Glad to hear you got it up and running. I was pretty skeptical about it being worn out too. Those machines can take a lot of abuse before they "wear out".
I'm in Alberta (close to Edmonton). If you ever come this way, I'd be happy to show you anything I know about maintaining these machines. There's no reason for timing to "slip" in normal usage, unless someone's forgotten to tighten the set screws. I can even show you how to check and set timing so you never have to take it into a shop like that again.
I agree, the only thing you should be using that shop for is notions and "consumables", and possibly not even for that. I would personally call the owner, and tell them that their technician is sending money out the door.