Seems like this business is all about money first. I came in to get a key cut, it was an astounding 45 dollars despite me providing the blank. I should of walked away however due to the interesting conversation that the employees were having about charging clients who were locked out of their vehicles before preforming the unlocking I stayed. It was rather sad to hear these people say that they are perfectly fine with leaving someone out in the cold for not wanting to provide credit card numbers over the phone. PAY FIRST ! What if your purse or wallet is locked in the car ? They said they wouldn't unlock anyone who doesn't PAY FIRST despite having the form of payment in the car that they are unlocking, on top of that they make them sign a liability agreement that if they are unable to unlock or they damage your car they are not to be held liable! What a joke ! Good business to avoid in the future for myself and for anyone looking to be treated as a customer and not just a walking dollar sign. read more

This business has gone from client-first to money-first over the years.

This company has gone downhill over the years. My wife, a local business owner, has been a customer for over 10 years, before this place became "corporate" and hiked the prices up on everything and decreased standard of service. She called to arrange service and they had absolutely no idea who she was, what the business was, or even where the previously existing key system was at. We had switched to a "restricted system" a little while ago, which is supposed to be for life. As promised before, we are just supposed to call in and ask for new keys because they would have the file on hand. When she called, they took so long to get back to her, allegedly checking their "records," that she had to hand the phone to me. When someone finally returned to the phone, they began asking us to bring our key in so they could "identify" it. Address, phone number, both our names, business name wasn't enough. Just her name was enough in the past. I asked the person on the phone how they could be so negligent, and asked where our file was. They said "I don't know" and I asked if the file was lost and they didn't give me a very sure-sounding "I don't think so." They tried saying that for a restricted system, they needed to find the file to cut new keys for it. When pressed for a solution, they said they could put NEW locks on our building, which would have cost us hundreds of dollars because they lost our key system. They became apologetic and said the file system is "all over the place." This happened a few weeks ago but I'm posting this now because I found a new locksmith. The locksmith explained they were very familiar with AKS, and it's service had gone down and prices skyrocketed since it was bought by the new owner, and half their clientele was from previous AKS customers. Luckily, with our expensive locks, they were able to create a new system. They even gave us a discount for the trouble we've been through, explaining not all locksmiths are out to price gouge. read more

this is for there nittany mall location. i was quoted 50 dollars to cut one key i had the blank yes $50 dollars to cut one key blank. beware of this place. shop around there are cheaper options. read more

Sent a request for pricing on a service. Needed about 20 locks installed for a renovation. Said I needed it ASAP because we needed to move on the work soon. 8 days, 6 of which they were open and nothing. On the last day, I emailed other locksmiths and got quotes within 5 hours. Got scheduled with one on the same day. Told AKS to forget it. Here is the timeline. Friday: Checked to see if they were opening. Yes so I emailed them early in the morning before they opened. No reply. Monday: Open. No reply. Tuesday: I sent a follow up email. Finally got a reply. No apology for not replying. They said they would send pricing "tomorrow" to me. Wednesday: Well tomorrow is here. Nothing. Thursday: Nothing. Friday: Not looking good so I began reaching out to other lock smiths. No reply from AKS again. Other locksmith even gave me a discount saying no locksmith should treat its customers like this and most of their business is from AKS customers who stopped using them or are in the process of transitioning away. My advice is to take extra time to look for other locksmiths. If only I spent an extra 10 minutes looking, I would have saved 8 days of time. Just because a company shows up first it doesn't mean it's the best or in AKS case even half decent. AKS just shows up because of its location and the fact it has a storefront. This company has been going downhill since the take over from when Bob retired and has crashed into a tree on the way. Never seen crap like this before in my 30 years of business. Check the attached images. No one believes Auman's has become this until they see it. I'm scared to think what would have happened if there was an issue with their locks. Would it have taken another 8 days to even think about getting scheduled? read more

See all

Caleb arrived right on time, and finished the job quickly and cleaned up. Professional from start to finish. Would recommend without hesitation read more

Having just transported our antique cabinet the 3,000 miles to live here, somehow the cabinet door could not be unlocked. We called AKS on a recommendation. Their response was immediate, lucky us, with Jay coming out the same day we called! With all the proper tools, about 45 minutes later, viola', He explained the mechanism clearly, the difficulty of the lock even with the appropriate key but after 140 years the brass cam-lifter had simple deteriorated and broken off. And he still opened it! He speculated the origin and purpose of the cabinet as well as the maintenance of the wood (mineral oil, not paste wax). He also fixed the mechanism so as not to inadvertently close and lock again. Happy with the results we paid him a a modest fee and we returned to unpacking the rest of everything one home may accumulate over a 40 year period. Thorough,decent and even displayed the virtues not easily found with The Big Box Enterprises. Recommend without hesitation. read more

I lost my husband only car key. Evan, was very kind, patient , professional & respectful. Car had a dead battery from sitting for a few months during the winter. We tried charging battery but he stayed longer waiting for car to get charge to be able to get the job done. It was cold and a little icy and he kept up his professionalism. Definitely recommend Evan at aks security . Thanks you for helping out your local soldier. read more

Called AKS at 1:30PM on a Friday to have them rekey a commercial site for me almost an hour away and needed it done before 5:00PM. Not only did they get the job done quickly, efficiently and expertly, but they actually did well enough to keep my extremely high-maintenance customer happy, which is a feat unto itself. I would absolutely recommend them and engage their services again if need be. Quality work done by a professional at a reasonable price. I wish I had more hands so I could give them four thumbs up. read more

This place was great. My friend got locked out of her apartment, I went to pick her up and get cash from the ATM and the locksmith was already at her place by the time we got back. He was very nice and efficient (whole thing took less than 20 minutes!). The price was affordable too ($60) and less than I've paid in other cities. Bonus points: The guy who came out kind of looks like George RR Martin for all of you Game of Thrones fans out there. read more

They are the best! Jay and his team made getting security systems put in at my mom and our houses easy and seamless. They detailed each step after completing a detailed assessment of our needs, then implemented what we chose in a professional, friendly, experienced way. We used phones, email, and walkie talkies to communicate with the social distancing going on, and they made multiple trips to get things just right. My mom is sleeping better at night, and I love that we've taken care of this for her (and us as well while we were at it). It is peace of mind ... and they are hometown heroes in my book ... no high pressure, off-site with them ... they are just around the corner with decades of experience and a community spirit. Really appreciate it! read more

Glad to hear others have had a good experience. I was somewhat disappointed with my last visit. I own a vintage motorcycle and needed a key made for the fork lock. I thought maybe these folks would view this as an entertaining challenge. Instead, they blew me off and were rude in the process. The excuse was that their "insurance" would not let them do it. I have dealt with them cutting keys and the like and they are fine. But lose the attitude, please. read more

DON'T GO TO AUMAN'S KEY SHOP/AKSSECURITY IN STATE COLLEGE PA!!!! A WASTE OF $30! Had a key cut for a Honda Pilot and their lazer took off too much therefore the key wouldn't start my vehicle. The key they cut didn't even look like the key I provided. They wouldn't refund my money as they only guarantee the cut if you purchase the key from them. They also neglected to mention that guarantee prior to cutting my key!! read more

Wonderful. She did a fabulous job. Showed up on time, cost was good. I was very pleased.

I called from New York since my son got locked out of his apartment. Nick was patient and understanding of the situation. He was to my son's apartment in 20 minutes. Also, he told me he would take my credit card number over the phone since my son didn't have any cash on him. Thank you! read more