Cothron’s Safe and Lock

I called for a quote on changing the mailbox key. I was told $ 35 for service call and $ 25 for the lock. A time was set and the locksmith didn’t have a lock with him. We scheduled at another time to meet and he didn’t show up. After calling I finally met him, he changed out the lock and charge me $ 200, $ 150 for labor! I call that bait and switch! So if you decide to use them, I suggest you get a quote in writing. I will never use them again!
Kay Hays

Cothron’s service as good from start to finish. I called around noon for non-​emergent service and my super tech Juan was at my front door around 1:30. He got my kitchen door open, diagnosed the lock problem, and checked to see if he had the part on his truck so I could keep the knobs but that didn’t work out. He went back to the shop, got a new lock and tested out a key fob that wouldn’t program. He took care of replacing the lock and rekeying my deadbolt to match the other doors. The cost was quite reasonable and less than what I was quoted by the dispatcher. I will use Cothron’s again anytime I need a locksmith.

Ray came over today and re-​keyed my lock in a jiffy. He also helped secure the strike plate with longer screws (something I’ve been meaning to do forever). Easy peasy, no problem. Until I came home later that day and realized I had left my new keys inside and my garage remote stopped working! I was locked out. So I called Cothron’s and they quickly dispatched Ray back over from all the way down south. Not only did he have to come back, but he had to do it in horrible Austin traffic! And they did all of this at no charge to me and no hassle. THAT’S some customer service right there. Cothron’s is the place to go for frazzled-​forgetful-​moms like me! THANK YOU!

They were very very helpfull. They made sure that the key they duplicated worked for my car before I completed the purchase. Very professorial atmosphere and service. Would recommend to friends

Stellar customer experience in the store today! The representatives were friendly and the service was fast :) I will use this location in the future for all of my keying needs.

I can’t express how much this place means to me. I’m glad they are in Austin, they go above and beyond. They are very kind and courteous people. Very talented and helpful. My key was old and worn, and I possibly needed a new ignition switch, but they made me a new jet and custom trimmed it to perfection. Now all Mr locks works like new and I won’t be getting stranded. Thanks again cothrons. You made my day! I’ll never go anywhere else if I can help it. They have lots of stores around so it shouldn’t be hard to do that.

After years of getting keys made at big box stores and finding some of them not cut right, I decided to go to actual key specialists. Great idea and I highly recommend doing the same. The guys here are always friendly and prices are about the same as the other stores. They also have locks, safes and accessories.

Don’t waste your time going any place else. These guys are the pros if you want it done right and want it done the first time. I had a special key port blank that they were able to do (recommended by them anyway). I will say if you need a car key programmed for a foreign car it will probably be cheaper at the dealer.

Overall a decent experience. I’d prefer to keep my money local as much as possible but could have done the same key cutting at the Damn depot in less time. Your guess is as good as mine if the cuts would have been accurate. Don’t mind paying a higher price for local but that should usually be accompanied with extremely good service with attention to detail…

I went in to get a key copied and was out in less than 5 minutes. They were fast, friendly, affordable.

This review is for making keys at Cothron’s Safe and Lock on Burnet Road. I wanted to avoid the big box key makers because my experience with big box keys are poor. My confidence with Cothron’s downtown a few years ago gave me 100% confidence that they could make very important keys and I’ll spend my cash locally. Oh, my, there is a 100% confidence note and only 1 star? The key maker did not read my order and told me he did not read the order. Obviously, he DID read my order because he knew how many keys I wanted to make of each master key and got the number of keys correct. Out of 6 key masters I had 7 keys made. The order went in late/​mid day on ⁸⁄₁₃ and picked up mid day on ⁸⁄₁₄ (they were not done and I had to wait a short 15 minutes). The order was as follows– two small sheets of paper with my name and phone number on each page as well as number of keys total. 6 keys labeled with masking tape and taped onto an order/​paper with three lines next to each key: first line item– name of key (matches labeled key taped next to it), line two– number of keys to make, line number three– description of the key ordered (standard silver plain, standard black, green color, standard plain silver, standard plain silver, standard plain silver).
When the keys were not completely cut, I said– «Oh it is the green key, isn’t it?” — looking at the display with a green key on the counter to my right, their left.
They said that the day before, they were slammed. They must have been really busy. Everyone was working, no slacking and they do have a good reputation with lots of locations.
The reason they receive only ONE star from me is because they only got one key correct for color (and that one isn’t cut properly) and I’ll give them an okay for a silver ignition over a standard black ignition.
The balance of the keys are gold tone color. (Six wrong colors and one wrong cut key)
The green color key? Well, the key master didn’t read the words GREEN COLOR key and cut it in gold. They refunded the value of that key with some unpleasant words that they just get what «they» send us and admitted to not reading the words.
What could have gotten them 5 stars? 100% satisfaction? An excellent word of mouth review? Gloriousness on Unilocal?
Read the order. If you don’t have a green key, a standard silver plain key or a black ignition key, or even a sparkle/​light/​rainbow key then please don’t make them in whatever blank you want… Tell the customer when they come in on day one– «Oh, I see here that you want a…» we can’t fulfill that order but we can cut a gold tone key. Option 2– read the order as you cut the keys and call the customer when the request can’t be filled (the phone number is at the top of the page), Option 3– Good guys do not always finish last, apologize. The guy wasn’t a D*ck but was kind of snippy. He might have just been tired or had a bad day, which came through in the look he gave me– giving me the snippy vibe. My color preference is important to me. Get it?
The key that was not cut right was a two sided $ 4.25 key pre tax. The green key, you ask? I took it to a really nice key cutter at the local big box and purchased a green key. Not a key master, a key cutter, someone who was friendly and nice and didn’t have to read.

Been around for decades (ok, not decades literally), but the Burnet road location has been around long enough I can remember going there with my mom when I was about 5 yrs old and I’m 27 now to get new set of car/​house/​office/​you name it keys after losing them in one of the water slides at schlitterbahn. Just popped in for a replacement battery to my keyless entry clicker for my car that they fixed in less than 2 minutes, total cost $ 5.00 and bam, I’m out of there. No wait, nice guys, end of story: hashtag customer service MaY not be dead! PS I initially called chevy’s parts dept and was quoted $ 175.00 for the same exact service — I am not an engineer of locks or keys but you do the math…$ 5.00 vs. $ 175.00 = no brainer. Keep up the solid work, you guys. I’ll rave and rant and make a commitment to spreading your name the next time I find myself visiting Lowe’s. ALL 5 STARS.

I certainly wish I could give ZERO stars. I called yesterday and made an appointment to change all the locks with a computerized key card system and some door hardware in our new commercial building. Easily a 2 – 3 thousand job. The lady who made the appointment, named Madonna, gave me a ridiculous 4 hour window and was told that this was in case they had any «emergencies» that they had to deal with.
Well i accepted the noon to four window, didn’t go out to lunch in case they showed up at noon as well as made arrangements to be there for the duration. Well, you guessed it, four o’clock rolled around and nobody showed up, no phone call, nothing.
I then called them, hit the dispatch extension, and Madonna answered. She told me that emergencies came up and they would not be coming today. I told her that I thought the four hour window was in order to account for «emergencies» and they should have at least respected my time enough to call and let me know. Sounds reasonable, right. It was at this point that I was especially appalled as she began to reprimand me. Go figure, I was expecting an apology and instead got a reprimand for being «mean». Then she hung up.
Do not EVER EVER EVER use this company. They have very little if any respect for your time, and therefore no respect for you. The fact is that at Cothron’s Safe and Lock, their motto should be, it’s our world and you’re just living in it.
Update: Just got off the phone with the manager. True to form and honoring their motto, I received no apology.

Nice guys, efficient, friendly

NEVER AGAIN. I wanted to support the independent guys and not go to Home Depot or Lowe’s, so I came here. I needed a new mailbox lock and the clueless salesperson swore up and down that they’re standard. So I purchased one and took it home. It doesn’t fit. So now I’m out the money because they don’t do returns. I am eating the money and learned my lesson the hard way– go to Lowe’s where they guarantee their products with a return policy if it doesn’t work for you.

My car was vandalized over Labor Day weekend with my house keys and drivers license stolen. Since the thief knew where I lived and had my house keys I thought it safest to get the locks changed.
Cothron’s came to my home on a holiday, arriving within 30 – 45 minutes of my call. The on-​call locksmith changed 8 locks and made new keys, practically in the dark.
The next day I noticed that there was an issue with one of the locks and the technician came back over within 30 minutes of my call and adjusted it at no charge.
I was super stressed from the vandalism and was able to sleep a little better last night knowing that Cothron’s secured my house for me in record time.
Good, fast service! Thanks guys!

Made an appointment for a home rekey two days in advance. Window they offered was entire afternoon. No show. The dispatcher called after 5pm to say there was still no one available for send out. My time is important, which is why I made the appointment in advance. I’m only bumping them up to 2 stars because I’ve used them with more success in the past, and they seemed genuinely sorry that they couldn’t get anyone out to honor the appointment time. If you need a home rekey, use Mr Rekey. They actually show up to appointments and schedule in 2 hour time windows.

Exactly what you should expect from a business working hard to earn your trust and your return business. A competent and knowledgable booking operator offered to get me a locksmith the same day, but we went with a next day appointment.
Fernando, the locksmith, called ahead to ask a few specific question about our situation so he could ensure he had the right parts to finish the job with him if possible and to make sure he had our address correct. He showed up a few minutes before the scheduled appointment and was very polite and professional. He was able to answer all of my questions clearly, inform me of all the possible options, and there was no charge for the visit!
We decided to replace the entire mechanism (knob, lock, faceplates, etc…). He took measurements, pictures, and drew a diagram to make sure he had all the correct information and then called within a few hours to give me a quote on the price before he went through with placing the order.
Fabulous, quick service.
I’m looking forward to their return call and my new doorknob! :)

Dear god, why didn’t I a locksmith sooner?!
Cothron’s is super close to where I live (arboretum), and has super cheap prices (for copying keys anyways). I’ve been wanting to get my Kia car key copied for a while now, since I have only one key that works and I don’t have power locks or an alarm, meaning… if I lock myself out of my car, I’m pretty much screwed. Luckily, I called Cothron’s and asked if they could copy my key since I went to Lowe’s and Home Depot and they couldn’t do it since the car key I had was bigger than what most places have in stock, and they told me they could do it! I asked how much and they said $ 4 something!
Holy crap, $ 4.75 for a car key + tax?! That’s AWESOME! I drove down to the one on Burnet and within 15 – 20 minutes my key was pretty and awesome, the guy even let me test it on my car to make sure it worked, as in opened my door and started my car (I had previously gotten one made and it opened my door but didn’t start my car…, I guess that’s a good key too since if I probably locked myself out, I’d just need something to unlock the door). Anyway, the final total came down to $ 5.14 and I walked out the door with a second key and a happier customer! YAY! Thanks for the professional and awesome service!

You’re a locksmith and you have to SPECIAL ORDER a key for my car? You can’t get the key for a while AND you’re more expensive (by about $ 80) than the dealer?
No thank you.