The real truth is that the machines sold in these markets and at Walmart, Joanns, Hancocks etc are made with cheaper parts. That is why they sell these machines because they don't cost a lot and don't have the same types of warranty and service obligations that come on machines sold by dealers. Your dealer obviously has no tact and that is his/her problem not yours.
In the store where I sometimes teach, anyone with any machine can come take a class. We give classes for all levels of machines. No one with a machine purchased somewhere else is kept from coming or pays extra for a class. They do charge extra for servicing machines not purchased there; but that is a common practice. That doesn't mean that we wouldn't encourage persons to purchase their next machine there because we are certain that in most cases we know that those machines purchased through theseother outlets because of the us of cheaper parts will need more servicing and even replacement quicker. In the long run buying through a dealership just gives you more support functions and you come ahead in the long run. It shouldn't come off as snobbery in any case. Just for additional information our classes are usually $20 to $30 because we want our customers to learn as many different uses for their machines. However, if you do have one of the fancy embroidery machines we do have some classes that are more expensive.