ragamuffin

Is there a lemon law in your state - is it on vehicles only or sewing machines too. I would check.

DawnFurlong

Bearisgray - I do feel a bit embarrassed that I apparently didn't fully understand their trade up process (thought I did). That said, I have no problem talk, Talk!!! And that I will if the outcome isn't a reasonable one for me. Yelp, Yahoo, here, if there is a spot for reviews on their site, other sewing forums, sewing groups I am in, etc. I'm hoping we don't end up there, but if down the road that is where it sits, I will make very sure they know I will be very vocal about their customer service every where I can.

Zozee - thank you for the detailed suggestions. I will admit to being conflict adverse in the past. Still don't like it and struggle with figuring out the best way to handle something so that I am an assist in moving the conflict toward what I want (as opposed to alienating). I have already told this shop that I chose to drive 30 minutes to their shop as opposed to another of their shops which is located about 7 minutes from my house - because I appreciated how I was treated by them as I shopped for a machine (and didn't care for how the other shop treated me). So I will be sure to emphasize that again as well.

While I'd much rather have a full refund as quiltedsunshine suggests (and then I would sit for awhile deciding what other machine I might like as a back up), I am willing to purchase another machine from them under certain conditions. Under their current policy, they are willing to give me credit for the full price I paid. What I am Not willing to do is pay MSRP on the replacement machine as opposed to their advertised sales prices. That is the sticking point (because that is their policy - I have to spend 50% more on a machine than the original and I only receive full credit for what I paid on the 1st machine against MSRP on the 2nd one). I think I might have better luck getting them to come down off expecting me to pay MSRP on the 2nd one than getting them to offer me a full refund.

I'll have to make a list of various questions to ask them as you suggest, Zozee, along with your questions - this is great and so helpful to me.

I plan on visiting them today at lunch.

Ragamuffin - from what I can see, lemon law is for autos. Also, they are willing to "repair" the machine. But 2 new machines with issues - I'm not going to trust the machine for the long haul, do not want this machine. As this shop doesn't have any posted return policy (we will or we will not offer a refund under any circumstances) - I think that should be on the table.

Lady Diana

Check with your State to see if they have a lemon law.....apply that argument to the second machine and demand a refund.Tell them that if they are not going to refund, you will be contacting the Attorney General Office and local media about not taking back a defective out of the box machine!
If this right out of the box issues, the dealer should take it back refund your money and apologize. They, in turn, need to send it back since it is new. They are loosing nothing by refunding your money on this machine since it is inferior and they will send it back to Juki. Then sell your first machine if it is fixed. I would also talk to Juki about your first machine and, of course, mention the second one as well. I would look at the comparable Janome machine. I have numerous Janome machines and have never had a single one in the shop. Best wishes on a quick resolve. BTW if you purchased your first machine on sale, then they should honor your purchase price on the second on sales as well. I'm sure you will have to pay for the difference. They are used to selling far below MSRP. All dealers do.

cashs_mom

This is so true. I was having problems FMQ'ing with my 2200 QVP Mini. It turns out a good cleaning oiling, new needle and rethreading cured all ills.

I've heard many times that people who did have problems with their Juki's got help by calling the headquarters. I hope it works out well for you.

DawnFurlong

They said they were sending the 1st brand new Juki back new and giving me a new one to replace. I thought, well that sometimes happens, the 2nd one should be fine.

The dealer has my 2nd machine now, because they insisted it should go to the shop for warranty work. But I do not want the machine. I don't care that they are not charging me for work under warranty.

I am not being unreasonable by Not wanting them to try to fix the machine and going straight to a refund? It would have been one thing if something small went awry after many months of ownership. But not this. A refund would be my preference. I think that is where I will start my talks with them. 2nd defective machine out of the box deserves a refund. We can start over from that point.

We will see what happens!

ArtsyOne

I agree with you. One machine can be "off", but to have 2 machines unusable straight out of the box would make a reasonable person decide not to take that brand at all. Use your "broken record" skills when speaking to the vendor. Don't say "I would like a refund". Say "I need a full refund". Him: But blah blah. You: "I need a full refund". Him: But blah blah. You: "I need a full refund".

DawnFurlong

I did go by the dealer yesterday. They are saying still insisting no to a refund (which they have already said no to). However, they do seem to be willing to work with me to get me into a different machine (and not as MSRP). They were willing to let me go with the Pfaff 5.2 at the sales price (which I had played around on, curious about it). But sanity took hold of me, and I let them know that while a very lovely machine, it was more than I could do at this point. They then seem to want to direct me to what they want me to take. I was interested in looking at a BQ1350, because I felt on sale - that one would likely be the best fit for the features I am looking for. However, they only have the BQ950 and then the BQ2450 and up in the store. When I asked about the 1350 the other day, a sales person said they didn't have that one and that these were just coming out. The manager, however, told me that Brother directs which machines a dealer will get in their stores (and basically indicated they would not be getting that machine). I'm not buying that. I would think the Brother would want all machines in a store. Is she feeding me a line? Because basically she wanted me to go with the 950, even trade (said the 950 actually cost more than the DX5 but she'd do an even trade). I was not ready to make a that decision yesterday and told her so.

I did call Juki HQ yesterday, and got patched through to a technician. He was quite nice actually, though he has no ability to do anything having to do with refunds/returns. He asked which dealer I was working with, then said oh, they are usually a great dealer to work with. Asked more questions about my issues, did indicate that a 4 to 6 week wait on warranty work was not good, said he could send me a label to ship my machine directly to them for them to look at, no cost to me. I told him the machine was with the dealer, and I didn't know if they had already taken it to their center. He asked if I had pictures of the stitches, gave me his email address to send to. Also gave me a couple of other names up the ladder for complaints about my general unhappiness about the situation. I spoke with this gentleman before I went to the dealer.

The dealer said they were shipping the machine to Juki for Juki to go over it, they were not sending my machine to their local shop for the work. I did let the tech I spoke to at Juki know this, when I emailed him my stitch samples.

So this is on hold right now, until after Thanksgiving. I was not ready to make a snap decision on a machine the dealer was pushing me toward yesterday. I don't believe she was being straight with me about the models, I think she is considering where her best financial gain is and is going to push that direction as my only option. They are not willing to give me a refund right now. I have further up the chain at Juki to go yet. And I'm tired of feeling sick to my stomach over this whole thing.

Peckish

Well, in my experience it is not unusual for a dealer to refuse to give a full refund. In other words, that is very typical. You have to decide very, very carefully, because once those dealers get your money, there's no going back.

At this point I'm unsure if I would trust anything this dealer tells you. Do you have a dollar amount you know you will be getting in trade? If so, check with some other dealers to see what you Can buy. Don't tell them what's going on, just ask about the machines you're interested in and see what pricing you can get. Maybe call Brother and ask if your dealer can get the BQ1350. Arm yourself with information first, then go and play hardball with the dealer.

rryder

This is why I refuse to buy a machine from a dealer. You can get a very nice mid-level machine with plenty of bells and whistles from Amazon, Home Depot, etc. and they will take it back for exchange or refund if you have problems with it. If I’m going to spend $500-$1,000 or more on a machine I expect it to work and if it’s defective I expect either my money back or a replacement- it’s unconscionable that they have your money and you are without a working machine. Even if it can be fixed, there is no excuse for you to be without a machine for weeks on end while that one is out being fixed since they have your money. I might go to Better Business Bureau or if your local news has a service where they try to help get disputes resolved I’d be tempted to go there as well.

Rob

Cari-in-Oly

I don't know how a manufacturer decides which machines a dealer will carry or if the dealer themselves decide, but I do know that a dealer can order ANY current model machine from the brands they carry.

Cari