More and more common, especially on the internet, are beautiful looking grandfather clocks selling for a few hundred dollars, some by some of the USA’s most well-known retailers. There is, however, a “dirty little secret” about these clocks. While they may look nearly identical in a photo to high-end quality grandfather clock brands like Howard Miller Clocks, Hermle Clocks, Ridgeway Clocks and Kieninger Clocks, the reality is generally that the grandfather clock case is effectively a hollow shell of the grandfather clock models it is trying to pretend to be, and the grandfather clock movement is almost definitely a cheaply made imitation of the Hermle, Kieninger, Howard Miller and Ridgeway high-end model grandfather clocks.

The most consistent and obvious give-away and set of data points is the people who have bought these clocks, hoping they they were somehow perhaps getting the same value as high-quality clocks, only to find the grandfather clock case to be to be a thin shell of what they thought, weighing in at a small fraction and not likely to, in our opinion, be an heirloom anything. On top of that, including additional assembly that might be required, the quality of the grandfather clock movement and its timekeeping and chiming and striking and reliability bear little resemblance to “The Real McCoy” of true higher-end grandfather clocks.

It might best be compared to buying a house (setting aside the land) where everything was built on the outside to look the same, but it would not hold up to normal wear or tear, much less any punishing use or weather conditions. It would be almost a pure shell of a house with rooms. Pretty to look at if no one ever actually used it and its functionality.

We feel awful when we get calls from individuals who have purchased these clocks, and in many cases they either just don’t work or came with no operating instructions and/or owner’s manual, and the retailers where they purchased them don’t have a clue, and they can’t be returned generally (depending upon any individual store’s policy) if they have been either opened and/or not easily to be able to repackaged in its original box. A restocking fee, assuming they are lucky enough to be able to return this inferior grandfather clock merchandise, can be a further blow to resources and time spent on these bait and switch lookalike grandfather clocks.

The old saying if it looks too good to be true, it probably is, has some real merit. At the same time, we strive every day to give you the most for your money so that you can get a high quality grandfather clock at the lowest prices with all sorts of add-ons to make it the nest possible investment in a grandfather clock family heirloom for you and your loved ones. Passing a grandfather clock from generation to generation can be so meaningful. We aim to ease the process with Free In-Home Setup, Free Shipping, No Sales Tax, frequently doubling the manufacturer’s warranty (just call and ask us if we’ll do it, before you purchase), and the most aggressive sale and discount grandfather clock pricing we can make happen. The is a reason we are America’s Top Clock Shop.

If It Seems Too Good to be True, Then …