I've also had mine for about 3 years, no problems at all. My sister has had hers for a year without any issues. I sew lots of bags from denim and heavy home dec fabric without a problem. Also use it for stitch in the ditch quilting. I will say that I had one spool of thread that would not work with it, it kept coming out of the uptake, but when I switched threads, the problem was gone.
Is there another dealer in your area you could try?