Tom Dartnall | Finalist | Australia's Best Young Locksmith 2023 - LSC | Complete Security Solutions

Click HERE to head to the BLA Locksmith's Website, they offer locksmithing & security services accross Brisbane.

Please provide a short personal biography about yourself

I am 28, born in Toowoomba, and grew up in the greater Brisbane area. When I was younger, I did work experience with my father (electrician) and a few of his close friends (carpenters) and I found these skills were transferable to locksmithing.

I started locksmithing in my early 20s and enjoyed experience in both domestic and commercial work and more recently have made the transition to automotive technician. I now predominantly do automotive work but will help the Locksmithing & Access Teams if they require some help. I am currently involved in training an apprentice and it has been really rewarding passing on my knowledge and good habits/skills to be a great locksmith.

What are some of the skills and abilities necessary for someone to succeed as a locksmith?

Good communication skills, both verbal and written, are essential in the industry. Given you are often dealing with people’s security issues, you need to be able to converse with confidence and reassurance when necessary.

The ability to keep your cool in a stressful situation is very important in our industry. A large amount of the situations we find ourselves in will have distressed customers who are flustered because they are locked out or have been broken into so patience and reassuring confidence is key so that they can have peace of mind that they are getting the best outcome in a bad situation.

What key issues do you think will affect the locksmith industry in the coming decade and how do you think these should be approached?

One of the issues the locksmithing community is facing is the misinformation spread through online forums which give customers unreasonable expectations around: pricing, best security options, fitting and servicing options for their locks (On many occasions the locksmith removes a lock from a door and a bunch of graphite falls out).

This is a difficult issue to deal with especially given the increase in DIY home renovations. However, perhaps trying to work with retailers could be useful to have signage etc. that a locksmith is required for properly fitted locks and to give homeowners peace of mind regarding their security.

Tell us why you should be Australia’s best young locksmith.

Throughout my career, I have broadened my knowledge of my locksmithing trade. Learning as much as I can in most divisions of locksmithing; Cabling, Automotive key replacement, lock / electric strike fitting, Master keying and “gain entry” techniques. I am a versatile employee, allowing people to book me into most jobs whether it is a rekey, a mag lock that has failed or a lost all keys situation for a vehicle. In doing this, my fault-finding has increased and so has my attention to detail when it comes to completing the job. I pride myself on making sure everything looks neat and professional for the customer.

In summary, I love my job, I love learning all the new technologies and most of all I love being able to help people. I often get many comments that I have been so helpful, and the clients are very appreciative of the effort I take to make them feel at ease in what are often stressful situations.

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Tom Dartnall | Finalist | Australia's Best Young Locksmith 2023

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