Like the cobbler, the tinker, the butcher and baker, the sewing machine repair man is nearly as extinct as the watch maker!
Seriously folks, can you find a sewing machine repair man/person in your area..less than a 30 minute drive?
AND if you do find one, will they work on any and all machines?
NO, and NO in this area...
The only sewing machine repair person is the lady who owns the Bernina shop. She is "technically" only allowed to work on Bernina and Janome machines. However since she and her late husband have owned and worked in the sewing machine repair business for 50+ years she has loyal customers that she will not turn down. But she really does not know the singers and older off brands as well as she does, Pfaff, Bernina and Janome!
As with all of the DEALER shops, their repair staff is really only trained on that brand and most times the shop has a contract forbidding them from working on other machines.
Sew/vac shops are the best if you can find one...not anywhere around here that is for sure! Each machine manufacturer designs their machines so that to truly fix them you need to know their schematics and have their tools...Sears used to do this to their appliances!
There is a man 30 miles from here that will work on other brands, but now that he is contracted to a quilt shop that only sells Pfaff..good luck getting him to take on your machine!
My point is, when looking into buying a machine make sure you know where the repair man is....whether you are buying a brand new machine at a dealer or a nice vintage machine at a yard sale.
There was a question earlier about why people are buying up the older machines....my #1 reason is that they are easier to work on, and once they are working good...they really love to work...
If you have a newer fancy machine, it might not hurt to look into getting an older workhorse machine and learn how to maintain it so you always have a reliable back up.
It is almost like buying a car these days! No need to buy a volkswagon when the nearest repair man is 100 miles away!