American Lock & Key Service

I was locked out of my house and called this company since I was in a bind. They said they would send someone right away, which took about an hour. I guess that is right away in their mind.
The person that showed up jammed some tools into my lock and when he wasn’t able to open it, he used a card to open the lock. The next day I noticed that my key no longer works to open the door. I figured I would call and let them know and they would come take a look and fix it since it was obviously their fault.
I was wrong. When I called they told me there is no way they could have broken the lock. When I said it was working fine before and now it’s broken right after this person jammed the tools into it, they said they can send a person to take a look for $ 120 minimum. They also said that was just to take a look, and parts and labor would be more.
I would not recommend you use this company. They charged me $ 70 to break my lock and now want more money to fix it. Feels like a total scam to me.

I came in today with 3 keys I KNEW would be difficult. 2 for lock boxes I ordered on Amazon and the other for a cash drawer. The gentleman who helped me spent about 15 minutes looking through the possibilities as these keys were very difficult– I felt really bad…
He made me 2 keys of each on 2 different machines… Wait for it.
For FREE– because we have no idea if they will work–
How awesome is that?
I will be a repeat customer for sure–
Even if the keys don’t work it’s NOT their fault– they did everything humanly possible to help me–
Thank you!

Somehow managed to break the key off in my ignition on a Thursday afternoon, and was supposed to leave town the next day. Called the dealership and they gave me a quick estimate of $ 350 to fix it (are you kidding me?!). Called American Lock and Key and they told me to come right down and they could fix it. Couldn’t give me a price but gave me their hourly rate which was reasonable. The nice young man that helped me had the broken piece out of the ignition in 2 minutes and they only charged me $ 5!!! Awesome service! Very knowledgable (I asked about why it broke and if they thought I had an ignition problem). They didn’t try to sell me anything I didn’t need which is always nice. Can’t say enough about what great service I received! Thank you American Lock and Key!

I was tired of locking myself out of my car and decided to go make a copy of the key (I have an old car and key — before all this fancy technology nowadays). The Subaru dealership recommended this place. Despite my key being really worn, staff was able to produce a factory cut replica that works great! Thank you!

I was tired of locking myself out of my car and decided to go make a copy of the key (I have an old car and key — before all this fancy technology nowadays). The Subaru dealership recommended this place. Despite my key being really worn, staff were able to produce a factory cut replica that works great! Thank you!

Super knowledgeable. It is so nice to deal with people who really know what they are talking about. First rate. Thank you!

FAST, FAIR and KNOWLEDGEABLE
we had an ignition problem while visiting from out of town
They had parts in stock and got us back on the road within 2 hours
2 THUMBS UP

Super crisis solved in less than 30 minutes. Tom was great and came at the exact time he said he would. They take credit cards on the spot and they are open on Sundays (which many folks in Monterey are not). Lock was 100.00 to break (totally worth it).

If I could give a «negative» star rating, I would…
It’s really almost comical now. I originally went to the Seaside American Lock & Key location, and inquired about help with a front door lock and home safes. Friendly, personable staff … things are looking good so far.
I took pictures of our front door lock, and then took them back to the Seaside store to go over what was needed (also sent the photos to their email address). The locksmith promised to review the photos with other staff members and then get back to me with some ideas for a solution. Days later, no call back. I called the Seaside store and inquired again about the photos, etc. and was promised a call back. A week later, still no call.
I gave up at that point and tried to repair the lock myself. I ran into some issues, and so I decided to call the Pacific Grove American Lock & Key store. I talked to a courteous technician, and a locksmith came out to our house and inspected the lock (Bill — he wasn’t able to fix the lock, but made some recommendations about the repair).
After a week or so passed, I called the Pacific Grove store to inquire about Bill and asked if he could call me back, so we could talk about the lock and getting it installed (I didn’t have the bandwidth to do it myself, including ordering the parts needed to complete the job). I was informed that I should call the Seaside store to get a hold of the locksmith. When I called, Bill wasn’t available, but the staff member promised to talk to the locksmith and have him call me back about the lock.
Days later, no call back … see a pattern here?
I called the Pacific Grove store a week later, and told the person answering the phone (Josh) that this would be the last time I’d be calling American Lock & Key. He was courteous and sounded sincere about helping me out. I received one follow up call from him later in the day — this was last week — and then that was it. The phone went silent again and nothing more from American Lock & Key.
Wow. Guess they really don’t need the business…
What makes this situation even worse is that the staff appears to be nice & knowledgeable, but there’s absolutely no follow-​up. Zero. I’d rather have them be rude & discourteous, and then at least the lack of phone calls would make perfect sense.
I cannot recommend American Lock & Key to anyone for any reason. I’ll be looking for a competent locksmith who’ll actually call me back, and finish the job (it’s been two months now since I started this journey to get one front door lock fixed).

My ignition switch finally locked up for good on my ’99 Jeep when I was on a job site about 125 miles from home. Got a new one at the local dealer and went down the street to American Lock & Key to get it keyed. I was on their doorstep when they opened and Ric waved me in. It looked like I didn’t get a full parts package but they had the pieces needed and got it done quickly. Great service when I needed it.

I had to go here while at work and needed a key very fast. I was pleased by the service I received. I walked into the building and within 30 seconds my key was already being made. I was in and out in 2 minutes flat and on my way. I really appreciate the service that these guys provide.

Lost my keys at home, thought they would finally pop up after a week. No luck. AM&K sent AJ over and this guy was right on point. Fast, courteous, careful and cool.
Thank you for your help and thank you for sending AJ.
HB.

Old Fashioned craftsmanship and customer service. I needed a duplicate key for my scooter. Jim created a custom key, when none of the standard blanks fit. It took him a while but he considered it a challenge and got the job done!

I needed some duplicate keys for my ’68 Chevy. I called American Lock & Key and asked if they could make keys for an older car. They said yes. I was there within 10 minutes and it took only a minute to get the job done. Quick and easy. These guys are professionals. Highly recommended.

They rip me off charging 300 dollars for a key rather get one from the lot for way cheaper .they are slow and take for ever.

Helped me with a tricky key job with my Toyota– everyone there really friendly, and chatted with the owner at length. Expert help at a more than fair price. Highly recommended!

Think back to that last time in your life when you felt utterly powerless. When you were stuck. When you made a mistake, and without the help of a stranger, you were literally left out in the cold.
This was my situation last week, and thanks to the knowhow, professionalism and honest care for a fellow man, AJ and team saved my ass. Making my final pit stop on a weeklong motorcycle trip up and down the California coast, I decided to spend the idyllic mid-​September afternoon at the beach in Carmel. Only when I changed out of my swim suit and back into my leathers did I realize that my usual right-​front pocket may not have been the best choice for a single ignition key. The beach swallowed another valuable item that afternoon; this was literally a case of attempting to find a needle in a haystack.
Long story short, I was able to arrange for a lift for myself and my bike and make it to American Lock & Key a few minutes before closing. AJ immediately dug in and started pulling apart the fork-​mounted ignition assembly. The challenge of cutting a new key for my ’03 Bonneville clearly was an exciting one for AJ (a motorcycle enthusiast himself), and despite it being the end of his long work day, tackled the project without much more than a «let me see what I can do.»
Less than an hour later I was handed two brand new keys, and more importantly, a way for me to continue my journey.
I can’t say enough about these guys and the services they provided that afternoon. AJ literally went above and beyond, staying way past closing time and in doing so, saved me a night in a hotel and likely a missed flight out the next morning. If there was a way to give these guys 6 out of 5 stars, I wouldn’t hesitate.

I refuted the credit card charge and the owner himself called me to find out what was up. I told him the story and he was more than understanding. He truly cares about his business. He asked if I would cancel the refuted charge and would send me a check in the mail or even offered to meet me and give it to me in person. I received the check when he said it would be there. I am a huge fan of the owner.
The 4 stars was only because I’m a little wary of ever dealing with Rick again. I will definitely give them another try and next time if I have a problem, I’m asking straight for Jim the owner. He was very kind.

I’ve used American several different times and always been extremely happy. This most recent time I was a little bit of a «PITA» and they still treated me with patience and respect. They get a rarely awarded 5 stars from me.

I needed my locks re-​keyed on my new condo before moving in. I called several locksmiths in the area and most were about the same price (give or take a bit) as American Lock & Key. I decided to go with them based on the Unilocal reviews and how nice they were on the phone. I’m very glad I did. They came out on time for my appointment and were very professional and quick. The keys work perfectly and he was done in about a half hour for three locks. The price ended up being a little less then quoted, which is always a nice surprise.

We decided to rekey our new house as soon as possible, and went to American within the first week of moving in. Theo and AJ helped us pick out the right set of locks and handles for our doors (most of which have glass, so needed double-​key locks for safety), and ordered things they didn’t have in stock with no hassle whatsoever.
Once the parts were in the locksmith came out right on time and got the locks in really quickly, and even did some followup support on the phone when some of our keys were sticking. (Unfortunately I can’t remember his name at the moment, but he was super helpful).
AJ later came out to check out a lock that was sticking, and took care of it in the first few minutes he was there.
These guys have been great to work with, and will be our first stop should we need to seek out locks again in the future.

Simply outstanding service across the board. Fast, friendly, professional. I cannot think of any aspect of my experience that was not excellent.

Bought a older Jeep knowing that there wasn’t keys for the doors… These guys took care of me!

Went in last week and had 2 keys made under 2 minutes, so strolled in today with a ring full of keys… I asked for two sets made from my batch and they were done in less than 5. The key ring had like 6 keys on it! I have no idea how they do it. Amazing!