You're right -- it's not good. And I've got to box the thing up and return it. But, I've got to say that I've been buying on E-Bay for 10-11 years, and have purchased a number of sewing machines (and scads of other stuff). This is the first time I've had anything arrive in bad condition. So I'll just cut my losses and move on. It was a cute little machine and I'm disappointed that she won't be part of my collection.