Philadelphia isn’t exactly the place you want to find yourself looking for parking. It’s generally a walking city and there’s a reason why the TV show “Parking Wars” was filmed there. But if you are taking a road trip to visit the city or are forced to drive into the city for any other reason, you should follow these guidelines for finding parking in Philadelphia.

• If you can, park at your hotel. This can be an expensive option but it can also be included with some hotel packages. Check with your hotel to see if parking comes with in-and-out privileges, which means you pay one fee to come and go as you please.
• Find a public parking garage or parking lot. Philadelphia has two types of parking facility operators: The Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) and private operators. PPA garages are typically the cheapest option, ranging from about $18-$20 per day. Privately operated garages and lots can be more expensive but they can also offer commuter rates and/or early bird rates that can help you save a little bit of money if you park at certain times throughout the day. Some private parking garages and lots are self-park and others are valet. Self-park garages and lots usually will save you some time when picking up your car.
• Park on the street. Although this can be the most scarce and risky parking option in Philadelphia, sometimes finding street parking is your only or most convenient choice. But keep in mind the TV show “Parking Wars.” The PPA is the nation’s most efficient governmental parking authority and if you park even just 2 minutes over your allotted time there it a great chance you’ll be ticked or towed. Street parking signs can be confusing or hidden, so be sure to take a good look at your surroundings when you park on the street in Philadelphia.  

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After enjoying the day in Philadelphia and returning to your vehicle, if you find that you have locked your keys in your car, call a car locksmith in Philadelphia that offers 24/7 emergency lockout service.

In this day and age, it’s common for children’s schedules to not line up with that of their parents’ schedules. This means more children are home alone after school until one of their parents or guardians can get home from work. As parents, it’s our job to teach keep our children safe, especially in our own homes. Teaching your children about proper home security can go a long way in ensuring their safety. Here, your friendly Center City Philadelphia locksmith shares a few helpful tips to teach your children and keep them safe.

One of the simplest measures that you can take and teach your children is to lock doors. How many times have you walked through the door, arms filled with groceries and forgot to go back and lock the door behind you? It happens. We get distracted. However, locking doors is one of the easiest measures you can take and teach your children. Help your children to make it a habit to constantly lock the door whenever they leave the house or come in.

If your home has an operating security alarm system, it is important that your children understand how to operate it. Whether it’s arming, disarming, activating the panic siren, or other simple and basic functions, your child should know how to use these features in the event they are home alone or unassisted. Additionally, if there is a unique password associated with the alarm system, you should teach your children the password and the importance of not sharing it with anyone.

The most important measure when it comes to safety, according your locksmith in Center City, is to call 911 in the event of an emergency. Sometimes, scary things happen and it’s important that children know when to call 911 and how to handle the call. It’s best to establish an emergency procedure, but also let them know that calling 911 is a serious matter and is not to be taken lightly.

As locksmiths in Center City, we see it all; both good and bad. To prevent the worst from happening, make sure you teach your children these three home safety tips to keep them safe at all times.
 
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What do you think is one of the worst car problems to have? Some people reading this might think of any kind of engine troubles. After all, engine problems can be tricky to figure out and, depending on the make and model of your car, they could be an expensive fix. Others might mention transmission issues because they're notoriously expensive to deal with, and usually require a lot of attention and work. There's also something to be said for problems you can take care of yourself like blown tires or broken windshield wipers, but there is one common and troublesome car issue that you might not consider: being locked out of your car.

Maybe you lost your keys or perhaps you accidently locked them inside your car. Either way, you need your car keys, and not having them is one of the biggest and most annoying inconveniences you can have. A car locksmith is an essential for every Philadelphia resident, and everybody should have the number of one saved in their cell phone. Don't believe us? Well, did you consider that . . .

You can't pick car locks

A car lock is very different from the door locks that you're used to. You may have been able to use a bobby pin or another long and thin implement to open an accidently locked bedroom or bathroom door, but you can't do that with a modern car lock. Aside from the fact that car locks are infinitely more complicated than door locks, almost every vehicle built in the last 20 years has a special chip inside of it. The chip and the lock and key mechanism work together to unlock your car. You can spend an hour trying to pick your car lock, and all you're going to end up with is a bunch of wasted time and some odd looks from people who think you are trying to steal your own car. You need a specialist to open a car lock.

You're going to be stuck out in the elements

Wouldn't it be nice if every car problem happened in perfectly sunny 70-degree weather? Weather isn't just a problem when you're behind the wheel, it can also cause problems when you're simply trying to get behind it. Imagine being locked outside of your car during one of last winter's cold snaps, or maybe during a drenching rain in spring. Or imagine waiting outside of your car during an oppressive heat wave complete with unheard of city humidity.

You're going to be stuck out in the city

Philadelphia residents love their fair city, mainly because they've learned how to enjoy it as safely as possible. Being alone by your car is never good, especially when you can't safely sit inside of it. You could also look a little suspicious to police officers, traffic cops, and well-meaning residents and neighbors. 

If you want to ensure the quickest, safest reentry into your vehicle, South Philadelphia Locksmith can help. We have 24-hour emergency service that offers a 15-minute response time, so that you'll never have to wait for long!

It is 3 o'clock in the morning and you have an early flight to catch but you accidently locked your keys in the car. What do you do? Do you risk damaging your vehicle to fish out the keys, do you call a cab for an expensive trip to the airport or do you pull out your phone to search for an emergency locksmith service provider near you? More than likely, you try to search for a locksmith but finding a reputable locksmith at such an early hour of the morning can be difficult especially when there are fraudulent scammers all over. When you are in a situation where you need emergency locksmith service, there are a few things to lookout for so you can avoid being scammed.

1. Zero Web Presence

We live in an age where almost every reputable company has a real website and if you find a locksmith that has limited or no web presence, you may be dealing with a fraudulent locksmith. It should immediately draw a red flag if the locksmith in question has nothing online and that includes zero reviews or reviews that just seem fishy. You may need to spend a few extra minutes researching online, but it will be well worth it so you avoid being scammed. Additionally, search for the address of the company to make sure it actually exists and call to verify it.

2. Too Good To Be True

If you are on the phone with a locksmith and they offer you a service at a price that seems too good to be true, you may be speaking to a fraudster. There may be hidden costs and fees and if they are not upfront with those charges, end the phone call immediately. Well-established locksmiths will give you an estimated breakdown of the price so you know how much the service will cost. A good rule of thumb is to call more than one locksmith to get a ballpark estimate of your specific situation – this way you'll have a better idea of what to expect.

3. Lacking Proper Credentials

You can instantly spot a scam if a locksmith arrives at your location in an unmarked vehicle, does not look professional and lacks proper identification. Once again, established locksmiths have protocols set in place that can make them easily distinguishable when they arrive. If a locksmith doesn’t have professional, branded attire or a vehicle with a company logo, be very cautious and refuse service. Also make sure to always ask the locksmith for valid insurance information because you want to be covered incase damage occurs. If the situation seems unprofessional, it's not a professional locksmith service.

Protecting yourself is the number one priority and knowing what to look for is extremely important. Scammers often think that those in need of locksmith services are at their mercy, but with some research, you will realize true locksmith businesses actually care about your situation and will try to help you in every way possible. When you are in need of a trustworthy locksmith in Philadelphia, count on South Philadelphia Locksmith for all your needs!

 

There are many locksmiths in Philadelphia, but not all are locally-owned businesses. At a glance, it may not seem to matter whether you hire a local locksmith or a big national chain, but it can make a difference both for the quality of service you get and for the local economy. Whether you're changing your locks, bulking up security or simply need to get in when you've lost your key, here are three reasons you're better off calling someone local:

1. They know the neighborhood – This is the number one reason a local Philadelphia locksmith is going to out perform anybody else. The reality is that local locksmiths often grew up in the area and have worked for years in your neighborhood and the ones around it. Why is that a good thing? It's good because it means they're going to find your location faster, whether it's your house or apartment in Old City, your business in Spring Garden, or your parked car on South Street. This is a convenience any time you need a locksmith—you know they'll show up for their appointment on time and you won't be left waiting. But it goes beyond convenience and becomes crucial on that unfortunate occasion when you've locked yourself out and need to get in. No one likes being locked out, and sometimes it can be mission-critical to get back inside in a hurry, whether because of a cold Pennsylvania winter, a summer downpour or simply because you have to get in, get out, and get to work. A local locksmith is a faster locksmith, which means you aren't left stranded.

2. They have a stronger interest in making sure you're satisfied with their work – Every business wants to develop a good reputation, but this is more important for local enterprises than big corporations. The local locksmith is a tradesperson who relies on positive word-of-mouth from people in the area. That's how they develop repeat business and keep their doors open (no pun intended). Unlike a big chain company, they don't have a huge advertising budget, so they rely on doing quality work each and every time to build customer loyalty. That means they have a strong incentive to do the job right the first time and provide great, personalized service.

3. You support the local economy – Service, price, and performance come first but, with all else being equal, most of us would rather support small businesses in our area. Going with a local business means you're giving your money to a real family in your area instead of a faceless company. It also helps out your local economy.

Do you prefer to hire local? Why or why not? Call or contact us at South Philadelphia Locksmith 24/7 for any emergency!

Locks play a vital role in securing the valuable assets of the people like cars, house and offices. Therefore locks need to be selected properly since it is all about security.

The choice of locks depends on the level of security that a person wants for its priced procession. Various kinds of locks are available in the market today and every one has its own distinctive features. Todayelectronic locks have become the prime choice of the people.

These locks are known for its reliability as well as ease of use. These kinds of locks don’t have any keys and for this reason they are referred as keyless. Because of this reason these locks seems to have become very popular in every household and offices.

These days automotive locking systems have also become very sophisticated and promises to offer outmost security to their owner’s vehicles.

Duplicate KeyDuplicate Key is a copy of an original key. Can people really create duplicate keys right in the comfort of their own home? The answer in short is Yes, but not as practical as you may think.

In order to duplicate a key in your own home, you will either need to purchase a key duplication machine, similar to what actual locksmith or hardware stores use. This is more of a costly investment, so unless you frequently need to duplicate key, this is likely not a valid approach.

The other ways that one can create duplicate keys require various type of material to accomplish the goal. You can create a mold, with certain solution and equipment and follow a process. This too is a more complicated approach, as you would need to source various type of materials and solutions, and research how it is done.

The most practical way to create duplicate keys is by going to stores Walmart, Kmart, Lowe’s, Home depot or a local locksmith or hardware store. When you consider that a duplicate key only costs between $.75 to $1.50, it is clearly the cheapest solution to making a duplicate key.

Duplicate Key, do I need them?You certainly do need a duplicate key. That is why when you purchase a new lock, it almost always comes with two keys. It is advisable to keep a duplicate key stored in a safe place so that in the event you lose the primary keys, you can still unlock the lock without much hassle.

In order to make a good copy of your keys, it is best to use the original key to produce the duplicate key, rather than create a copy of a copy. Each time a key is duplicated, the cut is likely not as perfect as the original key, thus making the key slightly more difficult to open the lock. Often you have to fiddle the key around in order to unlock the lock, this is a direct effect of creating a duplicate key from a key that was already