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From: Sew_Little_Time
Date: 11-06-2006, 06:06 PM (1 of 16)
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Hello! I'm thinking this just may be a scam, as I did find a post on this on a gardening sight, but wanted to see what you all may know: In my local paper today, there is a HUGE, full-page ad for "SINGER - Heavy Duty School Model Sew & Serge Sewing Machines"....supposedly they "have 25-yr limited warranty; they do buttonholes, invs. blind hems, monograms, double seams, zippers, buttons, darning, applique, zig zag, basting, pin tucking, quilting + has a professional serging stitch w/an optional cutter"....supposed to handle all fabrics such as "Levi's, canvas, upholstery, Nylon, silk, even leather".... The ad has big "K-Mart" on top, but that could just mean the parking lot, because in small print, on bottom of ad, it reads "Sponsored by McKinney Schools Sales"....Is this too good to be true or what? They say this machine is normally $449.00, but they are selling them in only 2 days for $199.00 each. Anyone know about this?  TY!
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User: Sew_Little_Time
Member since: 10-30-2006 Total posts: 13 |
From: Patty22
Date: 11-06-2006, 06:52 PM (2 of 16)
Run away and save your money for a machine that hasn't had the *&^%& beat out of it.
Patty
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User: Patty22
Member since: 03-29-2006 Total posts: 1194 |
From: wghmch
Date: 11-06-2006, 09:00 PM (3 of 16)
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Commonly known as the "Motel Scam" because they frequently set up the same operation in a local motel. The same scam has been going on for 25-30 years. Machine should sell for just about what they are actually selling it for, so for that price, you know it's a piece of junk. Furthermore, if you buy from one of these traveling con men, you will likely have problems getting local service people to even work on it. Bill Holman |
User: wghmch
Member since: 03-04-2003 Total posts: 249 |
From: Chrysantha
Date: 11-06-2006, 10:31 PM (4 of 16)
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Run away and forget the ad...if you want a machine, go to a dealer...they DO have older, GOOD models that have had service before selling. They wouldn't be selling them if they hadn't.... Ad's like that are poison. (like the car, stereo equipt, shoes/clothes, sold under tents, empty warehouses, etc....they're knock-off's, stolen, cheap, unusable, damaged (especially cars....water, wrecks, etc). NO schools sell their sewing machines. Most schools don't HAVE sewing anymore and if they do, they take them to the dealer they bought them from (I know this because the dealer I go to, supplies all the schools in my town) and then turn them in on new models or have them fixed. Chrys
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User: Chrysantha
Member since: 09-06-2002 Total posts: 2414 
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From: lamx
Date: 11-07-2006, 07:05 AM (5 of 16)
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"NO schools sell their sewing machines." That's quite an authoritative statement to make based solely on what happens in your home town. In many areas, excess school property is auctioned off. A used furniture store in my area (now closed) had dozens of Vikings bought at auction from one of the nearby county school systems. I still have two of those machines in my storage shed. If you watch ebay sales, you will occasionally see one seller listing multiple machines (Berninas as I remember) of the same age, model, and condition with kids' names scratched into the paint. Where do you think those come from? This is not to endorse the sale of "school model" sewing machines, I bought one of those about 8 years ago at a sale at the local Jo-Ann Fabrics. I sprang for the highest model ($299) so I would get more quality. It sewed approximately 5 hours before it started getting thread jams down around the hook and bobbin area. I fussed with it for a few years and never could get it right. I donated it to a local thrift shop but in retrospect should have consigned it to the landfill so someone else didn't inherit my problems. Ed |
User: lamx
Member since: 05-04-2006 Total posts: 44 |
From: Tom Land
Date: 11-07-2006, 09:10 AM (6 of 16)
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Thats Jim Comptons crew (or used to be. His daughter is running it now.) Everyone has given good advice. Your local dealer will sell at that price if he will even sell that machine. The real deal is that they will try to bump you up a model or two where they make a lot more profit. Then they will try to sell a free-motion foot for 5 times its retail price, a cutting attachment that might work sometimes, and a carry case. All of this combined makes a sweet profit for a weekend of work. Then they move on to the next town.
Have fun or don't do it, Tom
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User: Tom Land
Member since: 09-21-2005 Total posts: 514 |
From: Sew_Little_Time
Date: 11-07-2006, 12:22 PM (7 of 16)
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Thanks all for comments - I had a sneaking suspiscion it was too good to be true...ugh. I should probably call that K-Mart and tell them to hold one for me since their name is used predominately in this ad - maybe they will go after these shyksters (sic?) & shut them down, if possible. I did use a dealer to purchase my Elna machine a couple of years ago, thankfully....haven't had one problem with it! A dealer is the best...everytime you have a question, they have been right there via phone to help! I'm making something for my mom-in-law and was wishing out loud to my DH for a serger, so my seams would look more professional - he spotted the ad & gave it to me. Sheesh, if this sale today wasn't an hour and a half drive away, I'd go there and warn others, lol! Weird, but the ad does say that layaways are available...how can that be? |
User: Sew_Little_Time
Member since: 10-30-2006 Total posts: 13 |
From: wghmch
Date: 11-07-2006, 04:53 PM (8 of 16)
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"Weird, but the ad does say that layaways are available...how can that be?" It means that if you offer to hand them some money, they agree to take it. Bill Holman |
User: wghmch
Member since: 03-04-2003 Total posts: 249 |
From: Chrysantha
Date: 11-07-2006, 09:44 PM (9 of 16)
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I donno Ed...I've only lived in about a dozen states.( AF) Sewn 46 yrs. I've never seen a school system sell used machines. (not even the schools I went to). Yes they did/do sell off used tables and things, but I've never seen a used school sewing machine for sale. We ALL give advice here on WHAT -WE- know. I didn't say I knew everything....but I do know what I know. Names can be scratched into anything, by anyone... E-bay is no ones friend...there is stolen junk on E-bay, people who rip you off. And if you buy a sewing/embroidery machine from E-bay, who's going to honor a warranty, or repair it if it's new ? Chrys
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User: Chrysantha
Member since: 09-06-2002 Total posts: 2414
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From: LeapFrog Libby
Date: 11-08-2006, 06:49 PM (10 of 16)
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I just got a Hancocks circular in the mail and it had a Singer insert in it for this machine you are discussing.. They are new, not used.. It says they made too many and did not sell them all to schools.. They are going to be at the 4 Hancocks in this area for the next 4 days.. I just might go by there just to see what they look like out of curiosity.... I bet they don't sell very many of them at my Hancock's anyway! ! !
Sew With Love
Libby |
User: LeapFrog Libby
Member since: 05-01-2002 Total posts: 2022 
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From: Kylnne2
Date: 11-08-2006, 08:08 PM (11 of 16)
| Well, these heavy duty Singer school models are also being sold at my local Super K Mart tomorrow, so this company sure has a lot of overstock. I live in Ariz. The ad reads..one day only..$199. Says "SRP" $449..(SRP means Singer Retail Price? School Retail Price??? Sucker Retail Price????) |
User: Kylnne2
Member since: 07-10-2004 Total posts: 629 |
From: wghmch
Date: 11-09-2006, 05:36 PM (12 of 16)
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"..(SRP means Singer Retail Price? School Retail Price??? Sucker Retail Price????)" Kylnne, Even though your last suggestion is more accurate, they would tell you that it stands for "Suggested Retail Price" Most distributors establish this so that retailers can claim a phony price reduction. There is a totally unenforced law that prohibits using this in Wisconsin. Theoretically, the seller must be able to prove that they sold a substantial quantity at that price within the previous 90 days, but I haven't heard of it being enforced in about 25 years. Bill Holman |
User: wghmch
Member since: 03-04-2003 Total posts: 249 |
From: gholloway
Date: 11-09-2006, 05:49 PM (13 of 16)
| Our Hancock store had something similar to that. The lady said they were reconditioned. Just thought I would let you know |
User: gholloway
Member since: 06-07-2006 Total posts: 58 
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From: Kylnne2
Date: 11-10-2006, 01:34 AM (14 of 16)
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I went to my oldest daughters for supper tonight and my Super KMart was on my way..yep, I just had to stop and see these machines. There were 3 machines, one was white plastic and looked like one of the computerized models now being sold elsewhere and the other 2 were the CG machines (Commercial Grade) that are also now being sold at on line dealers. One of the CG machines was a flatbed and the other a free arm. I had seen the CG machines on line and in news ads and was curious about them. There was a salesman that was sitting in the one chair provided at a table and 1 customer that was standing and the salesman was telling the customer about the many feet that either come with the machine or can be purchased with a machine. While I stood there not being acknowledged for quite some time, I broke in and asked the salesman if I could press on the foot control to test a stitch on the machine I stood in front of. He rudely looked at me and said "yes", and I did a test stitch on the fabric of the flatbed CG machine. (The salesman never looked at me or acknowledged me again) The machine vibrated when stitching the test fabric that was under the foot and the fabric bunched up terribly. I did not bother to check to see if the machine had a pressure adjustment. I just left..with my curiosity satisfied. |
User: Kylnne2
Member since: 07-10-2004 Total posts: 629 |
From: LeapFrog Libby
Date: 11-10-2006, 05:40 PM (15 of 16)
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I do not understand how this is allowed year after year.. They are sold here every fall .. The ads always say the exact same thing... I wonder if anyone buys them or are they the same ones held over from previous years.. ???I was cleaning out old patterns for Christmas items the other day and came across a stocking pattern I made from newspaper and that same ad was there from 1999..Can you believe that??? word for word..??? except for the serge and trim part..
Sew With Love
Libby |
User: LeapFrog Libby
Member since: 05-01-2002 Total posts: 2022
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From: Tom Land
Date: 11-11-2006, 08:30 AM (16 of 16)
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"I do not understand how this is allowed year after year.. They are sold here every fall .. " The average road show sale(motel sale) is about 90 machines. That on top of all the add ons they sell make it very profitable. If they do a sale somewhere that doesn't do well they won't come back. If they do very well they will come back in 6 months. Have fun or don't do it, Tom
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User: Tom Land
Member since: 09-21-2005 Total posts: 514 |
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