SHIPPING AND RETURN SHIPPING:
Yes…. I will repair your clock through the mail, if you are not local to my repair shop in Beverly, MA.
How it began: In the early 2000s, I offered “mail-in cuckoo clock repair” services for customers who were not local to me. Within a few years, I had repaired cuckoo clocks for customers from every U.S. state, and from a few foreign countries.
Today…. almost 30 years later…. I am still doing “mail-in” clock repair for cuckoos (and for many other types of clocks).
Many types of clocks can be repaired through the mail, including cuckoo clocks, most mantel clocks, and Golden Hour clocks. Some clocks however, due to age, size, complexity, setup considerations, and the like…. are not practical to repair by mail and should be repaired locally only. Please inquire if you have any questions.
BEFORE SHIPPING YOUR CLOCK TO JFK, PLEASE NOTE: With any mailed-in clock, I ask you to please include an initial payment, which covers the initial exam of the clock and the diagnosis of its problems (this amount is applicable toward repairs, if you approve the repair quote and if you hire JFK); a handling and packing charge (covers the time spent and the materials used when packing the clock properly for its return to you); and a deposit toward the actual return shipping charges.
The initial payment requested varies, depending on the type of clock and its size. Please inquire for more information.
WHEN SENDING YOUR CLOCK, please include a brief note telling me who you are (and how to contact you). Include your full name, mailing address, landline phone number, cell number, fax number (if you still use fax), and e-mail address, please. And please include a brief description of what problem(s) you think the clock has. If we’ve communicated by email regarding your clock, a printout of our emails is helpful.
Why “telling me who you are” is important: Because I am not very good at guessing the identities of the people who send me anonymous packages.
In the past I have received clocks with no identifying information inside (or outside) the package, and the return address is that of a third-party shipper, not the clock’s owner. I sometimes have to wait weeks, or months…. before the owner contacts me, identifies him or herself, and describes the clock that he or she mailed-in.
So, please remember to provide me with all of your contact information.
SHIPPING YOUR CLOCK SAFELY: to reduce the possibility of shipping damage, remove the pendulum and any exterior decorations if your clock has them. Wrap the clock well, with bubble wrap. You may double-box it if desired, but it’s not generally required unless the clock is particularly delicate (porcelain mantel clocks, for example). Use your judgement.
Place the bubble-wrapped clock inside of a shipping box that’s a fair amount larger than the wrapped clock. You may then surround the bubble-wrapped clock with plenty of padding, which will help to protect it from any trauma that the outer box may receive in transit.
Suggestions for suitable padding material:
- Additional bubble wrap
- Plastic or starch “packing peanuts” / popcorn
- Crumpled newspaper
- Furniture / movers’ padding, such as is available at UHaul
- Styrofoam
- “Void Fill” Kraft paper
- Expandable foam
- Etc.
Reusing prior-use, older, or repurposed packing materials is OK….. but please do not wrap or ship your clock with soiled, deteriorated, or contaminated packing products in which the clock (or some other household item) has been stored long-term. Also, please also do not package your clock with bath towels, pillowcases, bed linens, etc. from your closet. Also, please DO NOT include the clock’s original packaging.
The materials with which you package your clock don’t have to be “brand new”…. but I do ask that they be reasonably clean, please.
INSURANCE: You should insure your package with the carrier, for an amount that you feel is the reasonable replacement value of the item…. in case it gets lost in transit. Both UPS and the U.S. Postal Service offer insurance, and other carriers may do so as well. If you tell me the amount you chose for “reasonable replacement value”, I will insure your clock for this amount on its return trip to you.
If you cannot or do not wish to package your clock yourself, expert packing and shipping services are available at shipping centers such as the UPS Store and similar.
If you have any questions regarding mailed-in repairs, suitability for a particular clock’s mailed-in-repair potential, expected costs, or anything else….please inquire.
Packaging
Proper and professional packaging and shipping are what I consider the final parts of a job done right, and are not merely “afterthoughts” just to get a clock shipped and “out the door”. All clocks are packaged properly and professionally by me, right here on-site, using quality packaging materials and processes.
I take the proper shipping of your clock as seriously as I take the proper repair of your clock.
To protect your clock on the return journey home, it will be boxed in an appropriately-sized corrugated shipping box and will be wrapped in bubble wrap. It is then surrounded either by “plastic popcorn”, void fill paper, or “expandable foam”.
Inside of the shipping box, not only will you find your clock (well-protected and 100% intact), but also a set of instructions authored by me, as to the proper setup and operation of your clock.
Shipping Carrier
JFK typically returns clocks via United Parcel Service-Ground (UPS Ground); or via the United States Postal Service’s Priority Mail. FedEx is available by request. If you have a shipping preference, please let JFK know which carrier you prefer. Otherwise, the shipping carrier is chosen at JFK’s discretion.
So that clocks will not be left “unattended” on a doorstep or porch, subject to theft, poor weather, or other variables, all clocks shipped by JFK require a “signature” in order that the package be released to an address.
If, for your convenience, you would like your clock shipped with “no signature required” so that it is left at your home without a signature, JFK will do so at your request. Just ask in writing, via email or fax please, and JFK will be happy to ship “no signature required”. Please note that if your clock ships “no signature”, JFK’s liability for the clock shall end as soon as JFK presents your package to the shipping carrier.
Final Words on Shipping
I’ve been repairing clocks “through the mail” for nearly 30 years, and if you need your clock repaired but don’t know where to send it…. I would be honored to receive your consideration for it. Please contact me if you have any questions.
For information about my lifelong history in the repair business (I started in the repair business soon after birth, and I am in my mid-50s today), please see: About JFK – JFK Clock Repair