Forum Home Page

[smg29]

I used to work at a sewing machine shop. gals would come in all the time with various sewing machine problems. very often the solutions were simple. lint in the bobbin case. they never changed their sewing needle. (it should be changed at least every 8 hours of sewing), needles in backwards, top tension too loose or too tight. bobbin tension too loose or too tight. if they left their machines for repair they would be without it for 2 weeks. (oh gosh no :x ) it was always a good feeling when i could find the simple problem and fix it for them and they could go home and sew the same day. :P

[Silver]

I am glad you made these points. I worked in the service field long ago as well and it is often the simplest things that will take a piece of electronics or a machine out of action. Becoming aware our own fallibilities and proper preventative maintenance on our machine is something every dealer should teach their customers. It would be in the best interest of the dealer to be motivated enough to show their customers what to look out for. Many a bad reputation comes from an angry customer who does not realize their own actions, or inactions, has caused their problems. Basic preventative maintenance like cleaning out lint, tightening needles, adjusting tension (IF need be) and such will keep a machine working for far longer than absent minded neglect will. I must make a point to to say that even tho proper lubricating is very important over lubricating is NOT a good idea! If a little machine oil is good a lot is not better. This is a mistake that has been made by a lot of sewers for many generations.
I still remember when I was a little girl when people would call in and ask why their new color tv (I was around when the concept of color tv was brand new!) was not working. My dad always would ask if they checked if their tv, (back then it was a small piece of furniture) was plugged in before he would go out. He explained that once he was at their house they would be charged for a service call regardless. All too often he was told that he was being rude by asking such an obvious question... Then when my dad arrived and looked behind their set he would often find that it was in fact unplugged! Once at their home they HAD to pay for his time... Few ever argued with him at that point since they knew he had asked before coming to their home. I always tried to be fair when I was servicing people's equipment but in fact as smg29 said, things are usually backlogged days if not weeks. Then, my time even if it was a simple problem, had to be paid for.
IF your machine does seriously act up tho or if, as in another post here mentions, that the machine is not acting properly, makes an odd sound, has an odd smell or (heaven forbid) smokes at all, or has been exposed to heat, moisture, contaminates or smoke that you see to it that the equipment is looked at by an authorized dealer. Don't be penny wise and dollar foolish!

Thanks for making this very important post smg29!

Silver

[Cutiepie]

Excellent tips! Thank you both for sharing your experiences. If even one person benefits from them, it was time well spent.