Tick Tock Clock Repairs

It went great. Jim removed the movement on 1/17 and returned it on 3/1. He was very knowledgeable and professional, even replaced the lock unit on the door that had broken years ago. The clock is running great now.

Called and left message and within two minutes I got a call back from Jim. He told me that he wouldn't be able to set an appointment until next week and I gave him two days I would be home. He said he would get back to me with the appointment details. He arrived on 7-19 to clean and oil our Sligh Grandfather's Clock. I also showed him two antique clocks that had stopped working and he took them with him letting me know that he would call me with an estimate on both. On 9-18 I called Jim for an estimate on the two clocks as I had not heard from him regarding the repair estimates. He responded back within a day and told me that the estimate for one clock would be $350 (more extensive work needed on movement) and $150 for the other. He didn't give me a time-frame for when these would be completed. On or near 11-5 Jim finally called to tell me that the two clocks were done. I was just about to give him a call. He said that his wife had been in the hospital so I agreed to come to his home in Palatine to pick up the two clocks. After having the one clock for almost two weeks, I realized it wasn't working properly. Chime sounded like a and quot;thud, and quot; clock was running too fast and then it stopped working altogether. Called Jim back and he asked me to wait until after Thanksgiving to bring the one clock. in and when I did to take it to a Jeweler in Palatine that he uses as a pickup and drop off point. I drove over to the jeweler on 11-30 and left the clock. The next day I get a call from some one who I've never dealt with before at the clock repair shop asking me exactly what the problem was even though I had not only talked to Jim, but also left a detailed note with the clock indicating the problems that needed to be addressed. I then get a call back from Jim the same day indicating that it was his son who called me because he was picking up the clock at the jeweler. Jim called me soon after and explained that he knew all about what was needed on the clock and not to worry. Today is Dec. 19th and I have yet to hear anything yet about the status of the clock. Finally called Jim on Dec. 20th and he said he was going to call me and that he would have the repairs done after Jan. 1st. It's now Jan. 6th and still no word from Jim. I called him and he said he was meaning to call me and that the clock would be done the following week. but that he had been sick. It's now Jan. 23rd and no call to pick up the clock. 1/3/2014 - Had to call Jim again to find out when my clock would be ready. He said he was still testing it to make sure it kept time. This was two weeks after he said it would be completed. He promised me that he would have it ready next week, call me to let me know when it was done and have it at the pickup point. 2/10/14 - Finally got word to pick my clock up. Needed to go to a jewelry store in Palatine to get it. At this point it seems to be working well with time adjusted and chime working well. He included a level, special key that also adjusts the speed. It appears that clock is keep good time and the chime is working well right now. I just wish he would have got it right the first time around.

Glass over clock face was reattached. Clock was cleaned. Bearings were repaired/replaced.

Excellent service and quality workmanship. Came back a couple of times to tweak one of the clocks that was not working properly.

Kept clock for over two years. Got a lot of excuses for reason it took so long. Called several times for status of clock. Charged more than estimate and clock worked for less than a month.

I brought it to his drop off store on April 1, 2013. After several phone calls he told me what was wrong with the clock and what had to be done to fix it. After several months he informed me a part had to be fixed by an outside clockmaker. My clock was finally returned to the drop off store on October 18. I think 6 and a half months was a bit much. On the bright side, the clock looks great and it works well.

I contacted Jim and he responded within the hour. He scheduled an appointment for the following week. Jim was on time, very friendly and more importantly knowledgeable. He explained what he was doing as he repaired the clock and suggested items that would help with care and maintenance.

What can I say except that it went like clockwork! (Sorry, I couldn't resist!) Jim came out, assessed the problem with our clock, told us what was wrong, provided a quote, and told us how long the repair would take. He completed the work exactly when he said he would and delivered the clock in perfect working order. He also gave us a number of suggestions for taking care of the clock to avoid the problem in the future. Finally, he gave us a reminder card to call him in a couple of years to come out and oil the clock. (Regular oiling is something we had neglected to do.) Jim is not only a professional crafstman, but also a delightful individual to talk to. We are very pleased with the service we received and would recommend Jim to anyone. We fully intend to call him for any future work on this or any other clock we have.

The clocks should be ready within a month, this is because of the deluge of customers that have sought out the provider for top quality service.

It went really well. The only negative was that it did take 3 months .

I would recommend them. It's keeping better time than the old mechanism that was in there ever did. I'm very satisfied with the work.

I called and set up an appointment and was able to make quickly make contact. The appointment was convenient and timely. He was helpful in teaching me how to properly wind and care for the clock, and the price was reasonable.

I have a family heirloom, an antique (purchased by my Grandfather in1930) Grandfather's tall clock. It is a nine tube clock with German works, shows the phases of the moon, has a choice of three different chimes and keeps excellent time in a tall carved mahogany case. Since the clock was handed down to me almost thirty years ago, it has been moved three times, each time with varying success in finding someone to put the tubes, weights and movement back together in the case and have the clock work and sound right. (One and quot;professionaland quot; hung the tubes backwards. When I told him it didn't sound right he said the tubes were ruined!) I was apprehensive when I recently moved to Chicago and needed to have this done again. I found Tick Tock Clock Repair and Sales on Angie's List. Jim and his son came to put everything back together. I was immediately struck (and comforted) by their knowledge of this specific type of clock. Jim's son (Alex?) showed me a photo of an almost identical clock they had repaired recently. Jim asked when I had last had the clock cleaned thoroughly. I admitted it was when I had last moved - 15+ years. He offered to put the clock back together as agreed, but showed me worn parts in the movement and it was quite visible just how dirty the inner workings of the clock were. He advised that I would be better served, and the clock in considerably better shape, if I let him take the movement back to his shop for proper cleaning and replacement of the worn parts. I agreed. Jim never promised a finish date and I was not in a hurry. That said, completion took longer than expected - a few months - but to be fair, Jim was recovering from major surgery when he picked up the movement. My real concern was how it all came back together. It went very smoothly and it was again clear how knowledgeable these two men are about the clocks they repair and how much they love the work. They were not inexpensive, but this is a valuable clock, both in dollars and sentiment, and I thought the price was very fair. They were both extremely professional while being very down to earth and friendly. And though Jim will likely continue to work for some time, it is good to know his son is involved in the business and can readily take over for his Dad, so they'll be around for a long time to come. They guarantee their work for two years.

Our old guy is ticking away happily, chiming on the hour, and keeping excellent time! Not only did they do the overhaul, they also provided a great deal of fascinating information about the clock. And they did this while one of the owners was receiving, then recovering from back surgery. These guys are really great! Use them with confidence!

We know who to call next time we have any clock repair needs! Jim was responsive to our scheduling needs and came within the week of being contacted. Our Ridgeway grandfather clock had become non-functional immediately after being serviced by a different clock repair company (they wouldn't own up to it, so we had to find someone else). Angie's List provided that someone, and we are so happy. There was no comparison between the two services. Jim was friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and professional. He immediately spotted the problem and properly lubricated the clock for us including many areas that the previous repair company totally missed. In addition, he retuned the chimes. Because he has a musical background he hears the notes precisely and so he adjusted the hammers and now it sounds incredible!! Jim did not rush through the visit, but took the time to explain how the clock works, and exactly how we should maintain it so we feel very comfortable owning this wonderful piece. Beyond all of this, Jim took the time to service a wall clock that we had purchased (second hand) as a gift and wanted to have checked over. He looked it over, assured us of it's quality (despite not having been serviced), then he oiled all the moving parts and gave us future servicing recommendations. We feel so confident with both of these clocks and with the level of service. We would recommend Jim in a heartbeat!

The clock was returned and installed today and the charge was $1500. Everything EXACTLY as promised. I have other clocks and you may be sure that Mr. Denno will be called upon for that work. I wish everyone had his integrity and pride of workmanship!

Jim first visited our home a few months back to adjust a very old and valuable 1700's English case clock . We also asked him to evaluate and if possible repair and rebuild an 1800 American case clock. He quickly adjusted the English clock providing detailed recommnedations about how to keep it running, avoid over winding the mechanism, etc. Jim evaluated the broken American clock we had just picked up, determined that it could be repaired and that it was in fact worth the time and trrouble, and took the works back to his shiop. Jim returned in about 2 months with the rebuilt American clock. Both clocks are running fine. He was punctual, calling ahead to confirm the appointment, and quickly completed the adjustment and installation of the rebuilt works. He shared a lot of information about clocks generally and provided references to other resources. It's important to know in advance that a quality clock repair takes time. You have to be prepared to wait a few months if you're having a clock repaired and especially if it's being overhauled. Don't be impatient. The important consideration is the reliability of the work and the attention to detail. Jim provides the best service in the area. And he provides it at a very reasonable price. He's ethical and informative. Highly recommended.

The clock is a 120-year-old family heirloom that I had not had serviced for several years. They were enthusiastic, performed the work efficiently, including a minor repair, and educated me about the clock's history and value. The price included the fee for a house call.

We called him and made an appointment. He called us the day before appointment to re-confirm. Arrived precisely as scheduled, and proceeded to attend to the clock. It is now running perfectly. We had not discussed service prices before he came, so paid what he requested after the work was done.

He was excellent. He responded right away. We are going to set up time for him to come out.

We found his services to be expensive, and the clocks don't seem to be working as well as they did previously.

When I called to confirm the date for service he asked if he could come a day earlier. As that was convenient, I agreed. (He said he could still have come on the appointed day.) He efficiently and carefully removed the cover/face of the clock, cleaned and oiled it and checked it out. Took about 30 min.

They were very nice. He was very pleasant to work with and I was very satisfied.

There was a long turn around time, but the clocks are working. The quality of the repair was very good, but the turn around time was a little longer than I expected. They also don't take credit cards which was inconvenient.

Great! Mr. Denno was on time, courteous and efficient. Though the repair took several months (one clock and parts of the other had to be taken into the shop for repair), I am pleased with the results.