Big D Lock City — Local services in Berkley

Absolutely the most unprofessional experience I’ve ever had with a business.

I was referred to this shop by Birmingham Locksmith, who believed they’d be able to assist with my issue. I had called a few weeks in advance to explain that the key to my motorcycle had broken off in the gas cap. I was still able to ride it by inserting the broken half into the ignition, where it had been stuck but functioning. I later installed a new ignition cylinder and all I needed was either the trunk release lock picked (so I could replace it with the new part I already had) or help removing the broken key from the old cylinder to insert it into the trunk lock and open it.

When I arrived, the older gentleman at the counter was dismissive from the start. He barely listened, snarked at my situation, and said there was “no money in it,” then told me to leave without even assessing the issue. I drove 45 minutes only to be brushed off without a second thought.

I would not recommend this business to anyone unless it’s your absolute last option. If this is how they treat potential customers, I can only imagine the quality of...

I needed to replace a transmitter fob-integrated blade key on a newer model vehicle. The blade itself was a dealer-only item ($62). Twice before cutting, I was told, "we don't make any guarantees on the cut".

"How often do you have issues?" I asked.

"I don't know. It's about 50/50," the locksmith replied.

"50/50?!" I scoffed. "Those are terrible odds!"

"Well...I guess it's more like 90/10, but sometimes they do slip in the machine and don't cut right."

"Ok..." I reluctantly replied. "I guess I'll take those odds. Go for it."

The cut on the key came out far shorter than that on my OEM key (it's the kind that looks like a worm ate through the side). The locksmith admitted that he had chosen the wrong setting on the machine ("short" vs. "long"). In addition to the issue with cut length, the cut didn't even look all that accurate.

All of that said, the key DID work, and I was thankful I didn't have to fork out another $62 to the dealer for a second blank blade, but honestly, I think they just got lucky. I certainly would not trust them to cut another key for me...

I needed to get a bunch of copies of a key to a cat room and was having trouble getting copies that would work from other places. After reading google reviews for Big D Lock City, I thought I’d see if they could make keys that work. I had 4 made around 10am and then stopped by the pet store where the cat room is located to test the keys. They all worked! So I headed back to Berkeley (from Livonia) to get the rest of the copies made. I arrived at 2:15 on a Saturday afternoon. The Hazel Park location is open until 3pm, but the Berkeley location closes at 2pm. I mixed up the hours for the 2 locations. ☹️ The man who cut the keys earlier opened the door and said he’d make the rest of the copies I needed. All 16 of them. After they had closed for the day. On a weekend. So so awesome! If you need keys that work made by great people, the is the...