D-M Quilting System - long rant

I think it is too late to do much of anything. Two years is a long time. If you had paid with a credit card you could have recouped the whole payment AFTER you returned it to him. You can still report him to the internet fraud center at:

Have you thought about taking it to a local dealer for an estimate on how much it will cost to repair? It might be cheaper to have it professionally repaired locally than to ship it back.

Sounds like small claims court time to me....

I see from the web site that this fellow is located in Houston. Is he the same one who became so upset at an unsatisfied customer who was insisting on her money back that he threw acid (I think it was acid -- maybe it was some other damaging liquid) all over her award-winning quilt at the Festival?

Sandy, It was bleach. I was thinking the same thing, plugged a few words into Google, and found this blog about what happened, and what happened to him afterwards.

I think after all this time you have two choices. Ship the machine back to him for him to repair or find a really good repairman in your area and pay them to fix it.

Not very happy solutions, but since he won't refund you, I don't know that you have much else you can do.

marcella

After spending hours and many telephone calls with an uncooperative Gammel my friend took the head off, put it in the back of her car and drove to the dealer several hours away. She walked in, handed it to them and told them she wasn't leaving until it was working properly. They found a faulty computer chip along with other problems. It took them all day but she went home with a working machine. Why had they not told her to bring it to them in the first place? They just kept telling her to make this adjustment or that adjustment. It really got her business off to a bad start. She hasn't had much trouble with it since.

Susan

Howdy! No. Obviously a different guy: David & Margaret Grice D-M Quilting Systems

Mr.Puckett w/ the bleach bucket w/ his design-a-quilt is from Paducah, Ky.

Ragmop/Sandy-- handquilter ;-D

Hi Liz, I am sorry you have had such frustration with this machine. I would double check with your credit card company about this situation. When I was a retailer, I was told that a customer can dispute the charge for up to 3 years. Do you have a lawyer friend that can write a very strong lawyer? If all else fails, pay the freight, send it back and when you get it back in working condition SELL IT!!! Try E-bay. If you get to the place where you can get an HQ16, you won't be sorry. Their customer service is great. My dealer is 1 hour away and when they gave us a software update for the stitch regulator, they arranged for me to wait for it. I am indeed a very happy customer

Linda in Tx owner of the HQ16.

Thanks for the clarification, Sandy. :) The situation sounded so similar

-- long-arm (or similar) machine, no customer service, refusing to refund the money, etc. I just couldn't remember the name. :S

Thanks for the link, Lisa. It was helpful to refresh my not-so-perfect memory. You're right -- I can't help wondering if there's some connection, since these two men seem to have such similar attitudes about their businesses.

Lisa, I checked out the link you provided as well and took the time to read some of the blog. I hear so much about blogs but for the life of me can't understand why they are used. I mean, look at this article. It was well written but it had to take some time to write. There are tons of blogs out there now on all kinds of topics. I just don't see the rationale to keep a journal of your inner thoughts and then post said journal on the web. Kinda defeats the purpose of a personal journal, doesn't it? Just curious......

I called a local shop that does home and industrial machine repair. He said they will look at it but he can't promise anything since he doesn't know what David did to stretch the machine. And, if you take the machine off the table and stitch, moving the fabric, it's fine. It only skips when on the table and moving away from you.

My dispute with David goes back to the beginning. I should have listened to that little voice in my head when he kept delaying the delivery by almost 3 months. Then he sent the wrong carriage and then the screw fell out and messed up the timing. The whole thing has been bad from the beginning. The short while that it did quilt, it was not smooth, and certainly did not quilt like he stated it would.

Unfortunately, he doesn't accept credit card payments. I paid by check. What really hurts, is that my parents gave me half the money. Even if this local shop can fix it, I seriously doubt that I will be able to get even half my investment out of.

When I ask him what he would do if he spent that much on a machine that didn't work, he totally ignores me. Once he gets your money, he doesn't seem to care whether or not the machine actually works. So, if you know of ANYONE even considering this machine, be sure to send them my way and I will tell them my whole sordid tale.

LizA. Kent, WA

Howdy! Strange coincidence, tho', isn't it? Similar stories, similar lack of service and product integrity... .

Ragmop/Sandy--handquilter ;-D

I had the misfortune to run into a similar jerk that runs an outfit call South Carolina Antiques. I bought a China Cabinet from him and he never delivered it. I demanded a refund and he gave me lots of grief but not my money. Even called me drunk and rambled on and on in this slurred sloppy wierd way. I filed a claim with my credit card and got all my money back and boy was he mad. Oh well!!! I filed a complaint with his local BBB and filed a police report and also filed a report with the FBI Internet fraud complaint center. He is no longer in business.

Why don't you post the whole sorry story as a WARNING on every textile NG you can find and send it to every quilting/sewing group you can identify with a request for further distribution by all members - and tell him what you've done! As long as the rant is factual he shouldn't be able to do anything about it. And even if he doesn't come to his senses it might give you some satisfaction. Tell the whole world what an uncooperative unresponsive creep this guy is, and do it at the top of your voice!!!

Remember - anger repression is not good for you :-)

And while I am not in any way advocating a full on vendetta, a small dose of revenge (through the loss of at least some possible future sales for him) would make me smile at least a little - maybe not right now, but later.

I'm sorry he gave you such a hard time, and I hope you find a solution and go on to become a internationally known quilter whose opinions will be constantly sought and heeded - in spite of him. Think of the pasting you could give him then!!!!!!

In the mean time I thank you for the warning even though I cannot help you with your problem.

Howdy! Dear Snigs, Remind me not to piss you off!

Ragmop/Sandy--your dear quilting buddy ;-D

Hi Snigs, Not only did he get a chargeback for your money, he was penalized additional funds from his merchant provider.

Hi Alice, I only posted the link because it told about what happened with that guy in Houston. I think that people just like to hear themselves talk whether on the net, or IRL, and the phrase "too much information!!!!!!" while covering my ears/closing my eyes, comes to mind with some of the blogs out there.