When I bought my machine, even though I bought it off Craig's List and not at the dealer, they cleaned and oiled it. It had been sitting for 3 years, and in this desert dry air, the oil was pretty tacky. Otherwise the machine was spotless. I was also offered a 4 year extended warranty that would be just the same as if I'd bought the machine at their shop. It covered all parts and labor, all routine cleaning and oiling --- you can't get into these newer Janome's the way you used to do in order to clean/oil them -- and a routine clean/oil is $119, not including parts. If something goes wrong, they fix it, no questions asked. I also get free lessons for the next 4 years, including one-on-one lessons. Total cost, including the cleaning done that day was $350.00. Oh, Yes, and I also get 10% off anything I buy in the store, even sale items. I figured I could beat this deal. All I have to do is get it clean twice more, and it's paid for itself, never mind the lessons and discouts! And they're great! I've already had 3 one-on-one lessons, taking me through every stitch and alteration of the stitch in the sewing part of the machine. (it also does embroidery, but I need to get the sewing down first!) I ran into trouble with the tension, and took it back. They actually showed me how to adjust the bobbin tension, which is apparently a "no-no", but it sure did solve my problem. We worked on it for over an hour, until the tension was just perfect, and then she showed me how to adjust the tension and pressure for thicker fabrics and quilting so I wouldn't have to come back for that. Twice I adjusted to quilting tension and pressure, did some work, adjust back to sewing tension and pressure, did some work, adjust back to quilting and did some work, and ended up adjusting back to sewing tension and pressure because that was what I was doing. I was SO comfortable with the process when I left that I'm sure I can recognize and adjust my own tension in the future.
And it's all free! I was at another quilt shop, and they wanted anywhere from $60 to $130 for a single class, plus buy the book or pattern, plus bring your own supplies, materials, and machine. Do you have any idea what it's like to lug around a Janome MC 9700? They are not light machines, and I just broke a little toe on my right foot, so I'm limping and I just can't manage all that stuff. I want a hard sided carry-on built just for sewing machines -- found one on Amazon -- but it's just not in this month's budget. I think my toe needs to heal anyway. I broke it, so now it's taped to the next toe, and I'm wearing sandals a lot. LOL!
So I love my great deal, and when I go up there for lessons, they come right out and take the sewing machine right out of the car for me and set it up (because of my broken toe), and they're super nice. It's not as fancy as the other quilt shop, but far more intimate, and I'm actually making friends with the people who attend the classes. I think this is going to be a win-win for me.
Enough! Time to get off the Board. Cheers!