Locked Out of a Rental Car in Orlando: What to Do

Try every door, then find the keys through the glass

Rental cars get locked in odd ways. A rear door a passenger never locked, a hatch that did not latch, a window down an inch. Walk the whole car and pull every handle before you decide you are locked out.

Then look through the windows and find the keys. On the seat, in the cup holder, in the trunk, or not in the car at all. That one detail decides whether you need a door opened or a key made, and it is the first thing the dispatcher will ask.

If a second driver on the rental agreement has the other key back at the hotel, a ride to fetch it may beat any service call. Most rentals come with one key, though, so do not plan on it.

Call the rental company's roadside line first

Every major rental company prints a roadside assistance number on the key tag, the rental agreement, or a sticker inside the driver's door. Call it before you call anyone else. What happens next varies by company and by the coverage you picked when you rented.

Some send their own roadside service, which can be quick or can be a long wait on a busy weekend near the parks. Others will tell you to call a local locksmith, pay, and keep the receipt for reimbursement or for the return desk. Ask which it is, ask how long, and write down the name of the agent you spoke with.

If they point you to a locksmith, ask whether they need any paperwork from us. An invoice with the company name, the plate number and the work done is usually all they want.

What a locksmith can and cannot do for a rental car

We can open a rental car for the person who rented it. The technician checks your photo ID and the rental agreement, printed or in the rental company's app with your name on it, then opens the door without damage. A plastic wedge, an air bladder and a long reach tool, the same way we open any modern car. The return desk will not find a mark.

What we cannot do is make a new key for a car you do not own. If the keys are lost rather than locked inside, cutting and programming a replacement needs the rental company's authorization. We say this on the phone so nobody waits for a technician who cannot help. In that case the rental company usually arranges a spare key or a replacement car.

Bring the ID that matches the rental agreement. If the renter is your spouse and they are back at the hotel, get them on the phone or have them meet the technician. We do not open a car for someone whose name is not on the paperwork, which is the protection you would want if it were your car.

Theme park and hotel garages: tell the dispatcher exactly where you are

The garages at Walt Disney World, Universal and SeaWorld, the big hotels on International Drive, and the rental car center at Orlando International Airport are enormous. A lockout that takes twenty minutes on a street can take twice that if the technician is circling the wrong level. Give the dispatcher the garage name, the level or the color of the section, the row and the space number if it is painted on the floor, and the nearest stairwell or elevator bank.

Say where you will wait. Beside the car is best. If it is too hot, tell us which entrance or which store you are standing in and keep your phone on you. Some garages have poor signal on the lower levels, so if you have to move, text the number the dispatcher gives you.

Parking attendants and hotel security are used to locksmiths. Let them know one is coming so the van is waved through rather than sent to visitor parking a quarter mile away.

Keys in the trunk, or a push-to-start rental with the fob inside

Keys locked in the trunk of a rental is common, because the trunk is where the luggage goes. On most cars we open a door first and use the trunk release inside the cabin. If the release is disabled or the rear seats do not fold, the technician has other ways in, but tell the dispatcher it is the trunk so the right tools are on the van.

Most Orlando rentals are push-to-start now, and a fob left on the seat while you unload the luggage is the classic version of this call. Once the door is open the fob is right there and the car starts normally. A fob left inside does not need programming or a new key. If instead the fob is lost, that is the situation that needs the rental company's authorization, so call them before you call us.

Who should be walking up to the car

You should already know the price before the van arrives. Our dispatcher quotes one flat price on the phone, there is no separate service-call fee and no evening surcharge, and the price changes only if the job itself changes, which you would hear before any work starts. The technician arrives in a marked We Do Locksmith van, shows ID, and asks for yours.

If the person who shows up is in an unmarked car, will not show ID, says the price is now higher because of the garage or the hour, or wants to drill a lock on a car that is a few years old, you may refuse. Do not hand over cash to make it stop. Call the number you originally dialed and ask who they sent.

• A marked van with the company name on it.
• Photo ID, and your name from the call.
• The same price you were quoted on the phone.
• An invoice with the business name and address on it, for the rental company.