"I realized that I could open several apartments" … A residence in Joinville-le-Pont obliged to change all its locks urgently

Spacious and modern apartments, parking in the basement, small green space: the residence of Joinville-le-Pont (Val-de-Marne) where Arthur * lives would make jealous number of residents in the Paris region. She has just one drawback, which Arthur discovered this summer: "My neighbor had lent me her keys to water her plants. One day, without intention, I used my key to close his apartment, and it worked. I thought it was weird.

With the agreement of another neighbor, Arthur tries to open a second apartment: again, his key works without forcing. The case is all the more problematic because these keys, manufactured by Vachette, are called "protected". Because of their complexity – several million combinations are possible on the same key model – they should, in theory, be immune to such an error.

One problem can hide another

At first, Arthur contacts the company to tell him about the problem. At the end of July, two locks are changed urgently by a provider. Then, in September, the Vachette group sends a letter to the trustee of the residence to rebadure him. In his letter, which 20 minutes The company explains that the fact that a key can open another apartment is linked to "a computer bug". Vachette further baderts that she verified "the
the organization's "flowchart", that is, ensuring that other keys did not turn into a mat.

Problem fixed ? That's what Arthur thinks … until a trustee meeting in late October. "We wondered if the problem was not larger. We decided to test other locks with my keychain, always with the agreement of the owners. And then we realized that three new apartments could open with my key. In all, the key of Arthur allows to open 5 apartments out of 12 tested.

"We do not want to start a panic"

To top it all, one of her neighbors realizes that she can access common areas of other buildings of the residence (local bike, elevator, etc.), whereas they are normally impossible to access for she. The problem is therefore much more important than Vachette suggested in his mail.

"We did not dare to hear the case in the building," says Arthur. We think that could be a problem, especially for insurance. My key may not be the only one to open several locks, but we were afraid to test others. We did not want to start a panic in the residence. In early November, the trustee asks Vachette to change all the locks and keys of the 150 apartments in the residence. It also requires 30,000 euros in damages to compensate for the damage suffered.

"Isolated facts"

"Of course, the operations of replacing and installing new cylinders, as well as the manufacture of new keys, will be entirely at our expense," explains 20 minutes Jean-Marc Cither, director of Vachette, who "reserves his answer" on the question of damages. The new locks will begin to be delivered within ten days.

The company also claims that no other residence has reported a similar problem. "We are on isolated facts, continues Jean-Marc Cither. These are ultra-sensitive subjects that we track down. Vachette knows that she has no right to make mistakes: she equips several French prisons …