Local Locksmith in Richmond, VA
Thirty-two years in this city, and the person who answers the phone is the person who drives over. Most of Richmond inside half an hour.
What We Do
Everything you would expect, from somebody who lives twenty minutes away.
We Actually Live Here
Search for a locksmith and most of what comes back is a national dispatch service with a local-looking number. They take your call, sell the job to whoever is nearest, and neither of you controls the price. Ives is four people who live in Richmond, drive our own vans, and will still be at the same number next year. That is not a marketing angle, it is just the difference between a business and a lead broker.
Four Ways To Tell A Local Locksmith From A Call Center
Ask Where They Are Driving From
A real local answers instantly with a neighborhood. A dispatch service says a technician will be assigned.
Ask For A Price, Not A Range
Nineteen dollars and up is not a price. A local can give you a genuine figure because they know the job and the drive.
Look For A License Number
Virginia licenses locksmiths. It should be on the website, the van and the invoice, not produced only if you ask.
See If The Number Has History
A business that has been somewhere thirty years has reviews going back years, not fifty five-star reviews from last month.
Homes, Cars And Businesses
Homeowners
Lockouts, rekeys after moving in, deadbolt upgrades and doors that will not close properly.
Drivers
Keys locked in, keys lost, worn keys that no longer turn and fobs that stopped working.
Local Businesses
Shops, restaurants and offices — staff changes, master keys and hardware that gets daily use.
Landlords
Rekeys between tenants with the old keys accounted for and new ones handed over properly.
Half An Hour To Most Of The City
We cover Richmond and the near suburbs properly rather than claiming the whole state and hoping. Inside the city it is usually half an hour. Out toward Midlothian or Glen Allen it is closer to forty-five minutes, and at five in the afternoon it is longer than that. We will give you the real number when you call, because an honest wait is easier to plan around than an optimistic one.
Call, Price, Arrive, Done
You Call Us
One of four people picks up. Tell us what has happened and roughly where you are.
We Give A Real Price
An actual figure and an honest arrival time, both before anyone gets in a van.
We Come Over
In our own marked van, with the license number on it and the right stock on board.
You Pay What We Said
That figure, with a written receipt. Nothing invented on the doorstep.
What Richmond Says
Locked out on a Tuesday evening and the person who turned up recognized my street because his sister lives on it. Twenty minutes, no damage, and a proper conversation about my back door while he was there. That is what local actually means.
We bought a house where the previous owner had clearly given keys to half of Richmond. Ives rekeyed every door onto one key in about ninety minutes and charged a fraction of what a national outfit had quoted over the phone.
Called at half seven in the morning about the shop door not latching. He came before opening, adjusted the strike, would not charge for it and told me to call if it moved again. Three years later it has not.
Common Questions
How do I know you are actually local?
Ask where the van is coming from and you will get a neighborhood rather than a promise that someone will be assigned. We have been at this number for thirty-two years and our reviews go back most of that.
How fast can you get to me?
Usually thirty minutes inside Richmond and forty-five out toward Midlothian or Glen Allen, longer at rush hour. You get the real number on the call rather than an optimistic one.
Will you damage my lock?
Usually not. Most locks can be picked and that is what we try first, because it leaves you with the lock you already own. If one genuinely cannot be picked we tell you before starting.
Should I rekey or replace after moving in?
Rekey, nearly always. It costs less, takes less time, and unless the hardware is worn or you want an upgrade, a rekeyed lock is exactly as secure as a new one.
Do you charge more in the evening?
A little after eight and on Sundays, and we will tell you what it is on the phone rather than at the door. Before eight on a weekday it is the standard rate.
Can you make a car key if all of them are lost?
Yes, for most makes back to the late nineties, at your vehicle rather than at a dealership. Bring proof it is yours — we will not originate a key without it.