Brookline Lock Company — Local services in Brookline

Avoid. We asked them to open our door, which was locked because our old mortise lock had failed. A guy showed up and opened the door, but he did so by putting a screw into the lock to hold it open. Brookline Lock refused to offer to repair the mortise lock, and insisted it needed to be replaced, at a cost of $2500. We got a tip from a friend about Sherman Lock in Waltham. They specialize in old mortise locks. They said that there was no reason any locksmith should put a screw in a lock to hold it open, that the proper procedure is to disable the lock, which they should know how to do. Additionally, they offered to repair the lock, which they came and did on site, for $205, more than 10x less than Brookline Lock's offered repair. I called the owner of Brookline Lock to express my disappointment with their service. He said that he didn't know anything about the screw (denying responsibility) and said that he didn't repair old mortise locks because in his experience, they broke again soon after their repair, and he was tired of getting complaints from customers about that. I told him that was fine, but he should have told us of the option of getting it repaired, even if he wasn't willing to do it or recommend it. Our lock could break more than 10 times without even reaching the cost of his proposed $2500 repair. I don't think it will break, but it hasn't been long, so we will see. Anyway, I recommend avoiding this vendor, due to their denial of responsibility for their work, and their unwillingness to offer honest information and choices to...

My wife and I have been supporting this local business for years. A few months ago, we asked for a simple keypad lock change. We were quoted a hefty $175 for it (this is a $140 at Home Depot) over the phone. Even though we knew it was expensive, we thought it was still worth doing it because supporting the local economy is important to us. Not only did it take four weeks to complete the work but the bill for the lock came to $330. We paid the bill not wanting to put the employee on the spot and immediately called Brookline Lock for a rectification. Marshall picked up the phone and tried to justify the price by telling us a story about the lock being a special order from Schlage. We took him to his word, called Schlage and checked the model number. Surely enough, there was nothing special about that lock other than being charged double the price. The Schlage representative actually urged us to dispute the transaction. We went back to Brookline Lock with this information, and were given the run around again. We don't mind paying more to support a local business, but we will stand against dishonest business practices and deceptive pricing. The consumer is not dumb. I'll be filing a complaint to the FTC for unfair business practices. Avoid...

They said he would arrive between 9 - 10 am this morning. Didn't happen! I called and they said someone would get back to me. After 20 minutes I called again since no one returned the call. I asked for a simple ETA but they couldn't give me that. It's like they didn't care. It's 10:38 am and he's still not here. As for their work, I won't know until he comes--that will be my second post!! I simply wanted a courtesy call to let me know that he'll be late--they couldn't do that.

2nd Post: Guy arrived just short of 11:00 AM. Had the wrong apt. number, but I happened to be waiting in the lobby so was able to let him in. Finished the job in 5 minutes! It was a very simple job. I didn't have a choice in choosing this company, because I'm just a tenant, so the landlord had to call. Based on this experience, I could and would not recommend this company. Frankly, I don't mind if someone is late as long as you're made aware of that. It's like your time doesn't matter at all; we'll get there when we get there. That...