The most important thing(to me), to keep in mind is the software that is or is not included..it can come in a bundle, for a price very close to what you'd pay for a bare bones machine, and if you want it later, it is hundreds for each DVD.
My new machine is the Futura Quartet..(2 years old now!)I bought it on HSN because it had the best software bundle with it..but they have a great refund policy, so you have till after x-mas to try it out and if you don't like it you can send it back...I'd call and talk to a rep, though, and see how many days and who pays return shipping if you want to go that way..but it might be a great way to try it out.
Just as a caution...I have seen some software for sale on ebay, but when you ask the seller if they have a serial number, they say no..so they can't be registered with Singer and you won't have any phone help if you need it! As for the phone help..they are here, in TN., I believe, but are great people and will walk you through any problem you ever have.
The only time I ever had to call was once when I turned the machine on and it made a bad noise and the needle vibrated like crazy..it was me..I left the needle in the down position when I turned it off...evidentally it didn't like that!
http://www.hsn.com/search?query=futura
As for complaints...it's the usual stuff you hear when people get a new sewing machine, thread breaks, tension is wrong, needle breaks..stuff like that. It's not just a sewing machine, it has it's own way of doing things, but any new embroidery machine will..I know that I told you I have 2 Brothers that I sew on..the Singer sews beautifully, I just don't want to use it for simple sewing, I have quilted with it, though, when doing extra large quilts because it does have a larger throat area than my Brothers do.
The Quintet has more features than mine, but I have never used it..if you click on the Quintet and scroll down to reviews...the majority of bad reviews are for threading issues...people get error messages or birdsnests. It is very important with my machine that the presser foot is up and the needle is in highest position when you thread it..I suspect that is the issue most people have that are complaining.