2020 - Where Stress and Resolve Meet

• Chromecast left behind in hotel in Kentucky so we can't watch family movies
• Our van broke down in the mountains and we coasted down
• Daughter bit by a mysterious bug or large mosquito that caused us to leave mini golf place fast with her crying and run to a van that was not working. (We had a cooler with ice packs she used and some tylenol and she is okay now thankfully)
• Filthy Uber vehicle with strange dude
• Got almost the last rental vehicle in three cities. Apparently this tourist with broken down vehicle thing happens often
• We didn't pack enough meds for our autistic teen 
• Mechanic says transmission is shot and he can fix it but not have it done until Friday (we were supposed to leave Wednesday).
• Bigger expenses with rental car, extra hotel, food, things to do with two kids...
• The county is under a mask mandate and there are signs everywhere but most small stores don't even have employees masking and most areas are crowded
• We went to an outdoor shopping and entertainment complex and about 30 minutes after we got there tonight, there was a HUGE blackout. Pitch black, the entire grid, which included our hotel
• The driver who was supposed to drive our transmission from the salvage yard to the mechanic had a heart attack and died

As you can see, our little trip did not go as planned. But then again, it's 2020 and that is how it is. In the large scheme of things we chose to power through and did a good job. We were together, we had the means (and the credit card) to extend our trip. We played a bunch of mini golf, did some shopping together, and spent more time together than usual. It was not an ideal situation but it worked out. We did get our van back at 6:20 on Friday the 13th and drove the 11 hours through the night, full moon and all, home to West Michigan. Now THAT is something to celebrate!

That's me just sharing a bit of us and sharing it here because things will go wrong once in awhile and we will work through it. Where something like a key is concerned, sometimes something will go wrong and, again, we will deal with it with you. Seriously, if we can handle the situation you read about above without (too much) going a bit crazy, we promise to help you solve any key issue. 

The MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do in order to avoid getting a key that doesn't work is to know your manufacturer first, then the number on the lock. Many of our customers have ordered something like a HON 120R, which is for a HON file cabinet with the number 120R on the lock. A week later we will get an email from that customer saying the key doesn't work. Our first questions are to verify the manufacturer and then the lock number. Most times we will get a reply that they don't know the manufacturer and the lock says, "120," on it. So, in a case like this, a HON key 120R is not going to work because it's not a HON cabinet. 

If something does go wrong....because it very well could this year, know that we are a family of experts in dealing with things going wrong! In all seriousness, our goal as a customer-focused business is to be real, talk to you, and get you the keys that you need. If you order the wrong key, we cannot refund the mistake as we do custom cut each key, but we will do our best to help you find the right key so you can keep moving along with your day with as few bumps in the road as possible. 

So yep, we are home and our store is back open, a few days later than planned. But we are here, we are safe, and we will keep going through this year of 2020.