Shopping for grandfather clocks online, particularly if one is thinking of purchasing a grandfather clock from a Store and Grandfather Clocks Dealer who may he hundreds or thousands of miles away, it is only natural that the prudent grandfather clock shopper would have questions not only about the delivery and in-home set-up, but also about whether that Store and Authorized Dealer can be there for them when they have any problems with the grandfather clock or simply want one of their grandfather clocks serviced.
To illustrate how we handle this, below is a slightly edited email exchange we had very recently with a prospective grandfather clocks customer who had some very thoughtful questions. First the individual’s question, and then our answers following that below:
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2013 6:00 PM
To: sales@1-800-4clocks.com
Subject: Placing Orders
Hello. I live in the _______, Texas, area and am interested in a specific grandfather clock on your website, Howard Miller Elgin Grandfather Clock 611-190, for $3,237.50. It appears your site makes ordering simple and easy, and I see good reviews of your company.
However, there is a local clock dealer with a similar price on this clock, and they claim they can set up and service the clock.
Your site states free shipping and free in home setup. Who does the in home setup, and is it a complete setup or just placing the clock where I want it located? And if at some point I need service under warranty, who can help me with this?
I do appreciate any clarification you can provide.
John Doe
And our response to this prospective customer follows below:
Hello John Doe -
Thank you for your thoughtful email.
Here is the way we find works best for our customers:
1. Shipping - In this case, given the logistics, we would ship to you a "factory fresh" brand new (no "seconds") Howard Miller Elgin Grandfather Clock direct from Howard Miller's main warehouse in Michigan (where they are headquartered). We find that if a clock ships only once it minimizes the potential for any shipping damage (and we make sure you are covered 100% - can address separately). So you know you are getting a brand new factory fresh grandfather Clock from an Authorized Dealer.
2. Delivery - We use one of Howard Miller's preferred shipping providers, and they will call you to set up a delivery appointment. They are required by contract with us to offer an agreed upon 4 hour time window, usually 9am-1pm or 1pm-5pm Monday thru Friday. They will never just show up at your doorstep. As part of delivery, they:
a. Will bring the grandfather clock in its original factory container
b. Put it where you will want to keep it in your home
c. Completely unpack the clock - which at that point is fully assembled except for the weights at the pendulum being attached
d. Take away the Container and the fillers, unless of course you want to keep them
3. Set-up - We make sure all the grandfather clock set-ups (98%+, and no issue in your area) are done by a Howard Miller Authorized technician who is local to you. We contract with the technician, and then get you in contact with each other. These individuals are all certified by Howard Miller, and are all great. We call you first to tell you the person's name and contact information, so that you do not have a stranger calling you "out of the blue". [We ask that you call us after the clock is delivered, so that we can arrange for the grandfather clocks set-up usually within 1-3 days of delivery. Additionally, we discuss what to do if there are any problems of any kind with the delivery, to make sure you are "1000%" covered].
4. Ongoing maintenance and warranty - Any Howard Miller grandfather Clock purchased from us has the full Howard Miller Warranty of 2 Years. We are pleased to add an additional Year to any customer who requests it. If you like the technician who set up the clock, that could be your contact for future maintenance (if you have any problems within the Warranty period, your best bet as the very first step in any event would be to call us first at 1-800-4CLOCKS — true for all our customers). Additionally, we can provide you with a list of additional Howard Miller Authorized Service Centers and Technicians in your area, so you would always have that as a resource in any event.
So in summary, we can provide everything a reputable local Authorized Howard Miller dealer could provide, with free shipping, free FULL in-home set-up (by a Howard Miller Authorized Technician, and a contact list of other Howard Miller certified technicians in your area who could also provide any service wanted in your area), no sales tax, an Additional 3rd Year of Warranty, and be only a phone call away should you have any issues or problems, which we can certainly get resolved locally to you.
Hope this helps.
Please feel free to call or email me directly with any additional questions or concerns.
Kind regards,
Customer Service
p.s. thought you might possibly be interested in an article that appeared about us (as one topic) in a not so recent New York Times article, which can be seen at:
Tel. 1-800-4CLOCKS (800-425-6257) [OPTION 1] and cell is 212-WATCHES (212-928-2437)
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