Black Bear Clock Repair

I am so pleased I found Black Bear Clock Repair! Joanie is wonderful! I brought her a mantle clock that was my great grandfather’s. It hadn’t worked since was a kid. I wasn’t sure it was worth repairing. Joanie assured me it was. It’s a Junghans and she referred to it as a “beast”! She said she would need to keep it for several months to get it running properly. When she was finished I was amazed how great the clock runs. When it chimed, it brought back so many memories of hearing it as a child! Joanie’s service and professionalism was awesome and her repair estimate was exact.

Joanie repaired 2 clocks for us. A grandfather clock & an antique mantle clock. Her knowledge and professionalism were very comforting when leaving the clocks in her care. I would highly recommend her to anyone. I have contacted her with questions on setting and winding when in doubt. She always was prompt getting back to me with answers.

Workmanship and professionalism are unequaled. I’m impressed with Joanie’s professionalism and knowledge of thousands of clocks. She’s the very best

Absolutely wonderful! Joanie and Kenny are first class people that operate a first class business! I have brought at least three clocks to them and drive from Georgia to do it! I will not go any place else with my clocks. They are way to old and valuable to me, and Kenny and Joanie value my clocks as they value their craft. You will not find better people to take care of your clocks, or just good people to stop by and talk to at the flea market when it’s slow. Most of the time, they’re pretty busy though, but they take the time to talk with EVERY customer to bring them up to speed on their clocks. Great great people!

When my wife and I first met Mrs. Joanie, it didn't take long to figure out that she is very knowledgeable and has a deep passion for her work. She is honest and will address any questions that you may have. I had no concerns leaving my 100+ year old family heirloom with her for the repairs that were needed. We definitely recommend Black Bear Clock Repair for any repairs that you may need for your clocks.

Joanie has repaired three of my clocks, and one of them... a treasured family heirloom grandfather clock, is back with Joanie for routine maintenance. I WILL NEVER ENTRUST MY CLOCKS TO ANYONE BUT JOANIE. She is honest, friendly, professional, and KNOWLEDGEABLE...she takes pride in her work, and her work is top notch. Finding someone who truly knows clock repair is even harder than finding a good car mechanic. I'm so glad we found Joanie!

This review is a little late in coming but a recent repair brings me to this review. In June of 2019 Joanie was asked to look at my grandfather clock that had not run for well over 8 years. She and her assistant came to the house removed the works and the things needed for the overhaul. She was professional, efficient, very friendly, and knowledgeable. She noticed an anniversary clock and asked if it was ever cleaned. I said no and that the suspension spring was broke. With Joanie's magnetic smile she said " I can fix that!" Joanie set an expectation for repair time that she met. The grandfather clock needed some minor adjustments after a few months and Joanie returned as part of her warranty. The 100 year old clock is running to near perfection. Fast forward to 2021. The anniversary clock was due for its 3 year servicing as noted in her instructions she left with me. In bringing her the clock, I broke the suspension spring. Butter fingers me. Once again Joanie set an expectation for repair time. Due to a health setback the repair time was extended a little bit. I understood completely and was not in a hurry to have the clock returned. I now have the clock. She replaced the suspension spring and cleaned the clock. Although it was technically out of her warranty time frame. She did this at no cost to me. She is wonderful. Professional. And a joy to talk to at her shop in Kodak at the 407 Market. You have to go in and see her wonderful display of for sale clocks and say hi to her on Friday or Saturday only.

Owner was responsive to my needs and the repairs were finished very professionally.

After a little research, I found Black Bear Clock Repair at my local flea market, so I thought I would call and ask for advice. Although I was very skeptical about a vendor at a flea market, I decided to keep an open mind. What a wonderful stroke of luck! After a very nice conversation on the phone, I felt compelled to go see this very nice, personable and obviously kind person. So I brought the clock with me and went to the flea market. Joanie was a such a joy to talk to. You can tell right away that she is one of those rare, gifted people you meet only a few times in a lifetime. She was very detailed and transparent about about everything. She explained her extensive training and credentials, and how she was going to try and fix the clock without destroying it's value. Her estimate was $375, well below what I expected. I explained what the clock meant to the family, and that it hadn't run right in fifty years or at all in the last forty. It was also stored uncovered in a dusty garage for the last twenty . She said she felt she could help, and so I asked her to take her time, as I wanted her to enjoy it as a labor of love. I knew as a jack-of-all-trades full well what I was asking was next to impossible. I checked with her every 4-5 months or so until after 15 months it was finished. I got alot of heat from the family but knew it was worth trying. She explained everything she did to rebuild it, and how to properly set it up and run it. So I brought it home, set it up, and adjusted it as instructed. I could not believe it, this beautiful clock runs PERFECTLY once again!! The cuckoo, the music, all of it! I was completely overjoyed as I did not think this was going to be possible. I think the result is a testament to the true craftsman she really is. I cannot express how grateful my whole family is to Joanie and Kenny for their professionalism, their care and their obvious mastery of their craft. I know I could have never chosen better. Thank you so much!

Outstanding. Do not hesitate. Turn around time is slow, if clock needs to be taken in to their shop. But that's ok, as long as you understand these things require patience and observation. You will be very pleased.

I first met Joanie LaTorre (owner of Black Bear Clock Repair) about 7 years ago. I have a Jaeger LaCoultre Atmos clock that belonged to my father. The clock worked when I was a child but had stopped working back in the 1960s. I had tried for years to find a local professional to repair this clock but was unsuccessful. By luck I stumbled across Black Bear Clock Repair at a flea market in Knoxville. She had many beautiful clocks in her both as well as an Atmos clock similar to mine. After talking with her I decided to let her work on my Atmos clock. After 2 couple of months, I had my clock back is perfect working order. First time I had seen it run in at least 40 years. She has since serviced my grandfather clock and my cuckoo clock. I would not think of calling anyone else. She loves what she does and refuses to do less than an exceptional job.

After trying in vain for some months to find a competent (or any) clock repairer, I found Black Bear Clock Repair. Joanie took my clock, which needed quite a bit of work, explaining that she and her husband have repaired thousands of clocks, that she was accredited as a master clock repairer, and that she did all the clock work at Dollywood (where I work). Trusting her, I left my precious clock with her. I am extremely happy that I did so. She delivered the clock to me in wonderful working order. After I hung the clock, I discovered that the striker was not working, and that the clock would not chime. Upon being notified of this, Joanie and her husband, who also is very knowledgeable, rather than requiring me to bring the clock to them, came to my home, found the solution to the problem and solved it. Knowing that they had spent at least two hours in this endeavor, I offered to pay a supplemental fee. They declined, stating that when they deliver a clock to a customer, they guarantee that it is in fine working order. I have other clocks that I plan to bring for repair. Also, upon my recommendation, my sister has transported two of her antique clocks from Florida for Black Bear to repair. I highly recommend this company!

We were so fortunate to find Joanie on the net at Black Bear clock repair. My father's grandfather clock is very special to me an wasn't working at all. Now we have it back with a level of enjoyment I never thought would be possible again. Joanie gave us information on how to maintain the piece that I never had any idea about. Left written pages of instructions so we could properly maintain and enjoy our clock for many years to come. Way past exceeding my expectations, WOW! Thanks Joanie !!!

Wonderful service at a really great price

Excellent workmanship. Very knowledgeable about all aspects of my clock and gave very thorough and detailed instructions on proper care.

Very Pleased with the work. Found Joanie at her booth in Great Smokies Fla Market. She agreed to come to my house and check out the clock. We made an appointment for the following week. She came as promised right on time. She then told me what would be needed to repair the clock. We agreed to have it fixed. Joanie told us she would have the clock for several months after repairing it to be sure the moon cycle was running correctly. Which was fine with us as we were going away for 4 1/2 months. When we returned to TN we called Joanie and set up an appointment for her to bring our clock back to our house. She did arrive with it as promised and after setting it up. She spent about 20 minutes explaining to us how to run and adjust the clock and how to care for it. About 6 months after getting the clock back I thought there was a problem with it. I stopped by her booth at the flea market and told her about it. She agreed to come to my house again to check it out at no charge to me. I set up and appointment for the following week. However before the appointment time arrived. I realized that it was something I was doing when winding the clock and not a problem with the clock. So I called her and cancelled the appointment. As you can see from my ratings above I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to have a clock repaired. We were so pleased with her and her work. We now have her working on a second clock for us.

Excellent. Joanie serviced my first clock approximately 4 years ago. Since then she has worked on all of the others. She has also serviced clocks for my father, son and sister. We have been completely satisfied. Clocks are finicky things on the rare occasion one would come back and have an issue later she has always responded quickly and made things right. The price for each clock has varied depending on what needed to be done. The price was always fair and Joanie always gives a detailed quote before she does the work. I have been fortunate to find someone who has a love for clocks and is able to get the clocks from my father back in condition.

Excellent. Clocks were repaired in a timely manner and customer service was great. The clocks are working great.

I had to replace the entire works 3 years later. Will not use this use this company again.

I am an avid clock collector and enthusiast. I found out about Joanie, the Clock Lady, from a Vender at the Highlands Festival in Abington Virginia. My dad had left me a Jaeger LeCoultre Atmos clock which doesn't get wound or plugged in but is the closest thing to perpetual and is very hard to find anyone to work on. I drove quite a distance to have Joanie work on that clock for me and I see now why a man in Virginia recommended someone who was so far away, he said she was worth it. Joanie has now repaired about a dozen or more of my clocks. She gives free estimates and sticks to them no matter how much extra work she finds the clock may need. I don't bother her timeframe wise when she has them for I know she calls when it's done. She stands behind her guarantee for sure. She has several of my clocks right now - so I highly recommend her. If you want your clock fixed right - contact Joanie LaTorre. She is a pleasure to work with and very knowledgable. I have read several other reviews by other people. We all have opinions. Joanie seems to be a very busy lady with loads of work, this to me just tells me her work is well known and good. She has always been very professional. She always tried to return my calls but was very clear at the start that she did not do status calls and she would call when my clock(s) was/were done. I did not bother her. I had past clock repair take a lot longer than her by other repair people. There are not a lot of good clock people out there so if you expect your clock done in a month - this would be strange. I think people get a little too carried away on the communication thing. I felt confident she would take care of my clock and not let anything happen to it while she had it. I didn't expect her to contact me until it was done whatever time frame that was. Having had so many clocks done by her now, I know how it works. She calls with a free estimate, I say yes or no and she calls when it's ready. If I have a problem, she takes care of it. The perfect kind of service person. Thank you Joanie.

This clock was my grandfather's, and it was given to me when I was still a child (i.e. I had no clue how to treat such a clock). When I took this clock to Joanie, the glass was missing and the works were too out of balance to run. Joanie replaced bushings and whatever else was necessary to restore functionality. She replaced the glass on the door and oiled the wood. Today, Joanie brought my clock home to me, and set it up on our mantel, making sure it was leveled properly. She then informed me of proper clock care. I learned just how many things I did wrong in the past - moving it unnecessarily, removing the weight, moving the hands to far or in the wrong direction. This clock holds warm memories of time spent with Grandpa, and it now works as well as when we sat, listening to the radio together. My clock looks just as it should; a 100 year old mantel clock with the evidence of its history on its face and wood. No one will mistake this for a modern imitation.

She called and said the clock would need to be dismantled and would cost an additional $300.00. She kept the clock for approximately four months. When she brought the clock back, she set it up and left. We notice fairly quickly that it was not keeping time correctly. It was running very slow. We have attempted to fix according to her direction, however we cannot get the screw to move and the clock continues to run slow. However, the biggest problem was that the pendulum continues to stop when the weights get halfway down. When I called and asked her about it, she said it was a common problem with these clocks and the only way to fix it was to get entirely new insides. Why didn't she tell me that when I originally called with that problem? I paid over $600.00 and actually the clock ran better before Black Bear got involved. I asked her to get me a price on new insides and never received a call back. I would not recommend this company to anyone.

I have two very old antique clocks, one of which I could never get to run since I bought it in Edinburgh. My favorite is a very old cabinet clock that I bought in Berlin. I took both clocks in the first of 2013, the cabinet clock had to be taken out of the cabinet. After some time I was starting to get concerned because I had not heard from them, so I went in and talked to Joannie. She explained that they had been very busy and that my cabinet clock should be ready within a month. When I took the inners of the cabinet clock home and installed it, I still could not get it to work and took it back in. Unfortunately I think I broke it while trying to install it. I then got the other mantel clock and it was running beautifully. I know it took a significant amount of work to fix it; however, Joannie stayed with her original cost estimate. When the cabinet clock was fixed again, Joannie and her husband brought it out and installed it into the cabinet, adjusted it, spent a good hour making sure everything worked. Once again, I think the amount of work that they put into this clock was over and above their original estimate. I offered to pay for their trip to my house and they refused. The two clocks that I took to Joannie were very old and in ill repair, they fixed them and they are both running well. I might say my only complaint was the lenght of time it took to fix the clocks; however, in hindsight with all the work they did the wait was worth the outcome.

I bought a $4,000 grand father clocks from them over a period of about two years. I intended to go drive down to Florida and pick it up in person, but I never got around to it, so after about 2 1/2 years have passed I decided that I need to do something, so I am going to get it shifted. I called to my great surprise they were no longer in business, so I tracked them down and I found them with a help of this sheriff where they use to live in Florida. They found them for me doing business with a different name which is on Angie's List here in Tennessee. I called the people and they didn't return my call until I left a message saying to the lady, "You know, I don't want to, but I may have to contact the authorities if I don't get any response," she called me back and told me that they had sold the company and that I needed to speak to the new owner. I said, "what is that has to do with me? I already paid for it, it belongs to me." and she said, "Well, all of that was tied to the business." so in other words, but she couldn't give me personal information about the person she supposedly sells it to, and the tax people down in Florida did not tell me that there was any record of the sale of the company. The company no longer exist. Here is thins Angie's List person what a nice Christian couple they are and how they love to help customers and stuff. Basically, they stole $4,000 from me. I have not yet posted anything of that sort on Angie's List, but I am considering it.

I had a battery clock that needed repair. I took it to the clock shop at Farragut. Joanie looked at it and told me the cost and that she could fix it for me. I waited while she fixed it. I had a positive experience at the shop. Thank you for fixing my clock so fast. I would recommend this shop to any one who needs a clock fixed.