Boston Lock & Safe

I’ve been here twice to bring in in locks to get rekeyed to the key I have on all the other doors at my house. They are pleasant, professional, and it was cheap. It’s the oldest lock company in the country and the shop is a bit like going into a museum with lots of safes.

This is a truly exemplary business — nothing like the kid at the hardware store trying to copy your key on the wrong blank. They know everything about locks and have a huge stock of hard to find key blanks. I’ve always found their customer service to be friendly and generous with their time. Most recently, I had a broken lock that had many users, so the replacement had to be rekeyed to fit the existing keys. They took my key and phone number, did the research, and called me a couple of days later to say it was ready. And for a full-​service business, their prices seemed quite reasonable.

These guys are fantastic. I’ve had tons of keys that Home Depot, Lowes, etc. couldn’t duplicate for all kinds of reasons– this place is professional and efficient and I’ve never once struck out here. Always my go-​to.

This review is only for their emergency lock out services. I used Boston Lock & Safe successfully on a weekday evening (around 8pm) last December when I locked my keys in my apartment. The wait was long (I was told they were on their way but waited an hour and a half outside in the cold) and there seemed to be a communication lag between the dispatcher and the guy who actually showed. They also charged over $ 200 just to get me in a single doornob lock but I was just relieved to be in. Fast forward to this week. I took my dog out at 1am and locked myself out. Called these guys first because I had dealt with them before and figured no one else would be open so late. Huge mistake. The «emergency» dispatcher told me she’d find someone to come out. I waited 45 minutes with no word so called back and was told someone had been dispatched a half hour before and should have called me. 30 more minutes go by and the dispatcher calls me to ask if I’ve heard from «John» the person she sent out. I hadn’t. She says she can’t get through to him at the moment but will keep trying since she thought he was on the way. Another 45 minutes go by, it’s now nearly 4am. I call the dispatcher back, she says she spoke to John for a second time after our last call and he again said he was on his way but then had never followed up with me or showed. She calls me back another 20 minutes later and says «He’s not picking up his phone, he’s sending me to voicemail. You should probably just find somewhere to stay.» So there I was with a nearly dead cell phone, by myself (well besides the dog) at 4 something in the morning after a 3 hour wait. They should have just told me no one was available in the first place.

BEWARE. This place will tell you anything over the phone to get you to come in. I spoke on two separate occasions with David, when I called to see if they could replace the locks on two commercial gumball machines by the end of day. David said «Yeah, no problem just get over here by 5pm and we can get it done.» So I raced (in 4pm traffic) over there and when I set the machines on the front desk, Larry, one of the techs, said «oh we can’t get those fixed for another 2 weeks.» I kindly reminded him that just 45 min before, David assured me it could be done while I waited. To this, Larry replies, «Well David is just a dispatcher… he doesn’t know our schedules.» Larry continues to say, «Besides, changing these locks is „tinkering“ and it’s not gonna pay my paycheck.» I was appalled that because my repair wasn’t considered a «big job» he had the nerve to tell me he wouldn’t get to it for several more weeks. I suggested to Larry he and David have better communication so other customers don’t get played the way I did. Larry just nonchalantly replied «have a nice day». So I walked out, got in my car, seriously annoyed, and called David back to ask why he assured me my repair could be done within the hour, when in fact he had no idea if they could get it done at all. To this, David was completely speechless… just silent on the other end. He curtly replied, «I don’t know» and abruptly hung up. It took me a while to get home in rush hour traffic and all for what? Nothing but a bad experience with Boston Lock & Safe Co.
Don’t trust what these guys say over the phone. And don’t go there unless you have a «big job». In fact, don’t go there at all. You’ve been warned.

If you’re looking to get a key made, especially older and rarer keys, this is the place to go. I went to Home Depot, they didn’t have the right key blanks to make the key. This place had it. I don’t even bother going to Home Depot anymore, I just come straight here. They have a wall of key blanks like nothing I’ve ever seen. They are a bit curt, ok, actually they really don’t talk to you much at all, hence only 4 stars.

If your lookin then they have and can get it done! A repeat!

Very knowledgeable and helpful; quickly repaired a lock for me. I highly recommend this company.

I usually don’t review random non-​restaurant businesses, but I saw a Boston Lock & Safe truck on the street today and figured I’d write. I’ve dealt with these guys for years, for all sorts of stuff, and they’re top-​notch.

What great service! I broke the key inside the lock of my car’s rooftop carrier with my family’s luggage in the carrier. I tried in vain to fix it at home but couldn’t do it. I went to Boston Lock, and even though they were about to close, one of their staff spent at least ½ hour outside at my car working to get the lock working again. Thank you!

Had a vandalized lock that needed fixing. Boston lock arrived in a timely fashion and fixed the lock. The service man was very pleasant to deal with.

Didn’t ask any questions and sent a service tech over right away when I called to say I was having problems with a lock they originally keyed for me. Service tech then charged me $ 78 to spray WD-​40 in the key hole. Gotta hate a company that’s only out for your money.