Not sure if this has been mentioned here before, but if you're thinking of buying a Bernina, be sure to avoid models with a plastic shaft on the hook. This is the shaft that holds the bobbin case. The part is not covered under warranty for long and is outrageously expensive. The replacement part is all metal, so they know it's a problem. It's just that as a reward for your patronage, you get to pay them another 10%.
It's a shame that a company with a long history of quality, would resort to this predatory tactic.
Gee I dunno, I am sure you can see why they need to put some planned obsolescence in a machine. How else would they get you back in the store to sell you a new one?
Yeah, Singer must really be regretting the quality they put into the 401As. Mine, bought new in 1960, is still my main machine for real sewing. ;->
I even talked my brother into buying a used one for my niece when he wanted to "surprise" her for her 21st birthday (and his budget was $200.). Of course, I gave her some sewing lessons a couple of years ago on my machine, so we knew she would love it. I made up a package of "must have" notions and supplies, and a subscription to "Threads". She was overjoyed, and I received the prettiest 'Thank You' note!
You did notice what happened shortly after that with the machines from Singer. Those early 400 and 500 series machines were the first experiment with retail stores after they stopped doing the door to door bit.
Mine was purchased from the *same* salesman from whom my mother had bought her upgrade "zig-zag" Singer ( I don't remember what the model number was, it preceded the 401 series and had cams on the front). He worked from an store/office "downtown", and came to the customer's home with samples. Several years later, he came to my first home with several machines, and I bought the 401A, with the folding table which had a cut-out for the machine. I still love it.
I've never seen a Bernina with a plastic shaft on the hook but nothing would surprise me. What particular Bernina are you talking about? Berninas (not Bernettes) have a 20-25 year warranty on all mechanical parts (not including labor), a 1 year warranty on everything including labor, and a 5 year warranty on electrical, electronic, or computer components. If you are being charged for a part that should fall within the bounds of your warranty, then you should call Bernina of America (the number is on their web site) if your dealer won't correct the error. Are you the original owner of the machine? What exactly does your warranty say?
Original owner, Bernina Activa 130. The 20 year warranty only covers thing that don't break. The fine print says anything that might break is only covered for one year. Here's a picture of the plastic part on a new bernina on a UK site:
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poor Brit is going to have to put a metal part in that one in a few years.
Phea, Once again you spout out with miss-informed nonsense. In fact the more recent Bernina CB low mass hook, meaning some composite or plastic, is in fact not all metal. The outer surface that contacts the race is metal. The inner part is that plastic for lack of a better term. See here
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however they may have noticed it was a poor idea or this fellow is selling the after market version. I have had many of the same inquiry about these hooks breaking.
> Seems however they may have noticed it was a poor idea or this fellow is > selling the after market version. I have had many of the same inquiry about > these hooks breaking.>
Thanks, Ron. What a breath of fresh air it is to hear from you with facts, never propaganda.
Thank you Oh yeah I forgot about the warranty issue. Read any warranty, on any item, they all exclude the parts that break, the people that write those things are not stupid.
Oh bollocks. The only nonsense here is yours, Ron, as usual. The OP claims that he has a Bernina with:
(1) broken plastic shaft on the hook
(2) that the part is not covered under the normal 20 year warranty
(3) that the warranty only covers things that do not break
(4) that the fine print says that anything that might break is only covered for one year
Anyone with a mere microgram of grey matter would immediately detect something quite odd about #'s 2 and 3. But not you Ron. Why? Because it doesn't serve your purpose or your vested little interests.
And in response to my query about the machine to which this allegedly broken plastic part belongs, the OP posts that it is an Activa 130 saying: _______________________________________ Here's a picture of the plastic part on a new bernina on a UK site:
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picture in the URL is not only NOT an Activa, it is NOT a plastic shaft on the hook. It is a Bernina 1008 with a clearly metal shaft. The OP is obviously a troll or a mentally troubled liar making false claims in addition to his inability honestly answer the other questions I asked. He also refused to quote the alleged "fine print" in the warranty.
Contrary to your silly claim, I never said the part wasn't plastic; I even said it wouldn't surprise me. Of course you found it necessary to ignore that fact in order to make your post a little more juicy. But it's just so much easier and so much more fun for you to make false allegations to make yourself appear somewhat intelligent. Yes, Ron, some of us know what a jackass you can be.
And I note that neither you nor the OP have documented (1) that the hook was indeed "plastic", (2) the ridiculous warranty claims made by the OP troll, (3) that Bernina's policy is indeed to refuse to replace parts covered under warranty or (4) that this isn't just another dealer or incompetent technician problem.
The problem with you Ron, is that you're still nursing a grudge and trying to recover from all those nasty posts about you, and your allegedly rotten business practices, all over Yahoo. Yes, I saw them too. Man you really know how to make enemies and piss people off, Ron, defender of trolls. LOL! And now you go back in my little KF where you and the rest of the trolls and perverts belong. And btw, you can KMA, Ron.
Phaedrine, methinks one of us is a troll. We'll just let everyone else decide who.
I didn't say it was an activa. I said it was a picture of the plastic part. A local bernina tech who explained the scam to me, said the 1008 uses the same part. It was the only picture of the culprit I could find on the net. After the shaft breaks, they sell you a $100 all-metal part. In its dozens of web sites, I couldn't find any discussion of bernina's warranty. Not surprising. My local dealer says there's a one year parts and labor warranty on the machine. After that, several parts are covered for 20 years. None of the parts that can wear out or break are covered, the tech's words, not mine. I'm still looking for the warranty paperwork that came with the machine. But I'm not expecting it to contradict the dealer.
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down to the second image... You can clearly see most of the part (it's called "the hook"), including the shaft, is black plastic. Only the outer ring with the actual "hook" on it is metal.Anyone here with a bernina that uses this plastic part (pull out the bobbin and take a look) should be careful when pulling snagged thread from the bobbin. Anyone thinking of buying a bernina, take a quick look before buying. Just ask for the metal part to be installed before agreeing to buy.
I've seen similar hooks on other machines, usually cheapies from the big box stores.
Ron: do you know if there are any big differences between the Bernina hook and the generic hooks that are available for zillions of other machines? I've never compared them.
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