How we work
Our Process
What actually happens between your call and your door opening — step by step, with nothing hidden in the middle.
You call, you get a firm total, you get a real arrival window, and a licensed technician turns up with identification. We open the lock without destroying it wherever possible, show you what caused the problem, and hand you an itemised invoice. If we cannot open it, you pay the $39 call-out and nothing else.
Step by step
The eight steps
01 You call (504) 506-2567
A technician picks up, not a call centre. If you are locked out in the rain, say so first and we will sort the details after.
02 We ask what is actually in front of you
The lock type, the door, or the year and model of the vehicle — plus where you are in Kenner. Two minutes of questions saves a wasted trip and a wrong quote.
03 You get a total
Including the service call. By text if you want it in writing before anyone moves. That number does not change unless we find something genuinely different on arrival — and if we do, you hear it and approve it before work starts.
04 You get a real arrival window
Based on where you actually are. Rivertown is not the same drive as Laketown, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
05 We arrive, show ID and the licence number
Marked vehicle, photo identification, Louisiana State Fire Marshal licensed. We also confirm you are authorised to access the property or vehicle — which is a protection for you, not an inconvenience.
06 We open it without wrecking it
Picking, bypass or shimming. Drilling is a last resort for a cylinder that is already destroyed, and never a surprise. The large majority of jobs need no hardware replaced at all.
07 We show you the cause
If the frame moved, you see the strike marks. If the cylinder corroded, you see the pins. This is the step most companies skip, and it is the one that stops you paying twice.
08 Itemised invoice, cards accepted
Parts, labour and service call listed separately, with the licence number, technician name and warranty. Cash-only with no receipt is a red flag anywhere in this trade — including here.
Our commitments
Six things we hold ourselves to
| We will | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Quote a total before we move | Not “starting at.” One number, including the $39 service call. |
| Not drill by default | Picking and bypass first. Drilling only when the cylinder is already beyond recovery, and only after telling you. |
| Show the licence unprompted | Louisiana requires it. You should not have to ask, but ask anyway — of us and of anyone else. |
| Take cards | So you have a route to dispute if anything goes wrong. That protection matters more than the convenience. |
| Itemise everything | Parts, labour and call-out on separate lines, with the technician name and date. |
| Tell you when you don’t need us | If it is a $30 hardware-store fix or a strike realignment rather than a new lock, that is what we will say. It costs us money and it is the whole point. |
Honest comparison
How we compare to the alternatives
We compare against categories, not named companies. Every row below is checkable.
| Dispatch networks | Walmart kiosk | Dealership | Kenner Lock & Key | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Based in Kenner | No | In-store only | No | Yes |
| LA licence number published | Rarely | n/a | n/a | Yes — Louisiana State Fire Marshal (in progress) |
| Prices published online | No | Keys only | On request | Every service |
| Total quoted before dispatch | Rarely | n/a | Sometimes | Always |
| Comes to you | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Non-destructive entry default | Varies | n/a | n/a | Yes |
| Itemised invoice | Often not | Receipt | Yes | Yes |
| Cards accepted | Sometimes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Car keys with chips | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Cheap spare brass key | No | Best option | No | Yes, if we’re there |
| Typical car key cost | $180–$450 | n/a | $150–$600 | $125–$400 |
Where the kiosk genuinely wins: a spare brass house key cut from a clean original. $5 to $15 at the Walmart on West Esplanade or Williams Boulevard, and cheaper than us. It fails on worn originals, restricted keyways and anything with a chip.
Recent work
Three jobs from around Kenner
Real problems, real numbers, and in two of the three the answer cost less than the customer expected.
Chateau Estates — deadbolt wouldn’t throw
1971 slab home off Chateau Boulevard. She had been lifting the front door by the handle for eight months to make it lock. That morning the key snapped flush with the cylinder. Another company had already quoted a full lockset replacement, sight unseen. The lock was fine — about half an inch of settlement had racked the jamb, so the bolt was striking the plate roughly 7mm high and binding every time. Cracks above the frame and a floor sloping toward the front of the house confirmed it. Extracted the key, re-mortised the strike, added a reinforcement plate with 3-inch screws.
35 minutes. $145. No hardware replaced.
MSY Long Term Garage — lost every key
Flight in at 9:40pm after nine days away. The only key to a 2019 push-to-start was gone somewhere in transit, no spare at home, dealer closed. With no key to copy, the key has to be originated from the VIN and paired to the immobiliser through the OBD-II port. Opened the door without damage, verified the registration in the glovebox against his licence, cut the emergency blade to code, programmed on site — then deleted the lost key from the vehicle memory so whoever has it cannot start the car.
55 minutes. $385 including after-hours. No tow.
Williams Boulevard retail — manager left, keys didn’t
Six openings: front, rear delivery, stockroom, office, electrical closet and a roll-down gate. All keyed differently, all standard keyways, which meant anybody could have cut copies at a kiosk over the years and there was no record of who held what. Put the store on a master system with a restricted keyway. Staff hold change keys that open only what their role needs; the owner holds one master. Keying schedule documented on paper and as a PDF so the next locksmith is not guessing.
3 hours 20 minutes. $780 including hardware for six cylinders and eight keys.
Reviews
Reviews from Kenner customers
We do not write our own reviews. When Kenner Lock & Key was set up, we made a deliberate call not to publish testimonials until they came from real customers who had approved them. That has not changed. A wall of five-star reviews posted in the same week is one of the clearest warning signs in this trade, and we are not going to be another site that does it.
Reviews will appear here as customers leave them. In the meantime, three recent jobs from around Kenner are written up in full below — real problems, real numbers, real outcomes.
Had a job done? Leave us a review.
Google Business Profile is the one that matters most. It takes about a minute and it helps other Kenner residents find an honest locksmith rather than the $19 sites.
Something not right? Tell us first.
Complaints come straight to the owner rather than a ticket system. We would far rather fix it than read about it later.
Questions
Process questions
How fast can you get to me in Kenner?
Typically 20 to 35 minutes anywhere in Kenner, and 15 to 20 in Rivertown and Old Kenner. We give you a window based on your actual address, not a stock number off a website.
Will you give me a price before you come out?
Yes, always. You get a total including the service call, by text if you want it in writing. It does not change unless we find something materially different on arrival, and if we do you hear the revised number and approve it before anything is touched.
Do you drill locks?
Rarely, and never as a first move. We pick, bypass or shim. Drilling is reserved for cylinders that are already destroyed or seized beyond recovery, and we tell you before we do it. Any locksmith who reaches for a drill immediately is making a sales decision, not a technical one.
What identification do you need from me?
Photo ID plus something connecting you to the address or vehicle — a lease, registration, insurance card or piece of mail. Any locksmith who does not ask is one you should not want.
What will you show me when you arrive?
Photo identification and our Louisiana State Fire Marshal licence number. We work from a marked vehicle. If any of that is missing when someone turns up at your door, you are entitled to send them away.
What happens if you cannot open it?
You pay the $39 service call and nothing else. It happens occasionally — a lock already drilled by someone else, a vehicle needing a dealer-only immobiliser reset, a safe with a fired relocker. We tell you what it needs and who can do it.
Do you clean up and show me what caused the problem?
Yes. If your deadbolt failed because the door frame moved, you will see the strike marks before we leave. Knowing the cause is what stops it happening again in six months.
What does the invoice look like?
Parts, labour and the service call listed separately, with our licence number, the technician name, the date and time on site, and the warranty on the work. Cards accepted.
Ready when you are
A total before we move, a licensed technician at the door, and an itemised invoice at the end.
Kenner Lock & Key · Louisiana State Fire Marshal licensed · Insured and bonded
Kenner 70062 · 70063 · 70064 · 70065