Did you experiece this?

[jkamboj]

Hi every one,

 

We learn some thing new every day. I have a customer (in his 70's) walk in today who made his Chevy Malibu 2003 key on 18 Mar. He came with another car with an old lady and started saying me, you made this key for this car now it does not start the car. The transponder key I made for his Chevy Malibu 2003 was B111PT.

 

The car he brought today was a newer Chevy. This car also uses the same B11PT key. He started complaining that the key you made does not work now. The key which he have in hand saying that this does not work was B106-P (service key for vehicles using B111PT). He made this key from some where and was thinking that I get another one make from this key guy (whom he think might be an idiot) for free.

 

I keep record of all the chip keys made, customers name, contact phone number, Made, Model and Year of Vehicle, the key made (number of key, e.g. in this case it was B111PT) and the license plate of the vehicle for which the key have been created or cloned for my own use just in case, and today was that just in case.

 

While I was checking my register to find the information on the key made, this guy started getting hyper saying, you do not believe me, I made this key here. Then I checked the key number engraved on the new key which he said was not working and it was B106-P (a non-chip service key for most of GM vehicles which use B111PT transponder key). I told him politely that I am investigating what's going on please give me a couple of minutes and we would have all the doubts cleared pretty soon. I explained him, why this key is not working to start your car because it does not have the chip. He was trying to bully me, saying you do not beleive me etc. etc. I kept on explaining him why this key is not working and at the same time trying to find the information about the key made. He just left the shop murmuring something in his mouth. In the meanwhile I found his information, first of all the vehicle model was not the same, this vehicle he brought in today was a newer one may be 08 or 09, and the plate on the vehicle was not the same.

 

While he was pulling out of my driveway, I came out of my shop, I waved at him to stop and to come inside. He just waved hand and left perhaps understanding that I was not a fool to level he was imagining.

 

Now, do you guys who make transponder key keep such record?

 

Have you ever experience some thing like this?

 

Any suggestions on how to deal with this type of customers (who think, they are the smartest people in the world and the guy who clones their car key is an idiot).

 

Jas

[hibsjo(SCO)]

Hi Jas

you did pretty well my friend.

trying to keep calm while customers are ranting is not the easiest of things to do.

we DONT keep a register of keys cloned in shop only work from van (diagnostics)

but you get them in all the time trying there hand(they always know better)

carry on!

[Mick Friend]

Yep! been there got the wounds - even had one call the police as I was being racial - polieman told me to cut the key or risk getting arrested - F.O. said I and get out of my shop or I will have you charged with trespass. The asian gent then threw a punch at me and the policeman just laughed.

Not so when I bagged the bloke out of my shop and told the copper to follow him. Later had two more policemen call to question me about the assault - again I explained why they should leave quickly - and to consult their colleague number X...

The laugh is....... I didn't do transponder keys ever.

Then there was the occasion where I was questioned about drilling out a lock to let a bloke in 'criminal damage'

 

or being questioned for selling stolen goods to-wit ' laptop computers' that I had offered in the papers??????

 

or hitting an asians car with my van and driving off. I was in Spain at the time....

 

Refusing to close during the anti Salmon Rushti marches.

 

 

having had my tools stolen from the back of my car - being questioned for having lock breaking tools in my car and not locked in the shop.

 

 

No wonder I have a table

[StevenB]

You sound like a magnet for this sort of stuff, Mick.

Suddenly the table makes a lot of sense. As do the provisions.

[k4mrc]

Any Vacancies Mick? as it sounds a barrell of laughs every day

Please

[Mick Friend]

I don't like being told WHAT!

Ask me

Suggest to me BUT DON'T TELL ME

 

I also have a massive distrust of the Police because of this - never been charged or arrested - But I will stick by what I think is right.

as above had the Police said - May be a good idea to shut during these marches I may have said Ok . ....Ok No I wouldn't I won't have anyone telling me what I can do and when. The Police actually have very limited powers - They cant force you to leave your house if theres an unexploded bomb, or a fire nearby or there has been a murder down the street, or the air is poisenous. But maybe you would be silly to ignore them.

[jkamboj]

Interesting experiences popped up. Yes, record keeping does help always. I had similar but less intense case three months ago. A gentleman made a key from me for his Chevy Venture van in November/December. He came in one January morning and said to me the key you made for me does not work. He showed me the key (I also always engrave a k letter in circle on blade of the the keys made, checked the key was mine. Why I do that in GTA area, there are three big box stores Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Rona, and Walmart etc who make keys and their success rate in cutting perfect key is not very good. People make key there and come to me that the key I made does not work, then my k sign help me to keep these idiots shut). He told me that he was in Chicago last week and your key gave up and did not start the van. He further stated that the van have to be toed and a new key was made the cost of this episode was US $ 180. I checked the key and read the codes on RW4 plus, the codes were good but I was surprised on what was going on. When the key have the right codes, I smell something fishy.

 

Then I asked him a question, did you try your key after the guy made another key for you. He said no. Second question, did you try this key now to check whether or not it does work? He said no. I was pretty sure, this guy was lying and how come you pay $ 180 and do not check the key which gave up working.

I told him to check this key and at the same time gave him the guarantee that the same key he is saying is not working would work.

 

He came a couple of weeks later (I have a corner store, a lot of my customers are repeat customers), bought a few items and paid and while he was just to leave I asked him a question, did the key work (when he came in grabbed the few things paid and never talked about the key before he started to leave, I was pretty sure, this gentleman's key I made worked, at the same time, it was also sure he was either got ripped off in USA or he was just lying about the key), I asked him, did the key work?. He said with a smile, yes it did.

 

When I seriously started making transponder keys in June last year, I started collecting the information I mentioned in the previous message. I have never thought that this information I am collecting would be used to investigate the people who think they are smarted than me.

 

I would report the progress on the current case of Chevy Malibu tomorrow if not on coming Tuesday because I am perusing this case.

 

(Sorry for writing long stories like a PhD thesis)

 

Jas

[petercoulson]

long stories are ok Jas, we have a problem here keeping the information you record, to do with privacy and data protection but the idea of engraving a k is good

[jkamboj]

long stories are ok Jas, we have a problem here keeping the information you record, to do with privacy and data protection but the idea of engraving a k is good

 

Well, that right, however, we have to protect ourselves as well. Only thing to take care of this data is that it does not goes in wrong hands. I have made about 350 chip keys since June 2011, no one have objected to giving me this information. I tell these guys that this data is for your protection. I keep this register at a safe place and hide it when I close my shop just in case of break in.

 

Only two cases out of 350 who try to play around with me is not a big number to be taken care of but still, one bad apple can spoil your reputation of being a professional.

 

Jas

[jkamboj]

I called this gentleman who have problem with his Chevy Malibu key. He was a bit angry in the way he think I treated him. I told him, Sir, you just spent just two minutes in my shop and have not given me the opportunity even to look at your information on chip key made. I apologized him, If he thinks I treated him bad. After a couple of minutes of conversation, this gentleman (British origin guy in his mid seventy's) cooled down. Then I asked him a few questions (I made him one chip key and at the same time gave him a service key [without chip] for free just to open the doors) to explain me at length what actually happened.

 

Then he explained the real story, if fact he lost his original key and now left with only two (one key with chip and one service key) keys. He was trying to start the car with service key which can not happen. He also explained me that he have been ripped off by several people particularly the car sales guy (from whom did he bought this car) and later by mechanic (who fixed his damage back bumper) recently and came to the conclusion that I belong to the same class of people. He also told me why he could not stay longer with me when he came up with the complaint because he came with one of his friend (another old lady) and she was in rush for not to miss her appointment to see the family doctor.

 

I told him the difference why the second key is not starting the car because its just a service key and does not have a chip (because of his age, he does have some hearing problem) and misunderstood when I told him the second key just to open the door, I am giving him for free. He thought both the keys would work to start the car.

 

In fact, when he came for the first time to make a chip key, he was so happy with the service, that he recommended one of his friend who made a chip key from me a couple of days later.

 

By now (in this conversation over the phone) he understood the problem and became very friendly in talk and also appreciate the follow up call on this case.

 

The best part of the story, because he lost his original key, he is coming tomorrow to make another key as he told me that he feels very uncomfortable to drive his car with only one key just in case its lost, then the bigger problem is in waiting.

 

Moral of the story, keep records, play cool with relatively less informed customers, always follow up such cases.

 

Happy Easter Monday from Toronto.

 

Jas

[grahamparker]

long stories are ok Jas, we have a problem here keeping the information you record, to do with privacy and data protection but the idea of engraving a k is good

 

 

I agree it is a good idea to mark the keys you cut in some way,but we cut over 80,000 keys last year and if i engraved every one

i would never have any time left to do any other engraving.

 

Have you considered stamping as a quicker alternative or coining.

[grahamparker]

long stories are ok Jas, we have a problem here keeping the information you record, to do with privacy and data protection but the idea of engraving a k is good

 

Well, that right, however, we have to protect ourselves as well. Only thing to take care of this data is that it does not goes in wrong hands. I have made about 350 chip keys since June 2011, no one have objected to giving me this information. I tell these guys that this data is for your protection. I keep this register at a safe place and hide it when I close my shop just in case of break in.

 

Only two cases out of 350 who try to play around with me is not a big number to be taken care of but still, one bad apple can spoil your reputation of being a professional.

 

Jas

 

 

Can you time travel as well ?????

[jkamboj]

long stories are ok Jas, we have a problem here keeping the information you record, to do with privacy and data protection but the idea of engraving a k is good

 

 

I agree it is a good idea to mark the keys you cut in some way,but we cut over 80,000 keys last year and if i engraved every one

i would never have any time left to do any other engraving.

 

Have you considered stamping as a quicker alternative or coining.

 

I engrave k on the transponder keys only not every key I duplicate. Stamp is a good idea and I am thinking to make one which I can use for the other keys I cut as well.

 

Jas

[toddtek]

Very Interesting reading and replys for Key Ident .

I just had the Brainwave . \:D/

Buy a cheap Set of Stamps 5/6mm etc an say from the letter Q Grind off the first 2mm on the top then you have a funny shaped u with a tail and a Unique Stamp .

Can be done with letters aswell at a very reasonable cost and unique too .

Hop ethis idea is of use to someone .

regards Todd