Originally Posted by
MaryLane
If this was mentioned, I missed it and I apologize. One needs to remember that when purchasing a TOL machine like a Babylock or Bernina you are also paying for the service and support of the shop you buy it from. You are not buying those from walmart or on line.
I want those stores to stay in business and I would rather pay a little more to them to help with that than supporting the huge conglomerates that drive every "little guy" out of business. So, I have a nice mix of vintage Singers, Babylock and Janome but I am sure that the others are all fine machines.
I agree. I've had my machine over 2 years and I get free lessons for as long as I like. There is a lot to my machine and my dealer is 1 1/2 hours away, so I love that I can continue to go to him for lessons for as long as I like. Plus, whenever I have a problem, I take it in and he fixes it for free. Usually it's thread wrapped around the bobbin case and that is something I cannot fix. Usually it's owner error and he's happy to help for free. I know my other machine, I take it to that dealer and they charge me $79 just for starts, no matter what is wrong with it. I like my more expensive machine and all the free help and classes. I know a lot of people don't like people who own nicer machines, but isn't it a choice we get to make?