it out. They have done neither. The real quality of a company is reflected when something goes wrong - not when everything is easy. 3 weeks ago today I called for a simple gate strike lock and rekey on my apartment building. When installing the strike lock the first time the door wouldn't shut without slamming it (clearly installed incorrectly) in addition at this time the intercom speaker stopped working. This is an old building. It is wired non traditionally with the strike lock and the intercom system part of the same wiring. Don's employees have constantly stalled and made promises to call with an update on their "research" to figure out what the problem is - and they never call. I have had to call them each and every time. And each and every time they are "booked" and have to schedule me out a few days... 3 weeks later, MANY phone calls and a stop into their store to speak to the manager (who refused to come out of her office and speak to me, which is very baffling and the epitome of terrible management) I am at a loss. I have been very patient giving them 3 weeks and another promise to call between 9-12 today (which they did not) - my patience is up. This company's communication is some of the worst I've ever experienced. I strongly suggest you hire another company - one that won't give you the run around on their shoddy work and hope you give up. Its truly disrespectful and a reflection of not caring about correcting their error. read more

Granted I'm a little biased because I got to park right in front! 2 young people running the store when I went to get my car key copied, both seemed nice and responsible and were busy doing their jobs. The man that took care of my request also gave me a quick "be right with you" when he knew I was waiting for someone else to finish up - which I appreciated. All in all, I didn't ask for much, but they did it all just right: manners, timing, & price too. all good. read more

I am in the process of purchasing two new entry lock sets for my residence and Don's staff has been very accommodating in the process of choosing the appropriate set for my residence. Even when there was some confusion they maintained a solution minded attitude and made me, the customer, happy. Thanks very much for taking care of the customer and I will be sure to spread the word that this is how you do business. Thanks! read more

don's right on! gave me a factory made key from a broken car key and a discount. The best guy/service in town!!!!!

They are so customer service oriented! They always go the extra mile every time! Here the son Donny really knows how to address the customers needs! As everyone knows I am usually given the VIP treatment everywhere I Go but I have to tell you I was supremely impressed! Every time I've come in here this young man understands the issues is the utmost professional truly knowledgeable through experience! A couple of weeks ago I brought in a very complicated issue with an existing K lock and he figured out what all the parts were and after the installation the 60-year lock looks and operates like a brand new $700 lockset! I just can't say enough about this business and I am glad that it is on Mission Street highly accessible! Parking is not the issue most people think it might be! I believe they are a full-service business and I can't begin to throw enough business at them! Thank you so much Don's staff! read more

Old school service. This guy and his shop cut to the chase and help you get what you need done. He's fair and honest. Definitely coming back over heading to one of the big box stores. read more

Our company has many apartment buildings in San Francisco and we've been using Don's for years. Don and his technicians are all extremely knowledgeable and get the job done right the first time. I've also used them on my own personal property and have always had the same great experience. I highly recommend Don's for all your lock and key needs! read more

I guess the theme is they make great copies of keys, whether it be for your home and car but search out another for locksmith services. I am a Property Manager for a Social Services non-profit agency that provides supportive housing.... I was at some point misinformed by my maintenance technician that Don's was the locksmith to use. I received a call this morning that one of our residents was having difficulty with his lock. I called Don's this morning and was told that he wouldn't have anyone available until after 3, sure enough right before 3 I received a call. I appreciated the honesty, I hate being told 30 minutes for hours. However I received a call from his employee stating that he was not getting out of his car until someone came out of the building, essentially to escort him in and that if no one came out he was not getting out of the car because there were crack heads on the corner. I am 5'5, and 120lbs I work there, I am there almost everyday and at all hours of the day, it's sketchy if you're not familiar with it but I mean really.... SO I'm like how can this be our locksmith when our hotels are in the Tenderloin and SOMA areas and they don't "do" those areas without escort,. I am under staffed as is and I can't have my staff babysitting adults. Anyways I will give them a shot if I am in their neighborhood and need a key made. I will be working with the rest of my department this week on finding a suitable company who can hang in the neighborhoods we provided services in. read more

I called to request their service and they requested that I send pictures of my project, which I did and then said that the locksmith will call you but he never did even after me calling them back twice!! read more

I gave him three chances since everybody can have a bad day but no, he is a mysogynist, rude with clients and very arrogant. He also charges double compare to other similar businesses...Don has bad karma!!! Even a star is too much!!!!! read more

I called and person over the phone requested photos. I emailed photos and waited. Did not hear back. Then called and was told I'd get a quote by end of day. It has been over a week now and no call back. Poor customer service. read more

Robert is great.I know the owner and woman are not as pleasant but my experience is positive overall.

Great service! They were professional, prompt, and skilled.

Extremely displeased with their idea of service. They made three keys for us which didn't work (to be fair, they warned us they might not work) but it was getting the money back that was truly silly. Guy at the cash register said he couldn't give it back to us despite our having the receipt because only the manager could do that. Well, we came back three times and the manager was never there. We called to see when the manager would be there and they couldn't say. What would be so terrible about having the guy who has been left in charge of the place give us our $12 back? read more

had a very expensive lock installed less than two years ago. the lock started to stick so i called dons to get it inspected. the technician arrived and sprayed oil into the lock. the technician spent less than thirty seconds at my place. i asked for a discount as a retuning customer and because the whole time from leaving his shop to returning was less than ten minutes. was charged 55.00. I live less than three minutes away from the shop. I should have been treated better as a returning customer. I will never call them for anything again. read more

Absolutely fabulous service! I have been having Don's Key and Lock make keys for me for years now and they are always perfect. I NEVER have a problem with them working. Recently I called to have them work on my front door that was always a problem closing. Someone came and did a perfect job. Even my complaining neighbors who finally moved away would have a difficult job complaining any more! A couple of weeks later, I called to have someone rekey a couple of locks and it was done within an hour! Fast and very friendly service always! Reasonable costs. read more

For years I had used Don's and I have multiple rental properties, but after a decline in their customer service and after they failed to keep multiple appointments wasting my time, I have stated using another lock smith here in town. To their credit they did give me the master key charts to my building making this change a bit easier as I think they know they kind of blew it with me! read more

As a resident of Bernal Heights, I like to support neighborhood businesses. So despite reading a fair number of negative reviews here, I hired Don't Key & Lock to install a couple new locks and repair a 100-year-old busted doorknob. Donnie (Don's son) arrived on time within a few hours of when I stopped by the shop. He fixed everything lickedy-split, and was friendly and personable to boot. The price seemed fair. read more

My dumba** loses the key to my Givi helmut box on my scooter so the only course of action is to change the lock...but to change the lock, I need to unlock the box first. I go to Locksmith #1, she says I need to leave the scooter with her the next morning and it will be $50 to pick the lock. I declined. #2 locksmith spends about 15 minutes and can't get it open. He is a nice guy and doesn't charge me. So someone refers me to this place. I go there and they quote me $25. Fair enough. So locksmith #1 tries it and can't get it. So they bring out the younger generation guy (20 something) to give it a stab and he spends about 15 minutes and can't get it. So #3, all this time has been talking smack saying he can open it, but it will cost triple. Well he steps up to the plate and does indeed open it. He can back his smack talk and I respect that. He then installs the new lock for me which takes another 15 minutes of trial and error and the lock works. All is good. I get a little nervous because they have carte blanche. Total bill for almost an hours work. $25. But more importantly, they got the job done!!! Not all locksmiths are created equal. There are some neg reviews on them because of their attitude. Well they are a bunch of New Yorkers. To the point and real. Not this fake nice that floods SF and some people can't handle this kick of non pretentious attitude. read more

Very prompt home service when I lost my keys and needed to rekey my apartment. Not quite as quick on car service, so I ended up using someone else. read more

Very poor service, poor workmanship, staff do not know what they are doing, Techs do cheap shoddy work, do not follow up on promises, don`t arrive on time. Use some else, use anyone else unless you want to waste your money and time. read more

Don and his staff are wonderful. I live in a place that has a punch code lock. It's great when it's working. It worthless when it's not. Everytime the lock doesn't work, Don or someone on his team rushes over to help out. The only thing that isn't great: they don't have an answering service for after hours. read more

The service and the price was great. I was able to make 3 copies of my keys for only 8 bucks. I definitely will return in the future.

This place is the only place to go to get keys made. A while back Lowe's and Coles hardware both couldn't make me a useable set of keys for some reason and they did it no problem, ever since then I won't go anywhere else. More recently they opened up early when they saw I was waiting for them to open up! I'm so happy that dons keys is still in my neighborhood. Customer service is great, and genuine. read more

Perfectionist. Perfect word to describe their work ethic. Came in to do a rekey and completed the job very quickly and professionally. Wouldn't hand it back until it felt just right. read more

I called them yesterday at about 9:30 AM to arrange for someone to come and change all my locks (I had a lot of workers here last year, and didn't know if any of them had kept keys) John was here by 10:30 and was very professional and had all the locks changed and new keys made in about an hour at a very good price. This is the best lock shop in the Mission (don't know about other neighborhoods). I would say that if you need new locks or keys in this neighborhood this is the place to go!! read more

Brought my broken mortise lock (needed a new spring) to Don's at the suggestion of another locksmith. They fixed it right up in 2 days for an incredibly reasonable rate. Mortise specialists had been quoting me close to $400. Don's charged me $30 (although I will have to re-install the lock myself or hire someone to do it). read more

Fast work and nice employees. The guy that helped me Donny was very polite and helpful thank you.

Great guys.. They seem to know old locks and are fair in their pricing. Response time was acceptable as this was not an emergency. I appreciated that they called me to discuss the repair prior fixing it. read more

Called at 9 am to re-key 5 locks and make 6 keys, plus 2 gate keys. By 12 noon the job was complete. Jon was the man and we appreciate all his work. Very fair price! read more

6:30 pm. dinner on stove. wind blows bedroom door closed. locked from the inside. kid on the inside. panic ensues. I take door handle apart -- nothing but a rising panic -- I call Don's he's calm as a 911 operator he walks me through it in three easy steps. door opens all calms dinner is ready evening saved ( and $100) Don is a superhero his superpower is to telephonically see into my door lock, align his super powers of lock interpretation on it and tell me exactly what to do. Can not recommend too highly !! read more

Their keys are cut accurately, unlike other shops. Key and hardware prices better than at Cole Hardware up the street. Locked out once and when Don came out, found he could get in by climbing on roof and opening window, so he reduced the charge by 1/2. Couldn't ask for nicer people. read more

Don's lock and key is consistently friendly, polite, knowledgeable and very attentive. Always a good experience.

These guys are great. Super friendly and efficient. Maher visited our home and was helpful and professional. I would use them again.

Don & his staff are extremely knowledgeable in security locks and hardware for consumers. His store has several samples that you can physically look at and touch. If you are looking for cheaper options he will tell you it is available at Home Depot or other stores. Having retired from a career in law enforcement, spanning over 30 years, I was impressed with his knowledge of the various products he sells and his recommendations regarding physical security options. His installers are professional and are true journeymen in their trade! Great local business! read more

Don's makes me feel like I live in a small town. He's a little grumpy but in a "do the job right" way, not for the sake of being a jerk. Don cares so much about the work that he'll remember a place where they did the job and fix any issues quickly. If you're looking for quality and straight talk, come to Don's. read more

I've used Don's before over the years, but I never will again. Called, never got a call back, called again, scheduled for 2 - 6pm. Jon showed up at six - I needed six locks re-keyed. Right off the bat he couldn't get the machine screws out to remove the gate lock and offered no solution. The gate lock is keyed on both sides so after he gave up I drilled out the screws and got the lock off so I could leave the house by the front door tomorrow. Then the minute he drove away I found he'd mis-aligned the front door lock so badly the door wouldn't close. Good thing I'm a handy fellow. Maybe it was at the end of a long bad day for him, but it wasn't a great day for me either and he was notably unhelpful. I still need a lock on my gate, but I'll call someone else for that. read more

Don's key and lock is a wonderful establishment. I wanted locks for some cabinets and Donnie kept working with me until we found locks that look nice, would work with my cabinets and were secure enough. He then ordered the locks and the most knowledgeable and nice gentleman named John came to my house to do the installation. He knew exactly what to do and even insisted on cleaning up. This is a 5 star place that I intend to use for years to come. read more