Two weeks shy of two years, I dropped off my Grampa’s cuckoo clock at a local repair shop. The gentleman estimated it would take 6 weeks to fix. After 8 weeks, I dropped in to check on progress. There was 1 broken wheel which he said that he needed to place an order for, so I left to wait patiently for it to be repaired.
Weeks….months passed by and I never heard from him. Not one phone call with an update. I dropped into the repair / clock shop 3 more times after that, always to receive the same response; Broken part. On order. Rare part. Need more time.
Three weeks ago I reached out to another company and he said he could do the repair. I went the same day to get my Grampa’s clock back from the original store. He wanted more time. More time? It’s been almost 2 years!
Two weeks ago, I dropped the clock off to Dave at Cobourg Clocks. He is extremely knowledgeable and very honest. Dave knew exactly what needed to be done to get the clock in working order.
It took him less than 2 WEEKS to do the repair. The cuckoo clock is as good as new. It’s just like I remember it as a kid. My heart is full now, being able to hang it back on the wall where I planned for it to go.
This clock will always stay in my family. It means so much to me and I’m thankful that my family allowed me to take this little memory of Grampa into my home where it will cuckoo, chime, and the couples will dance for many years to come.
Thank you Cobourg Clocks for your beautiful work. Highly recommend!
The clock has a Swiss-made music box. It plays “Edelweiss” on the hour and “The Happy Wanderer” at half-past the hour.
Kelly Cameron
Oshawa, On.
We like clocks! We like them a lot. We have about 10 clocks in our home. Some are in excellent condition others, well, they have a pretty face. About 3 years ago we had a gingerbread clock restored in Port Hope. At that point we were pretty trusting and did not get an estimate. When I picked it up the price exceeded what we paid for the clock by 300%. I resented the clock (emphatically) as it still really wasn’t right and vowed to keep the rest of my non functioning clocks as ornaments.
Fast forward 3 years and we have purchased yet another pretty face that doesn’t run. As I was idly glancing through the newspaper I noticed an advertisement by Dave Upton for clock repair. I saw he had a website and decided to check it out. I really like what Dave had to say. He seemed like a genuine enthusiast and I wondered if I could trust him. With a little prompting from my wife I contacted Dave and we set up a time where he could assess our clocks.
Dave came to our home right on time was very respectful. He gave us a price on 4 of our clocks for restoration, hydrostatic cleaning, oiling and balancing. We thought the price was very reasonable so decided to take a chance. Not only were the clocks returned ahead of the promised time they were restored to their former splendour. Dave took his time to explain each clock and made sure they were well set up and operational before he left.
Dave did what he said he would do and right on budget. This does not happen often these days. Sadly most people are used to being taken advantage of and don’t know where to go. It might be home renovations, car repairs or whatever: who can you trust for honesty, integrity and competency? We are very happy to report for clock repairs, Dave Upton of Cobourg Clocks is your man. We simply cannot recommend him high enough.
Thanks Dave.
Don & Kim Schonhoffer
Port Hope, ON
Dave…..On behalf of the Cobourg Lawn Bowling Club, I’d like to thank you for your time, kindness and generosity in restoring our old wall clock. Who would have guessed the buried treasure could look so good. A presentation will be made to the Club describing your thoughfulness as well as your horological services and skills. We are much in your dept.
Sincerely,
Martin Foxhall
Cobourg, ON
Dave…Thank you very much for all your hard work on my grandfather clock and my mother’s violin. I know not only your talent goes into restoration, attention to detail, but your thoughtfulness as well, and it’s very much appreciated.
Carol Simpson
Toronto, ON
Dear Dave, Just a note to thank you for the excellent service on our clocks and your kindness in giving us the history book on the Winterhalder & Hofmeier clock. Everything is ticking along perfectly.
Ross & Susan Eddy
Cobourg, ON
Dear Dave. When I called you about my late husband’s Grandfather clock I did not know what I wanted to do or should do with it. He loved that old clock. I however was not so enamoured with it. He wanted to restore it but just never did. After meeting and talking to you I knew I had to do what he would have wanted and I knew you were the person to do it. Your honesty, and your integrity, your knowledge of old clocks told me so. On delivery of the clock, I was speechless. That old clock was beautiful. The detail and finish is a work of art. The best part is it chimes and sounds great. I am so thankful to have met you and grateful to you for bringing my husband’s grandfather clock back to life. When the clock chimes, I smile. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jo-Ann Lilley
Brighton, ON
I took one of our mantle clocks to Dave at Cobourg Clocks to have repaired after finding him on the internet. This clock had been taken to a local clock repair shop previously and I was told that they couldn’t fix it. They said that the best they could do was put a battery mechanism in place of the wind up. I then took it to a Kingston clock repair shop and was told that it would cost me $350.00 just to look at it before repairs. I walked out. This is where Dave comes in. I took it to him and he was up front with the price and said that he could repair our clock within 10 to 14 days. I left it with him and true to his word he called me 10 days later saying that it was done. It looked fantastic and was running! He went over everything and explained what he had done.
I had brought our other mantle clock in at the time of pick up just to have him look it over. It did run slow and looked dull. He said that he would give it a cleaning and make it look and run better again. He gave me a good price and I said go ahead and do it. Again within the time frame he gave, it was done. After picking it up I can say. Dave has done an enormously painstaking job, taking our antique clock quality up several notches. What we got was two clocks that run and look better than when they were build decades ago. Even the brass on the clocks was polished to a brand new luster and shine.
My survey of the mantle clocks reveal that both clocks were initially disassembled. All parts were painstakingly cleaned and restored to like-new condition. Dave is a perfectionist who takes a great deal of pride in his work and it shows. Saying that I’m impressed is an understatement. This guy’s an artist and his prices are more than fair. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!
Thanks again Maggie & Dave,
Dave Duffy
Belleville, Ontario
We had just moved into the area and were looking for someone to restore our antique grandfather clock that we knew very little about. We contacted Dave Upton of Cobourg Clocks and he came to our home. We were impressed by his knowledge and professionalism and retained him to restore our clock. Our faith was justified as he did a marvelous job restoring our clock to its previous glory. He also provided us with the history and research of our clock and made us realize what a treasure we had.
David and Elaine Tsubouchi
Baltimore
Hi Dave, Thanks so much for your help with the restoration of my Grandparents old Dutch clock. The clock has ticked and chimed it’s way throughout my childhood /young adult years until, like all things, it eventually slowed, stopped and was packed away. It came back into my life recently and was very much in need of a rejuvenation. I’m so glad you were able to help me and I’m absolutely in love with the work you did to return it back to the cherished beauty it was in my memories. It is now happily ticking and chiming the passage of time in my home and is a constant reminder of the love of my grandparents from years ago. Thanks again. Regards Darlene Fallis.
