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I don't know about Gasehound, but for me it was the glamour and the endless supply of women and drugs.

Totally agree with this, although my new shop is only 3 years old I'm looking at changing the outwards appearance a little, I could have done much when I moved but money was an issue at the time, my new shop looks 10 fold better than the old one and the next revamp over the next month or 2 will improve yet again but at a much lower cost now everything is already in place. New signs and a little re-organising for me before the end of this year

Lazy brits not willing to attempt to learn any of the language and too stupid to realise the key cutter probably understands enough English to get the job done anyway.

hi it seems like you need someone to explain very basics of key cutting to you and i mean basics..so usually the first point of contact is machine and blank supplier. person who sold you the machine should have given you some basic knowledge (looks like they didnt at all) on the forum not only its impractical to type in all the basic info, its also not safe to start teaching basics of key duplicating.. i would say go in to one of the blank suppliers and they will be happy to show you basics, after all you will be buying blanks from them

This topic is hidden until you make the donation. Trying to hide it in a different section won't work. Rick.

Tell her to wear them in the dark

MILA-B101 CONTOUR/INSPIRATION D/SIDE KEY Supplier 1 E.ALDRIDGE & SON LTD Their Code L22454 Pack Size: 10 Supplier 2 MILA HARDWARE UK LIM Their Code 057778 Pack Size: 10 Supplier 3 SKS LIMITED Their Code KWL43 Pack Size: 10

As far as I know, they've stopped doing them which is a pain in the arse because there are plenty of red bell ends in this town Rick.

Thanks Rick, helpful as always.

Of course you can, there is no reason why you can't other than no one had built a machine specifically to do it. It's like every other fob on the market just another technology.

Er, wrong, we couldn't attend the 'Leeds' show, we were at Manchester, which was a disaster

Be better than them, as most people on here are saying. If there's a part of your trade that you don't know - learn it. I've been a repairer since 1987 and only learned to rewelt 10 years ago - I asked another member on here to show me and I drove up to his shop, some 40 odd miles away to learn from him and it was well worth it. I've recently also started to learn more about key cutting, especially cutting keys to code and keys to lock - something totally alien to me, despite doing keys as long as I've been doing shoe repairs. If you want to learn something new or improve your technique - ask for help - I'd rather look stupid and have a few more quid in my till than let my pride drive my customers elsewhere . You could always ask your customers why they visit your shop and what you could do to improve it, in their eyes; ask what they'd like for you to sell or offer as additional services. If you can't afford the investment for the new dimple and track type keys, use someone like Graham Parker who will turn them around in a day or so for you at a price that you can profit from - we do and our customers are willing to wait two days, especially when they're saving a lot of money by not going to Timpson. 99% of the time, Graham can decode the key from a picture if the customer doesn't have the code card. Rick.

in my own little mind I think mr james is on a mission to smother the independants , despite the outward veneer of " im just the same as you fellas " ,truth of it is they are like mcdonalds soon there will be one one every corner, I get stuff brought in to me and I often say who did these ? the customer replies timpsons coz they were handy my advice show the customer your passion for the job , polish every pair not with the silicone sponge , use a tin of neutral sparingly , finish with a microfibre cloth ( you can also up your polish sales this way touch up any marks , marks on nude patent can be removed with a bit of meths on a cloth, always try to leave them with a smile & an empty purse

Sorry, totally misunderstood the question!!!!

Be the best key cutter, Invest in the latest equipment (computerised) and start cutting all the keys Timpsons don't or charge a fortune for. Become an ABS Centre and Ultion centre and any other that you can get it may cost you a couple of thousand but will make you stand out from Timpsons who charge £30.00 + for 1 key and have to order them in. Always get any blank you do not stock no matter how obscure most suppliers will supply small amounts but even if you have to get 10 make sure you cover the cost and the other blanks may be used in the future. Customers really appreciate the fact you have gone out of your way to help when others just look at the key and say no. Cannot help on shoe repairs but if your work is good quality you should not have any real issues but keep your prices lower than Timpsons word soon spreads. We now have 4 Timpsons within a 5 mile radius of us and they are really helping us, when a customer has been to Timpsons and been asked for an Ultion key and they have been quoted £30.00 plus when they come to use and we say they are £9.95 (retail price admin) customers are more than happy and don't ever argue for a discount or moan at our prices. Same for Yale Superior and Avocet ABS which we charge £14.50. Key cutting is the best way to improve your customer base but as i said you must Invest in the best machinery. Finally shrink your shoe care products and replace with padlocks/bike locks/cash tins and some 5 Lever BS sash and dead locks.

A look at your shop is a big one for me. We all know Timpsons are hit and miss at shoe repairs but you can not fault their shops look and cleanliness. My old boss (many moons ago) Mr Adrian Coppin said, "ask yourself if your wife would shop in your shop", that has always stuck in my mind. I spent last Sunday re-decorating the exterior of the shop, although this was an absolute balls-ache the amount of comments this week has made it all worth while. Just try and be better than them! (not necessarily on price either)

Just up your game by about 30 % , open 5 mins early and close 5 mins late, go the extra mile with every customer , take that bit longer to make sure the repair is perfect, Make sure your key machines are all set up correctly so you don’t get any complaints . Take a look at your shop and ask yourself if you would want to leave your £ 300 shoes . And finally make sure the customer leaves with a smile.

Never understood why people want these. Why hang a picture of a dog round the neck of the dog? If you want to know what type of dog it is, look at the actual dog.

Another good way of cross referencing keys is the SKS website, it gives a list of all the alternative blanks.

come summer use it as a door stop

I was so busy in other areas of my business I didn’t get a chance to switch on my machine yesterday, but the shoes piled up. It was a visual realisation how busy repairs still are. not up and coming granted. But stable it most definitely is. for me cutting edge damaged the show themselves, with all the attempts to do fund raising and sinking money into and the buying the SoMSR far from being respected they became a bit of a laughing stock. colledges are respected well and so can promote and produce a credible show that people want to attend. cutting edge should have stuck to a magazine and a show imo

Change the locks.

It’s hardly on its last legs, it’s just a changed market

Maybe.... End of travel error on a laser and the bed moving down usually means your auto focus flexible sensor is stuck up. Clean the auto z mechanism first. If it is currently moving upwards then the limit switch bottom left has been damaged. Contrary to popular belief we do try to diagnose issues before quoting high figures for repair and about 60% of the time can fix things over the phone. B

Good Choice Gavin. I have two, one in the workshop & the other in the van.