PSA: Watch out for those sketchy apartment managers demanding free rekeys

Been doing locksmith work for 12 years now, and I've dealt with some real pieces of work, but these apartment complex managers take the cake. Last week I got called out to rekey a Schlage deadbolt on a unit in south Florida where everything rusts anyway, and the manager wanted me to do the whole job for free because 'it's maintenance.' Told him flat out no, quoted him $150 including the new key blanks and pins, and he threw a fit, saying he'd call my boss. Had to walk away from that crap-show, but it's the third time this month with these types. PSA to all you guys: always get payment terms upfront, especially on commercial gigs like multi-unit buildings. Saw a similar rant in the Locksmiths Facebook group last week, and yeah, it's getting worse. Don't let them bully you into charity work.

Always include a clause in your contract for no freebies on manager requests.

FML, had a manager in my area try the same BS last month. Wasted two hours arguing before I left.

I feel you man, been there too many times with these entitled managers.

Damn, sounds like a nightmare. I always charge double for apartment work now to cover the drama.

Haha, picture this: manager calls at 8pm saying the tenant locked themselves out, expects me to rush over for nada. I just laughed and hung up.

These managers are out of control, acting like we're their on-call slaves.

Corporate greed at its finest, they nickel and dime us while charging tenants an arm and a leg.

SharkBite fittings are fine for emergencies, but for rekeys? Nah, stick to proper pinning kits like Kwikset or Schlage originals. Don't cheap out and risk callbacks.

We all hate these clowns pushing boundaries.

Out here, managers try to lowball on every evict rekey. I started requiring prepayment.

Man, that sucks. Had a similar run-in and it left me pissed for days.

The whole industry's flooded with cheap outfits undercutting us, making managers expect free work.

Shame these FB groups are full of the same complaints, no solutions though.

Yeah, solidarity brothers, we gotta stop taking their crap.

I walk away every time now. Life's too short for unpaid drama.

What do you do when they threaten bad reviews? I caved once and regretted it.

These apartment corps are the devil, squeezing every penny from trades like us.

Buddy of mine got stiffed on a big rekey job, had to lien the place.

Solid advice on the payment terms, saved my ass more than once.

How do you quote for multi-unit rekeys? Mine always negotiate down.

We in this together, hang in there.

Ever had one call the cops on you for not doing it free?

Ugh, just venting here but these managers make me wanna quit commercial altogether.

Totally get the frustration, it's exhausting dealing with that attitude.

We're all feeling the squeeze from these lowball expectations.

Haha, next time tell 'em you'll rekey their mouth shut for free.

The entitlement from these property groups is off the charts, time to unionize or something.

Rough day huh? Hope the next job goes smoother.

Finally got a manager to pay up after I left a 'service unavailable' note on their door. Felt good.

These big apartments treat us like dirt, no respect for the trade.

Every damn time with the free work demands, it's infuriating.

Solidarity, man. We've all been burned.

Proud of you for walking away, sets a good example for the rest of us.

The market's oversaturated with hacks, driving down standards and expectations.

Charge 'em what you're worth, they come crawling back eventually.

Try adding a rush fee for after-hours calls, weeds out the cheap ones.

Been locking out bad payers by updating their master keys. Problem solved.

Hit my first $100k year by ditching apartment work entirely. Best move ever.