A Dependable Locksmith

Received fast, professional service. Leo asked security questions and felt comfortable knowing he screened his clients before agreeing to complete the job. All questions asked were reasonable and necessary to complete the job.

Call Leo FIRST. I locked myself out of my summer rental with no spare key, my husband out of town and with my dog inside, I really started to panic. I googled locksmith and got some company but saw a bad Unilocal review for that company and the reviewer said to do myself and call Dependable Locksmith instead for flat rate of $ 80 (unless cutting or drilling is necessary) so I did! Over the phone he’s not all warm and fuzzy and all business, true, but who cares he knows what he’s doing and got my lock open within 5 min. He came right away and was just such a pleasant guy. My dog and I are happily reunited thanks to Leo! $ 80 no add ons or long stories about why it needed to be more than $ 80. Love it!

Odd duck. Have no idea with whom I spoke b/​c connection bad & he spoke so fast. Ended up going with another company recommended by property manager. When I called him back to tell him his services wouldn’t be needed, he was aggressive with me. «So, you were calling around to see who could come out?» Yes, I was, strangely enough. «Who’d you call? Who’s there now?» I told him I didn’t see the need to give him that info and ended the call. He called back & left a msg that he «was trying to help you… places advertise themselves as locksmiths but don’t know what they’re doing. you’ll be charged a lot more for things you don’t even need.» Yeah, ok. I can’t speak to his quality of work; only that our conversation was not productive and his communication skills need a good deal of work. And, don’t call me back with a petulant attitude.

Leo is a character, good thing he is an enjoyable one.
I thought I was in a world of trouble when I was locked out on Easter Sunday. After calling couple places that couldn’t get to my place within the hour (which seemed to be fine considering it is Easter Sunday), I gave Leo a shot. On the phone he does come off a little… different. But thinking back, the conversation was very precise and we exchanged all the info needed very quickly, with him quickly quoting his price and that he will be there in 30 minutes.
Very friendly from start to finish, gave me detailed information on everything he is trying and why something worked, asked to check for ID afterward, which was much appreciated as all locksmith should do this. We did end it with him confident in me his problems with the current locksmith industry, but still the whole thing took 45 minutes from start of call to saying goodbye, very happy with service.

This man is a gem. No complaints. He came to break my bike U-​lock and was a breeze to work with. Highly recommended.

I’m a little late in writing this review but Leo is the absolute best! I’ve locked myself out once before and had a MISERABLE time dealing with one of those corporate locksmiths who use bait-​and-​switch tactics. This time I looked at reviews.
Leo was busy when I called him but he packed up his stuff and high tailed it over to my condo. He was there within 45 minutes. Such a friendly, super nice and HONEST guy. Last time, I paid almost 200 bucks. Leo did it for 80. What a huge difference. Yes, he does ask for pictures and what kind of lock you have, and he may get mildly frustrated when you can’t answer, but he is truly helpful.
Also, he’s not located in Old Town, don’t know why the map shows that so keep that in mind when calling — it will affect the time it takes for him to get to you.
Don’t hesitate if you get locked out — definitely call Leo!

Fast, professional, courteous service and reasonable to boot. Second time I’ve had this issue with my lock, first time a locksmith has worked to see that it won’t happen again! And this time was cheaper than the first! Excellent

Once night, my husband and I were leaving our place. We put our key in the lock and it got stuck and wouldn’t come out. We couldn’t even open the door. We started calling local locksmiths and Dependable Locksmith came out right away. Leo asked us for proof that we lived here. At first I found that strange, but then I realized that it was for his protection as well as our own. We showed him a utility bill and he got to work. He told us that what we had installed was junk because well, it was. It was a very cheap lock put in by our developer. He recommended that we purchase a better one and we did. He brought it over and installed it. We haven’t had a problem since. That happened six years ago. I would definitely recommend Dependable Locksmith.

I was really excited when the conversation started like this:
Me: «Is this dependable locksmith?»
Leo ?: «I try to be!»
I thought, «Great! This guy is with it. Happy to work with him!»
He grilled me on what kind of key I have. I offered to email a picture, but he kept interrupting me and refused. Kept. interrupting…
I tried to describe my key, but I, admittedly, know little to nothing about keys and locks. It went downhill from here. I tried my best to adequately describe my key and lock, but I, evidently, fell short. Then, I made the fatal mistake of describe TWO keys (there are 2 on my keychain, and I was flustered by his tone), when I only needed ONE re-​keyed. Put me on the Catherine Wheel, Leo…
After informing him that my dead bolt doesn’t have label on it he lectured me about «cheap junk» «made in Hong Kong and China». Thanks for the lecture on international trade and the ramifications of outsourcing. Let’s stick to the facts «not the fiction».
Back to the key… He finally asked me to send a picture which, of course, I did not. However, due to his detailed explanation I relayed the information to another locksmith who will rekey my lock tonight!
I wish he hadn’t been so rude on the phone because he sounds like he knows what he doing.
*It isn’t «emotional» to want to be treated with respect and people feelings are not «fiction». Many philosophers regard feelings and emotions as «truth». Fiction is something fabricated to represent a truth. Unilocal reviews, generally speaking, are not prose invented to describe imaginary things.

This week really topped the charts for suckage. So when I walked from the bus stop to my apartment, something seemed amiss. After digging in my purse for 20 minutes I realized I lost my keys. And not a hey-​they-​are-​just-​in-​the-​bottom-​of-​my-​gigantic-​mary-​poppins-​bag lost, but definitely a in-​a-​gutter-​or-​lying-​under-​a-​seat-​on-​a-​bus lost. Either way I didn’t have my keys, my roommate wasn’t going to be home until ridiculously late and I needed to get my stuff so I could rush to a class.
After calling my crappy landlord for an hour without any response or acknowledgement, and after banging on his nephew’s door for 10 minutes in vain (and yes, he was inside), I decided to try and kick down the door. Obviously none of those options worked well, but it felt oddly therapeutic to beat up on the locked door. I finally decided that I was going to have to pay a professional. I found Dependable Locksmith on my blackberry (yep, some people still use those) and called them immediately.
I’m assuming the locksmith I spoke to was Leo. He asked me a few questions about the lock and then told me he would be over soon. He was there in about 30 minutes. He seemed a bit short on the phone, but I realized that all he needed was some information and my spazzy, quick-​talking approach probably wasn’t helping the situation, so don’t be turned off by the matter-​of-​fact tone or if he cuts you off.
He got me in my apartment in about 2 minutes. Doesn’t get better than that. The only issue I had was that he only takes cash. I understand it, being in that profession, but I never carry cash around with me and when I do I never carry nearly that much. So I had to go to my bank down the street and get money out. But he was really friendly and really helpful. He even told me a list of people that would have scammed me or worse. I had not even thought about that possibility when I was looking for a locksmith. Glad I lucked out. Call Dependable! They will get the job done and they never charge more than they quote. Now to deal with my landlord…

Great Service.
Usually, when you have a car, you always have a inkling that a bad situation could happened to you, like forgetting your keys in the car or losing them in a cab.
But when you bike, the only things you worry about is having it stolen. So my GF and I lock out bikes with two u-​locks, getting the frame and tires secured.
Well, it just so happens that her u-​lock jammed. We were in a desolate stretch. After spending an hour kicking and swearing, we walk a block to home depot to see what they have to say… in short we walk out with a low tech solution, a hammer and wd-​40 (they recommended us to rent a grinder, but it needed electricity which we didn’t have nor did they have battery powered ones.)
Another hour spent and nothing… so we look up locksmiths. Dependable was the 2^nd one listed on Unilocal and we called him up. He was very nice and gave us suggestions on what to do. We did everything he said, even the last ditch effort, which was to force the key (giving a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ chance it would disengage the lock or it would break off.). The key broke. :(
We would’ve called dependable locksmith as his prices were extremely reasonable, especially at 10 pm in the night. But some guy next door at the factory at a battery powered grinder and cut it off for us (it was a really kind thing to do and really unexpected… just to show you even in a shady area, good sometimes exists).
Once we got on our way, Dependable Locksmith actually called back to see how I was doing. That was very professional and thoughtful.

Just wanted to reply to Leo. If you must know, I was living in a two bedroom and turned my second bedroom into a closet. Containing pajamas. When I come home the first thing I do, before I even go to my locked bedroom is change out of my work clothes. My apartment was broken into by my ex-​boyfriend and so I lock everything up when I leave, and felt incredibly silly that I had locked my spare key IN my bedroom. I did not realize I should have given you my whole life story before having you unlock a door for me. I appreciated your thoroughness with confirming that it was my house but I thought I had given you enough information. I could have shown you bills with my name on them that match all my IDs and all the pictures of me around my house if you would have gotten to my house to help me. And, yes your price was higher than the company I called before and after you.
I had my neighbor over to keep me company while I was locked out of my room and also for safety because as we agree it was getting late and I felt more comfortable having him there while a lock service would also be in my home. He could hear our conversation and watched me try to get a word in while you were just talking and talking at me, not letting me talk. I am not emotional and I am not the only person who has stated that you are rude on the phone, sir.
So, again good luck with your business if you continue to treat people the way that you do.

Here is the thing: Locks and home security is a sensitive topic, and some of these reviews don’t take into account that every locksmith out there is worried about people mis-​using their services. A locksmith has an obligation to make sure that they be careful how they use their skills.
So, when you call a locksmith and they just «do the work» without asking questions, be afraid.
Now, to Leo. I’ve never met someone that knows their trade so well. I had a rather complicated home lock situation, including installing some RF /​keypad controlled door locks. He had never seen these before, but after checking them out, he tossed the instructions in the trash and got to work. He was able to re-​key my locks so that we only have one key (if we even need it, I don’t think I’ve actually used the key once).
He came over in a couple of hours after calling, and knocked the job out in a couple of hours. He’s a smart guy, does good work, and tells you how it is, without beating around the bush. I appreciate that, and I will most definitely call him back when it is time to redo the locks on our gates.

i’ve used leo once and plan to use him again. He IS brutally honest, his prices are very fair, he is thorough and even evaluated our building and gave his opinion on our weak points for burglars (or worse) to break in. i called him when the building next door to me had a couple of robberies, in order to reinforce our place and prevent the same happening to us. he told me all kinds of useful info («your back door should be changed to this, the robbers now are doing this. the garbage you throw out indicates what you own in your house. etc etc «) and I didn’t get the feeling he wanted me to buy more stuff or services from him… he was just genuinely concerned in preventing us from getting robbed.
I felt He had given such a useful consultation on top of helping us decide what kind of deadbolt to get and being very up front about all the prices. He even went to great lengths to paint part of our lock so it would match the doorframe!
Only criticism: despite his interesting, informative takes on various topics, I would prefer my locksmith limit the convo so i can get things done around the house. but to me that is the least of my worries when trying to find a trustworthy, skilled, well-​priced locksmith! I will be calling him again and have recommended him to friends.

Whoever I spoke with on the phone was a complete asshole. Very condescending.
I discovered I was locked out of my house when my mother called me in the middle of the afternoon to tell me her and my stepdad had arrived back in Michigan safely after visiting us in Chicago, but my keys were in their car. My husband was out of town, and his set of keys were inside the house. There was no way for me to break in (our house had been broken into a few months ago, and we now have very secure locks on all of our doors). I could of waited for my keys to be sent to me express/​overnight, but we have two dogs and I was worried about their well being since the heat yesterday was in the mid 90s.
Mr. Asshat quoted me $ 150, and I was so desperate to get into my house, I said fine. He said he would call me back in 30 minutes. I called my mother to tell her I was going to hire a locksmith, and she told me to cancel the order b/​c my stepdad was already on his way back to Chicago to bring me my keys. I called El Toolbag back to tell him I didn’t need his services, and his tone suddenly changed and was all like «Oh, why??? What happened???» I honestly think he was trying to take advantage of my desperate situation. Anyway, I waited out my stepdad’s arrival back in Chicago at Twisted Spoke (got to hang with a friend who got out of work early), and gave my stepdad $ 100 toward all the gas he used driving his Cadillac back and forth.
If you’re in need of a locksmith, I would suggest looking elsewhere. I’m now resisting the urge of going to «Dependable Locksmith» and giving the guy an ass chewing.
*Update
Ugh, why am I even wasting my time with this yet again? One good thing that came out of the whole debacle is I had all of our keys copied & hid them well (I know.. .should of done it a long time ago) in an effort to avoid this type of situation in the future.
To the Fabulous Leo T (I see you wrote a response to my post):
You claim you’re looking for information when potential clients call you, but in my situation, you cut me off mid-​sentence numerous times when I was merely trying to answer your questions. Also (I have an impeccable memory, and I distinctly remember our phone conversation), you did not ask me about others nearby with keys to my house; you picked up on the fact that my keys were in a relative’s car after I explained my situation to you. At one point during our conversation, you kept asking if we used the same key to unlock the doorknob and the deadbolt. I answered «no.» You asked me that question at least two more times, but kept re-​wording the question. What the hell, were you hoping that my answer would change? I’m not retarded, but clearly you thought you were dealing with someone with less than average intelligence.
Also — about the dogs — that wasn’t an «excuse,» that was my situation. I wouldn’t of even called you in the first place had I not felt the need to get into my house to tend to our dogs, one of which isn’t even ours. He’s an elderly foster dog with health issues. You suggested that I «.. .just give the dogs some water, they’ll be fine.» THAT’S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO DO, MORON. I COULDN’T GET INTO THE HOUSE TO GIVE THEM WATER. Pardon me for trying to be a responsible pet owner.
AND, being called an Asshat really isn’t that big of deal; I’m sure you’ve been called worse. What I find funny is you trying to school me on what is rational behavior, when your phone manners make people want to act irrationally. I doubt your ridiculous response to my post (and, from what I can see, your responses to others posts)
is helping your business any. Bottom line: Quit wasting your time on here trying to defend yourself and quit being such an asshole and perhaps the negative reviews will stop.

I’ll admit Leo is a little quirky with his dog and not so hot appearance. I can see where some negative reviews come from, but I think he is in the right questioning to confirm if that’s your apartment. How does he know what the situation is?
But at the end of the day he is honest (and I mean brutally), makes the right suggestions at the right price. He walks you through exactly what you need and why, what the parts will cost, and everything else.
He charges anywhere between $ 75 to $ 100 for labor, and I think that is reasonable given the quality of work he does. He will tell you how it is and that this lock sucks, or this mechanism is good, etc. I have used him twice now and have been more then satisfied with his work.
He is dependable and as long as you can accept his quirkiness you will get a job well done.

I’ve had the same problem as other reviewers. He decides on the phone if he wants your business, and if he doesn’t, he’s a jerk.
In my case, I needed my two door locks rekeyed. He quizzed me about what types of locks I have, then declared it was impossible to key them the same.
Uh, hello? They’re already keyed the same! I just wanted to change the key due to some contractor problems I had. I explained this, but he insisted it couldn’t be done.
I called another locksmith who was not only polite, but managed to do the «impossible» in just a few minutes.

Checked in with Unilocal before calling and In keeping with all the rest: AMAZING.
Was available asap, called to let me know he was running late, fixed my locks for exactly the quoted price, checked out my others, and i learned a lot of really great facts, like how to cure phantom limb disorder. It involves mirrors.
Thanks Unilocal for helping me to make all important life decisions.

My purse was lost/​stolen, so late on a Friday night I had to get my locks changed. I called a few locksmiths rated higher on Unilocal,but still none have called me back. This gentleman answered immediately at nearly midnight and arrived in about an hour. He had told me it would take an hour, but it took about 20 mins. He also fixed what was apparently something wrong with part of my remaining old lock, for free. Since my wallet and checkbook were also lost, he kindly accepted a few dollars short of what he had asked, because he knew it was all I had and I had no way to get more money at that hour. I would use him again in a heartbeat, and would recommend him highly.

This is what I call excellent customer service. I called them to fix the lock to my garage door because I broke the key while opening.
I was quoted $ 75 for the job. Pretty reasonable, considering how much it costs to unlock a door. The locksmith came to my house in 30 minutes. Is that fast or what?
It took him all but 3 minutes to fix the door. The best part was when he quoted $ 60 as the final price instead of the original quote. Wow… I have never seen anyone reduce their quote. I happily wrote a check for $ 60.
I will gladly call them anytime I need their service.