...and onto the next saga!!! [Archive] - Embroidables

SharonK

11-18-2009, 02:02 AM

Well, here I am again:rolleyes: Yesterday I spent hours sewing and got absolutely loads done, to say I was happy is an understatement:D How can everything change so quick??

Off I went to the utility room to check on my tumble drier, leaving the machine stitching like normal. I came back in, less than five minutes later, the machine has stopped!! The safety device has kicked in:eek: Ok, I thought, don't know what that was about but I'l rethread the bobbing and upper thread. I did all this but the wheel was still a bit stiff when I turned it to make sure it was not a problem with the needle hitting something. It started to sew, great I thought. Then the device kicked in a gain:( But this time the wheel is jammed tight! No moving it even a fraction!:eek: No needle stuck (its raised) no bobbin thread stuck, no tangles anywhere! The motor is going but obviously making a funny noise because something is jamming the machine. So here I am again, twiddling my thumbs once more:( My husband phoned the shop who serviced it this week and they said bring it back in. Great I thought, one day in the shop and it'll be back by tonight:ridinghorse: I got up this morning after getting the machine ready late last night for my husband to take to work today and guess what?? He forgot to take it:eek:

Grrr I am livid! He phoned to apologise, but I was a bit 'off'. He said well, if you are going to get the hump with me for forgetting it I won't bother taking it in tomorrow, you can do it yourself:rolleyes: It looks like I better have a nice dinner waiting for him tonight as I can't get to the the shop it needs to go to. I think i will put the machine on the door mat so he can't forget it in the morning, as he won't be able to get out of the door without picking it up!!:D

Whoops I skipped the x on the title!!

StitchinGrandma

11-18-2009, 02:14 AM

My husband drives an hour and a half the other direction for work than the shop I take my machine to but, I have a hard time with my knees getting it out to the van to take it myself. What he does knowing this is that when I need to take mine in for a class or repair is to put it into the van the night before so he won't forget in the morning. Possibly this could be something which your husband could do too??

FYI ~ I corrected the title for you and also moved the thread to the main forum rather than the 'Help' forum. ;)

SharonK

11-18-2009, 05:13 AM

Thanks Vicki, I noticed the 'x' was there now:D The thought actually crossed my mind to put it into his van last night but I thought 'if the van got nicked they have my machine':eek: Not that we have had any cars or anything nicked but you know what I mean. My husband has to drive for an hour and a half to get to work too. Would you believe that I must live in the only place in the UK where there is no morotway!!:eek: It is 35miles to work and he has to drive on two lane roads (one each way)all the way and that takes that long. Before, we used to live 70 miles from work but we were connected with a motorway and it took just over an hour! It is very quiet here today with no machine going! I think the gales we have to day are making up for the noise though, fences going down, trees bending over:eek:

StitchinGrandma

11-18-2009, 06:54 PM

Oh gosh I hate strong winds like that. We had some like that just last week. Thankfully for my hubby we live only a short distance to the interstate (4 lane roadway) and then it's an hour north of our house to his job. If he had to drive to my Viking shop from work that would be where it would be 1 1/2 hrs.

I'm assuming 'nicked' means either stolen or broken into?

SharonK

11-19-2009, 01:16 AM

SharonK

11-20-2009, 05:26 AM

An update on the machine saga!! It came out the shop yesterday. The mechanic said there was cotton all caught up but he didn't say where:confused: There was nothing in the bobbin holder or anywhere round there when I looked:confused: Anyway today I resumed sewing with it and the same thing happened again...it jammed:eek:

After a phone call to my husband who is not happy to be dealing with this problem...yet again!! Rang the shop. They must have ben expecting another phone call from us as he said its a gear gone in the machine. It has to be sent off to Portsmouth to be fixed:eek: I wonder how long it will be gone:(

StitchinGrandma

11-20-2009, 07:06 PM

UGH How frustrating for you. I'm surprised if they knew there was a problem that they didn't tell you and that your machine was even returned to you that way. I think if it were me, I'd be writing a letter of complaint about them releasing your machine knowing there was a problem without fixing that problem.

SharonK

11-21-2009, 01:38 PM

Apparently the mechanic saw a gear problem coming and filed it down (whatever that means). He thought it would be okay but obviously it isn't. The machine will go back into the shop on Monday and they will send it on to Portsmouth to be fixed. This will not come under the the £59 we paid for the service:eek: I could so do without this so close to Christmas, but I NEED that machine fixed. I am so hgoping it is not going to cost too much. Tonight I picked up a 'standard' sewing machine off Freecycle, apparently it is a vintage Jones model but hey..it works:D (not embroidery obviously, just a 'normal' machine).

StitchinGrandma

11-21-2009, 05:29 PM

That really sounds strange that the tech would do that sort of thing in my mind and then not to mention it to you too.

SharonK

11-23-2009, 01:34 AM

It sounded strange to me too! I am not very happy at all with the way getting the sewing machine fixed is going. It has gone from the problem with the bobbin showing through on the good side, problem fixed with another brand, the service of the machine, came back stil not right despite being retuned and realigned. Then the jamming of the machine, back it goes to the shop, he notices a gear is going so files it off. Didn't mention this when the machine was collected! Within 20minutes of using the machine it jammed again and to top it all off my husband has AGAIN left it here instead of taking it to be fixed. I have a nagging feeling that he has done it on purpose as he was in a very crabby mood last night:eek:

I feel so fed up about it all, in fact I am feeling very down about everything at the moment:bawling:

grannyfranny

11-23-2009, 05:12 AM

This might sound far fetched to you Sharon, but with all the trouble youare having with your machine, would you consider writing to the Chairperson of the Board of the company that makes your machine. Not only write the letter but let eveeryone in the know what you havedone, like the owner of teh store you bought it at, the people who are supposed to be fixing it, and so on. In the past this has gotten results for my husband and I. You would be surprised how quickly those in the chain sit up and take notice. It might be worth a try.

Fran

ElaineR

11-23-2009, 07:34 AM

Sharon, Vicki is so right. When you pay for a repair it should be "repaired" when you recieve it! It sounds like they are just playing you along. You should call the company to try to get some better answers!
Elaine

SharonK

11-23-2009, 11:30 PM

I brought the machine online, brand new but from a Brother distributer. It is only three months out of warranty, I checked yesterday. How annoying is that!!

It has gone back to the shop in Brighton againg today for him to send off to Porstsmouth (around 50miles from here, maybe a little bit more). I have asked my husband to find out how much it will be to get fixed and how long it will take. The trouble is my husband cannot get the machine to the shop himself so he has to give it to one of his drivers to drop off for him, which is a bit of a pain as I would rather he took it there himself.

If the machine comes back and there is till a problem with it, regardless what it is. I will go higher for sure. I am giving the tech the benefit of the doubt as i think he was trying to save me money by filing off the gear and hoping this would fix the problem.

I so hope the machine will be in and out before the weekend, I miss it. Oh well, it looks like the golden opportunity to start crocheting the bag I have the pattern for.....its not the same as sewing though!!!!

StitchinGrandma

11-24-2009, 06:54 AM

How many times have they had the machine to fix the same problem and is it still having that same problelm? If the problem started while under your warranty then it should be fixed under that original warranty repair. I'm not a tech at all but filing off a gear just doesn't sound right to me and makes me wonder what else that tech did on previous repairs, especially when it was under warranty. Under warranty or not, I can't believe that a problem seen should not have been replaced rather than to be filed off that way. It just doesn't sound right to me. I would for sure be asking questions to the Brother company if this was my machine because if they have a tech who is doing things which are not an approved 'fix' to their machines, it gives them a bad name plus a tech should be following their approved repair guidelines and that just doesn't sound to me like one they would approve of. I could be wrong but I think I'd still be writing/calling to find out. It would certainly make me wonder what else he's done inside that machine which isn't an approved things ya know. Of course, maybe filing a gear off is something they do as a repair but it just doesn't sound right. Gears are a specific item which work with other parts in a machine and if a tooth on a gear is gone (not sure what he filed off though) then the other parts aren't going to work together with that gear and will skip or jump as the gears fit and work together.

lizanne

11-24-2009, 01:17 PM

Poor Sharon! I can't believe the frustration you must be feeling, especially at this time of year when we all have so many Christmas sewing projects to work on.

I just wanted to share with you some tips for writing a letter of "complaint" if it comes to that. The suggestions came from a consumer watchdog organisation here in Australia and they have proved to be spot on with my friends and me.

When you write you should make sure you praise the company for their great products and reputation, things like "I didn't even consider buying any of the other inferior quality machines that are available on the market, but went straight for a brand that I knew would give me state of the art quality and back-up support". Go on to address your problem, but try not to sound angry and don't make threats. Rather say that you are saddened, disappointed and frustrated that out of all the top quality machines they produce every year you got the one that slipped through quality control and died only months after the warranty expired. Assure them that you want to have your faith in the company restored and would prefer to continue using their brand.

With letter like this my friends and I have had several products replaced free of charge, from expensive coffee makers and cameras (well out of warranty) to wine!

I hope that your machine can be fixed but I would write the letter even if it is to try to recover the expenses.

Emma

11-24-2009, 02:35 PM

It is 35miles to work and he has to drive on two lane roads (one each way)all the way and that takes that long.

What an absolute nightmare.. There is nothing worse than a machine not going, ESPECIALLY at this time of year!!!!!!!

I had to quote your above post and have a giggle.. Over here in NZ, we only have 2 laned roads, a fair few 1 laned roads, and even gravel roads(shingle, stone chip, depending what school you went to haha). There are a few cities who have motorways, but theres generally only 2 lanes per side on most of those. lol.
I just about died when I went to Aussie and here were all these lanes and toll booths(!!!!!) and even underground roads! We just have nothing of the sort here. lol

katiedoodles

11-24-2009, 02:49 PM

I certainly hope that it is a simple (and cheap) repair for you...and that the tech who "fixed" it twice credits you for what you have already paid.

StitchinGrandma

11-24-2009, 03:17 PM

When you write you should make sure you praise the company for their great products and reputation, things like "I didn't even consider buying any of the other inferior quality machines that are available on the market, but went straight for a brand that I knew would give me state of the art quality and back-up support".

You are exactly correct in that statement. I took a class years ago in complaint letter writing and you always start a complaint letter out by praising a company to let them know you like their products. Also a complaint letter should be only three paragraphs in length. Anything longer will lose your reader and begin to be redunant normally.

First paragraph ~ praise
Second paragraph ~ complaint stated respectfully and very nicely
Third paragraph ~ TELL them what you want. Many companies will get a complaint letter and wonder what the customer wants them to do so state there in your letter what you want them to do for you in order to make you a happy consumer again who will speak highly of them rather than to tell all your friends and anyone else you know how bad they are at helping you with the complaint. They can always come back with a lesser offer but at least they know where your head is at while reading prior to contacting you.
Sign the letter and be sure your address and phone number is in the letter somewhere.

SharonK

11-25-2009, 03:25 AM

Thank you all so much for your replies and help. Firstly I need to clarify a few things. The machine only went into the shop for a service initially, because I thoughtthe problem I was having with the bobbin thread pulling through to the good side was due to the machine needing its first service (2yrs old and lightly used). He serviced the machine and also told me my machine didn't like the bobbin thread (1st time ever used with madeira bobbing thread), so I changed back to Janome bobbin thread and problem fixed. I paid £69 service charge. Within a day of sewing with the machine it jammed so it went back into shop. He said on collection there was thread wrapped around something (didn't say what) that was causing the jamming. He cleared thread and sent it back to me. I used it for 20 minutes when it jammed again. A phone call to the shop to tell him of the problem and he said its a gear gone, it needs to come back in and I will send it off to Portsmouth for repair. ( I think this is a Brother workshop). My husband asked how he knows it is a gear gone and he said because it was going when I had it in before and I filed the end off hoping that it would fix the problem, but it hasn't. So...the machine went back into the shop yesterday for him to send off to Portsmouth. I have only ever paid the £69 service charge so I suppose the other times he looked at the machine were really gestures of good will.:rolleyes:

I am hoping for an update on price of repair and how long it will take to fix later this morning.

StitchinGrandma

11-25-2009, 03:35 AM

Well, good luck. Hopefully you will get some good news. I'm crossing my fingers for you.

SharonK

11-25-2009, 03:39 AM

I am back:D I have some news and it is not good:mad:

Firstly I realise that my Brother innovis 1200 is not top of the range or anything like that...it was the only one I could afford at the time really. But the info off the tech from the shop this morning has left me feeling very fed up! Brother sewing machines are made in China!! (says it all really doesn't it). You get what you pay for, my machine was the lower price range £1000 brand new. The gears in all Brother sewing machines are made of plastic...that's why they break.

A good quality machine has metal gears and goes on forever basically. Although for what I used my machine for it was ideal for me but I am now thinking of maybe looking for a better quality one, although I don't know how I will find the money for one:eek: My husband said that maybe I use it too much and that it is not meant to be used all day, every day?? What are your thoughts on this please. I think that the machine should work for as long as I want to run it and as often as every day without a doubt! After all, this is what it is for!!

I am now seriously thinking of writing to Brother about the machine going wrong 3 months out of the warranty. Would I be better off using snail mail or writing a letter and send it email?

The machine will be in the shop for 7-10days and will cost around £100 to fix:eek:

I am feeling a bit sick about the whole thing now. So much for my 'homemade' christmas I was aiming for. At least I have some things made already for gifts but not all I had hoped to do by a long shot!

craftmama

11-25-2009, 03:49 AM

Sharon,
Sorry about the information (bad news) you received. It's like losing a friend. Not all people realize that these machines are like family. They should be with us ALL DAY EVERY DAY. Good luck.

LottieJo

11-25-2009, 07:59 AM

Lol yeah 'nicked' means stolen:D I didn't realise you don't use that word over there:D

Machine has gone tinto the shop today....hope it's not too bad:confused: My husband said last night that it must be something I'm doing for my machine to break:eek: I know it is nothing i have done to it as one minute it is sewing fine the next minute it is not. I said to him 'oh yeah course it must be me, I have been trying to run it on gas instead of electric!! Just a little dig at him cos he filled our diesel engine car up with petrol by mistake last year and it cost us £150 to get it drained and cleaned:eek:

The diesel story made me laugh. My husband did the same thing to his prized pickup truck twice! Lucky for him he was still at the gas station when he realized it and they drained it for him and filled it with diesel. It was a very expensive mistake, and I can’t say a word because some of things that I have done top that! Jo

SharonK

11-25-2009, 12:55 PM

Hahaha, I just showed him your post Lottiejo and he laughed and said, 'what makes it worst is that I am a transport manager!':D :rolleyes:

Anyway, I have written the letter of complaint and emailed it to them, hopefully I will hear very soon from them. Below is a copy of what I wrote, I hope it does the trick. Thank you for all the pointers...I'm wondering what else I can complain about whilst I am in the mood!!:D I have taken out the address and my full name...

25th November 2009

Dear Sir/Madam

Firstly I would like to say how great I think your sewing machines are and how pleased I have been with my Brother Innov Is 1200. When I was looking for a new embroidery machine back in 2007 I didn't even consider buying any of the other inferior quality machines, that are available on the market, but went straight for a brand that I knew would give me state of the art quality and back-up support. My machine has been everything I wanted it to be up until now.

Last week my machine jammed and had to go to my nearest registered Brother repair shop, which is in Brighton, East Sussex. After the engineer examined the machine, he found a gear had gone in it. As this is not something he can mend he has sent the machine off to Portsmouth in Hampshire to the Brother repair shop. On checking the Warranty paperwork I have, I feel very disappointed to find the warranty has expired by a few months. I feel saddened, disappointed and frustrated that out of all the top quality machines Brother produce every year, I got the one that slipped through quality control and died, only months after the warranty expired. As I have been considering upgrading my machine for another Brother machine over the next few months I feel I need my confidence in the company restored. My warranty expired in July 2009 and as my machine has only been lightly used for the past two years I was not expecting it to break down this quick!

I have been quoted roughly £100 for the machine to be fixed. To be honest I find this a little steep for the repair of something that has hardly been used. Before I purchase my next Brother machine I would be like to know that the after sales service is top notch in case of any further problems. I would respectfully ask that the machine is fixed free of charge due to how little it has been used and to restore my confidence in the Brother brand name. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

I look forward to your reply on this matter.
Yours faithfully

lizanne

11-25-2009, 03:27 PM

Sharon,

I really hope that you have a happy outcome on this one. I think you have done everything that you can and I am going to think positively and pray that you have your machine back to rights soon.

A huge multi national like Brother should value customer satisfaction above £100, so I think that you are in with a good chance. Concentrate of your other preparations for Christmas and who knows you may have your machine back in time to do a bit of embroidery as well.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you,

Lizann

craftmama

11-25-2009, 04:13 PM

Sharon,
Great letter. Hope it helps.
Diana

susank

11-25-2009, 05:10 PM

Sharon - I feel for you and I hope Brother comes through. My sister is thinking about buying a Brother right now and I think I will send her your story. It is soooooooooo disappointing.

SharonK

11-26-2009, 02:08 AM

Thanks for your comments on the letter and good vibes being sent my way over this. I am going to have a hunt around on the web today and do a bit of research on embroidery machines, although trying to find out which ones have metal gears or not is not goingto be easy. I think I need the opinion of a sewing machine engineer:rolleyes: The shop i took my machine to said that every time something goes wrong with a Brother machine it will be £100+:eek:

I have to say though that my machine has been excellent up until now and really is everything I want in an embroidery machine. Also if you are looking for a machine at the lower end of the market pricewise then this was pretty good value for money compared to the other machines. Who knows, I may have just been unlucky.

What is the general opinion on Pffaf machines please? I know they are pricey but they look pretty sturdy if a bit old fashioned!:rolleyes:
But not as old fashioned as these gem that I picked up on our local freecycle group this weekend just gone. I wanted another machine for sewing whilst the Brother was embroidering. I didn't know it was this old until I got home:eek: :D Definately an antique I think. The bobbin is one of the metal bullet type ones. Not sure whether to put this one back on freecycle for somebody else as it is not really what I had in mind lol.

susank

11-26-2009, 05:00 AM

This machine will probably work forever!

As for Pfaff they seem pretty good to me although I have a Husqvarna. Both of these companies have sales promotions on right now that are pretty good - at least in Canada anyway. You should see if you have similar promotions.

lizanne

11-26-2009, 02:07 PM

I have a Pfaff Sewing machine for dressmaking and regular sewing and I love it. Yes they are pricey but they really deliver. I have only recently gotten into embroidery and my Pfaff isn't an embroidery machine. I brought the Janome 350E, it's a designated embroidery machine, which suits me as I loved the Paff I already had (only two years old). I did look at the Paff embroidery and I loved it but couldn't justify the price and I'm happy to say that I love my 350E.

I understood when I brought it that it was a Ford not a Rolls Royce, but to continue the analogy if they both get you to where your going then their both great. I am pretty particular about stitch quality, etc and so far my machine is producing perfect results.

Who knows though, maybe your brother will come back as good as new (for free we hope) and sew for another five years!

Lizann

janetlinda56

11-27-2009, 02:18 PM

Sharon, I haven't seen a machine like that since I was a little girl !

JoanD

11-27-2009, 05:10 PM

I have a Pfaff 2170 and am really pleased with everything it does in both embroidery and regular sewing. It has dual feed which is super, good support, and service. Mine is about 2 yr. old and I'd consider getting a lightly used one where the person wants to upgrade to the newest and really pricey model. Most importantly though I'd only buy from a dealer who has a service technician available.

Hopefully your Brother will return in good shape and last till you want to, not have to buy.

janetlinda56

11-28-2009, 04:04 AM

Sharon, I would also ring the Brother HO in Stockport and tell them about these problems.

SharonK

11-28-2009, 10:20 AM

Hi everyone and hi to Janet my friend from the scrapping board we both use:D Well, to date I have had no reply from Brother on my letter i emailed to them. I'm wondering whether I should send a copy of the letter by snail mail to their HQ. I will have a look at their website again in a moment and get the Stockport info (thanks Janet).

Regarding the Jones machine, part of me wants to keep it but another part of me says I know I will never use it. It has the bullet bobbin which means there is only one bobbin and I know I would find this part the hardest to come to grips with. The actual bobbin looks like a screw:eek: It is a nice looking machine though I have to admit.

Regarding getting another machine. I have looked (and dreamt) at the Pffaf website and yes they do have deals going on at the moment. They have ex demo machines for sale with hefty discount on them too. I am afraid at the prices they are even with the discount they are well out of reach at this present time.

After reading your post Lizanne, it made me think. What you are saying about your Janome machine, not being a Rolls Royce, but more a Ford. I was totally happy with my machine until the tech commented on them being made in China and being made of plastic! It was doing everything I wanted it to do and with an embroidery area plenty big enough for what I was embroidering I was more than happy with it. I suppose if a gear broke in it every two years, £100 would be a pittance to put it right again. Although my husband who has been reading this post over my shoulder says, 'the machine should never break down'.

Just wish they would reply to my email!! The machine should be out this week though:D

Leslie

11-28-2009, 10:37 AM

..."Although my husband who has been reading this post over my shoulder says, 'the machine should never break down..."

My husband and I had that very discussion last night as I was telling him about your woes. I have a Brother Innovis 4000D. He pointed out these are very sophisticated machines, especially the higher end ones that hook up to the computer. You can't take them apart and clean them and troubleshoot them like you can your sewing machine. Something is bound to go wrong eventually.

If you are in the market for a new machine, check the Consumer's Guide and look at dependability. And purchase a maintenance contract for as many years as they offer it, the cleaning alone involved in routine maintenance is worth it, and expensive without a contract.

And the made in China thing, the casings are generally plastic but the gears are metal. Plastic gears would disintegrate. The problem lies, a lot of the time, in the gears casing. When made out of plastic, it tends to disintegrate. That's the problem Singer is having with the reverse stitch lever on their newer machines. The gear is metal, the casing is plastic, and the casing breaks, sometimes in less than 6 months. They honor their warranty but what a pain!

StitchinGrandma

11-28-2009, 11:16 AM

Regarding the Jones machine, part of me wants to keep it but another part of me says I know I will never use it. It has the bullet bobbin which means there is only one bobbin and I know I would find this part the hardest to come to grips with. The actual bobbin looks like a screw:eek: It is a nice looking machine though I have to admit.

If you decide to get rid of this machine you may want to consider contacting this place (http://www.sewmuse.co.uk/index.htm)which preserves those old machines so that it won't end up in the trash somewhere. They are willing to pay for them although who knows what price they are willing to pay but, you had mentioned freecycling it so I would think anything would be better than to give it away and you would be saving a very well made older machine. This place actually restores the older machines back to their original state which you can see some of them on their site in the condition they received them and what they look like after they've restored them.

ETA: That business may also have extra bullet bobbins or know where you can buy them as well.

SharonK

11-29-2009, 01:04 AM

Vicki that website is amazing, I really enjoyed looking at that last night. I thought it was quite amusing to find out that Brother UK Ltd are based in the old Jones factory now:D I think I may contact them but I don't think they wil be interested in my machine as it is electric, but who knows.

Leslie, that's interesting to know that it is not the gears but the casings that are plastic. I totally understand what you mean about these machines being so technical inside and precision is everything. I do think that any machine, regardless to what it is will inevitably break at some point for some reason or other. I am wondering if a twice a year service on my Brother might be the way to go so that I can then be made aware of any parts that are wearing before it actually breaks down. Maybe this is being too excessive though and I will be paying out too much money on services that may not be needed? How often does everybody else get their machine serviced?

Leslie

11-29-2009, 01:51 AM

I have to admit, I'm a little paranoid about my Brother Innovis. It was so darn expensive so I think the preventative maintenance is worth it. Especially since I seem to constantly have it running.

I do, however, have 2 Bernina Bernette embroidery machines and 1 Brother PE-150 embroidery machine (all purchased used), and I don't have service done on them until something actually goes wrong.

SharonK

11-30-2009, 06:27 AM

Update: Still no reply to my email so my husband rang them today. They never received the email, I sent it to the UK address and it should have gone to EU!! Oh well sent again today, a recieipt came straight back with a tracking number. Ten minutes later a Brother employee rang to say I will have a reply in the next few days. So far so good, even my husband is impressedwith their customer service so far. Two phone calls from Brother in one morning...first to give us the right email addy and the second to say about the reply. Can't fault them yet...Just hope I get the answer I want lol.

janetlinda56

12-01-2009, 03:07 AM

Fingers crossed that you get an answer today.

SharonK

12-01-2009, 06:09 AM

Thanks Janet, I have my laptop on permanantly and the email minimised on the tool bar so I can hear the ping when an email arrives:D Nothing from them yet but plenty from freecycle!! I passed the Jones vintage sewing machine on to somebody else that needed one to work with for an exam. A young lady still at school. Her Dad came around and picked it up this morning and said she would be thrilled with it. At least it has gone to somebody that will use it.

katiedoodles

12-01-2009, 09:15 AM

Sharon,

I think it is great that the machine went to someone who needs to use it for her education! I have a machine that is over 50 years old that I would never part with; it was my grandmother's and it is the same one she taught me to sew with. (And it still works great!)

I certainly think that Brother taking longer to get back to you is positive. I went through something like this with my car this summer (out of warranty, etc) and the repair was covered 100%. I had to wait longer than the promised 2-3 days, but is was worth it! I think you will have the same outcome with your machine!

SharonK

12-01-2009, 01:52 PM

No reply yet..no new is good news isn't it??

I am really hoping that I hear from Brother on whether they will fix it for free, before I hear from the repair shop to say it is ready for collection. Imagine if they phone to say I can collect the machine and I still have no reply from Brother!! It will be so hard not to collect the machine. Mind you, yesterday I have started doing some Christmas shopping so can't afford to pick the machine up anyway:eek: Well actually I can if my family don't mind living on baked beans on toast for the next few weeks:eek: :D

SharonK

12-02-2009, 10:12 AM

I have received a reply from Brother, this is what they sent me
Dear Mrs K****

I write in response to your email concerning your Brother Innov-Is 1200, firstly I must thank you for your kind comments about Brother and your product, I would also echo your concern that the product has failed.

With this in mind I would like to offer a free of charge inspection of your product in our Manchester workshop so that we can determine the cause of the failure, I have attached a letter detailing how to get your machine collected free of charge by our courier TNT.

Should you have any further questions or comments please email me direct using the following email address: backdesk@brother-uk.com

Providing excellent customer service is our aim and in order to achieve this we recognise the need to continuously evaluate what we do. We would very much appreciate some feedback on your recent contact with us and therefore ask if you could spare some time to complete our customer survey on the link below:-

www.brother.co.uk/customersurveys then click on Email survey.

Kind regards,

Stuart Nock
Customer Service Team Leader
DDI: 0161 615 6208 Email: stuart.nock@brother-uk.com
Brother UK Limited Shepley Street Audenshaw Manchester M34 5JD

Visit our Website - www.brother.co.uk
Follow us on Twitter - www.twitter.com/Brother_UK
We're Saving Rainforests. Find our how at: - http://www.coolearth.org/brother

This is acttually quite impressive customer serive I think...but I don't have the machine...its still in Portsmouth! Another 10 days for Brother in Manchester to look at it too:confused: I don't know what to do at the moment. All I want is the machine fixed, by the time I get it back it will be 10days in the shop, then send it off to Manchester, thats another 10 days...I can forget the Christmas presents I was going to make....

StitchinGrandma

12-02-2009, 11:07 AM

You are very lucky to have gotten a letter that positive. It's not committing themselves to covering any repairs but, I think if it were me that I'd write back and tell them or remind them if you had mentioned it in the original letter that your machine is currently in the shop at Portsmouth. I'm sure they can contact their other facilities and have the machine shipped directly to them in Manchester for them to see what's going on with the machine.

lizanne

12-02-2009, 02:26 PM

So far, so good, but I can understand your disappointment about not being able to complete your Christmas projects. Still it looks as though they will make every effort to have your machine put to rights for you. I agree with Vicki's comments about having them pick the machine up from the Portsmouth technician. It doesn't make sense to pick it up yourself and incur further time delays.

I'm praying that all is happily resolved before Christmas, who knows, you may even get a few last minute things done.

Lizanne

SharonK

12-03-2009, 01:46 AM

My husband is sorting it out with Brother for me today. I am good with the emails and letters but no good on the phone as my hearing isn't 100% hence, why my husband has been dealing with alot of it for me.

The response from Brother is brilliant I think and really so far we can't fault their customer service. I wish that the inspection of the machine could be done at their workshop in Portsmouth where it is now. That would be ideal and then I might possibly get the machine back early next week. The main thing I wanted to make with it before Christmas was an in the hoop doll for my eight year old daughters' stocking.

I had to laugh when I read the email back to myself that I sent to Brother though. The way it is worded is soooo Amercian and not the way an English person like myself would word a letter at all:D It did the job well though, but I would put money on it that the customer service rep that replied to it thinks I am an American living in England:D

I am hoping to hear from my husband soon on an update of what is happening with the machine.

SharonK

12-03-2009, 06:07 AM

AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH That is me screaming!

The update is: It is not a Brother workshop in Portsmouth:confused: It iws a Brother authorised workshop. Further enquiries this morning revealed that the machine is still at Portsmouth and wait for it...............................they haven't touched it yet!!!! I mean WHAT??? Over one week they have had the machine, I feel sick to the stomach to think that each day I have been expecting it to be coming home. I am so angry about it, not with Brother but with the workshop in Portsmouth.

My husband has sent one of his drivers to Portsmouth today especially to pick it up. The tech in Brighton that my husband has spoken to today said if I have no box (whicjh I don't anymore!) to call into him and he will give us a box for the machine so we can arange for the courier to pick it up tommorrow.

So...that is the update today, it will be home tonight and probably gone again in the morning for another ten days!! One good thing though is that it is not repaired so Manchester will be able to fix it free of charge for me (I think) and hopefully this time it will be back to brand new when it comes home.

susank

12-03-2009, 11:25 AM

Oh my ---- I feel for you. This is all a little frustrating despite the positive response you got. OY!!!!

StitchinGrandma

12-03-2009, 06:59 PM

UGH how frustrating for you. I'm crossing my fingers they will do more than just to take a look at it for you free and will hopefully will fix it free too.

janetlinda56

12-03-2009, 11:06 PM

SharonK

12-04-2009, 12:32 AM

OMG Janet, don't even go there!!:eek:

janetlinda56

12-04-2009, 04:56 AM

Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, if they say anything it was done by someone who worked for one of their repair centres.

janetlinda56

12-09-2009, 07:09 AM

Have Brother got your machine now ?

SharonK

12-10-2009, 01:28 AM

Hi Janet, yes they have the machine now. We packed it all up at the weekend and TNT picked it up from my husbands' work on Monday this week. Everything seems to be taking so long. I have not heard anything from Brother yet but due to the bad luck we have had with their authorised repair shop in Portsmouth, I am hoping that they might make my machine a priority (yeah right!). I am missing it alot, in fact I don't know how I lived without it before I had it:dontknow:

To date I have been cooking scones, cheese straws and bread. Crocheted a cushion cover and am on the second one and have also made a start on finishing my daughters birth sampler which is cross stitch (she is eight yrs old now) LOL. I went off cross stitch many moons ago but its the next best thing to my machine. I certainly would never start another cross stitch project but I am quite enjoying trying to finish the other one.

SharonK

12-11-2009, 05:13 AM

PROGRESS REPORT

:ridinghorse: :ridinghorse: It is done...fixed and being posted back to me today:D They said it should be with me on Monday or Tuesday:ridinghorse: It looks like I may just have time to have a little play with it before the kids finish school for christmas which is next Friday:D I am so pleased...although they never mentioned on the phone to my husband whether there is a charge or not:confused: My confidence in Brother has been restored. Their after sales customer service has been 100% good, noting is too much trouble and my husband said the man on the end of the phone is really nice and helpful too:D He must be if he made a good impression on my husband!!

Janet we will have to work something out. I am actually in St Leonards On Sea rather than Hastings, but very close to Hastings.

susank

12-11-2009, 06:14 AM

Sharon - I'm so happy for you. Hope it arrives as promised.

katiedoodles

12-11-2009, 07:53 AM

Sharon you must be so excited to be getting your machine back! I would think, since they didn't tell you there would be a charge, that Brother is picking up the repair costs! (That's a nice Christmas gift for you!!)

janetlinda56

12-11-2009, 08:47 AM

I am so happy for you, you must be very pleased.

StitchinGrandma

12-11-2009, 11:47 AM

Sharon that's great news. I was afraid you would not have good luck because others I havbe seen posting in other forums had terrible luck in dealing directly with the same company. You are very lucky. Enjoy the machine when you get it back. :D

lizanne

12-11-2009, 02:00 PM

Hurray, I'm so pleased that your machine will be back before Christmas, and my Christmas wish for you is that Brother UK offers a higher standard of Customer Service than it's American counterparts and completely waives all fees.

Maybe it's because of your letter, you mentioned that it didn't sound very "English" but more American. Maybe they were amazed at your praise of their company!! When their machine had mucked you around so much!!

Congratulations and fingers still crossed,

Lizanne

SharonK

12-14-2009, 03:36 AM

Lets hope that Brother UK are better than their counterparts abroad then from what I am hearing about them.....waiting for the courier now.....might be tomrrow though:rolleyes: .......

SharonK

12-14-2009, 09:46 AM

Well, it is now 5.45pm. The courier won't come now I'm sure:( Maybe in the morning:rolleyes: I've been making salt dough decorations instead:D

janetlinda56

12-14-2009, 01:34 PM

Fingers crossed for tomorrow, then you can play.

SharonK

12-15-2009, 03:04 AM

Is's home...off to unpack it:D :D Update later....

janetlinda56

12-15-2009, 03:27 AM

Thats goog news, have fun.

StitchinGrandma

12-15-2009, 03:34 AM

Crossing my fingers that it is running great for you. Good luck.

SharonK

12-15-2009, 08:00 AM

I'm too scared to try it...how stuppid of me!!:rolleyes: There are three feet missing, the buttonhole one, and two different other ones, zig zag foot and something else. Hubby has phoned them and they are very apologetic and sending out new ones today. They are the ones that the engineer used to test the sewing out with because the stiched sample is with the machine. He must have forgotten to pack them back in:rolleyes: Oh well, I have never used those ones yet anyway:D

Ok, I am off to embroider something to see how it is...

susank

12-15-2009, 08:16 AM

Good luck Sharon!

SharonK

12-16-2009, 01:48 AM

I have done a little bit of embroidery just to test it out and guess what?? IT IS SEWING FANTASTIC:D I am so pleased. If anything it is sewing neater than I have ever seen it sew before. My daughter came in from school with my husband and heard the machine going and said 'Oh no, its back!!' My family hate the noise of it :rolleyes:

They also haven't charged me for fixing it...well not yet anyway! Would the bill be in with the machine? Or would they bill me by letter post?

Now, what shall I make today? Hmmm still umm and ahhing over making the doll for the stocking before schools out on Friday. This will be the only chance I get to make it without my daughter seeing it before Christmas morning peeping out of the top of her stocking....Right, yes I'm going to do it NOW! Before I run out of time...

lizanne

12-16-2009, 02:25 AM

I'm so happy for you Sharon, I know it was important to you to make that doll for your daughter and I know how excited she will be when she sees it on Christmas morning.

Get sewing!!

susank

12-16-2009, 05:05 AM

That's great Sharon. Given the machine is working better than ever maybe there was a defect from the beginning. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing from now on.

idesign

12-16-2009, 06:43 AM

Great to hear a happy ending to your story!

janetlinda56

12-16-2009, 07:32 AM

StitchinGrandma

12-16-2009, 02:44 PM

That's great for you Sharon. I don't want to assume things but, I wouldn't think they would give your machine back to you without having you pay for the repairs first.

SharonK

12-17-2009, 12:39 PM

Hiya everyone, the machine is sewing perfect, to say I am thrilled is truly an understatement. Yesterday and today I have been working on the doll for my daughter Kellie. The doll is now all sewn up and stuffed. It is not a huge one, it measures 10 inches from head to foot. I have nearly finished the dress which I have made out of one of her grown out of summer school dresses. Green gingham and a white embroidered edging, just like her own school dress:rolleyes: I have some knickers and shoes to make tomorrow and hopefully will get started on the hair too. It is going to be yellow and long as Kellie has long blonde hair herself and I want this doll to be a 'mini Kellie'. It has blue embroidered eyes like she has too:D I am not sure how she will react to it as like most kids she is more into 'shop brought' things rather than hand made! Who knows she may love it and keep it forever..I hope so.

Changing the subject, this morning a letter from Brother arrived in the post this morning. It was a bill for £208.00!!! Oh my god I thought, I can't afford to pay that! I was thinking very bad thoughts about Brother and that if I had known it was going to cost that much I would have brought a new machine! My husband phoned them and they said it was sent to me in error and that there is no charge:D Good news or what!! Everything is good now. All I need now is for some of the designs in my wish list to come up as deal of the day:rolleyes:

janetlinda56

12-17-2009, 01:56 PM

That was a shock Sharon, but a good out come.

lizanne

12-17-2009, 02:42 PM

Sharon, send Brother a thank-you note quick, saying how relieved you are that they came through for you and how much you are going to praise them to your friends (just so they don't rethink the free repair), send it snail mail. Big companies like them love to have customer feedback ion hard copy.

Your daughter's doll sounds terrific, I'm sure she will treasure it. I just hope you're prepared to be making it new outfits to match Kellie's.

You will have to PM us all a picture of it when you are finished.

SharonK

12-18-2009, 01:54 AM

That's a good idea about the thank you letter. I will do that over the weekend. I do have another gripe though! Tell me if you think I am being picky or I have a valid complaint please. This morning the new feet from Brother arrived. The ones that they forgot to pack back in with my machine. One of them, a zig zag foot is plastic!! The one that I originally had was heavy metal. I have to say I am not happy with the brand new replacement at all. What do you think? Do I write in my letter how pleased I am with their customer service etc etc but am not happy with the foot. Or is this just being ungrateful because they fixed my machine for nothing.:confused:

lizanne

12-18-2009, 02:49 AM

Is the replacement zig-zag foot clear plastic? If it is I would prefer it, I bought a clear one especially to go with my Pfaff machine. I use it for applique and the clear foot allows me much beeter vision for applique.

If it's not clear I might complain.

SharonK

12-18-2009, 04:34 AM

Its not the zig zag one it is a button fitting foot. It is definately not a clear one, here is a photo of it.

lizanne

12-18-2009, 01:56 PM

It's definitely not clear! At this stage I think that you need to weigh the pros and cons.

On the Pro side you have had your machine fixed for almost free (I think that you paid the first tech that looked at it didn't you?), although it took a long time the machine is now working better than it ever did. Also, you know that the repairs that you recieved for free are valued at over £200.

On the Con side, how often do you use the inferior feet that have been supplied, I'm not sure I have ever used a button fitting foot. Are the other two feet also inferior to your original ones? I would check on the net for replacement prices, you may find that the plastic one is just as expensive as the metal and therefore you could assume that the quality would be similar.

Also check that the feet actually fit and work with your model of machine. If they do I think I would probably let it go. But, if they don't fit I would probably mention it.

janetlinda56

12-18-2009, 02:13 PM

I will check my button fixing foot in the morning, I am just about ready for bed (its10.15pm) and will let you know but I am also sure mine is plastic.

janetlinda56

12-19-2009, 12:05 AM

Its not the zig zag one it is a button fitting foot. It is definately not a clear one, here is a photo of it.

My foot is just like the one in the picture, have you checked in your book that came with the machine to check if its a differant foot that is missing ?

SharonK

12-19-2009, 07:15 AM

I have never used this foot and porbably won't ever to be honest! My husband had a look at it this morning and reckons that the other one was plastic too! He said if you look at the foot and what it is used for (button fixing) it would need to be flexible which is why it is made out of plastic!

I am now doubting my own mind and think I will leave it. Like you said Lizanne I have got my machine fixed brilliantly even though we had to pay the service on it to the first tech which was £69 I think.

I'm going to let it go and just write the thank you note to Brother. I don't want to come across as ungrateful.

BTW Thank you Jami forthe store credit for my 100th post. I am saving it for my favourite designs to come up on the daily design deal.