HARRISONBURG, VA The
last thing Robert Meade would ever want is someone he didn't know
getting inside his home. And to think, if he bought a certain kind of
lock someone could have his house key.
"It is surprising. I thought of that particular problem," says Meade.
"There is a chance someone has the same key you have for your lock," says Precision Locksmith Company owner Fred Stokley.
Stokley says there are only so many combinations the mass
produced locks can have; many sold in the big box stores. Some are sold
so people can match the locks with their keys, so they have one key for
every lock in their house.
"If the customer's primary concern is security there are
professional products available that exceed what the big box stores
carry," says Stokley.
So out of the thousands of key combinations how could
someone possibly find the exact key that matches the key you bought?
Every time you buy a lock and key off the shelves it comes with a
specific code and all they have to do is match that code.
So how do you prevent your house key from getting in the
wrong hands? Stokley says locksmiths have some more expensive locks, but
you are the only one with the key. Luckily Meade called his locksmith
to install his locks.
"It's secure, and we are the only ones that have got the keys," says Meade
Making sure he knows every person who has a key, and keeping the unwelcome visitors outside.