I do have spare sets in several locations. Didn't help me at all when the lock broke with my key in it. How I wish I had had this advice then. There was a locksmith down the street but of course they were closed and the phone number on the door led to an after-hours, take you for all you are worth, outfit. They got me in but I refused to pay the exorbitant price they wanted to charge for a new lock. I went to sleep with the deadbolt on and packing tape over the hole left where the old cylinder had been.

The next day, I did my research, found a reputable locksmith, and they charged me half as much as the previous night's offer. I keep that receipt in my wallet at all times.

MagicJewball

I don't use it often, but when I need it, there's nothing like the relief of finding it there. Yes, I'm talking about the number to the pizza place that doesn't deliver. If you don't call first, it won't be waiting for you.

leftystrat

Folks who are suggesting other things - great! Folks who are dissing this idea AND suggesting other things - you're half on. Seriously; who says you can't make an extra set of keys and leave them with a neighbor (make sure you trust them) or leave them in a hidden location (make sure it's ACTUALLY HIDDEN and not somewhere a clever burglar will find them - i'm looking at you under-the-doormat guy) or keep them on you (two sets of keys in your pockets at all times? Seriously?) AND at the same time keep a locksmith's number in your cellphone?

Lifehacks aren't mutually exclusive guys! Do one, do them all! Just means you're that much more ready (readier?) in case of an emergency.

phoenix

Around here you can call the police and they will send an officer out to get you into your car. They will usually use a slim jim, so it won't work on all cars.

Other than that, you can always send a text to google (46645) and ask where a nearby locksmith is - then you can find someone close to wherever you might be.

sam1am

I'm always forgetting to take my phone with me when I go out. I guess I am just not a cellphone Mom.

However--I keep my driver's license and other important cards in a metal cigarette case with a picture of a blue Vespa on the front ('cause I ride a blue Vespa when I'm not driving the car). Inside the case, I put a LabelOnce rewritable label, and on that, in Sharpie, I wrote such important phone numbers as the AAA, my husband's office phone number, my kids' cell phone numbers, the number of our mechanic and the main Kaiser phone number in case I have an emergency. That way if I go off without my phone, I'm not totally lost.

infmom

Living in the semi-rural Midwest, I keep my local police non-emergency, along with the surrounding county sheriff non-emergency numbers + state patrol in my phone. Also have my favorite towing service in there, along w/ insurance agent's number & 800 number. And generally any number I call with regularity (i.e. favorite restaurant's reservation #).

--JOsh

crturboguy

@drsmith: I'm a woman. Let's say that I accidentally leave my purse in the house/car too? I can't (and won't) keep a taped key to my body. My cell isn't usually kept in my purse, but my pocket and it's one small key in there too.

Nope. Sorry but there is always an accident waiting to happen. Never say never as far as "it won't happen to me." I'd just rather have the number just in case.

magnoliasouth

Nevermind the costly locksmiths. Get prepared. Get copies of those important keys. Then find an hard to discover spot in the back yard, under a stone, on the top of the treehouse, whatever. Put the key there. Show your family where it is, especially your teenage kids. Next take a copy of your car key and tape it to your business card. Stick it in your wallet or your purse. Your set. These steps have saved me more than once and I don't have to wait for the locksmith to show up and charge me.

johnknox

@j3sX: The problem with that is how to access the tools when you're locked out?

magnoliasouth

Google 411 isn't always perfect, so, as an alternative, you may want to keep Tell Me's number saved as well. It's a similar, free service that will tell and text you the results of your query:

800-555-8355 (555-TELL) - [www.tellme.com]

j3sX

Car insurance claims and towing assistance number plus auto mechanic. My car insurance has roadside assistance or towing service included provided that I call their 800 number and let them find a towing service for me instead of shopping around for it myself. I live out in the boonies so I keep the 800 number for the County Sheriff. And, last but definitely not least, the number for my veterinarian. A kitty crisis is no time for fumbling through the phone book or accumulated business cards and 911 may be useless if not overkill. (No pun.)

rolltimer

GOOG 411 worked for me...

baest

I have the local Highway Patrol's short number saved to my phone in case of crazed drivers or other problems.

Marce

If you don't want to get scammed by a "locksmith" (most of these scammers are not true locksmiths), do your self a favour and learn the skills yourself. The tools are cheap, there are plenty of free or low cost guides to be found online and in libraries, you gain knowledge in the process, and it can net you a role as neighbourhood hero. Granted, it is something that can take a fair amount of practisce and experience to get good at, but that's something you can do at home in your spare time.

j3sX

I keep our electric company's emergency phone number on my cell. When the electricity goes out and it's dark and scary, it pays to have a nice back lit screen with the company's name and number easily accessible. ;-)

Outtacontext

You don't need a locksmith. Don't waste your money like that.

Carry a second set of keys - Cost: $5. Not having to worry about the high price of stupidity: Priceless.

drsmith

Locksmith: yes, do your research ahead of time, and locate reputable ones. Also, you should try to add more than one locksmith, as your first choice might be busy and not be able to get to you for a while.

Also, having your local fire and police numbers is helpful (in the US, at least). When you call 911 from a cell phone, the call can go to a central center that will have to transfer your call to your correct local fire/police center. By having your local numbers, you bypass any delays in transferring your call, and your emergency gets handled faster.

I also have the number for highway road conditions, but I haven't decided if that's really helpful (in California, google for "caltrans highway road status" for the phone number). Yes, I know that there are websites for this, but EDGE doesn't necessarily work in the boonies.

aj_robins

Cab companies are a good idea for those nights out when you or a friend shouldn't drive home. No excuse for not having that number.

I'd also add your city's police NON-emergency number for on-the-fly reporting of issues not important enough for 911, but still worth telling someone about. Missing manhole covers and malfunctioning traffic signals come to mind.

tinyhands

In Southern California (and presumably all of CA?) there are "motorist aid" trucks that, apparently, wonder the freeways (or "highways" for NY transplants like myself..) looking for people in trouble-flat tires, overheating, etc...
They're everywhere!! Until you need them.. that is.

So I have their phone number in my cellphone memory.
#399 (that's: 399 preceded by "#")

(It's pretty sad fact that I have a 4 digit phone number in my phone memory instead of my brain memory... but that's a whole other topic..)

gugleme

ICE: In Case of Emergency, if you're in the hospital, they'll call your loved one
can be home number, but I have my dad's cell in there

goodywitch

If I'm absent minded enough to have locked my keys in the house, then my cell phone is in there with them, because that's the last thing I attach to my person.

So this is a good thought, but not foolproof of course.

I need something to help me when I forget my cellphone or laptop bag, and I arrive at work 30 minutes away without them. The only solution is to spend an extra hour to get them.

smcallah

Don't forget you can use Goog-411 and say "Map it" to the listing. It will send you a text messge with the business details (name/addy/phone) and a link to the Google map.

missdona

Locksmith? No, I've never locked myself out of my car or house. I'd use 1-800-GOOG-411 anyhow since I don't really know of a "reputable" locksmith (there's one local shop that has been around for decades, so I'd give them a shot first).

Taxi companies? Hell yes. I keep numbers for a couple local towns, at least one for the cities where my relatives live, and three for San Francisco. I also often add a number for a city I'm going to visit.

Deprong Mori

If you live in an apartment complex, frequently, they have a lock out number and a 24 hour emergency number. Wife and I locked ourselves out (very stupid story), went around to neighbors and our neighbor had to call some friends to get the lock out number. Grief would have been saved if I had had any of the numbers in my cell (and if I had been carrying my cell... I'm not sure I was).

PotKettleBlack

The first numbers I always put in a new phone are my doctor, my home voice mail, home and work numbers, my boss's number, AAA/car insurance, and my veterinarian's 24 hour emergency line. I've have to use the vet's number more times than I care to admit.

slmcdanold

One that has gotten national coverage is to have a entry in your phone book called ICE.

That should be the number who to call In Case of Emergency, when you are least likely to be able to dial it yourself.

It's there for usage by EMT's and Emergency Room People and they know to look for it.

PoliticalPublisher

Simply looking up a locksmith in the yellow pages is very bad advice. Locksmith scams are a growth industry - mostly spread via yellow-page advertising.

Find a locksmith with an actual store. Otherwise - good luck!

A BBB alert tells more.

Here's a hair-raising audio story on NPR

jeffk

I have added cab companies (when my wife was pregnant), and add restaurants and take-away places if I like them (surprisingly handy). I have the numbers to cancel my bank and credit cards (of course), and support numbers for my mobile operator and broadband company, as well as the car's favourite mechanic. I have the operator/reception numbers for the companies I regularly work with (including my own company, because I can never have everybody's number). I add code words at the start of the entries, so that they appear together in the phone address book.

markisevil

for those of us without cars, i'd replace the car insurance claim line & AAA numbers with "local cab companies." in my experience, it's generally a good idea to have more than one in your phone.

shad0ws

Or you could just have some extra keys made, leave them with the neighbor, in a hidden location, etc.

enjar

I needed this just this weekend. I tried using google's text service to find a locksmith but all nearby were closed. Luckily a friend called AAA for me and worked it out for free. For cars a towing company should be able to get in when you've locked yourself out.

ChrisAshton84

I was working in Michigan when I got locked out of my apt. I have always put emergency numbers in my phone - including a locksmith! All set, right? WRONG. My cell phone was locked in my apartment too!

Spent all night trying to break into my apartment before one of my neighbors stumbled home drunk and I was able to borrow their phone...

okayplayah

Man, I LOVE it when you guys advise me to do things I've already done! You lock your keys in the car while it's running in the parking lot of a Target just once, and you figure these things out!

zombiespiderman

@magnoliasouth: I suppose that would be situation dependent. For home type situations, you could keep a tool set in your car, assuming you owned one, of course. If you didn't, or if you managed to lose, or get yourself locked out of, both your house and car keys at the same time, one would hope you followed the common advice of leaving an extra set of keys with a trusted third party such as a relative or neighbour.

j3sX