Expert: William J Perkins - 2/4/2008

Question
Hello William,
I was hoping I could get some help with a problem that my wife and I are having with our recently purchased cuckoo clock. We purchased it a few months ago from Black Forest gifts. Everything on the clock works great except for the cuckoo. From the hours 1-7 it cuckoos the correct number of hours. But at 8 o'clock it cuckoos 9 times. at 9 o'clock it cuckoos 10 times. At 10, 11, and 12 o'clock it cuckoos 14 times! Then at 1 o'clock it resets and cuckoos the correct number until 8 o'clock. When it cuckoos too many times, it sounds like it is cuckooing faster than when it is correct.
The question I had was if you knew what could be causing this? I'm not sure if there is a problem with the striking mechanism or what could be causing it. We have sent it in for service and they supposedly repaired it and sent it back. Of course, they didn't fix it and is still doing the same thing. I have searched around the internet with no luck and when I called the Black Forest Gifts repair line, they couldn't offer any more help other than sending it back again. It is still under warranty, but we have to pay for shipping every time we send it back. The clock is basically brand new and we are getting pretty frustrated with it. Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated. BTW here is a link to the clock we purchased: http://www.blackforestgifts.com/detail.aspx?ID=7983
Thanks so much,
Kevin

Answer
Obviously there is something wrong with the clock, sounds like defective parts.  I suggest you demand the clock be replaced.  If the seller refuses demand your money back.  If the seller refuses to co-operate contact your State's Attorney Geneneral, Consumer Fraud Division and file a legal complaint.  Generally that is a no cost service.  I do hope this can be worked out to your satisfaction