Very interesting.

I owned a Viking as one of my first machines long ago. I loved it and only sold it because I wanted an embroidery machine combo. I'm so glad that my recent purchase was a Bernina and not a new Viking or Pfaff, because although the dealer will support past purchases and warranties, they won't be offering classes for these machines or other goodies in the future.

I've never been to China but I was told that manufacturing plants are being built by the hundreds using more oil resources then any other country. Cheap high rise apts are being built as fast as they can be to house the cheap labor coming to work in the plants. One day it will have to collapse on itself.

The sad thing about many of the manufacturing plants (and not just in China) is that the conditions are not set to be kind to the human resources.

I have bought all my Vikings, including my Diamond, from JoAnns and been very happy. The staff in the Viking Galleries locally are excellent and provide mastery classes equal to any I have received at independent dealerships - far better, in fact, than the ones provided by my Pfaff/Baby Lock dealer.

Interesting. Our Joanne's has their Viking center smack dab in the middle of the store with people walking by and through the area constantly. I wouldn't consider it a good learning environment or a place where the students and salesman weren't constantly interrupted.

I was going to write that maybe the dealer wasn't living up to his end of the contract...I agree with you....
BTW, this merger took place a few years ago. This isn't a new merger, and these changes are to be expected in mergers.

:cry:

Or if the new contract reads something like...
"you will only sell Viking or Pfaff products..." Well, I can see how that would make a lot of dealers unable to meet their expectations. I've got to pick up my machine in the next week or two and I'll have to ask.

So how many years ago did this merger take place?? Does that mean if you bought a V or P within the last, say 2 or 3 years, that it was after the merger and was made in China??

YIKES!

My Joann store doesn't carry anything but a limited line of Singer. Interesting.

I have a friend that bought a Viking a couple years ago and paid over $8000 for it. Wonder if she'll be able to still get classes and service because she was fighting with Viking then because they were pulling them from her dealers. I'll have to ask her what's happened. She's in MN.

According to one of the gals at Meissner's, the holding company parted ways with 28 Pfaff dealers nationwide.

I also asked about the Viking section in Joanne and was told that Viking leases (or owns) the section in the Joanne store.

Viking has been "downsizing" many of the independent dealerships for years. The most vulnerable have been any wear there has been a JoAnn's where they can squeeze in a leased space for the Viking dealership. There have been major changes in the leadership at Viking, coupled with a move of their US headquarters. This is a company to keep an eye on for the next year or two. viking is moving toward a dealer exclusive arraingment, in other words sell only Viking.
Bernina has a rather high cost of startup for a dealer .. they require so many machines be at the dealer, acessories , all to the tune of about $30,000. Many dealerships can not stock the mimium required to maintain, so some are being "phased"out. In my area there was an over saturation of Bernina dealers.