John is a loquacious and kind man. He loves cars and model cars. He is very knowledgeable and helpful.

I had a completely different experience to the other reviewers. In other words, I thought John (the elder) was great! I took in a rather inexpensive Smith & Noble wall clock that I really like, and for which I could not find a new replacement. The cheap mechanism was failing. He said it would take at least a week, but he called me three times the next day to make sure he understood the problem and then called me the following day to say he had replaced the original "ticking" second hand mechanism with a much better "sweep" second hand. Rather than a week, it only cost $45 and 48 hours. I'm a fan! Thanks John! (and Lilly the Golden Retriever) read more

Would NOT recommend. I have had a clock for well over 30 years and it stopped working reliably. We found this company. It took over seven months to get the clock returned, and during that time they kept saying they were "very busy." After we finally got it back 2 1/2 months later, it suddenly stopped working. We had to bring it to another shop and three days later it was returned in perfect working order. When my husband called to discuss, they were extremely rude to him and hung up on him twice. read more

[UPDATE: Upon reflection I've decided to go with my original instinct regarding a star rating for this vendor. I'm therefore downgrading their rating -- they deserve only one star; I give them two for their 'efforts'. All of the problems cited in the original review remain. I do not recommend them under any circumstances.] I thought long and hard about an appropriate star rating for this vendor. On the one hand, they tried very hard to respond to a difficult and puzzling problem. On the other, they ultimately didn't (or couldn't) perform to expectation. My first instinct was to award two stars, but I've grudgingly posted three because good-faith effort should count for something. My antique (ca 1885) case clock needed repair -- it wasn't keeping time properly, and the hourly chiming feature was also not working. Baystate prescribed a complete $1750 refurbishment, including new bearings where required and several hand-made replacement parts. After this was done, the clock was keeping perfect time but the chiming mechanism continued to experience issues: it would chime properly for several hours in a row, then cease chiming for, say, half a day, then spontaneously start chiming properly for several hours, etc. Over the course of several subsequent months, Baystate came to my house at least three times, removed the clock to their shop, and attempted to fix the issue. In each case they kept the clock for observation for a week or more, then returned it, swearing that they'd fixed the issue, only to have the problem resurface almost immediately. At one point, they said 'Well, the clock is old.' Indeed. That's why I brought it to them in the first place. I thought that 'refurbishment' included, among other things, 'making the chimes work properly.' In any case, lesson learned. I'm not satisfied but I can't deal with any additional aggravation: over the course of this saga, it has felt like the clock has been in their shop for as many weeks as it's been in my home. So I'm resigned -- this is going to be as good as it gets. At least the clock now keeps proper time. read more

I recently purchased an old Grandfather Tempus Fugit clock for $100 dollars at a church sale. When the clock was delivered to our house, the chains and weights were removed by the movers. Tried as i did, I could not put them on. I called Bay State Clock repair in Brookline, Mass and spoke to John and his son Avi. They were both very nice and polite to me. They sent a co-worker who came out to our home and he worked carefully and meticulously on the clock. He only charged me $250.00 and the clock works perfectly every time. My wife and I are so pleased with the courtesy and excellent workmanship. I would recommend them to anybody. They are the best. read more

I can't believe this family didn't get all 5 stars. The customer service. Personal touches. Ambiance of the shop. It's everything and more than I knew I wanted from a clock shop. I had a handmade ceramic clock from 1970s and a very large custom made unique clock repaired for half the amount that a competitor in Brookline was going to charge. Very highly recommended. read more

My clock is STILL there...every time I call...they are still working on it. I just called. I said I was just going to come and pick it up whether it works or not. I was told I could not. It was in pieces. I would bet anything...that if I drive over there...it is sitting on the shelf. I liked these guys..but honestly would not bring another clock there. I just want the clock back fixed or not. He has two weeks. If it is not done I am taking it back. Very very disappointed. read more

I have taken my clock here for several years for minor repairs and cleanings. I was told by Bob Jr. that since it's a Hamilton it is easy to get parts. When the Westminster chime stopped working he said the entire works needed to be replaced and charged me $575. I called to follow up after several months and he let it slip that he did not replace the parts, just cleaned the old parts. When I objected he was very rude to me. He later called back to apologize and gave me a 2 year warranty on his work which expired 6/6/18. The Westminster chime stopped working about 6 months ago, and today the St. Michel chime stopped working. I decided rather than put my clock, which was my Mom's and is precious to me, back in his hands I will live with a quiet clock. I'm sure his dad built the business on doing good work. The son doesn't seem to have the same concern. read more

They quoted six months and $250.00. We finally got it back after 18 months and a lot of nagging. They charged us $350.00 which we paid just to get the clock back. It ran for six weeks and died completely! We just gave up on it, and them! read more

I have taken the same mantel clock there twice... The first time the owner said it was not worth fixing the mechanism, but he did me a favor and put another clock inside the same old, curved wooden casing. He had my clock for over a year! But he only charged me $200 since it took so long. Recently I took the clock in for a cleaning and oiling, and the son took the whole thing apart, cleaned all of the pieces until they shined, and put it all back together again. It's running well. This time it cost around $250, and they only had it a couple of weeks. They do good work, seem invested in providing a good product, and try to keep the price reasonable. read more

I have mixed feelings about Bay State Clock. The owners are friendly and do good work, but they focus on really "old" clocks in terms of careful repair and refurbishment. If you bring them a clock that was made in the 1890's or 1920's and ask to have the works cleaned, they'll tell you that it "isn't worth it" and offer to replace the old works with new works. This basically lessens (often drastically) the value of the clock. Old and vintage mechanical clocks will BE "really old clocks" some day. To remove and replace their works is wrong. I once brought Bay State a grandfather clock from circa 1920, and they likewise removed the original works (by a well known maker) and replaced them, because cleaning them was a bother. This clock (worth at least $1,000 with the original works) is now worth $200 - $300. By all means, go to Bay State Clock, but remember that their focus - in terms of thorough attention - is on old and valuable clocks. They'll disassemble and clean works from an 18th century clock (or clocks owned by Harvard University, which they do or did service), but may offer to "alter" your grandmother's Ingram mantle clock, in order to get it in and out of their shop quickly. read more