The individual dealer sure can make or break a deal. A large reason I went with HQ is the local dealer. They sell mostly embroidery machines, and offer custom embroidery services. They have some of the neatest industrial machines, so fun to watch. But they never hesitate to switch gears when an HQ customer walks in.
Since my husband fixes my vintage machines, we get a good feel for a dealer when he starts talking machines with them. A few have been very dismissive, and then we take our non-vintage business elsewhere. I can't stand someone that only wants to tell me what is wrong with what I have instead of what is right about what they have!