I finally caught my neighbor using a bobby pin on my gate lock at 2 AM last Tuesday

Woke up to my dog barking like crazy. Looked out the window and saw the guy from two doors down hunched over my padlock with a bobby pin. He didn't even try to hide it when I yelled. Said he lost his keys and thought my gate was unlocked. The lock is a cheap Master lock I got for $8 at Home Depot last year. It held for maybe 10 seconds before he got it open. That's the issue right? People think these locks are actual security when they're just for show. Has anyone else had a neighbor or random person mess with a lock on your property?

2 comments

2 Comments

kelly.keith10h agoMost Upvoted

Ngl, that Master lock probably gave you about as much security as a wet paper towel. I had one of those on my shed for years until I realized I could pop it with a paperclip in about 8 seconds flat while holding my coffee in the other hand. It's honestly kind of embarrassing how useless those things are. My neighbor's 8 year old kid could probably pick one with a twist tie from a bread bag.

noahpark4h ago

I get what you're saying @kelly.keith, but I actually don't think those locks are totally useless. They're more like a basic speed bump than a real security measure, which is enough for some situations. Most people looking to steal from a shed are just checking for unlocked doors, not carrying paperclips.