Key points
- Distinguish a trapped whole key from a broken key or a key that spins freely.
- Explain whether the door is open or closed and whether you can enter the home.
- Clarify key removal, any door opening and proposed replacement separately.
Describe the situation without repeated tests
Start by saying whether the door is open, pulled shut or locked as far as you know. Explain which side you are on, whether someone else can let you in and whether the key still turns. Do not recreate the blockage for a video: a photograph of its current state is enough to start the conversation.
If the door is open, do not close it to test the lock. If you are outside, do not attempt a dangerous alternative entrance. Someone in danger inside requires emergency services rather than waiting for an ordinary repair quotation.
Avoid turning a trapped key into a broken key
Avoid hard pulling, pliers, impacts and repeated twisting. Do not put glue or a randomly chosen product into the cylinder. This guide does not give extraction instructions: the configuration and condition of the mechanism need assessment before manipulation.
A key that will not come out does not by itself explain the fault. Report what changed beforehand: difficulty closing, unusual resistance, an impact or recent work. Present these as observations rather than a confirmed diagnosis.
Prepare a useful first message
Send your Paris district or postcode, whether the door is open or closed, the approximate key position and when the problem started. Add a photograph of the visible lock, without access codes, identity documents or unnecessary close-ups of a key’s cutting details.
Explain whether you are authorised to arrange the work and who can approve the quotation. If someone is helping remotely, distinguish the person on site from the person giving approval. A photograph helps assess the request; it does not guarantee a complete remote diagnosis.
Separate three possible jobs before agreeing
Ask what is proposed: removing the key, opening a closed door or replacing an identified component. If replacement is suggested, ask which part and why. Removing a key and replacing an entire lock are not the same service.
Before work begins, confirm the VAT-inclusive amount and agreed scope, including travel, labour, any hardware and surcharge conditions. Service Public explains prior price information and a detailed estimate before work under French rules. At TFK, no additional charge or extra work is undertaken without prior information and explicit approval. If diagnosis changes the proposed work, its new price must be accepted before it starts.
Use the right companion guide
If a piece has snapped off, use the broken-key guide. If the key turns without operating the opening mechanism, the freely spinning key guide is more relevant. This article stays focused on a whole key retained in the mechanism, without promising damage-free extraction.
Further reading: Broken key: first steps · A key that spins freely.
Your checklist
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Google customer review excerpts — locksmith services
Manually selected Google review excerpts from supplied screenshots, concerning locksmith services. Read current reviews on Google. These excerpts do not document plumbing work or a short-stay rental experience.
Je recommande ce serrurier à 100 %.
Rapide, simple et efficace.
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Tell TFK about a trapped whole key
Send your area, whether the door is open or closed and what the key still does. A useful photograph helps prepare the discussion about scope and quotation before work.
Frequently asked questions
Does the entire lock have to be replaced?
Not necessarily: a trapped key alone does not establish that need. Ask which component is affected and why replacement is proposed.
Can a price be provided from a photograph?
A photograph helps assess the situation. The price applies to the stated scope; if diagnosis changes it, the new work and amount must be accepted before execution.
Useful sources
- Dépannage à domicile | Service Public
French primary source checked 2026-10-18.
- TFK — prices and aftercare
Current commercial terms; client-approved policy, not independent legal certification.