Locksmithing Blog

Just thought I’d stick a post on here regarding the hi-jinx over at the ICL forum.

Yesterday it vanished for about 20 hours, after several members dared to ask if there was going to be an AGM, and what was the state of the accounts. It was pulled offline “until Monday, for updates”, and, indeed, rapidly disappeared completely. However, a lucky back-up was made, and it is on another server, at www.the-ICL.org.uk (so that years worth of BBQ tales wouldn’t be lost forever from the masses.)

Interestingly, the old forum is now back, much earlier than promised, but presumably missing the contentious postings, as well as the contentious members who made them. Which means half the committee are gone. But that’s ok, because one man says it is so, he personally voted them off, at an EGM he held with his server admin.

Anyway, the state of play at the moment is that members can either go to the old forum, run by one man and his shell game, or swap to the new forum, where incredible levels of dangerous and un-democratic chat will be allowed, to the point of members not being banned for asking a simple question about whether the accounts can be seen.  :cheers:

Currently the future of the ICL hangs in the balance. Either it becomes a proper organisation that abides by its own rules and constitution, or it becomes one man’s way to sell more tools to those he trains.

Oh, and the AGM and training weekend is still on. I organised it, I am hosting it, and I suspect that some people might not be getting voted back on. (And this is not a power play by me, quite the opposite – I will stand down if asked to, at the AGM. But we sure as hell are having one!)

Yes, it is going to be rough times. Come and discuss it at the-ICL.org.uk/forum – your logins all remain the same. Even the megalomaniacs.

David Mitchell makes a very valid point in this funny video – the word “passionate” is certainly overused and misused. So why would I say that I’m passionate about locks, security and safes? Because I am!

Partly, it’s because I’m a good locksmith – people tend to like things they have a natural flair for – but it feeds back, and becomes a passion. I will spend hours learning to defeat a new lock on the market, just because it is there. I’ll fiddle with a key and a bit of wire and the lock cylinder for hours if I think there is a way to beat it, and in the case of most of the products I supply or fit, I know exactly what the limitations of them are. And that, in turn, makes me a better locksmith.

Discreet Security are open for any emergency work during the world cup. Should you manage to lock yourself out, give us a ring! If you are in our area, we will get you in fast.

In other news, come on England!

I was amazed to see that gold prices have gone up to 5 times what they were just a few years ago.

This is reflected in the many adverts promising cash-for-gold, but it is also sadly spurring an increase in crime. Gold is easy to fence – you just stick it in the prepaid envelope and they send you a cheque…

If you have a large range of gold jewellery, it might be worth considering buying a safe in which to keep it, rather than trusting a rather too portable jewellery box.

If you want to keep your liquid assets protected from casual burglary, or even rather more determined attacks, please give us a call. And whatever you do, don’t buy a cheap digital safe! Contact an expert for guidance.

Happy to report that Discreet Security’s first quarter has been up on last year, both in volume of work and turnover. Following relocation, which is always difficult for a small company, things are going well.

Although we face a lot of competition from new starts and those often less able than ourselves when it comes to opening a door, our professional approach and sheer first class ability seems to be garnering good word of mouth.

Every call brings something new, and this has ranged from panic room and access control installations taking days right through to un-bending a non-working key (for a house mortice lock) or fishing out a snapped key (in a car door lock) and copying a new one on the van, which can take very little time with the right tools.

With calm and dedication, we aim to leave you happy and secure.

Thank you to all our customers, past and future, and, of course, repeat!

Heavy rain overnight, and a lot of the snow has melted away now, so we are no longer snowed in.

Hopefully some couriers will arrive with desperately needed stock today! (We’ve now run out of our most popular security upgrade completely!)

Whether you are locked out in an emergency, or just need a lock changed tomorrow, give us a call.