Ordered a machine online....
 

OK...I don't need another machine but for the last few months I've had the "bug". I recently sold 2 of my machines and was proud of myself that I was "thinning the herd". I had one machine left....my trusty straight stitch only machine that I've had for over 15 years. Then, I realized I didn't have a machine if I needed a zigzag to make Frankenbatting. So, I started shopping around online for a machine. I don't have a dealer close by but I thought I knew what I wanted anyway.

I ordered a machine from a well-known online dealer that I had ordered parts/accessories, etc. from in the past and never had any issues with doing that. When it (eventually) came, I set it up and tried it out but I was a little disappointed that it didn't have a couple features that I wanted. That was my mistake in not paying attention when I ordered. I was too concerned about price and trying to stick within a certain budget. I couldn't believe that machines have gone up so much and what you use to get in the way of features and accessories are much slimmer than they use to be.

I used it one time and realized it wasn't what I wanted, so I requested a return. Little did I know that that would cost me even more money. They had sent a "bonus bundle" separately and it turned out to be generic accessories like you can get from Amazon. I didn't even open any of it so I put it all in the box it had come in and included it with the machine when I returned it. It cost over $40 to ship it back, plus they deducted 10% for a restocking fee. Then, I got an email this morning saying that I hadn't returned the bonus bundle and they were deducting that, too. I told them that was in the box with the machine.

Anyway, my point is....if you order a machine from a dealer online, make sure it's exactly what you want and be sure to know what it will cost you if you want to return it. I've learned an expensive lesson. It's cost me $140 out of my own pocket for a machine I don't even have. It's my own fault.

I ordered a nice Brother machine at Amazon, sold by a dealer Amazon store. I sewed with it for a few days and knew I couldn't bond with it. I returned it, free. I bought another Brother to replace it and again didn't like it. Returned free. I then bought my first Juki from Amazon. Love it. All were from dealers that sell on Amazon as well as their website and store. If no free returns I don't buy.

Onebyone, which Juki did you get?

I'm sorry you are having issues, it can be so frustrating. I had a long-standing feud with Joann where I refused to shop with them about the last 7 years over a roll of batting I ordered that never arrived. I stayed home for WEEKS waiting for it. CS told me that I'd have to cancel the order to get a refund. Then they tried to charge me a restocking fee for the batting sent directly from the manufacturer to me that never arrived... I told them that if they could show me GPS proof that the delivery had ever been within a mile of my house, and I'd be glad to pay but reminded them this was something as big as a person, it wasn't something that was going to slip between any cracks and they had a lot bigger problems in their supply chain than me. Anyway... the annoyance and resentment about a shop can last for a long time.

I have gotten two machines online (from amazon) in the last couple of years. One was a mechanical Eversewn Sparrow for me to take to groups. It is loud. It is "fast enough" but too slow for me as a regular machine, is like driving a truck on a long up-hill grade with your foot to the floor :p They don't want you oiling anything but the bobbin area, but my Sparrow developed a chirp and for an under $200/over 2 year old machine, I happily voided my warranty and oiled anything that moved until the chirp went away. All in all, still quite happy with the purchase for a portable machine. With the set of criteria and budget I'd buy again. I'd buy something different with a slightly higher budget.

My most recent machine also came from Amazon, a straight stitch Juki 2000qi. I went back and forth on what did I really want, and almost 99% of the time I straight stitch fast and part of me feels the more bells and whistles, the more things there are to fail. It had all the features I really wanted, but I did make one mistake. I needed a top loading bobbin because I have a table, but I guess the term for what I really want is a drop down bobbin. That is, my machine has an opening on the top of machine, but the bobbin case is one of the basic sort of thing with the wing that clips in place. I wanted the opening where all I had to do was drop the bobbin in and twist it around, and preferably be able to see through a clear bobbin to see how much thread.

I had the same thing happen with Joann's, except mine was not charged. They were having an online sale on batting and I ordered but never got a confirmation. I waited 3 weeks and I contacted them and they said they canceled my order because they ran out of the batting...WHAT??? I stopped shopping in my store years ago when I noticed the quality of their quilting fabric was not the same but the prices were going up.

I get not bonding with a machine! Years ago, I bought a Bernina 440QE that I just couldn't bond with so I sold it.

I've always been a Brother girl and have had different models over the years. Some expensive, some not. I've gotten a couple Brother's from Amazon but never had to return any of them. My 15 year old straight stitch is a Brother Nouvelle 1500 that I bought from Amazon. Best machine I've ever had. Not too long ago, I ordered a Juki 2010 from Amazon and just didn't bond with that machine so I did return it. I like my Brother better. I guess it's "broken in", so to speak :) Hope you like your Juki.

I've always bought from a local dealer just to avoid this type of problem. I was able to sew on the machine and discuss it with someone with knowledge of the machine. It really helps me to get what I really want.

The local dealers here won't let you return a machine after you take it home. I have to sew on one for a week or so to know if I want to keep it. I bought a Juki 98 TL from Amazon. I liked it so much that when I knew the newer Juki had more features, I went to dealer and knew exactly what I wanted. The Juki 2010.

I bought an Accuquilt die from JoAnns about eight year ago. The die arrived damaged. The store would not refund or take it back because it was bought online. After many emails I got a return mailing label. I sent the die back and never got the refund. I emailed everyday. Everyday I got the same reply. Thank you for contacting JoAnn. Ugh. The phone number was never answered, only leave a message. The store manager said nothing she could do and wouldn't help not even with a number to call. I had never stepped foot in a Joann store since and the closing of it had no sadness for me.

Lol, we have a lot of topics going on here!

I have never really enjoyed shopping, unless it's at a quilt shop. Even as a teen, when everyone wanted to go to the mall (the new thing back then, now they are all closing!), I didn't like it. So I am a huge fan of Amazon for all kinds of things, from small to large. Well, none of the houses, but a few hundred $. But I ALWAYS make sure it says 30 day return free.

I have returned things and not gotten credit. Call and talk with someone from who knows where and it's been resolved without further problems.

Joanns. For years, I used my "good coupon" for batting. Then, when they stopped carrying W&N and sold their own brand, I started looking around. That coupon wasn't saving me any money at all - I could get what I wanted for about the same price, shipped to my door. After that, I rarely went in. During the pandemic, I ordered 2 yards of vinyl for project bags, to be picked up at the door. I got there and they handed me the ROLL. They had miscut it somehow, and could not put it back on the shelf. I will say, it's not as good quality as ByAnnie's is, but I'll have it for the rest of my life! They had cute seasonal decor at ridiculous prices and immediately marked down. How about pricing things at a fair price and not playing games?

Although I don't live in a city, in the Finger Lakes I think we have every brand of sewing machine known within an hour's drive. Some, like Aurora, carry more than one brand. The closest to me, Leroy's of Penn Yan Sewing, used to be a Bernina shop. As Bernina became more computerized, Leroy decided to stop selling/servicing them. If the screen is colored, he won't touch it. However, he has a relative that trained under him, Jon, who has a shop about an hour away. That's were people round here now go for Bernina's.

The thing is, Berninas have become outrageous. My original, 153QE, still sews like the day it came home with me, and I have added 2 of the 3/4 size machines. One stays in our FL home, the other is my travel machine. With the 153 getting up there, I know it's a matter of time before I need to find something else; the motherboards are no longer available. So I've been looking at Juki's. Almost all of my sewing is straight stitch. I don't need hundreds of decorative stitches, and even if I could afford it, I don't see any reason to spend what not long ago would buy a car. I used a Pfaff Expression at a class a year or so ago, and really liked it. Who knows? Maybe if my regular machine quits, I'll just use my 350. Wrangling large quilts (I usually do queen or king size) might be challenging, but other than that, I'm betting it'd be fine. If I every do decide to buy a Juki, I'd go to Leroys; the price is the same as it is on Amazon and i would rather support a local small shopl

I have a problem with most sewing machine dealers in my area. I don't feel I can trust them to be forthcoming. It's the little things I have picked up over many visits. For example I bought my Juke from a dealer, no problem at all with the machine, but found out a day after I bought it the Juki one step above what I bought was on sale for the price I paid plus had a really nice $100 bundle with it for free. I asked why I wasn't told a sale would be the next day since I asked if a sale would be on the Juki soon. I was told it wasn't a sale but a special deal. Another dealer had an anniversary sale. 40% off any floor model machine including long arms. But the % was off MSRP not store pricing. The store price wasn't that much difference from the sale price. Really no big saving. I feel like I have to be on guard when making a big purchase and know exactly what to ask. No forthcoming from them.