A news announcement described a locksmith in Minnesota who has been arrested twice recently. In both cases this locksmith had been called to perform emergency work and then apparently became very hostile towards his customers. According to the news story, this same locksmith at one time had similar problems with another customer and was given some kind of reprimand by the courts.
Locksmiths are in a unique position of public trust. For more than a century modern day locksmiths have performed their duties with little fanfare and with relatively few unfortunate occurances such as described above. In most areas of the country anybody can advertise their services and become a locksmith regardless of their skill level or amount of training.
Without much government intervention the locksmith industry has flourished and reached a high level of public respect. When was the last time a customer asked about your training background before hiring you to do a job? The assumption is that every locksmith is capable without question.
There must be a reason why honest, reliable people become locksmiths. i believe that persons who become locksmiths first have a pride in attacking a problem, finding a solution and finishing the job. Locksmithing is a great way to put that pride to good use. Pride extends to satisfying each customer which builds a business reputation for future success.
People looking for the easy way out do not see locksmithing as a free ride occupation. That is why bad apples rarely show up to give our industry a bad name.
