Menu
Weiser Phoenix Passage Lockset Satin Nickel Steel 2 Grade Left Handed, Right Handed. Weiser Lock Keyed Door Levers See All. Skip to end of links $ 39. Brizzia Satin Nickel Entry Lever Featuring SmartKey. Average rating: out of 5 stars, based on reviews. Go to previous slide, NaN of NaN.
I was alerted to this by a local locksmith that was making a few keys for my new entrance door and deadbolt. I unknowingly bought Weiser locks that apparently all come with this 'SmartKey' technology that allow you to re-key the lock yourself. He told me that his company has stopped selling these locks due to the ease with which you can defeat them with a tool that you can easily make and the plans are all over the Internet.
So I had a look and sure enough, found not some shady operation, but a manufacturer's video showing how to use it !
So I called Weiser customer service - that's where it really got interesting. The customer service rep was extremely defensive as soon as I brought up the topic and proceeded to lecture me on how large a company Weiser is, they have many engineers that fully test and prove things before they are implemented, and that Weiser has taken a lot of business away from the competition as a result of this new feature, which by the way is STANDARD ON ALL THE DEADBOLTS THEY SELL FOR RESIDENTIAL APPLICATIONS.
**first red flag up**
I politely ask if I can send her the video of how easy it is to open the door without a key and she flatly refuses 'No sir I do not want to see that video'...
**second red flag up**
I then ask if she has ever had any other customers inquire or complain about this issue, and she would not answer the question.
**third red flag** - Now I am convinced they have a major problem on their hands and are trying to contain the damage.
Unfortunately I have mounted the gripset to the door already and drill a mounting hole through the door for the lower part of the handle. I probably can't go to another mfg lock without screwing up the door (and it was a pricey custom painted thing with stained glass etc.).
The good news however - this 'customer service' person did finally tell me that I could go back to the retailer and have them custom order the same product but with the older pin and tumbler mechanism.
I went back to the professional locksmith to tell him the saga, and what do I find - another customer in front of the counter ranting on about 'this crap smartkey deadbolt he bought for his house' - haha. Anyway, the fellows there said to get the older pin and tumbler mechanism. Yes, they can be picked too, but the difference in time is about 3-5 minutes for the pin and tumbler versus 3-5 SECONDS for the SmartKey mechanism. So that's what I did - the retailer is looking into it for me now as they never had someone come in with this request before. Probably because most people would have just brought the entire lock/handle back and just returned it. Apparently there are a lot of plastic pieces in the new lock mechanism that make things even more sketchy.
I'm so incensed at the response I got from Weiser, I'm going to take the time to forward this whole episode onto the consumer affairs / product report people as well.
Then again, maybe I'm all wrong and the stuff the professional locksmiths here are telling me is garbage. After all Weiser is a huge company and should not be questioned by anyone (according to the customer service reps).
Hope this helps at least one other person out there.
Lewis