Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/02/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The dates of the transactions are May 5 and May 8 and a total amount of $765. I sent an antique featherweight sewing machine to Mr. ****** at this business to paint. Upon receiving the machine back it did not sew. I had to fiddle and mess with it for a few hours to get it to sew properly. When I looked underneath the machine, there is excess paint a.k.a. overspray on much of the machine at the bottom. There is overspray on what is called the feed dogs of my machine. Those should’ve been removed prior to painting. There is a part, where the light housing sits, that should’ve been sanded and smooth out before the machine was reassembled. He ruined two sets of special made decals for this rare machine. I had to order extras, which was another $40 plus shipping. It was poorly packed when it was returned. I contacted the man to inquire as to why it was not working properly. I also asked for a partial refund. I was promptly treated very rudely. He tried to bully me, and basically said I was crazy. He refused to even give me any of a refund. I will never send it back to him to make it right. I will have to do that myself. I have photos of how my machine looks when I received it. I would like a full refund and I would like the BBB to help me. I have tried going through PayPal they would not help. Since I used my debit card,my bank will not help. My only recourse is to try and go through the Better Business Bureau because the gentleman will not even speak civilly. I have tried to be nice about it all and yet, he refuses to budge. He admits to doing it and not removing parts because”it not necessary” ( it is).
  Please help and help me help others avoid this disaster waiting to happen.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/03/2023

  *** *** ** ***** ***** **** prides
  itself on our customer service and is always sad to hear of a patron who had a
  bad experience. This review appears to critique the business Sew Many
  Featherweights. *** **** ************** is a business run separately from Ms.
  Sew N’ Sew’s Quilt Shop. It has its own website, payment system, and operates as
  a sole proprietorship. Admittedly, the owners of both businesses are husband
  and wife. Our initial response is to suggest taking your complaint up with Sew
  Many Featherweights.
                 That
  being said, we do often refer our customers interested in Featherweight work to
  *** **** **************. To ensure that our customers are treated properly, we reached
  out to *** **** ************** to learn more about this situation.
                 We
  understand that the customer initially was thrilled to receive her custom
  painted machine. When she received it in the mail, she did communicate that
  there were problems with its sewing ability. *** **** ************** suggested
  that she adjust the tension on her machine, which is an expected and routine
  process in using any sewing machine. After this advice was followed, *** **** **************
  received a video of her machine demonstrating that it was now sewing as expected.
                 Some
  time after this, the customer took apart their machine and was disappointed to
  find overspray on the inside of the machine. She saw this as a failure on the
  part of the painter of the machine. When communicating this, she asked for a
  refund of $150-$200 for this disappointment. In fact, we are able to provide photographs
  of original Featherweight machines which have not been altered. Those
  photographs show that in fact, it is quite normal to have overspray on the
  inside of the machine.
   She also complained about the decals she was asked
  to send. Applying decals is tedious and delicate work. They are very fragile.
  As a result, all customers are asked to send two sets of the decals they want
  applied before work begins. Initially, this customer only sent one set of
  decals. *** **** ************** did reach out to her before applying the first
  set of decals to ensure she sent a second set, which was required.
                 The
  customer reached back out to complain about overspray on the feed dogs of the
  machine. *** **** ************** acknowledges that there should be no paint on
  the feed dogs. *** **** ************** offered to fix this for the customer,
  but she refused to give them the opportunity. She was at this point requesting
  an $810 refund. The request sent from PayPal suggested a refund for “a ruined
  machine.” As demonstrated by the video that the customer sent Sew Many
  Featherweights, this is a fully functional machine.
                 Ms. Sew
  N Sew’s Quilt Shop is saddened to hear that someone had a frustrating
  experience with a business that we work so closely with. However, we do feel
  that *** **** ************** has tried to address this complaint. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/05/2023

  
   

   Complaint: 20135924

  
  
  

  I am rejecting this response because: Mr ****** DID in-fact ruin my machine. Yes, i can finally make it sew yet the paint job he did is horrible. I did say it looks nice in photos that I was sent but like I said, it wasn’t until I turned it over and saw all the over spray. And yes, I did take the bottom cover off because that is where you have to grease and oil the machine. 
  The photos he showed you of overspray on original machine isn't over spray. It is in fact old grease from the machine. Neither spot is overspray. If I was at home I could show you that that grease comes off.  Addionaly I have enclose some photos of another machine that was painted  and there is NO over spray on.
  
  There IS NOT SUPPOSE TO BE OVER SPRAY on the rocker bars etc. I asked for the $150 because if I couldn’t get it to run, that is the amount what my local quilt shop would ask for to fix it. No, I was not going to spend more money to package it back up to him. 
  
  He also NEVER said anything about 2 sets of decals!  He didn’t say ANYTHING about decals, I told HIM I was providing them because it is in fact a RARE machine. This is a $1500 dollar machine. I can show you where a gentle man from the featherweight said so. Mr ****** clearly didn’t grasp the fact that the MADE IN USA decal is what clearly adds the value. 
  
  
  It is a 1941 featherweight. On of the final ones produced prior to WW II. Singer factories were reset to help in the war effort and prior to that some machines had that special decal on them. Again, this information can be found on the internet if he really cared to look. 
  
  
    Overspray is NOT common in machines. From what I have heard it is common for HIM to do that. He was rude, hateful and condescending. He asked me “ do you show your machines from the bottom?” To which I replied, “ I do when I am showing someone how to grease and oil a machine. “  His reply was,” so now you teach classes?”  Which is not what I said. 
  When I tried to register my complaint thru the BBB, *** **** ************** did not exist. His cards give the address of the wife’s shop. That is where I mailed the machine. That is where it was sent back from. And the money may be separated but he wants you to send the money thru PayPal friends and family to deliberately avoid the fees he would be charged as a business. 
  I can provide names and numbers of other customers who have had their machines painted by him and been treated just as poorly and ruined their machines. If I were to send my machine to anyone to fix the paint job it would be an easy $1600 and at least a year or 2 wait. I can provide names for reputable painters as they have reached out to ME with their apologies for someone to do such a horrible job. 
  So yes, I expect a full refund plus the extra money for the 1 of a kind decals I had to purchase. So yes, in the amount of $810 payable immediately!  
  
  
  At this point I do not want him to take anyone else’s money for a horrible paint job. I have NOT called him out publicly but I am willing to do that. I will also file a report with the attorney general of Mississippi come Monday. 
  
  
  I told him I would stop bothering him if he refunded me, apologized, and would start to PROPERLY disassemble the machine and paint them correctly. I even tried to make it easy for him by send a PayPal request for an even $800. ( $765 for the paint and $45 for the extra decals). That comes to $810 but tried to make it easy for him. 
  Lastly, I have ANOTHER machine that was painted by another gentleman and there is not one bit of oversprays. He also left fabric in it proving it ran smoothly. Mr ****** did not! There wasn’t even a needle in the machine. The presser bar was set incorrectly as well and I had to purchase a tool to set that. If that isn’t set correctly your fabric will not move and the machine will lock up. Which was 1 of the things mine did. I will not repeat the sarcastic remark he said when I told him I had to purchase that tool. 
  So in conclusion, yes, i would like $810 or even $800 so he can do easy math, a sincere apology, and for him to do better when painting by the machines or be honest with customers that he is an amateur. 
  Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you. 
  ***** *******
  ********************
  ************
  

  
  
  

  Regards,

  
  

  ***** *******