It was the end of the 20th century and a family fell in love with a car. That same family fell in love with a key. This story has elements of love, loss, frustration, necessity and relief. It has it all. The story is the tale of losing a key and finding a lock company to take way to much money to replace it.
My family took a road trip across country and, for this we bought a new car. We had not bought a new car before and were very excited at the prospect. We save up a little cash and we started visiting dealers and doing research. This car had to be large enough for all our stuff and fit us comfortable during our cross-country trip. It also had to be safe for our one-year-old daughter. We settled upon the new Chrysler Pacifica.
We loved the car but, more than that, we really loved the key with all its wonderful features. It could start the car remotely, set the alarm, lift and drop the rear gate and even open the doors. This was a key that did it all and we loved using it over and over.
Our adventure was a grand one. We used the key quite often and wondered what we would have done without it’s abilities given all the stuff we were always toteing. But, when we arrived in LA, it wasn’t long before a key was lost. My wife will tell you I lost it.
We went to Chrysler and found that the reason the key was so great was because it cost a fortune. It was $100 to replace! Well, this was ridiculous. We decided to go with one key and just switch off.
That worked out for quite a trading the key back and forth when we drove the car. But, needless to say, we started to resent the key. It was no longer love. Then, that dreaded day came, the day we lost the other key. Or, rather, I lost the other key. Now, we had to dole out the money for a new one. The dealer could do it but we thought we could get one cheaper at a local Hollywood locksmith. That was not the case.
But, we needed it so we bit the bullet and hired the Hollywood locksmith. He was better than Chrysler because he gave us a deal and we got two keys for a great price. They wouldn’t have done that at the dealer I am sure. But, the locksmith could only make a plain key. It had no features, couldn’t open anything or start the car remotely. It even set off the alarm whenever we got in the car and we had to start it to turn the alarm off.
So, we don’t love the car so much anymore and we certainly don’t love the key too much anymore. But, as it turns out, after having the new keys made, our daughter decided to unwrap a gift she made for us and hid under the counter. It was our key! Don’t worry, we still love her.
Want to find out more about rekeying locks, then visit Nikki Nelson’s site on how to choose the best security door locks for your needs.
Tags: auto, car, door, family, home, home insurance, insurance, key, lock, locksmith, security, services, travel