You’ve gone out for a whole day, running errands, meeting friends, and just generally being busy. After a fun but tiring day out, you come home only to realise that you’ve lost your keys. You can’t get in. No one else is at home or expected to be home soon. Or even worse, you’ve driven somewhere for a dinner or a movie, and when you get back to the car, you realise that you don’t have your keys. This is a relatively common situation that can happen to anyone, and if you ever find yourself in this situation, follow the steps below:
- Don’t panic.
Panicking makes things worse. When you’re in a panic, you can’t think straight, you can’t remember things properly, and you’re basically a lot less efficient than you normally are. Panicking only makes a situation worse, so stop, take a moment to breath, then move to the next step, which is…
- Determine if someone else has a spare key.
Whether it’s your house keys or car key, try to remember if anyone has a spare. Does your brother or sister have a spare? What about your parents, or best friend? Is there a spare key underneath the flowerpot, or under your door mat? By the way, we highly recommend not hiding your key anywhere outside your property – Burglars are known to search common hiding spots for keys to easily obtain entry to your home. If someone has a spare, your problem is solved. If not, let’s move on.
- Call a locksmith. (House)
If it’s your house that you’re locked out of, call a 24-hour locksmith. Melbourne is a thriving metropolitan city. There will always be 24-hour locksmiths available for you – But make sure that you’re the owner of the house! 24-hour locksmiths that are performing a “lockout entry” for you will typically ask for photo ID with proof of address, or something similar. If you have nothing on you that links you to the address, they may ask you some questions, such as how you came to be locked out, etc. This is perfectly normal as they need to verify your identity, or they might be helping an unknown person break into someone else’s house!
- Check the neighbourhood (Car)
If you are locked out of your car at night, ignore step 3. The most important thing to focus on first is the neighbourhood. If you are in a bad neighbourhood, late at night, either get out of the immediate vicinity to a safer place, or call the police non-emergency hotline. If you choose to get out of the immediate vicinity, you can head to a police station to explain your problem to them. Either way, once you contact the police and let them know your problem, they can send a patrol down to assist you. The police typically have effective ways and methods to open your car for you, however they will request you to sign a waiver before they can do anything. This waiver ensures that if they accidentally damage your car in the process of opening it for you, you cannot sue them or the City of Melbourne for damages. Of course, this doesn’t matter if it is the case of gross misconduct, which would be very hard to prove.
- Retreat for the Night
If all else fails, either head home, or head to a friend’s place or hotel for the night. Sometimes, you just won’t be able to contact the correct people, whether it’s your parents or friends, and it might just be easier to stay at a hotel for the night. However, do keep in mind that 24-hour emergency locksmiths are just that – Open 24 hours. If you weigh the costs of paying for a reliable 24-hour locksmith that local residents can trust and compare that to spending the night in a hotel in Melbourne, you might find it easier and more convenient to just give the locksmith a ring.