I bought mine 2 years ago from Wal-Mart on line. I had previously never bought anything on line and bought from Wal-Mart versus Amazon, because I could return it to a Wal-Mart store, if needed. Since then however I have dealt with Amazon and have no problems with them either. They provide you even with the labels, if you have to return something. My PE770 works very well and so far no problems. I think it is a great machine for the money. I agree that the screen in black and white is hard to see, but I bring it up on the computer with Wilcom (free)or something similar and can see it there. We do have a dealer about an hour or so away and I could have taken some lessons there. (for a fee, of course), but I have not needed them. If you are comforable with your regular machine, you'll be fine. For me the trick still is to find the right stabilizer and the weight of it. Love to play with the machine though. Have fun and good luck with whatever you decide on!