DIY Locks Fit Gates

by Jonathan McGaha | April 30, 2017 12:00 am

Locking mechanism plays key role in finishing project

If customer service is any part of your business or operational plan, you know how important it is to engage in personal relationships rather than just seller/buyer-based ones. The former has an end goal of doing business for years (even decades) with someone. The latter simply doesn’t.

At Dallas-based King Architectural Metals[1], our customers have come to rely on us for not only the best quality merchandise and selection, but also a commitment to customer service that can best anyone around. And part of that service comes with a level of expertise in understanding construction and fabricating projects so potential problems can result in reassuring solutions.

Few things are as frustrating in the construction process as unmet expectations. Input is given, styles are selected, items are purchased and at the end of the planning, we create a picture in our minds of how our vision will look in the end when it’s brought to life.

Not long ago, a customer was visiting our Dallas showroom. He was arrived quite frustrated as he and his wife had spent many weeks designing an ornate sliding gate for their property only to find they’d been let down by their fabricator.

They had budgeted a great deal of money on this particular part of their construction project. It was to be a showpiece and certainly the talk of their community. However, when they received word the gate had been completed and installed, both hurried over to see the final product. Expectations were high for a beautiful end-result and they were looking forward to seeing their new gate.

But when they arrived, the couple was met with disappointment as they noticed the welder had simply affixed a simple hook bolt to the gate as the locking mechanism. Moreover, the hook bolt wasn’t the same size as the gate frame, which made the thinner gate components look out of place.

As our customer recalled the disappointing events to our sales associate, Ehan Martinez, he would soon find out his unfortunate circumstance would only be temporary. “I offered him our 22-LK50-SBL lock and opened our catalog so he could see more,” Martinez explains. “He took one look and said it looked like something he would have loved from the very beginning, but didn’t want to have to have it welded again.” The customer soon found out that this solution was one that he could take on himself.

“I quickly told him the beauty of this lock was that it was something he could handle alone and be done in less than half an hour,” Martinez says.

Martinez requested a sample of the lock be delivered to the showroom and after a few minutes of instruction, his customer “had a complete 360” in his demeanor and outlook and left much more optimistic than he did on arrival.

“I saw the customer a few days later and my first thought was, ‘Oh no … he’s returning the lock,'” Martinez recalls. “But actually he had come back to let me know the lock performed exceptionally well and looked much more pleasing to the eye than the previous lock. In fact, we he picked up another two for other gates. He and his wife were very happy.”

Situations like are far from rare and meeting expectations on every design project can be challenging at times for all parties. But when these instances arise, don’t panic. There’s hardly an issue that can’t be easily resolved from over 10,000 items in our inventories.

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Larry Robertson is the director of marketing and advertising at King Architectural Metals, with locations in Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta and Baltimore. For more information, visit www.kingmetals.com[2].

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/diy-locks-fit-gates/

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