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Sentry Fire Safe Won’t Open, It’s Broken! Can’t Unlock Fire Safe
By lighthouse
Pictured above, a sentry safe that failed to open after the combination numbers were pushed and the little plastic piece that disabled it.
So I called the sentry safe company, (800-828-1438), and waited for about 10 minutes to speak to a representative, (that was alright since I have a speaker phone). The first thing they asked me was about the condition of the batteries. I told them that they were brand new. The person then asked about the brand name and expiration date of the batteries. They were generic batteries, but the expiration date was fine. They suggested a new set of batteries, and mentioned that I could bypass the battery pack, (which sometimes fails), by unplugging the pack and using a regular 9 volt battery.. So just to cover the base, I went down to the store and obtained a brand new 9 volt duracell battery. I unplugged the battery pack and plugged in my new battery. I then pushed the combination numbers and my safe again failed to open.
I called the sentry company back using my speakerphone feature again while waiting to speak with a technician. The tech asked me about the batteries and I told him it had a new 9 volt at the last technician's recommendation. The person began to talk about the actuator cylinder inside the safe, stating that it did not sound like it was actuating. Then they told me something that really made me wonder about the quality of this safe. They told me I would need to hit the safe with a rubber mallet in an attempt to get the actuator to engage so I could open the sentry safe. OK, so the safe is supposively built to keep my belongings safe from thieves and fire, but now I am going to fix it with a rubber mallet? Good thing my sentry safe was inside, somebody might have wondered about my mental state if they had seen me beating this fireproof safe with a rubber mallet! (PS: If you use the rubber mallet option or any other suggestions that sentry's customer assistance supplied, and have firearms or dynamite in your safe, you do so at your own risk, use wise judgement for your own safety)
Well it just so happens that I had a rubber mallet and did not need to once again go to the store to get something to personally fix my great sentry fireproof safe. So I begin beating the upper middle door area of the sentry safe with this mallet and then tried the combination again. Woolah, It opened! I stopped for a moment and began to ponder how many other things I could fix with this magical rubber mallet. I mean, what about the TV, the computer, my fridgerator and that cell phone that always drops calls? Could it be that I have discovered the fix all to all mechanical issues? As I began to look at my belongings in my fireproof safe that I have just opened with a rubber mallet, I thought "so if I close the safes door will I need a sledge hammer next time"?
Time for another phone call, back to the speakerphone. The technician this time listened to my issue and asked me if I had some lubricant like WD-40 with a small tube that attaches to nozzle. I thought, "well of course I do, I was just using that to fix the broken water pipe in the garage." The phone tech tells me where to spray the lubricant on the inside of the sentry safe door. He has me do this in the open and closed combination positions, and it's now opening when I press the combination numbers with the door open, hurray! The only problem is that after working in the lubricant a few times the handle on the door does not lock into the locked position. I no longer need the combination to unlock my safe, I only need a can of lubricant! OK, this is one really tough safe, what thief would ever think that they would need a rubber mallet and a can of silicon lubricant to open up a safe?
Back to the speakerphone, this time a lady technician. She wants me to get a screwdriver and pry off the plastic piece on the back side of the door. At this point I said to her, you have built a product that I need to have a rubber mallet, a can of 3 in 1 spray lubricant, and a screwdriver to open? She stated that she was doing all she could to help me fix my safe and asked me how long I had owned the safe. I told her about 2 years and she stated that it was out of warranty. I thought, well who needs a warranty when they have a magical mallet, a can of black led, and a screwdriver? Anyway she directs me to pry the plastic backing off of the door and when I do this little piece of plastic falls out onto the floor. I look at this little plastic piece pondering in my mind, what's it's part in all of this. Well the technician is directing me to look at the arms and gears and some arrows that line up between the metal arms and plastic gears. What's wrong with that picture? Metal and plastic don't really work together long before the plastic breaks. I had to wonder for a moment, is this some really expensive fireproof plastic? The arrows line up and with that information she directs me to the area of the actuator again, she says "you see the circuit board" and a little white button that sticks out from it?" I said well yes, I see the circuit board and the little white button you are talking about seems to be laying on the floor broken off. So I picked it up and said, "this little broken piece of plastic that connects to the metal arm on the safe is why the safe does not work right?" She tells me yes that's the problem, that i have broken it and since it's out of warranty that there is nothing she can do to help me. But she then asks me to hold on for a moment…..
She comes back to the phone sounding sincere, like she has just solved all my problems, and tells me that she has spoke to her supervisor and that they can offer me 10% off on any safe that I would like to purchase. I thought what great customer service, now they want to sell me another safe with metal and plastic pieces that break and give me a huge discount of 10%, and I bet it comes with a free maintenance kit which includes a polo stick, some lard oil, and a screwdriver on the rocks! Needless to say I declined their gracious offer.
I will say that all the organizations personnel, (that I spoke with), were courteous and trying to be helpful, (that was within the realm of authority they were given). With a product such as this, and the great customer service I experienced, I thought it was probably best to find a safe that was free of little plastic pieces that break off, cause those plastic pieces won't save you 10% !
A side note, recently I have received a couple of comments from someone who apparently holds stock in this company. He is trying to say that it's a fire safe and it's only supposed to protect your goods from fire. My first thought about that was; HELLO? Why would they put a key lock and combination lock on it then? I mean, are the locking mechanisms solely for the purpose of keeping the fire out of the safe? Then I thought some more, if this safe was in a fire, it would get hot, because it's not like a freezer inside, well except for those plastic parts and the plastic liner around the inside and around the door. What do you suppose might happen to those in a fire? I seen a stove recently that had some plastic on the door of the oven, high temperature resistant or not, it was melted.
Topics: Kick It To The Curb | 179 Comments »
179 Responses to “Sentry Fire Safe Won’t Open, It’s Broken! Can’t Unlock Fire Safe”
Pages: [12] 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 … 1 »
Pages: [12] 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 … 1 »
November 17th, 2011 at 2:26 am
Thank you! I changed the batteries, tried to open my safe a million times, and it would not open. I took a regular hammer to the top left of the front door of it and holy you know what, it opened!!!
November 13th, 2011 at 5:04 am
I always wonder if remedies on the internet will work… this worked like a charm!
Thank you for your post!!
November 12th, 2011 at 7:04 pm
What a hoot. Our safe failed to open and Im sure I talked to the same sincere senty staff as you all did. As I was given this piece of junk they offered to sell me the solenoid $50. The safe isn’t worth 10 cents. Another post suggested removal of most gears and wheels and just use the key lock.
October 18th, 2011 at 2:05 am
I have a sentry safe with a mechanical combination lock that will not open! I haven’t tried the rubber mallet method,but my frustration has reached the boiling point to try it. Oh, did I mention that my safe is less than 6 months old! It is made in china like everything else on the planet! Thats why there are no jobs in this country! Imagine that.
October 12th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
my safe is only about 2 years old and already have the same problem. i love the 1-800 number that’s supposed to be open until 8 pm eastern time. it says the mailbox cannot take messages @ 7 pm eastern time. great customer service. thanks for the help. will not be buying sentrysafe ever again.
October 12th, 2011 at 12:46 am
I too was unable to get into my safe. Again! I decided to google for an answer and luckily found you article first. When I finished the article and stopped laughing, I said what the heck. With no rubber mallet, I hit the top left of the safe with my hand. It opened right up! Thanks for the entertainment and good solid information. Time to change safes as you never know when you might need whats inside.
October 11th, 2011 at 5:02 am
Haha, I look forward to trying this tomorrow. I’m thoroughly disgusted with my Sentry Safe. I wish now that I had opted for the other brand and purchased a gun safe. It would’ve served a wider purpose, plus it may have been better quality. I’m just so disappointed that it’s still so new, with a new battery, and teases me with the click that isn’t followed by an opening door
October 10th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
Hilarious, and so true! thanks for the advice!!
October 2nd, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Did not have a rubber mallet, but just pounded it with my bare fist… worked great! Saved me a lock smith. Thanks!
September 25th, 2011 at 10:31 pm
Omg. You made our day! After days of trying to open the safe (including changing the batteries) we tried your “hitting method” and it worked! We used a men’s shoe instead cause we didn’t have a mallet Thank you.
September 24th, 2011 at 7:09 pm
Dude you,re the bomb. Two wacks with a rubber mallet and the safe opened. Thank you
September 14th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
I am also a locksmith. All the above people bought their safes because they were CHEAP! When you buy cheap you get cheap. Everyone who wants the best security products need to go to a qualified security shop, ie. your local locksmith. They should have good quality product on the floor to see. You may pay two, three or even four times the cost of your sentry but the quality both of material and security (resistance to break in) will be there. We stock over 70 safes on the floor and constantly will have to compete with the Sentry, home centers quality safes. Even after seeing and hearing the difference 75% (that’s all of you) will walk out and buy the Sentry!
September 12th, 2011 at 5:43 pm
Hilarious Post by lighthouse, and Right On! I was having trouble opening our Sentry Safe, did the phone call thing, the phone rep was helpful, but nothing worked. I tried the rubber mallet trick, and bang!, the sumbitch opened. I tend to agree with the Locksmith poster: these Sentry safes, at least the under $500 ones, are freakin toys. I’m going to buy a real safe; don’t care what it costs.Glad I found this link and, help. There are pages of Sentry safe problems on the net; buy anohter brand, and buy a
‘real’ safe, imo. GL, D
September 12th, 2011 at 6:54 am
I got same sh*t in Norway, trying to open, I was using ordinary hammer…. and it worked. Kicking from the top , pressing down. Thanks for all information. I would never thing that they can produce and sell so bad quality, never buy this product again.