A busy day helping customers get secure again — one in Barnt Green and one right here in Catshill. This afternoon I was in Barnt Green, where the customer had misplaced their keys. Thankfully the door was open, but the property still needed securing. I removed the old cylinder and fitted a fresh one so they could lock up confidently again. This evening, I headed out to an emergency call just down the road in Catshill — a key had snapped in the lock, leaving a tiny, stubborn f

🍂 Door Servicing & Security Upgrades – A Busy Start to October With the colder nights rolling in, we’ve already seen a big rise in door alignment issues — and a couple of recent jobs show just how common these problems become as the weather changes. Over the past few days we’ve attended two doors that had become stiff, rubbing, and difficult to lock. Both were classic signs of the door shifting slightly as temperatures drop. After making the correct alignment adjustments, ea

A year of kind words, trust, and brilliant customers. Putting together this little highlights video reminded me just how much every ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review means. Each message, each bit of feedback, each “thank you” genuinely keeps me going. Running Oliver’s Locks has been a huge part of my life this past year — and seeing customers respond with such positivity is something I never take for granted. Your support helps me grow, stay motivated, and keep delivering the non‑destructive, car

🔐 Broken Cylinder & Thumbturn Upgrade in Bromsgrove A customer called after finding that the key would turn, but couldn’t be removed from the lock. This is a classic sign of a spun cam inside the cylinder — once the cam rotates out of position, the key becomes trapped even though the door still operates. We removed the faulty cylinder, talked through the options, and they chose a British Standard 1★ thumbturn upgrade for better security and everyday convenience. With the new

❄️ Colder Nights Are Coming – Here’s Why Your Door Might Need a Service With the temperatures starting to drop again, it’s the perfect time to think about how the change in weather can affect your doors. As the nights get colder, your door and frame begin to contract, and even a small shift in alignment can make a big difference in how smoothly everything works. When a door goes out of alignment, you might notice: • Sticking or dragging when you close it • Needing extra force

Getting the keys to a new home feels final. The boxes are in, the kettle is somewhere, and the front door finally closes behind you. But there is one awkward truth about those keys: you rarely know how many copies exist, or who still has them. Changing your locks after moving house is one of the simplest ways to take control of your new home’s security. It is usually quick, often less disruptive than people expect, and it gives you certainty from day one. New keys are only tr

🔧 Gearbox Failure Midweek — Fixed & Back to Smooth Operation Midweek I headed out to a property with my little helper — my eldest came along for this one and loved getting stuck in. The customer’s door wasn’t unlocking at all, and once we removed the cylinder it became clear what had happened. The external spindle port on the dual‑spindle gearbox had completely broken, with parts literally falling out as soon as the cylinder was removed. We made the property safe and secure

It’s been a quieter week on here — and that’s simply because I’ve taken a bit of time away to enjoy some proper quality time with my family. With the boys off school and the weather behaving itself for once, it’s been great to switch off, recharge, and make some memories. A huge thank you to everyone who has messaged, called, or checked in with me while I’ve been off. I really appreciate your patience and the kindness you’ve shown. Even when I’m taking a short break, it means

It’s been another full week with a real mix of jobs — the kind that keeps things interesting and reminds me why I love what I do. We started with a couple of door alignment issues, both caused by doors drifting out of position over time. A proper service and adjustment made a huge difference, leaving customers with smooth, easy‑to‑use doors again. Mid‑week included a job for a landlord after a new tenant moved in. I carried out a mortice lock change and rim cylinder replaceme

With the summer holidays in full swing, today was a little different — my eldest joined me on the road, taking everything in as we worked through a busy morning of jobs. First stop was in Bromsgrove, replacing a 5‑lever mortice lock, fitting two new handle sets, and completing two cylinder changes to bring the door’s security up to scratch. Next, we headed over to King’s Norton to swap a standard key cylinder for a thumbturn. The door had a slight alignment issue too — nothin

🚗 Quick Update for Tomorrow – Vehicle in the Garage I hope everyone’s having a good week so far. Just a quick heads‑up that I’ll be closed tomorrow as my vehicle is in the garage for repairs. This means I’ll be unavailable for call‑outs and appointments throughout the day. However, I will still be available on the phone to take bookings for later in the week. Friday is already filling up, so if you’d like to secure a slot, feel free to get in touch and I’ll get you booked in

After a much‑needed break away with the family, Oliver’s Locks Bromsgrove will be back open from Monday for both appointments and emergency call‑outs.If you’ve been dealing with any stiff locks, door alignment issues, or security concerns, feel free to get in touch and I’ll get you booked in.Looking forward to helping everyone again next week.— Oliver’s Locks Bromsgrove

It’s been a full and varied week with plenty of jobs that kept me on my toes. We started with a couple of door alignment issues, both caused by doors slowly drifting out of position over time. A proper service and adjustment made a huge difference, leaving both customers with smooth, easy‑to‑use doors again. Mid‑week brought a more challenging job: a broken gearbox on a locked door. After careful work and a non‑destructive approach, we got the door open safely and replaced th

🔐 Fresh 5‑Lever Deadlock Fitted to Strengthen Front‑Door Security A couple of weeks ago I visited a customer to sort out some alignment issues on their back doors. While I was there, we also chatted about improving the security on their front door, and I talked them through a few solid upgrade options. After looking at what would suit their home best, they decided to go ahead with a new 5‑lever British Standard deadlock — a proper secondary locking point that adds real stren

🔧 Composite Door Alignment Fix, Window Handle Replacement & Patio Lock Upgrade Last week I visited a property to look at a composite door with alignment issues. The door had started to drop slightly, putting pressure on the mechanism, so we corrected the alignment on the day to get everything running smoothly again. While there, the customer also mentioned they had broken window handles. The original style was no longer in production, so we talked through a few window handle

🔧 A Very Eventful Week at Oliver’s Locks – From Alignment Fixes to Emergency Callouts It’s been one of those weeks with a bit of everything. We started off with a couple of door alignment issues, both caused by doors slowly drifting out of position over time. A few careful adjustments and servicing later, and they were running smoothly again. Mid‑week took an unexpected turn when I injured my wrist, meaning a couple of jobs had to be postponed. Massive thank you to the custo

🔧 Door Alignment Fix in Catshill Today This morning I visited a local job for a Catshill customer who’d seen my recent post about door alignment issues and realised her two back doors were starting to show the same signs — stiff to close, difficult to lock, and getting progressively worse. A quick check confirmed both doors were out of alignment. After making the correct adjustments, they’re now closing and locking smoothly again, with no strain on the mechanism. While I was

🔧 Returning Customer – French Patio Doors Back to Smooth Operation It was great to be back helping a returning customer this week. I first visited them in October for a front door issue, and this time their French patio doors had completely stopped opening — not ideal in the heat we’ve had lately, especially with more warm weather on the way. After carefully getting the doors open, it became clear they’d never been serviced, and the root cause was alignment issues. With the

Called out today to a property where the door handles had gone floppy. Thankfully, after inspecting the door, it turned out to be worn springs behind the handles rather than an issue with the gearbox — a nice relief for the customer. We talked through the options and they chose a new set of handles, as the originals were starting to fade. While there, I also walked them through the difference between their standard cylinder and the British Standard 1★ cylinder I fit as sta

Another great upgrade completed this afternoon in Bromsgrove. I was back at a property where I recently replaced the gearbox, and while I was there the customer mentioned they wanted to upgrade to a 3‑star high‑security cylinder.Today we returned to finish the job properly. We fitted a lovely brass 3★ cylinder, refreshed the door with new matching handles, and carried out a full service to make sure everything runs smoothly.The result:A smooth, easy‑running doorA properly fit