Ken and I had almost dismantled the Singer on Sunday, as when I consulted the little book that came with it all those years ago, there were quite clear instructions about getting fluff and dust out of the bobbin area, as well as where it needed to be oiled. We removed all the fluff and a couple of broken needles, but when we tried to put it together, we couldn't figure out where some of the bits went. So I put them into a box, while Ken managed to screw the base back on the machine and we took everything over to Statewide Sewing centre in Greensborough on Tuesday. I showed them their invoice for $185 and said I wasn't happy about getting just 18 months use from the machine for that amount of money. The lady at the counter said the bloke who specialises in old machines would be in on Wednesday.
By 4.30 on Wednesday afternoon, we hadn't heard anything, so I phoned them. The same lady said the bloke is just looking at my machine now, and I heard him in the background "Who the hell pulled this machine apart, and why?" I explained to the lady that we followed the instructions in the book about cleaning it, and after speaking to the man, she said "Well you've gone too far with it and he will have to try and figure out how to put it together again, and reset the timing".. I asked how much that would cost and again after asking the man, she said $99. I told her to just leave it there with the box of bits and I would collect it tomorrow. I said will there be anything to pay for his time in looking at it? and she said no.
I'll take it elsewhere and get quotes. Even if it does amount to $100 to get it going again, I don't want the same bloke 'fixing' it. Do you ever stop to think that these people might deliberately not fix a machine properly, to force you to buy a new one? That's probably not really fair, but I'm not going back there anyway. The lady showed me some machines, and heavily promoted the Janome, the cheapest 'decent' model being $500. Oh, you had to pay another $100 for a walking foot. I said "Don't all machines have them included?" and she said no, only the better ones, and they start at over $600."
Hmmm....I think I'm going to spend a month or two looking around at a few shops. Most of my readers have said Janome is the way to go, so I'll certainly keep it in mind.
4 years ago
3 comments:
I have a Janome and have had great luck with the machine now the dealers have been more of a challenge. Good luck in your search in finding some help fixing your baby
Gina, if the Singer is not a computer driven one, which I'm assuming because of the age it isn't, then it should be relatively easy to fix. Nothing much should go wrong with the old machines. Look how the old treadles and Singer Featherweights are still going! Before looking at purchasing another machine, take note of what you really want to do with it and write it down. Then check out Ebay.
Hope you are feeling better now.
I love my old Singer`s but I`ve been looking at Janome too. I hope your machine can be fixed for a reasonable price.
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