FAQ

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal. Cheque or Money Order are accepted by request. We can also ship COD in CANADA ONLY ($7.25 COD Fee imposed by Canada Post, applies on top of regular shipping).

What are the applicable taxes?

Ontario, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland & Labrador customers pay HST 13%, Nova Scotia pays HST 15%, and Prince Edward Island pays HST 14%. Every other province in Canada is charged GST only, at 5%.

What taxes will I be charged if I am a customer outside of Canada?

No taxes will be applied to US and International orders on our end as we do not have the ability to collect or remit US or International taxes to their respective governments. If customs pulls your package at the border for inspection and levies tax, you will be asked to pay this at the time of delivery. This is beyond our control and completely at the discretion of Customs in your country.

What about Customs/Duties/Brokerage Fees?

As stated in detail on the Shipping and Returns page, Arek’s Murray Clocks will pay all the customs/brokerage fees for your order. The only thing we cannot pay on your behalf is your tax (please see comment above). Regarding Duties, Clock Parts are duty exempt, so your order will not incur these charges.

How long can I expect my package(s) to sit in customs?

We have no way of knowing which parcel will be detained, and for how long. Usually in our experience, packages pass through Customs with no issue, however at any time Customs may decide to randomly pull certain packages for inspection and how long that package will be detained is completely up to their discretion.

Is there a Minimum Order Amount Requirement?

No, there is no minimum order amount to purchase from our website. Any and all orders are welcome!

Why don’t you offer free shipping like so many other sites?

We really wish we could offer free shipping, but due to our products having the unique combination of being large, heavy, and fragile in many cases, we have to ship accordingly, and cutting corners is not an option. Also, to be very honest, clock parts have become extremely expensive to purchase with manufacturers raising prices every few months. That, and the current U.S/CDN dollar conversion makes it very hard for us in Canada to catch a break, especially when the majority of our inventory is coming from the US via Germany. All these factors leave us very little at the end, and to have to absorb shipping costs as well would really have a negative impact on our ability to keep operating.

One other factor is our unwillingness to turn to subpar sources for products in an effort to save money, or make a higher profit. We pride ourselves on the excellent quality products we have provided our customers all these years and we are not willing to compromise that at any time. With all these considerations, it is not possible for us to offer free shipping on clock parts at this time. We also don't think it's fair to build the shipping into our pricing so we have decided it's better to charge shipping based on each individual order, rather than have everyone pay more for "free" shipping through product pricing. We hope you appreciate and support our reasoning on this.

For some good news, in the last year or so we have negotiated some excellent shipping rates through several companies for Canada, US, and International shipments that have allowed us to bring down our rates significantly. We no longer have to charge the $10.00 minimum shipping charge like before because there are so many small things we can ship for much less than before. While this has been very helpful, there are still areas that are more expensive to ship to than others, but we always have our feelers out for even better rates!

Why do you offer free shipping on Finished Clocks then?

We are able to offer free shipping on our finished clocks for the simple (and honest) reason that there is more room for profit in the finished clocks than in clock parts. The manufacturer allows us to buy the clocks at such a reasonable price, that we can afford to ship it to you for free, and still sell for a great deal under the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). It also helps that we don't have to order up front and store these clocks on our premises, which would be a great expense considering the size of each clock. For this reason, we are happy to be able to offer you free shipping on Finished Clocks.

Where do Finished Clocks Ship From and are the models you have on your site always in stock?

All Hermle Finished Clocks ship directly from Hermle in Virginia, USA to you. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, it would cost us a lot of money and warehouse space to be able to stock all those varieties of clocks on our premises making it necessary to price them higher, and secondly (but more importantly), we would prefer the clock to move around as little as possible before reaching its final destination. Although the clocks are packed extremely well by Hermle, we would rather not take the chance of damage by eliminating the extra travel.

As for stock, Hermle provides us with updated stock lists on a regular basis so we can make the necessary adjustments as inventories fluctuate. If an item has low stock, we will advise that and when more can be expected, on the product page. Anything that becomes discontinued will be removed to avoid disappointment upon ordering.

Why are some of the prices on my price list different than on the website, and which price is correct?

For those customers who have received our Catalogue with price list insert, please be advised that prices are subject to change periodically and while we can't keep on top of sending updated price lists every time a couple of prices change, we can make sure that our up to date prices are always reflected on our website. Therefore (and as stated on your price list), if there is ever a discrepancy between your price list and the website, the website price will always be the price that is honoured. Further to that, all prices are subject to change without notice however, written estimates will be guaranteed for a period of 30 days.

How often will there be price increases?

Believe us, not often! Although manufacturers are hiking prices every few months, and the effect of an unfavourable US dollar makes purchasing for us as Canadians from our US or European suppliers very unsavoury, we have tried as much as possible to ride the waves and resist increasing our prices when most of our competitors have done so long ago. We will in the near future have to make some adjustments as our prices on major products have been the same for many, many years now. In fact, for those that have our catalogue from a decade ago with the prices printed in the catalogue, if you compare to our prices now, you will see some things have been the same price forever, and a few have even gone down! We will only raise prices if we absolutely have to. At the end of the day, if we don't make ANY money, we won't be here to serve you.

Who pays the shipping on Returns or Exchanges?

This topic is discussed extensively on our Shipping and Returns Page accessed on the top black navigation bar of our website. Generally, we will pay your return shipping on any items that arrive damaged, or that are discovered to be defective within 30 days of purchase. We will also cover your shipping for items we may have recommended, that do not work with existing clock parts you have. Unfortunately, we cannot cover return shipping for any items where the reason for return is beyond our control, such as customer damage or misuse. For more details, please see the Shipping and Returns Category.

What if I just didn’t like the item I ordered?

We try to maintain a very high standard in the products we carry, and are confident you will be happy with your purchase, but on the off chance where you receive your order, and are not happy with the looks or quality, please let us know within the 30 day period, and we will be happy to give you a full refund, or exchange for something else. In this case, the return shipping will have to be paid by the customer.

 

WARRANTIES

Warranty: Parts and Components

For Mechanical Movements, we have a 2 year unconditional* warranty on parts and labour. However, if you have a problem, please call us first. Most issues can be resolved with some advice over the phone. If the item has to be returned, we will advise you on shipping instructions. 

Battery Movements have their own individual warranties (minimum 1 year, and up to 10 years), depending on the manufacturer. If the need arises, we will advise at that time how to proceed. If the item is still within 30 days of purchase, we will likely ask you to send it back for a replacement, unless there is an easy fix we can recommend to you over the phone. If the item is past 30 days, it will have to be serviced under the manufacturer’s warranty plan. We will give you full instructions at that time, on how to proceed with warranty service.

*Please Note: All warranties will be void if the reason for malfunction is due to neglect or misuse, such as dropping the movement, over winding, or any customer attempted repair.

Warranty: Finished Clocks by Hermle

FULL 3-YEAR WARRANTY:

Hermle provides a manufacturer's warranty for movements and accompanying components for a period of 3 years from the date of purchase or 5 years from the date of manufacture, whichever date occurs first. All wood components and glass are covered by a limited 1 year warranty from the date of sale. 

Warranty: Clock Repairs

While we do not offer in house clock repair services, we do have a Master Horologist that we have been working with for over 30 years whom we can recommend, and we would be happy to facilitate that connection for you. If you prefer to deal directly with the horologist yourself, we will gladly provide you the contact information to do so.

PLEASE NOTE: The Horologist is NOT an employee of Arek's Murray Clocks and as such we cannot be held responsible for any repair work that is done as we are providing you with a courtesy recommendation only and we do not take any commission or cut of the repair price.

Repair estimates can be obtained for a clock you purchased from us that is no longer under warranty, or any clock not purchased from us that needs to be repaired. If you would like us to handle the repair for you, please call us to arrange, and after receiving the proper instructions you may ship or drop off the movement to us and we will take it to the Horologist for you. He will diagnose the movement and provide a free estimate that you are not obligated to accept.

If you do not go ahead with the repair, there will be no cost to you at all except any return shipping, if applicable. You may also decide a replacement movement is more economical than repairing in which case we can order the replacement for you if it is still available.

If you decide to have the clock repaired, you will pay the estimated price plus any applicable tax or shipping, and upon completion, the clock will have a ONE YEAR Warranty for the repair service unless otherwise stated at the time the estimate is given.

A couple of things to note regarding the repair service:

Although we do not take any portion of the repair costs for ourselves, if you sent or dropped off the clock to us, we will bill you for whatever the repair estimate was from the Horologist. You will be provided with a list of what was serviced on the invoice. If you dealt with him yourself, then he will bill you directly. Either way, the amount will be the same. The only time there may be a handling charge on our part is if you are sending the clock in and we have to repack and take care of arranging shipping back to you. In this case, you will be notified before any work is done and will be charged separate of the repair estimate on the invoice.

Once the repair has been done, if there are still any issues with the clock and you are not satisfied with the repair, or it stops working properly within the one year period after the repair, please telephone us so that we can either help you solve the problem, or get the movement back to the horologist for warranty service (please contact the horologist yourself if you were dealing directly with him originally).

Please do not attempt to service the clock yourself, or have anyone else do it as this will void the warranty. If you do not want to send it back, it is your choice to give the job to someone else, but our horologist will not be responsible for providing any kind of refund or compensation for the other person's work as long as it is still within the warranty period. Once the warranty is over, you are of course free to contact whomever you want in the unlikely event a need for repair arises again.

 

Back Orders 

Now and again, some things will go out of stock. We will advise you immediately if an item is back ordered, and indicate approximately when the item will be in stock, or what may be substituted. If you are also ordering other items, we can put the backordered item on the same invoice, and the cost of the item can either be prepaid, and sent when it arrives, or we can just charge you when the item is sent. It is your choice. In some cases, we may have our supplier drop ship the backordered item straight to you, and this will be indicated on your invoice.

Special Orders

For Special Orders, we require a deposit of at least half the price of the item upon ordering, and the remainder to be paid once the item is ready to be shipped. Because the item is being ordered especially for you, special orders are final sale, and cannot be returned unless there is a defect, or shipping damage.

What Happens If My Order Arrives Damaged?

We do our utmost to make sure our boxes are packed extremely well, and labeled for Fragile or Heavy items, to ensure safe travels to your door. However, once the package leaves our hands, we cannot control how the postal system, or couriers carrying the parcels will treat them. In the unlikely event a damage occurs, we ask that you please let us know right away so we can give you further instructions.

Some handy tips to remember in such a case are as follows:

1.) Let the delivery person note that your box appears damaged on the outside. They may not have time to wait for you to open and check the contents, but at least if there is a problem once you open it, there will have been a mention of the possibility before hand.

2.) Call us and inform us right away, and we will give you further instructions.

3.) Take pictures of the damaged goods, and packaging and email them to us. We will need to forward these pictures to the claims department so they can reimburse us for the damage.

4.) KEEP ALL ORIGINAL PACKAGING AS WELL AS DAMAGED ITEMS ON HAND UNTIL WE NOTIFY YOU THAT IT IS OK TO DISCARD. This is very important. We will go ahead and replace your damaged item for you regardless of whether the shipping company reimburses us or not, but since we will have to file a claim for the damage on our end, the post/courier in question may require physical proof of the damage, including the condition of the packaging as it arrived to you. Sometimes pictures are not enough if the dollar value of the damage is higher, and they may choose to send someone out to inspect the damage so they can decide if they will reimburse us for the item.

For any other questions, please call us: 1-855-572-5040 or email us: info@areksmurrayclock.com at any time. Happy Shopping!