Hi Chuck! We're sorry to hear about your experience with setting the clock, this is not the experience we aim for. We recommend to unplug and plug back the unit from the power outlet. Then please press the Start button twice and then the Stop/Reset button. Then you should be able to set the clock: press the Clock Set button once, introduce the time of day using the Number pads and then press Clock Set once more. Your feedback is important, comments like this help us in improving both our products and instructions. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.