My ex bought a new chip/remote key for her car since the old case is literally falling apart and the key is worn out, but I didn't trust the local home improvement stores to have the expertise to cut such keys correctly even though Ace Hardware already stated they could do it.
Instead I chose a professional locksmith, but my experience suggested anything but professionalism.
First, the woman running the shop said she can't cut the key because it doesn't fit the machine. I'm surprised a locksmith doesn't have the equipment to cut modern car keys. I asked for a small eyeglass-size screwdriver and after some searching I spotted a Philips jeweler's screwdriver which I used to separate the remote portion from the key portion. It fit the machine so she proceeded to cut the key, but at a pace that caught my attention having cut hundreds of keys myself in the past when working in maintenance and construction. When I got home I was able to turn the key in the ignition, barely. A pass across my wire wheel smoothed out the rough edges left behind by the hurried cutting process, but in her haste she didn't properly seat the shoulder of the new key against the cutting machine stops, so the key does not work when fully inserted since the bitting is offset in relation to the shoulder. I have to insert it, then pull it back slightly to make it turn, which is going to cause damage to my ignition cylinder if I keep trying to turn the key while it's fully inserted out of habit.
As such I've wasted the cost of the key cutting and the replacement key since it's now useless. I should have taken it to Ace Hardware.
Instead of offering to replace the key and cut it properly, or even refund the money I paid them, their response was to make excuses and hide behind the old "I've been doing this for X years".
First they questioned why I didn't cut the key myself since I have experience. I didn't because the equipment was always provided by my employers.
Next they claimed I was in a bad mood when I entered the shop. An assumption they apparently based on the fact I was wearing a mask. I was not in a bad mood, and in fact in a pretty good mood since I was finally able to get a new key for the car. I was wearing the mask because my ex was recovering from COVID19 and I didn't want to put anyone else at risk.
Their next excuse was to claim the "cheap" key my ex purchased was at fault, but it's made of the same material, fit the door and ignition cylinders perfectly since the warding was correct, and the overall dimensions were the same compared to the original key, including the distance between the tip and shoulder.
Regardless, none of these excuses justify poor quality workmanship. read more
