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Don’t forget to lock your door when you’re outside
Posted by: | CommentsHome invasion is a crime of opportunity
Burglars are going to take any opportunity they can to get into your home if the situation presents itself.
I’ve been hearing stories about people in quiet, “safe” places falling victim to home invasions while they’re outside in their own yards, gardening or entertaining friends on the patio.
A burglar like this has to be very brazen and possibly armed. Your best protection in this case is to keep your doors and windows locked if you’re going to be outside for any length of time, even in the back yard. If you have a security system, turn it on when you’re going outside. Invest in good quality locks and security products. You’ll find an excellent selection at our Berkeley locksmith shop.
A couple other suggestions:
- Don’t leave a key under a door mat, a silly fake rock, in a mailbox, above a door frame or anywhere else blatantly obvious. These are the first places many burglars check.
- Get a dog who will bark at anyone approaching your home.
- In the event that an intruder does make his way in your home, don’t make it easy for him to take your valuables. Lock as many of the away. Never leave your purse in plain sight. Don’t leave cash or jewelry on your kitchen counter. If there’s nothing worth stealing in the kitchen, the burglar is likely to make a bee line to the master bedroom. Try hiding your valuables in an unsuspecting place. There’s a wide variety of safes available at our Berkeley locksmith shop located at 1908 University Avenue. Hide your safe in the laundry room, maybe a bathroom vanity, a garage or even a freezer.
It doesn’t have to be dark to make a burglar interested in your property so try to always be cognizant of protecting your home and your family.
Are you inviting someone to rob your home?
Posted by: | CommentsIf you think installing some antivirus software is all it takes to protect yourself during your online activities, you might want to think again.
Facebook and Twitter are fun tools for social networking but it’s amazing to see how many people are completely careless when updating their status.
When you’re on the computer talking with friends and family on Facebook, being a victim of a robbery is probably the farthest thing from your mind, but it shouldn’t be.
Are your privacy settings configured so that only friends can see your status updates and information?
If you have hundreds of followers or friends do you know each of them on a personal level? Or are some of them just friends of friends?
If your status updates are viewable by just anyone and you have your hometown on your profile along with photos of your home, how long do you think it would take someone with ill intentions to find your property?
How long would they have to wait for you to post a status update telling the world that you’re going shopping or on a five day vacation?
I see this all the time – people counting down the days until they go on an extended trip or telling their “friends” how long they’ll be out running errands.
Meanwhile, I can look at their photos and see what their home looks like from the outside and interior photos give me a good idea of the contents of the home as well as how the house is laid out.
This combination is asking for trouble.
The same goes on Twitter though it’s not quite as dangerous because of the amount of information you may be sharing in comparison to Facebook where many people provide their phone number, physical address and even their children’s names. That’s giving a bad guy an awful lot of information.
Our locksmith shop in Berkeley carries a variety of security products that can help protect your home but you should try not to invite a burglar right into your home by telling them when you’ll be gone!
Angie’s List warns against California locksmith scams
Posted by: | CommentsImagine you’re locked out of your car in an unfamiliar part of the city. You call the first Berkeley locksmith you can find after a scan of the yellow pages scanning yellow pages to find someone to help you out of the situation.
The person on the phone gives you a reasonable estimate so you wait for them to arrive. When the technicians finally pull up in an unmarked car they hand you a bill for much higher than the quoted price, demanding immediate cash payment.
This is not only happening in California, but all over the United States despite news reports and warnings from government agencies against these locksmith scams.
I urge you to read the article published by Angie’s list. Click here to view it. Hopefully when you’re finished you’ll program Rex Key’s number in your cell phone so when you find yourself in need of a reputable Berkeley locksmith you can avoid falling victim to these completely unethical scammers.
Get Your Berkeley Locksmith to Duplicate Your House Key
Posted by: | CommentsHow many keys are hanging in your home right now? There’s likely a key to your post office box, one to each of your vehicles and one for every door lock on your house. You might have one to your garage, a storage locker, a safe or any number of things. Most of us have many keys, yet only one key to all of our most important locks.
I would suggest you head to your nearest locksmith shop and have duplicates of at least your house key made because you should never have only one key to anything that you don’t want to be locked out of!
Getting a duplicate key made will take hardly any time, is quite an insignificant fee and it will be much cheaper than paying a locksmith to let you in if you’re ever locked out in the future.
Our Berkeley locksmith shop is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 5:30 and on Saturdays from 9:00 to 4:30.
Don’t look for cheap when searching for a reputable locksmith
Posted by: | CommentsIn this day and age it seems like everyone is looking for a deal. We all want to get services as cheaply as possible but when it comes to choosing a locksmith you really want to get someone that you can trust. For that reason, choosing a locksmith should be about more than price alone.
When searching online for a locksmith in Berkeley, you’re likely to come across twenty or thirty different businesses but there are only about four legitimate locksmith shops in Berkeley.
There are two or three fraudulent locksmiths in Berkeley operating under ten or so different names each at ten or so fake addresses. They even go so far as to pirate the address of a local locksmith and put their own name and number on the listing. These people reason that no matter who you think you’re calling, you will end up reaching them. The odds are excellent that you will actually be contacting a fake locksmith even when you think you have found a legitimate company.
An excellent way to tell if you have a fake is to always ask if you can stop by their shop during normal business hours to get a duplicate key. Anyone who says no is not a legitimate locksmith in Berkeley.
Anyone like this is completely untrustworthy. Someone desperate enough to post an erroneous address or to steal someone else’s is very bad news. They also have minimal training and are probably not licensed. It is illegal to operate as a locksmith in the state of California without one.
Here at Rex Key & Security, this is very bad news for us. Not only are these fraudulent locksmiths basically poaching our customers, but even though we’ve been in business for a hundred years, we’re concerned about being painted with the same brush as those unscrupulous companies.
We’ve responded to many complaints from customers that need us to come and fix their locks after they got locked out and have had fake locksmiths damage their locks. The fakes often get the jobs by quoting super low prices but they will raise the price when they get to the location and they rarely do the job they were hired for.
A consumer only makes that mistake once.
One of my competitors, a fellow locksmith, has done two sting operations. He calls out one of the fakes to unlock a car and after the fake opens the car he has his employees box in that car with a couple of other cars and then makes a citizen’s arrest. The police arrive and arrest the fake. The last guy caught is still in jail for immigration problems as it turns out he was here from Israel and has an expired visitors pass.
These people don’t care about you or your security needs. They just want to make a buck at your expense. We call them hit and run artists.
Please take your time when choosing a locksmith in Berkeley. Hiring one of these fraudulent companies will not result in a good situation for you and you will likely end up calling us anyway. Program our number in your phone and call on us when you find yourself locked out: 1-800-739-5397
Berkeley Locksmith Receives 2009 Angie’s List Super Service Award
Posted by: | CommentsRex Key & Security, located at 1908 University Avenue in Berkeley, has been honored as the recipient of an Angie’s List Super Service Award for 2009. For a hundred years, Rex Key & Security has been serving the locksmith and security needs of businesses and residents in the East Bay Area including Berkeley, Oakland and surrounding locations.
According to Wikipedia, “Angie’s List is one of many companies which aggregate consumer reviews of local service companies and which have been described by the New York Times as a way to “capture word-of-mouth wisdom.” Angie’s List is unique, however, in that it charges consumers to see reviews, reflecting their belief that charging consumers “adds credibility to the information.””
Every year, Angie’s List recognizes companies who have received positive reviews from members for providing outstanding service during the year prior.
In 2009, criteria for a business to receive an Angie’s List Super Service Award included having a minimum number of reports from members, an A average and good standing with the Better Business Bureau. According to Angie’s List, less than 5% of participating companies were given the award in 2009.
Rex Key & Security’s owner, Joe Towbis, says, “It feels great to put the Angie’s List Super Service Award® badge on rexkey.com because it means our customers have taken the time out to give us positive reviews on there. That means a lot to us because we’re a service-driven company.”
Rex Key & Security has licensed and insured locksmiths in eight mobile units serving the East Bay Area and the company offers 24/7 emergency service in addition to their fully stocked shop on University Avenue. Whether you’re locked out of your car or your home or you need a specialty key cut, Rex Key can help.
“I always suggest that people program our phone number into their telephone because often when you have an emergency lockout, you’re not near a phone book,” states Towbis.
For details about the services and products available at Rex Key, visit them online at www.RexKey.com, call 1-800-739-5397 or stop into the shop at 1908 University Avenue.
Don’t fall victim to a Distraction Burglary
Posted by: | CommentsThe easiest and least expensive way to protect your home goes back to one of the first pieces of advice your parents gave you – don’t open the door to strangers.
Maybe you’ve heard of distraction burglaries before and maybe you haven’t. But it’s very important that you get yourself educated about this type of crime used by the lowest of the lowly perpetrators to gain entry into a home.
When a distraction or trick is used on the person answering the door to gain access to a home with the intention of committing burglary, that’s known as a Distraction Burglary and it’s happening more often than you would think.
The most likely victim of such a crime is usually a woman over the age of 78, living on her own. Often, the victim doesn’t even realize anything was stolen until well after the crime actually took place.
Imagine an unsuspecting elderly woman opening the door to someone she believes is a nurse, a gardener, utility personnel, delivery person or even a police officer who is actually a thief there to take advantage of her good nature.
These types of burglars are known as “bogus callers.” A legitimate caller should have some type of official-looking ID and any relevant paperwork you’d expect a professional to have with them.
Here are some very important tips concerning doorstep safety to keep in mind for yourself and also to pass along to your children and elderly family members or acquaintances.
- Ask why the person is at your door and if their story does not add up, close the door, lock it, and call the company they claim to represent.
- Ask for ID and paperwork. You should have your chain pulled across and ask them to pass the papers through to you before you unlock the door.
- When you’re answering the front door, make sure the back door is locked. These burglars often work in pairs and while the victim is busy at the front door, their accomplice is sneaking in the back.
- Don’t keep large sums of money in the house. Same goes for valuables. Investing in a small safe is a good idea.
- Keep all of your documents with personal information on them out of clear sight. Someone can get enough information about you from your passport, utility bills and bank statements to steal your identity.
- Never keep your keys on display. Keep them somewhere a thief would have to search hard for to find, but somewhere easy for you to remember where they are!
- When in doubt simply do not open the door.
If you think you have been victim of a distraction burglary, call the police as soon as possible.
In the meantime, if you live in Berkeley or a surrounding area, stop by our locksmith shop at 1908 University Avenue to look at the wide range of safes we have available. Our experts will help you decide which option is best for you.
Berkeley Locksmith Shop Celebrates 100 Years in Business
Posted by: | CommentsLocated at 1908 University Avenue, Berkeley’s Rex Key & Security is proudly celebrating its hundredth year in business.
In a day and age when the average lifespan of a new business is approximately five years, the current owner of Berkeley’s Rex Key & Security, is thrilled to be celebrating his shop’s hundredth year in business.
When he purchased the shop in 1987, licensed locksmith, Joe Towbis, became the fourth man to own Rex Key & Security.
The shop, located at 1908 University Avenue in Berkeley, started out as a single person locksmith service for the East Bay area and over the past hundred years has grown to the point of having eight mobile units serving several neighborhoods besides Berkeley, including Oakland, Alameda, Richmond, Piedmont and San Leandro.
“I’m very proud of what Rex Key has become,” states its owner, Joe Towbis. He adds, “For one hundred years, Rex Key has been a trusted name in the East Bay area due in part to keeping up with advances in technology, but mostly because of our dedication to exceptional customer service and employing quality people.”
Rex Key & Security is well-stocked with keys and key systems, safes, deadbolts and many more types of security products. Their eight mobile units are on call 24/7 available to help with any security emergency, be it home, commercial or automotive.
Visit Rex Key & Security at 1908 University Avenue in Berkeley.
Protect your “latchkey kid” with keyless locking systems
Posted by: | CommentsMost of us in this day and age and in this economy, have no choice but to bring in at least two incomes to support our families.
That means in single-parent homes, a parent might have to work two jobs or overtime in their one job. In most “nuclear” families, both parents work at least one job. That means there are probably more latchkey kids in California and the entire United States now than there ever have been before, because parents have limited options when it comes to providing care for their children, especially at a certain age.
Parents have no choice but to work and when a child is deemed old enough or mature enough, they’re often given a key to get in their house and then they look after themselves until a parent gets home.
The “latchkey kid” phrase was coined in the 1800s when a child would literally wear a key to their house on a string around their neck.
You don’t see that these days, but in most cases, a child does have a key to their house somewhere on their person.
We’ve all been guilty of misplacing a key as adults, but what happens if your child loses their key and has nowhere else to go until you get home? They would be so scared, you hardly want to think about it.
This is when having a keyless locking system really benefits a family. You can find locks operated by a combination code or a key that will work with your existing door. If your child is home from school before you get home and they have the code, they can let themselves in whether or not they have a key.
To make the code easy to remember, let your child help come up with the number you choose.
At Rex Key & Security we sell a variety of this type of lock. Come see us at our well-stocked locksmith shop located at 1908 University Avenue in Berkeley.
Most of us in this day and age and in this economy, have no choice but to bring in at least two incomes to support our families.
That means in single-parent homes, a parent might have to work two jobs or overtime in their one job. In most “nuclear” families, both parents work at least one job. That means there are probably more latchkey kids in California and the entire United States now than there ever have been before, because parents have limited options when it comes to providing care for their children, especially at a certain age.
Parents have no choice but to work and when a child is deemed old enough or mature enough, they’re often given a key to get in their house and then they look after themselves until a parent gets home.
The “latchkey kid” phrase was coined in the 1800s when a child would literally wear a key to their house on a string around their neck.
You don’t see that these days, but in most cases, a child does have a key to their house somewhere on their person.
We’ve all been guilty of misplacing a key as adults, but what happens if your child loses their key and has nowhere else to go until you get home? They would be so scared, you hardly want to think about it.
This is when having a keyless locking system really benefits a family. You can find locks operated by a combination code or a key that will work with your existing door. If your child is home from school before you get home and they have the code, they can let themselves in whether or not they have a key.
To make the code easy to remember, let your child help come up with the number you choose.
At Rex Key & Security we sell a variety of this type of lock. Come see us at our well-stocked locksmith shop located at 1908 University Avenue in Berkeley.
This year, resolve to improve your home’s security
Posted by: | CommentsIf you made it through 2009 with you and your family healthy and unharmed, congratulations!
If you haven’t made any New Year’s resolutions yet, here’s an idea for you. Ensure you and your family get through 2010 safe and sound by resolving this year to make some home improvements to protect against intruders.
Almost everyone could stand to add one or two items to their home security repertoire. Here are some suggestions for you to help protect your home:
- Install bright lights around your homes points of entry to deter a burglar for fear of being spotted
- Make sure you have good quality deadlocks on all of your doors.
- Stop hiding a key outside in an obvious place.
- Put your family’s valuables in a fireproof safe or store them off site in a safety deposit box.
- Always lock your doors even when you’re at home.
- Never let a strange into your home, no matter how official they might appear. There are many scams running rampant and some robbers dress as delivery personnel or other officials. Always ask to see ID and inspect it closely before letting someone in your home.
- Don’t forget to lock your windows.
- Never leave ladders or anything else alongside your home to help a burglar climb to the second floor to find a new way to gain entry.
- Ensure your home’s doors are of high quality.
- If you did not change your locks when you moved into your current home, change them now. It’s never too late.
You can never be overly cautious when it comes to protecting your home. A few small improvements and minor investments can go a very long way in ensuring your family’s safety.