Problems with Gardall safe and S&G Rotarybolt Z02 lock
Mick
Rotarybolt Z02 lock.
The card on the outside of the safe listed a combination, and it said,
"LOCK IS SHIPPED IN THE UNLOCKED POSITION & WILL BE ACTIVATED WHEN THE
COMBINATION IS ENTERED." However, the safe was locked when I received
it. So, I entered the combination and nothing happened. Luckily, I had
already downloaded the instructions for the Rotarybolt Z02 lock from
S&G's web site, and I remembered it saying that you had to enter a #
after the combination. So, I did that and the safe opened. Inside the
safe, I found a sheet of paper with instructions for installing the
safe, and another sheet with the 'Rotarybolt Z02 Safe Lock Quick
Reference' printed on it. Not the complete instructions for the lock,
just the quick reference that only shows the key sequences for some of
the lock options.
In the Operating Instruction manual that I downloaded, it says...
"Before any buttons are pressed, you need to make some decisions.
Each Rotarybolt Z02 lock has a factory installed management reset code
(MRC), and you need to decide if your lock will keep the management
reset code it was shipped with or get a new one of your own choosing.
Any MRC change must be programmed into the lock before the master code
is changed for the first time. After the master code is changed, the
MRC cannot be changed or deleted. The factory set management reset
code is stored in a small, black, plastic envelope packaged with the
lock. The maker of your safe may retain the MRC to provide safe
storage so that it will be available in the event it must be used. If
the need arises, contact the manufacturer of your safe for help."
But, the Master Code had already been changed! This means that I can
never set my own Management Reset Code. It also means that whoever
changed the Master Code may or may not have set a Management Reset
Code. If whoever it was did not set a Management Reset Code, then one
can never be set. If they did set a Management Reset Code, then it can
never be changed or deleted, and I DON"T KNOW WHAT THAT COMBINATION
IS, OR EVEN WHO HAS THAT COMBINATION!!!
It may have been the safe manufacturer that changed the default Master
Code and either did or did not set a Management Reset Code. But, it
could have been the retailer that did it. Hell, it might have even
been the trucking company that delivered the safe! How the hell am I
supposed to know who did it? Moreover, why the hell did they mess with
the damn thing in the first place? The only reason for anyone to do
such a thing is so THEY will have the combination to MY safe. Hell,
with the MRC, whoever it is could even reset the lock and lock me out
of my own safe!
Essentially, I bought an expensive new electronic lock that is already
compromised. That I don't like at all.
I also don't like the fact that Gardall sent me my new safe and didn't
bother to send along the instructions for the lock or even the safe
itself.
Is this S.O.P. for the safe industry?
Can I make Gardall send me a new (unmodified) S&G lock?
Keyman55
<m...@notanywhere.net> wrote in message
news:oda1d31fn5feoffo4...@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 25 Aug 2007 14:09:54 -0700, you wrote:
>
>>
>>Can I make Gardall send me a new (unmodified) S&G lock?
>
> --Shiva--
>
>
Gardall Safe Corporation
Box 240
Syracuse, NY 13206-0240
Main office - 315-432-9115
Main Fax- 315-434-9422
Toll Free- 800-722-7233
Mick
>
>
> --Shiva--
Thanks. I planned on doing that on Monday.
Can you answer the other question? Is this standard operating
proceedure for the safe industry?
Mick
> On Sat, 25 Aug 2007 17:42:38 -0700, you wrote:
>
> >Thanks. I planned on doing that on Monday.
>
> >Can you answer the other question? Is this standard operating
> >proceedure for the safe industry?
>
>
> --Shiva--
Apparently, it is SOP, at least for Gardall safes. They program an MRC
at the factory and keep it on file in case you forget your master
code. The problem with that is it takes away the customer's option of
NOT having an MRC programmed into the lock, or of allowing the
customer to program their own MRC.
They should also send along the complete operating instructions for
the S&G lock, which they did not do with my safe. All I got was a
single sheet that tells you the key sequences needed to change some of
the lock options. I had to download the complete instructions from
S&G's web site.
My new Gardall safe also arrived with a large scrape in the plastic
body of the lock keypad, and rust patches all over the inside of the
safe. It probably sat in a warehouse for a long time with the door
shut.
Steve
"Mick" <mickn...@direcway.com> wrote in message
news:1188076194.8...@d55g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
Did you buy the safe direct from Gardall? Either way you probably can't
"make" them do anything but you may be able to ask them to. If you didn't
buy the safe from Gardall go back to whoever you bought it from.
Steve
No.
Mick
> Did you buy the safe direct from Gardall? Either way you probably can't
> "make" them do anything but you may be able to ask them to. If you didn't
Well, I asked them (Gardall) about it and they told me they do it as a
safety feature in case you loose your master code. At first she tried
to BS me and say that I can set the MRC, but after I explained that I
was talking about the management reset code, not the master code, she
finally admitted that they set that at the factory. She said they will
only give out the MRC to a registered locksmith. So, I guess if I
loose my master code I will have to pay a locksmith to call them and
ask for the MRC. Why they won't give it to me, even when I have the
safe in my posession with the sales receipt is beyond me.
I'd send the damn safe back, but the shipping charges cost almost as
much as the safe. I suppose I could try to get them to send me a new
lock, but it would be a big hassle and they probably wouldn't do it
unless I threatened to refuse payment on my credit card. I hate
dealing with American companies any more. Nowadays, they're all a
bunch of greedy assholes that sell cheaply made crap and treat their
customers like shit.
Steve
If you paid by credit card tell them you are going to charge it back.
Technically you may be on shaky ground if the distance bewteen you and the
seller exceeds the 50 or 100 miles (I forget which, it's on the back of your
credit card statement) stipulated by the "special rule for credit card
purchases" but they may well send you another lock just to avoid the hassle.
They can always reuse yours in another safe.
Mick
When I received my safe, it came with one 9v Duracell battery for the
keypad. When I installed the battery and tested the lock, it worked
fine. However, by the end of the next day the battery was too weak to
open the lock. The keypad still beeped when I pressed a button, and
the lock made a clicking noise after I entered the correct
combination, but the bolt would not retract. I figured the battery was
just old from sitting in a warehouse for too long, so I had my wife
buy a package of new Duracell batteries. I installed a new battery in
the keypad and the lock worked fine again. But, by the next evening,
the new battery was also dead. I checked, and, according to S&Gs
documentation, I should get approximately 8000 lock actuations from a
new battery, so I knew something was wrong. So, I bought another
package of new batteries and tried one in the lock. The same thing
happened again. I eventually tried five brand new batteries in the
keypad, and each one lasted about one day in the keypad.
I called the folks at Gardall and told the nice woman what was
happening with my new safe. She told me they would have someone come
out to my house to fix it right away. A few days later, a guy came out
and installed a brand new lock and keypad. The lock that he installed
is the same Rotarybolt Z02, but the keypad is the two-battery type.
It's all working just fine now and I'm a happy camper.
One nice thing about this little problem is that the new lock still
had the original master code, so I was able to create my own
management reset code. I was also able to decide whether to use the
other lock features that must be configured before the master code is
changed for the first time.
As an additional bonus, the web site that sold me the safe sent me a
check for $50.00 and apologized for my inconvenience. I really
appreciate that.