Sewing Machine Dealer Problem---UGH
 

I took my machine to an authorized dealer for the brand that I own. He has had the machine almost one month now. When I called him---he told me he was waiting for a gauge from the from the main company. I asked him about maybe needing to send it back to the factory. He said that may happen. He has hours and hours into this now and cannot fix it so far. He asked me if I had the original box and I said no, I would just take it to a pack mail place to have it shipped. He said he could ship it from there.

I am betting there will be a bill from him and I feel I owe him nothing. He has failed to fix the machine. I would like your thoughts on this and any experience you may have already had. I am thinking maybe I need to get my husband to go with me and just get the machine back. I would go to small claims court if he tried to hold onto to it because he feels he is owed money.

Is it under a warranty? He may charge you for a cleaning and consult.

No it is not. He did not clean it as I had it cleaned my a very local man about a week before the problem. He tried to blame it on that---but it sewed just fine for several days before. This place is over an hour away. He has a reputation for being difficult but other than sending it to the factory--he is the only dealer unless I want to drive 3 hours.

Perhaps the company has a policy of things like this. I am really trying to give him the benefit of the doubt and have been more than patient.

This happened to me too and I wasn't charged anything.

I think I would bite the bullet and drive the 3 hours...don't think this guy really knows how to fix it. Hope it ends well...

Call the company and voice your concern. I don't know what brand machine you have, but, for example, if it's a Brother, call the Brother corporation and talk to a customer service person and tell him the problem you are having with the dealer. Tell them the dealer is going to send it to the factory but you would like someone to follow up on it for you. If the dealer is difficult, the only way you can get satisfaction is for the company to intercede on your behalf. His license with them is at stake, you would be surprised how quickly problems get solved when you are put in the position of "going upstairs". Don't wait for a bill, get assistance now.

I agree with lalaland!!!

Waiting for a part is not working on it. When my machine was in the shop I called every day to check what was happening. I didn't care I was annoying. I was paying for a job to be done. It will be better to call the district sales dealer not the head company for faster results. If this dealer does not do what is right by you then word of mouth is all it takes to be sure everyone knows. This is why I like being a guild member. We stick together when it comes to customer complaints about our machines.

Aren't you jumping the gun? So far the repair man hasn't given you a bill, and he hasn't failed to fix the machine since he's waiting for the arrival of a part. I don't think a month is unusual since shops often have a backlog and don't put the newer machines on the bench until they're finished with the ones already there. So, although you've been without the machine for a month, he probably hasn't been working on it that long. He probably wants to ship the machine himself if that becomes necessary because he can be sure it's properly packed. Mailing places do not necessarily know how to pack sewing machines.

Did you receive any paperwork when you dropped off the machine? I would expect that it would include an estimated repair bill, or that the shop would call you with an estimate after determining what's wrong with the machine.

Thanks for the input. The only paperwork I received was a tiny receipt. The thing he is waiting for is not a part but a gauge that is used to work on machines. I have talked to him 4 times and he went ON and ON about how long he has worked on this machine.

I do not like people that badmouth others and he did this repeatedly about the man who cleaned my machine. He also did this about another dealer. My DH was there and thought it VERY unprofessional.

I love this brand of machine and have refrained from mentioning it. When it is repaired I know of a fabulous dealer in PA who will get my repair work from now on. I will gladly pay the shipping charges to get good customer service.