Mon Apr 18, 2011 1:30 am by MBI
I have on occasion generated basic masterkey systems at no extra charge when I have keyed up and changed out all the locks for a customer. On the jobs where I've done it for free, they've either been a friend or aquaintance, or else the system was so small that the effort in making a masterkey system was insignificant. I generally offer them a copy of the information in these cases, but I do it out of a sense of customer service, not obligation.
Usually though, generating a system takes some time (and therefore money) and I charge a fee for the service. In these cases, I think they certainly deserve a copy of the information that they paid for. To me it's the ethical thing to do, even if it's not a legal obligation in your area.
I know some locksmiths who flatly refuse to give the customer a keying chart/bitting list, even if the customer has paid to have the masterkey system generated. I suspect some locksmiths who refuse to give the customer that information, do it out of a feeling of insecurity, and are trying to trap the customer and force them to keep coming back to that locksmith for all their locksmithing services. They claim it's for the customer's security, since most customers don't seem to have the good sense to keep that information locked up. In my opinion though, while I agree most customers are rather lax with security on that sort of information, if they have paid for that service, they deserve a full copy of the information. I can try to educate them in the importance of keeping the information secure, but it's not my job to force them to keep it secure any more than it's my job to show up every night at closing time and force them to lock their doors.
In short, if the customer didn't pay for it, it's locksmith's choice whether to give out the information. If the customer did pay for the service, that information is their property and can't be withheld.