Berkeley Vacuum & Sewing Center

!!!DO NOT BRING YOUR SEWING MACHINE HERE!!! I was charged $255 for almost none of the servicing or repairs I was promised. I have an old Pfaff 461 industrial that was second-hand. I got the machine to stitch for myself after a thorough cleaning and timing. I was very proud of that. The machine worked just fine, but I had noticed that the lower oiling system was not spitting oil, and the feed dog shafts had disintegrated wicks. I decided to bring it in because I was so busy that I couldn't spend more time on the repairs myself anymore. I also wanted a professional to ensure it's working as it should. Turns out there are no professionals here. I thought, a repair place next to a popular fabric store, surely they must be good! I was wrong. Alas, I brought my machine, spare parts I had, and a list of specific repairs I knew it needed. The work included replacing the oil wicks, applying new grease to the gears, replacing the grease gasket, and inspecting the lower oil feeding mechanism. I made sure that the age of my machine would not be a problem, and she assured me they could service and repair it. They quoted me 2 weeks, and I agreed. They said they would call me when they needed to order parts or encountered any issues. By two weeks, crickets. So I call. I am greeted cheerfully, saying the machine is in perfect condition and is ready for pick-up. Would they have ever called me? I am happy, wow! Everything is replaced and ready to go. I'd like to ask about the specific repairs that were included in the letter. She says no, they didn't do any of the repairs, they can't find the parts. The part in question: wool wicks.... She says that I have to buy them myself and bring them in so they can be repaired. I think: I don't want to wait another two weeks after the parts get delivered, that's a total of 6 WEEKS my machine is in their shop. I decided to visit them, wondering what else they didn't repair from my comprehensive list. I arrive to find no technicians on site. The woman was coarse, questioning my knowledge of the machine since I got it second-hand. Saying that the machine is so old that it's hard to repair, something I made sure wouldn't be a problem when I left it with them in the first place. She tells me the technician will call me to answer my questions about the repairs that he made. I never received a call for three days. At this point, I read all the terrible sewing machine service reviews, and I'm over it. I decided to go in person for the third time. I walk in to just a technician working who does not speak English well. I asked him what repairs were made. He goes on to tell me that he wasn't the one who did it, but the needle bar and hook were timed. Okay... the most basic timing mechanism. What about feed dog timing? Reverse mechanism? Stitch length? I ask about the lower oiling tube, but he doesn't understand. Is the simple needle and hook timing the $255 service fee? He says yes. I was charged $255 to time the needle bar and hook. Unbelievable. I look closer, and he says they oiled it. The reservoir is EMPTY. I REPEAT, EMPTY. He says the gears were greased. I come home and take off the bottom plate—no grease on the gears. I run the simple hook oil spitting test. No oil. I had to remove the oil tube to find a blockage. Surely they didn't even check it. I cleared this myself, by the way. I also ordered grease, new wicks, and a new grease gasket. They said they could not find these parts. The only thing they did was time the needle bar and hook (by the way, it was stitching and had been timed before; this was the least of my worries), and added some drops of oil on the presser foot shaft. Otherwise, my machine was left dry and neglected. For a lovely price tag of $255, no communication, a questioning of my knowledge, and a feeling of betrayal. Please, if you care about your machine as much as I do about mine, DO NOT bring your machine here. You will be lied to and overcharged.