This review is long overdue. I have actually kept his business card to write it since I've felt badly that I haven't given credit where credit is due--until now. Over a year ago, my teen daughter closed the trunk of my car with the keys inside while I was dropping her off at a girlfriend's house. Naturally, I was VEXed, and had to try and find a locksmith from her new girlfriend's house (a mom I didn't know but was gracious with trying to help me find someone in the phone book) The first local locksmith I called was so expensive, it took my breath away, so I tried one more. Andy's quote was half of what the other locksmith quoted me. He told me that most likely he'd be able to just enter from opening the rear door, and removing the back seat to get at the keys in the trunk--whereas the other locksmith told me that method was too risky, thus wanted to charge me much more for entering through the trunk. Andy was at my car in under ten minutes and in another few minutes, he had opened my rear door and entered the trunk through the back seat, got my keys, put back up the back seat, all with a jovial personality that instantly restored my spirits and good mood. In a nutshell, Andy was a pleasure to work with. He unruffled my feathers while competently getting the job done--at half the price of the other local locksmith. (Sorry I can't remember the charge now, it was so long ago.) Andy told me he knows how hard it is for people to suddenly have to pay big bucks for emergencies, in this rough economy, and so doesn't want to over charge anyone at any time. Thanks, Andy! Annette read more

Wow, just wow. I would give more than 5 stars if that was possible on yelp. We just bought a home and needed to have it rekeyed. I looked up locksmiths on yelp, and was encouraged by all of the positive ratings for Advantage Mobile Locksmiths, which is run by Andy. My experience with him was as great as everyone else says. Andy is very prompt - I called Andy when I got the keys for the new home today, and he answered immediately and agreed to meet me at a time that was convenient for me. He is also very friendly - both on the phone and in-person, he seems like a really wonderful gentleman. He gave me useful advice on my doors, chatted with me a bit about Seattle and homes, as I'm relatively new to both. Andy went above and beyond - I had asked him to rekey my locks. At that time, he noticed that the deadbolts on both of the doors were not aligned properly and in the long-run, this would potentially break the deadbolts. He went out to his van, came back with his tools, and fixed both doors. And amazingly, he didn't even charge me for this. Andy's prices were the best I found - I called around to a few places, and settled on Andy because of both his prices and his friendly tone on the phone. After this experience, I 1) put Andy's number in my phone in case I get locked out because I enjoyed the experience so much, 2) joined Yelp so I could add a review (I've used Yelp for a while but never joined - that's how strongly I feel about Andy's work tonight), and 3) left with a very happy feeling. I would recommend Andy to anyone and everyone. Thanks! read more

These days locksmithing is a notoriously shady business and so when I lost my keys to my car I was nervous about calling someone over to make a replacement. Wary of avoiding scams and unqualified persons I avoided any business that wasn't operated locally. But even among these no one would give me a firm price telling me that it would be between 80 and 150 dollars depending on the circumstances. However, Andy, who operates this business, told me firmly 115 + tax (since my car doesn't use an electronic key system). The price is not only reasonable but his upfront honesty about prices and concern for his customers) is something that can hardly be over-appreciated, especially in this business. (Before quoting his price he even asked if I was sure they were lost and thought of other alternatives!) The service was fast (he got to my car in about 1/2 hour and made the key in another 1/2 hour) and the keys he made work perfectly. He also surprised me by making a spare key at no additional cost. Overall I was very impressed by his personable service and greatly relieved to have gotten through this awful hassle without wondering whether I got ripped off or not. I would not hesitate to call Andy again for car or house keys and hope for everyone's sake that service like his be supported and scam-artists avoided. read more

Antique lock problerms? For 15 years our front door in our century old home in Ballard had a turnkey that we kept on a bookshelf because it wasn't compatible with the partial antique hardware that one locksmith put on our door for us. Over the years we must have had a half dozen locksmiths to the house with no solution. But now we're putting the house on the market and we knew that any potential buyer would want that lock problem fixed as a condition of buying the house (like we should have done 15 years ago). I was sure there must be a locksmith in the Seattle area with the skills to dig into our antique mechanism. (Did I mention that none of our keys, including the key in the Realtor's lockbox, could unlock the deadbolt? And the house would be shown the next day?) Well, by guess or by golly I opened the Yellow Pages (Hey, I'm low tech) and called Andy at Advantage. What a guy. He dismembered our antique lock, found and fixed the problem in the cassette (that's what they call the book-shaped lock mechanism thingee...who knew?), new key mechanism, new keys...ta-dahhhhh, everything works!!!. Plus I enjoyed chatting with Andy while he worked. Really nice guy. I highly recommend him. If you have a tough lock problem or a unique lock problem, save yourself some grief and call Andy.. read more

Past Saturday, late afternoon, I came home, tried to enter and failed. The key did a 360 in both directions and would not "catch" in order to open the door. Fortunately for me, my neighbor had an older phone book where I saw this company's ad and the word, "mobile." Andy answered the phone in no more than a couple rings, asked me a few questions after I explained the problem and told me he'd be over to my place in no more than 20 min. And that was what happened. He did a quick diagnosis, explained my options clearly and then hit his van and got to work lickety-split. He saved me some buckos by reusing a piece he had in his van (lucky me, it was brass vs the composite metal of my installed lock). And, he swept up metal filings! Doesn't sound like much but my guess is a lot of other firms might've left that for me to do. And, on top of it, he's polite and a nice person to talk with, too. This guy has customer service down and for a reasonable price. Also, LADIES: you can feel safe with Andy if you are alone when you need a locksmith. I will recommend him to others. read more

Andy is amazing! He always manages to come to the rescue at exactly the right time! Plus, he's a super sweet guy who provides extraordinary customer service!!! We have used him several times (and will definitely use him again)! I run a nonprofit business that recently rented space for the first time. Andy not only changed the locks, he offered guidance with our future needs (different kinds of security locks) and made suggestions that we didn't even think about! (And not the kind of suggestions that wind up costing you twice as much! Quite the other way around! He helped us save money!) He even came out and re-keyed a lock free-of-charge after we took his advice to create a separately keyed lock for one door. Again, his suggestions were extraordinarily helpful to a new local nonprofit business with very little cash (and very little knowledge about the kinds of locks we needed)! He is very accommodating, knowledgeable, easy to get along with, and inexpensive. I only wish I could get that kind of customer service from everyone else! read more

Andy is awesome! If you are locked out of your house or car call him. My financee just locked her only car key in the trunk of her car. We called a locksmith, the first one we googled and asked them to come out (Run Locksmiths or something). After reading reviews we aborted!! They were going to charge 20 bucks to come out, then the "technician" would determine how much the total price would be (depending on the car, the lock bla bla bla). The reviews other people wrote about Run Locksmiths said they were charging like 150 bucks. So we canceled. We then came on here and looked for a locksmith with good reviews. Advantage looked pretty great, people had decent things to say, so we went with them. Andy pretty much came out here right away, he was super nice and charged a flat fee of 65 bucks (we knew that before he came out). He was also able to cut us another car key right then and there. Excellent service...which is hard to find nowadays. So if you get locked out, call this guy. read more

Andy (who also works for Ballard Lock and Key and Davern) came to my rescue, picked the lock to my apt. in less than 5 minutes and double-checked his work to make sure the archaic lock still worked properly post-picking. He showed up quickly on a busy Sunday after I was almost swindled by a company who advertised online and quoted 30$, then showed up and told me they needed to drill the lock (it wasn't a deadbolt and he didn't even try to pick the lock, let alone appear to have any picking tools) and said it would be 150 bucks, plus the door lock would be destroyed and need to be replaced. When I said no way (!!!!), they still tried to charge me for a "service call". No way again. Thanks to Andy! Don't believe these guys and their "cheap deal" for a second! Instead, pay a fair price to have a local professional come over quickly and save you from your blundered, locked-out, and if you are like me-hungry situation. read more

Andy was indeed a pleasant surprise. I needed my locks changed in a hurry, the damned kids were back in town robbing me blind!) I had been told by another company they couldn't get to me for two days because of the type of locks I had. Ahem, cough@...that just wasn't going to work for me. I found Andy listed on Yelp with a 5 star rating and gave him a call. I described the locks I had to him and he assured me they wouldn't be a problem. He arrived 30 minutes later and got the job done without a hitch. Hassle free and affordable. Great personality and conversation while he worked. I whole heartedly agree with the previous yelper's review. A very fine gentleman, jovial, yet soft spoken, good hearted and honest. His number will also remain in my phone book as one of my 'go to' people in the future. Thanks Andy, you saved me from the damned kids! read more

I am so grateful for Andy!! I had just purchased my first home and I wanted to get the locks changed as soon as possible. After calling several large locksmith companies (and getting told they were scheduling weeks to months out) I called Andy after finding all his amazing reviews on Yelp. He told me he would be leaving for vacation at the beginning of the week (I called on a friday) but he said he would be happy to drive all the way to Federal Way (from Seattle) to change my locks on a Sunday before he left for vacation. I am so happy he could come on such short notice. He was extremely professional when he arrived and very knowledgable about locks and security. He wanted to ensure that I was going to be safe in my new home...and did not just want to make the sale and leave. Andy was also very affordable!! Thank you so much Andy!! read more

Great service. Our exterior door knob (probably 40+ years) just locked up making it impossible to open the door. I had no leads on locksmith and wasn't even sure if this was a job for a locksmith -- figured everyone I called would say "yes, sure I can help." Turned to Yelp and saw all of the positive reviews for Andy at Advantage Mobile. I called on a Friday when we were heading out of town -- front door was stuck closed anyway -- to see if he could help. I described the situation and he said just to call when we got home. Did that when we returned on a very sunny, beautiful October day just around Seahawks kickoff time. I was surprised by his reply, "Sure, I'll be right over." Even more surprised to see him within 30 mins. The lock was a puzzle, but Andy was able to figure it out. Very fair price for great service. read more

Andy puts a little bit of small town back into Seattle. My boyfriend had a very overpriced lockout a while ago so I did some research before choosing. Though I received recommendation through yelp and not word of mouth, I trusted the other users and am glad I did. He was great! Andy gave me a very reasonable quote for a vehicle lockout over the phone. My timeframe was flexible so we agreed to meet at a certain time in the evening. He called before arriving to confirm, and then showed promptly. The process is obviously quick and easy, and he used a method that did not damage the tint on my windows or cause any scratches (like previous jobs done with other companies). He also charged me what he quoted! Hallelujah! We also had a good chat about scam companies doing overpriced lockouts-- very interesting! read more

So, of course I locked myself out of my apartment this evening. Luckily enough, I went to a friend's house nearby and borrowed her internet. (How else are you supposed to find this sort of thing??) Just searched Ballard locksmith and this popped up, (not the Google-sponsored ad). They had a review on trusty ole yelp, so I gave them a call. Andy showed up in about 10 minutes and was able to get me back into my place in about 5 minutes. I was worried that I would have to wait until morning and have to crash at a friend's place, since it was late but he came right away. He was very friendly, professional and warned me of other locksmith scammers. The best part is he is VERY reasonably priced and I appreciate him not ripping me off! I will definitely recommend him to everyone I know. Thanks again Andy! read more

We needed to change the locks on the house we just purchased plus deal with a deadbolt that wasn't actually bolting. We picked Andy because of the great reviews here on Yelp, and he absolutely lived up to them. Highly recommended! He came very promptly, was highly professional and also very friendly, and -- most importantly -- discovered some additional problems with some of the other locks that had been installed poorly by amateurs who didn't know what they were doing (this doesn't surprise me at all, given what I know about the house's renovations). My boyfriend, who was the direct contact for the work, tells me he now has a great education in the details of locksmithing because Andy explained everything so thoroughly and well. A fantastic combination of technical expertise and great customer service! read more

Andy was great. I have a 1977 vintage motorcycle that I just bought about a month ago. Only had one key as I hadn't gotten around to getting a copy yet. And of course, I lost that key while I was at the rock gym!! He was super flexible with my schedule, made sure he had all available key styles from that time period before coming to the job - in other words, he was extremely well prepared. All in all, creating a new key to my bike probably took 3 or 4 hours. He was patient, kind and persistent with that lock and with me. Given the project, the time and the effort, I could not have asked for better service. And the price was fair, given the complexity of the job. Haven't had service that good in a long time. Thanks again Andy! If you need help - go to him and you'll be taken care of. -B read more

Andy was awesome!! He was so patient w/ me. I was having one of those awful days and it just kept getting better and better. So of course when I went to meet him outside the parking garage I lost track of where my hubby parked the car. Classic. We traveled the elevator up and down each of the three parking garages until finally there is the car. Not once did Andy seem frustrated. No, he just followed behind just as patient as could be. I was a little surprised b/c he had already quoted me a price and finding my car was definitely not a part of it. haha. But he unlocked my car in record time all the while being professional and courteous. It took him less time to unlock my car than it did to find it. Awful, I know. And by the way there was no extra charge for my incompetence. lol. read more

I would absolutely recommend calling Andy for ALL of your locksmith needs! Having just moved, we had all of our locks changed and Andy exceeded my expectation on all levels: professionalism, promptness, honesty and a reasonable price. He did a perfect job and charged us EXACTLY what he quoted over the phone, not a penny more! He is an honest hard working person, who actually enjoys his job! Every key worked like magic... no more jiggling the old keys to fit the lock! Thank you, Andy! I really hope everyone find this and ALL the other raving reviews about Andy insightful! As a parent of many kids, I have very high expectations when it comes to great work and a trustworthy person. Andy is AS GOOD AS IT GETS! Don't call any other locksmith. Start with Andy! 206-367-1211 read more

Andy is a lifesaver! He came to my Queen Anne apartment at 3 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon with a smile on his face even though I had interrupted him in the middle of a personal errand. He quickly let me into the apartment I had locked myself out of and even cleaned my lock so it no longer stuck when I tried to unlock it myself. Bottom line: I was back in my apartment in about 20 minutes and my lock now works better than it ever has and all for far less than I ever expected to pay. I will be adding Andy at Advantage to my do-call list and will go out of my way to use his business again if I ever need a locksmith. He was absolutely fantastic - I would use him again in a heartbeat and would be happy to recommend him to anyone looking for a reliable and trustworthy locksmith. read more

I hired this company after calling 6 others and deciding it was the most trustworthy and fair in pricing. I was dismayed that the majority of locksmiths I spoke to would not give a complete quote on the phone, even after being told, in great detail, the nature of the job. I have had a bad experience before where we were charged 3 times more than the "approximate quote," so it was important to me to find an experienced person that could give a flat rate. Andy is a straightforward guy who was about 1/3 cheaper that the other locksmith I found who would give a flat rate. For $65 plus tax, he came to Bellevue, drilled out my mailbox lock and replaced it with a better one, plus spare keys. He was friendly and efficient, and is someone I am happy to recommend to others. read more