mcfay

Has anyone bought from Sewing Machines Plus out of Calif.? It seem they have better prices than anyone else. I'm looking for a longarm machine and have had my eye on the Juki 18" one.

Any thought on it also.

SHELTIE'SMAMA

Purchased accessories (feet etc.) for a new to me older Viking iris. Was a while ago but everything fit/worked and were delivered in a timely manner.

feline fanatic

Do not underestimate the value of a local dealer for support, training and maintenance. A LA is a huge investment and it may just be worth a few hundred dollars more to get the support of a local dealer and a professional installation. I am sure they are great if nothing goes wrong, but what will you do if something does? You very well could be left out to dry and have to deal with the manufacturer on your own.

A LA is very different from a DSM and I can't imagine spending that much on a set up with at least a bit of training to make sure I am threading it correctly that the timing didn't get knocked out of whack in shipping, make sure you have the bobbin seated correctly, show you how to troubleshoot and adjust tension, etc. JMHO. I would never have considered getting my Innova without the support of a local dealer.

dunster

I agree with feline that a dealer that can help with training and support is a necessity with a longarm, however I don't think that dealer has to be "local" (depends on the definition of local, I guess). I also have an Innova, but when I bought it the closest dealer was hours away, in another state. Later on a closer dealer signed up, but the only time I needed him for support was to buy something that I could have purchased online if I had been willing to wait for delivery. My husband and I did the setup, after the dealer had done partial assembly at her site. I did get training on purchase (very important), and after that I was able to solve any problems by a phone call to Innova's 24/7 support. The point is still that you need to be able to call on someone for support from time to time. There are probably yahoo groups devoted to the Juki longarms, and you should be able to get more specific information about the Juki and the type of support provided there.

ManiacQuilter2

I agree with feline fanatic and dunster. Also check to see if they will charge you CA sales tax. That could add another 9% in your total.

turkeyshirl

I purchased an Juki longarm from them, never had a problem dealing with them. If you are sure of the brand you want and have checked it out, I would not hesitate to buy from them

QuiltnNan

i went there http://www.sewingmachinesplus.com/juki-tl-2200qvp.php to take a look... great features. and, oddly, when i was on the site, a pop up came to the bottom of the screen indicating that it is a "Google trusted store", whatever that means... have never seen that before

Sewnoma

Maybe this is a naive question, but won't dealers help support the machine no matter where you bought it? At least enough to get you in touch with the manufacturer, etc?

Otherwise, it sort of sounds like if you buy a longarm you better not ever move to a new area or you're out of luck.

patmadrid

I purchased a pfaff 18x8 long arm machine with grace frame and Qbot computer from sewing machine plus. While the cost of this setup was reasonable...it is not without issues.

1. The machine was delivered in Dec, but it was February before I was up and running. They shipped the wrong assembly kit. It took me three days to figure out it was wrong, and then weeks to get a replacement kit.
2. I had to send in the machine for warranty repair. The cost of shipping rom Texas to California was $150.00. Sewing machine plus did pay for return shipping, but it was expensive "free" repair.
3. Whenever you call the service department, you have to leave a message and wait 24 hours for a return call. They call, give a list of things to try, you try....they don't work, you call back and wait 24 hours for a return call. They tell you to have them paged, but when you call no one answers the phone (except sales dept).
4. Also, the QBot, while an great machine, the only support is a user group. The user group is amazing and they have answered questions for me, but I spent a lot of money on this computer and expect customer support from the company. Having local support would have been invaluable

While my setup is great and I am quilting for customers, my first year was difficult. Sewing machine plus is probably a great option for experienced long armers. If you are a beginner it might be better to spend a little more to be able to have support and training.

DonnaC

I've bought two machines from them, a Juki TL-2010Q and a Janome Sew Mini. Great experiences both times. Their customer service people are really friendly and helpful. I would not hesitate to buy from them again. They are all the way across the country from me and I received both machines very quickly.