Unable to get inside through the front door, Victoria tried to walk around to the backyard to check the sliding glass patio doors, but the wooden side gates were secured with heavy combination padlocks that I had set months ago.
Desperate to get her family out of the cold, Victoria called an emergency local locksmith, demanding he come out immediately to pick the deadbolt lock on the front door.
An hour later, a commercial locksmith van pulled into the driveway.
The locksmith stepped out, looked at the digital smart lock hardware, and asked to see proof of property ownership before touching the lock.
“I need to see a driver’s license matching this address or a deed document, ma’am,” the locksmith said professionally.
Victoria pulled out her driver’s license, but it listed her condo address 3 miles away.
She turned to her sister, but obviously none of the outofstate relatives had local identification either.
“My son lives here,” Toriia shouted at the locksmith.
“He’s on his way. Just pick the lock.”
“Ma’am, state regulations require legal proof of residence before I override a residential security system,” the locksmith explained firmly.
“I cannot touch this door without the legal owner present.”
He packed his tools, charged her a $75 service call fee, and drove away.
By 6:00 in the evening, the sun had set, the temperature had dropped below freezing, and the 10 family members were completely miserable.
Victoria’s sister was furious, yelling at Victoria for dragging her family across the country for a disastrous, disorganized mess.
The four adult cousins were complaining bitterly, and the two toddlers were screaming from hunger and cold.
With no other choice, Victoria was forced to pay out of her own pocket to book three separate rooms at a nearby commercial hotel for four nights, costing her over $2,000 in unexpected holiday surge pricing.
When they finally checked into the hotel rooms, the family mood was completely ruined.
Instead of a luxurious free 4-day stay in a spacious three-bedroom suburban home with a fully stocked kitchen, they were crammed into standard hotel rooms, eating fast food from a drive-thru on New Year’s Eve.