Idiot bystanders

[mdc5150]

How do you deal with people who insist on telling you to do really stupid things?

I was unlocking a van yesterday in front of a hospital when a nurse (I thought these people were supposed to be smart) comes up to me and says "tennis ball". I knew instantly what she meant but played as if I didn't and responded "french toast". She asked me what I was talking about and I told her I thought it was a word association game. Then she goes on to tell me about the youtube myth of using a tennis ball to unlock cars. I asked her if I got sick and ended up in the hospital if she would try to use magic to heal me and she said of course not. I said well I saw it on youtube a nurse using magic to heal people. She got indignant and walked off.

I'm not one of those guys that is insecure about only a locksmith can unlock a car or any of that BS but it really does irk me when someone believes this kind of crap to begin with then tries to tell your customer that they could have unlocked it themselves with a tennis ball.

I know that myth started with the Volvo vacuum lock system but it didn't even work on those locks. How is it a grown adult thinks this stuff works?

[HallisChalmers]

How is a grown adults think this stuff works?

...'cause it's on YouTube...and everyone knows that everything on YouTube is true...

[Oldfast]

Churchill, now that's funny! Thanks for the laugh.

[sandman]

that was the funniest thing ive heard all week, way to keep your cool and sarcasm up to speed, im hardly ever quick enough to do that

[magician59]

I was unlocking my friend's safe last weekend, and he pulled the classic "stick-o-dynamite" comment.

[the lockpickkid]

I had a woman ask me about that once, she had just gotten a new car and wondered if somebody could steel it with the tennis ball trick, it took about 20 minutes to get through to here that it didn't work. Sometimes I really dislike old people, not just old but the ones that get to the point of dementia. I no longer do rekeys for the elderly because I see too much liability problems.

[magician59]

I remember a man who was locked out of a Lincoln Continental. Mad as hell that I was able to open it by picking the door lock. He said the salesman told him Nobody could break into that car.

[Laporte]

Mythbusters debunked that myth a long time ago, too.

She watches youtube, but doesn't watch Mythbusters?

This world is indeed going to shite.

[chris]

Not to mention the movie "The Next Three Days". That movie he tennis balled a van two or three times, he also cut down I think it was a SC1 or KW1 blank into a bump key (YouTube) and used it on a prison lock, that from what I could tell from the quick glance at the lock, was an ASSA Twin system.

[Idgas]

You should consider carrying a tennis ball as part of your car opening kit for three reasons.
1 - you can use the tennis ball to distract a dog, child, or idiot
2 - tennis balls are great for a pick up game of stickball
3 - hand the tennis ball to the next person who recommends using it to open the door, bet them $100.00 that they can't (hell give them odds), and they will either walk away or you make a little extra money.

Bonus use: you can throw the ball at the idiot too.

[chris]

You should consider carrying a tennis ball as part of your car opening kit for three reasons.
1 - you can use the tennis ball to distract a dog, child, or idiot
2 - tennis balls are great for a pick up game of stickball
3 - hand the tennis ball to the next person who recommends using it to open the door, bet them $100.00 that they can't (hell give them odds), and they will either walk away or you make a little extra money.

Bonus use: you can throw the ball at the idiot too.

awesome

[the lockpickkid]

There is also a guy who comes into the store, he tells me that his boss has a Masterlock master key, and with that key he can open any Masterlock. I argued with him for a long time, and a couple of other times when he came in, he still sticks with his story. People are so dumb sometimes.

[mdc5150]

You should consider carrying a tennis ball as part of your car opening kit for three reasons.
1 - you can use the tennis ball to distract a dog, child, or idiot
2 - tennis balls are great for a pick up game of stickball
3 - hand the tennis ball to the next person who recommends using it to open the door, bet them $100.00 that they can't (hell give them odds), and they will either walk away or you make a little extra money.

Bonus use: you can throw the ball at the idiot too.

I'm on my way to Wal-Mart right now to get a tennis ball. This is awesome.

[chris]

There is also a guy who comes into the store, he tells me that his boss has a Masterlock master key, and with that key he can open any Masterlock. I argued with him for a long time, and a couple of other times when he came in, he still sticks with his story. People are so dumb sometimes.

I would have tossed him some old ass Masterlock and told him to try it.

[mdc5150]

I had a woman ask me about that once, she had just gotten a new car and wondered if somebody could steel it with the tennis ball trick, it took about 20 minutes to get through to here that it didn't work. Sometimes I really dislike old people, not just old but the ones that get to the point of dementia. I no longer do rekeys for the elderly because I see too much liability problems.

I see you are in Oregon. I'm so glad that I'm here and not there. My problems this weekend are Californians losing keys to their cars, locking their keys in the car, and leaving the keys to the vacation home in California. I can get from one end of town to another in under 20 minutes right now. Come October all the people in Oregon and other cold weather states come here. My problems then are cheap old people who beg for senior discounts, (They've had all their life to save money and now they want a discount) want to tell me about all the medications they are taking, tell me about the size, length, weight, color, and consistency of their bowel movements, and it will take a solid hour to get from one side of town to the other.

But I still have to laugh every time I think of Jim Carrey saying "It really is true what they say, old people though slow and dangerous behind the wheel still can serve a purpose!"