No joke: Woman locked out of house gets crane to give her a lift home

What would you do if you get locked out of your house?

Most would turn to a locksmith for help, but one woman in Malaysia decided to hire a lorry crane instead.

Tammy Ng, who lives on the fourth floor of an apartment building in Selangor, told China Press that her digital door lock malfunctioned when she returned home on Sunday (Jan 21) afternoon.

Unfortunately, the 40-year-old woman had also left her keys at home and was unable to unlock the door.

She then sought help from a locksmith but was reportedly told that the issue can only be solved by breaking her door. This would cost her approximately RM800 (S$228), said Ng.

The estimated cost of replacing her fire-rated door and damaged electronic lock would be an additional RM2,000 (S$570), which she found to be too expensive.

Contemplating her next course of action, an idea struck Ng when she spotted someone pruning trees along the road on a lorry crane.

"So I called and rented another crane for just RM500 (S$142)," she told China Press, adding that it was a "bargain" as compared to hiring the locksmith.

Ng shared a video clip of her unusual return home on Facebook, where it has since garnered over 2,700 likes and nearly 600 comments.

In the clip, she can be seen standing in the crane bucket, waving excitedly as she was lifted towards her apartment's balcony.

Ng then hopped over the railing and into her home, as several passers-by gathered to see what was happening.

It was her first time riding a crane, Ng wrote in her post. Calling the ride "cool", she jested that she would return home in this manner in the future.

In the comments section, netizens were tickled by her unorthodox way of solving the problem and praised her for thinking out of the box.

"How awesome, you saved a large sum of money," commented one, while another cautioned Ng to be "extra careful". 

ALSO READ: Locked out of your home? Locksmith services in Singapore and how much they cost

lim.kewei@asiaone.com