Locked keys in car. What would you do?

I always wear/a cross body bag when out shopping, no danger of leaving the bag anywhere.

But when MzOops car decided to lock itself with her key in the ignition and the dog in the boot on a really hot day, we had to break the side window.

My phone lives in my back pocket, or on the rare occasion when I’m not wearing jeans, chinos or shorts, down my bra.
Tricky for you, if no one had answered then the window I suppose unless you have breakdown cover.

My car once managed to lock itself - with my bag and keys inside - when I was at the council tip!
I called the AA or RAC, or whoever we were with at the time, and the nice chap got it open with no damage.
He said he’d known it to happen before with that car - a Ford Focus.

I'd call the RAC too

Yes, I would call the breakdown services.

I am very careful about always putting my keys in my pocket or hanging froma finger because, like Witzend I once had a car that had a habit of locking itself.

Someone else's key opened my car!

That was years ago before keys were programmed.

This reminds me of locking myself out of DH’s car - I think a Ford Cortina Estate. Must’ve been the early 70’s and I was
going to a birthday party.
I rang the breakdown people, describing where I was. ‘How will we recognise you’ asked the call centre. ‘Well’ I replied ‘I’m the only one here dressed as a nun!’
Yes, it was a fancy dress party.

Allira

Someone else's key opened my car!

That was years ago before keys were programmed.

Years ago, we had a Ford Cortina that we could unlock with a 2 pence piece

Many years ago I left the dog in the car while I locked the front door. The keys were in the ignition, the dog jumped up on the door and pushed the door lock button down. Remember those? I’d been about to take the dog to my parents for the day while we had some work done on the house. What did I do? Phoned my Dad who turned up with a piece of wire and proceeded to unlock the door, he then removed the dog, told me not to be so daft again and drove off with the dog in his car Those were the days!

Mine once managed to lock itself back in the 80s at 5am when I ran into a local newsagents and left the engine running. There was a policeman inside who told me not to watch, took some of the plastic type tape that was wrapped around the newspapers and opened the door in seconds.

My car has an app so I can remotely lock/unlock my car from my phone.
I recently locked my keys in the car but fortunately had my phone.

Thanks for your really ingenious replies. My RAC documents were of course in the car and I didn’t know their number. It just made me feel very vulnerable although thankfully not for too long.

Astitchintime

Allira

Someone else's key opened my car!

That was years ago before keys were programmed.

Years ago, we had a Ford Cortina that we could unlock with a 2 pence piece

It was just very lucky that he happened to park outside the same shops!

Re:
Someone else's key opened my car

A couple of years ago I parked in a big car park in the center of town.
Someone was with me and we both had only a couple of quick jobs to do.
We hopped out, I locked up and when finished shopping I was first back to the car so put my stuff in the boot and got in the driver's seat.
After about 20 minutes I wondered what was holding them up and, looking round, noticed a few strange items on the back seat... 😬

Yes! I'd been sitting in someone else's car all that time.
😱

Sheepishly (but rapidly) I got out and took my shopping out of the boot... and saw, just a few cars along, my passenger waiting patiently, next to MY car.

OP, rather than going back to the shop, i think i'd have asked a fellow shopper to use their phone.
most have smart phones, so you could look up the RAC and take it from there.

When my ignition key broke inside the slot recently I phoned the RAC to be told that they don’t take phone calls anymore you have to report the problem online.

Except of course they don’t ‘do’ broken keys in locks.

Ore recently we broke down next to a lovely village pub, again we had to go online to report it.

I might change from the incredibly expensive RAC to something more user friendly.

Try Start Rescue.
No don't work for them but have helped me on several occasions and a very reasonable price.

The AA or car dealer will have a solution a car thief certainly will, a modern car it’s impossible to lock with keys inside ( I’ve tried several times)

Our RAC runs out in November so I’ll give Start Rescue a call

Thanks

When my three were little we went to playgroup one morning. I parked and put my keys on the passenger seat to leave my hands free to get the baby out of his seat. The other two would have been about 5 and 7.

I said loudly and clearly to them NOT to lock their doors because I didn't have the key with me. Of course they DID lock them!

This would have been late 1988.

Fortunately there was a phone box nearby with an actual phone book in it. I can't remember exactly what happened but I must have borrowed a coin to make a phone call to a local locksmith who came and rescued us.

I knew the locksmith because I had had to use their services before when I'd locked myself out of the flat.

Nowadays l always double check I have my key before closing the car or the front door.

(if anyone is wondering why a 7-yeat-old is at a playgroup, this is Germany where kids don't start school till 7. We had a little private playgroup once a week where some other English speaking mothers and I would play with the children, read to them etc in English all morning. We met in a church hall so weren't near anyone's home.)

I think you did very well!
I am surprised the RAC number isn't on your windscreen. I know AA off by heart.

My worst car nightmare was driving my DD and baby DGD to hospital for a specialist appointment which they had waited 6 months for and running out of diesel on a winding narrow but fast Highland road with no phone signal.

Somebody stopped to offer help and pushed the car to a slightly safer place, managed to call a taxi which eventually came and knowing the back roads to Aberdeen raced us there on time. My DD was speechless at my incompetence but the baby was fine! I called the AA from the hospital and they met me at the car after another expensive taxi ride.

I have to tell you a story that still makes me cringe!

28 years ago my daughter was 13 and we had a son of nearly 2.
Daughter had left her pony in a friends paddock for the weekend so we went after school on a Monday to get her.

I left son in car while we tacked up pony he wailed so I gave him my car keys to quieten him.

As daughter was leading pony round the car she shut the open door, therefore locking her brother and keys in the car with mobile phone.

I had to play peek a boo for nearly an hour through the car windows while daughter “rode to the rescue” to get home and tell her father to come and rescue me with the spare keys!

My daughter was so thrilled with her part in the rescue she told anyone that would listen, many people quite rightly asked what on earth was I thinking!

Witzend

My car once managed to lock itself - with my bag and keys inside - when I was at the council tip!
I called the AA or RAC, or whoever we were with at the time, and the nice chap got it open with no damage.
He said he’d known it to happen before with that car - a Ford Focus.

Of course my phone was in my bag! I had to ask one of the tip staff to phone dh at work - luckily I knew his number - and he phoned the AA/RAC for me.

I think you were very sensible in the action you took.

I live and die in stretch jeans and always have my phone in my back pocket.