Bernina Customer Service

I posted this info on FB. And wanted to copy you in case you would like to look into this.

"Bernina doesn't seem to care about customers. It sure makes amazing machines and is great at selling them.
Beyond that, I find their customer service unsatisfactory! As well as the quality of their user manuals/work books/big books/videos. They definitely know their machines but they are failing to communicate the information to the customers in a comprehensive, brief, and user friendly format. (They need to get help from IKEA manual people. ?) And at times, even dealer representatives are unable to service the machines... or answer questions.
I have Q24, B790 Plus, and L860 as well as an old Activa 230QE. Overall, the training I received over 10 years ago for my Activa was excellent. My L860 was great but very brief. B790 sewing was good but not enough time was spent and only few functions were covered. I still need to take B 790 embroidery class. Q24 Bernina training costs $8000 and up and is offered at their creative center in IL (add travel, food, and hotel costs).
I have talked to BERNINA USA customer service representative who could not help with one of my questions (made me buy two sets of leaders when I only needed zipper ones); promised to get back to me about setup and leveling Q24 on castors but didn't get back... I might take things to BBB next. There also seem to be enough mistreated customers to get a class action lawsuit started.?"

My Bernina machine has been awaiting a new computer screen since March 23 and there has been no response from the Bernina dealer or Bernina Australia. The warranty will be exhausted before the machine is repaired as it is only 2 x years old. Very disappointing experience and Bernina Australia is not interested in my complaint.

You ask that I review "customer service"? What "customer service" are you referring to as Bernina offers no customer service.

I spent around $10,000 for my Bernina 780 with embroidery unit back in 2013. It turned out to be an expensive door stop. The machine never worked correctly and the shop I purchased it from could not make it work properly. It never got along with it's embroidery module and I could never embroider with this machine. It only liked 50 weight thread and no matter what adjustments, needles etc etc I tried I could never get it to work with other threads. I am an advanced quilter so I am familiar with sewing machines. A friend of mine who used to sell Berninas tried out my embroidery module with my machine and with her 780. It refused to embroider with my 780 and embroidered beautifully with her machine. She tried different thread weight on my machine and found only 50 weight would work. Why spend multi thousands of dollars to end up with a machine that only accepts 50 weight thread and has an unusable embroidery module. My friend indicated to me that many of the 780 machines were defective and nothing you could do could fix that. I got so upset that I got rid of my defective 780, purchased an even more expensive Baby Lock machine which does everything I desire beautifully. By the way I also ended up purchasing a 590 Bernina to take to classes maybe a couple of years after I purchased the 780. I immediately took this 590 machine to a full day class and it failed 25 times during the class and failed in numerous ways. I returned the machine 7 days after I purchased it and the dealer gave me (thank god) a full refund. I will never purchase a Bernina again. Shame on you guys.

Within 10 months many issues, Timing setting issue, Power board gone

Don't buy it Not reachable no support Too costly No Quality .....terrible

I just bought a Bernina 350 from Calico Country in Carbondale,Illinois. I had it on layaway and we had to show proof of the payments we made because they missed one. When we showed them proof they then got it right. They then just said there it is in the box. No demo or letting us make sure it was all correct. Just take the box and go. Very poor customer service.

I am so disappointed in my bernina 880 words cannot express. I wish I had never purchased a Bernina and you should know that I'm definitely not giving Bernina good advertising. I have had so many things happen and the place I got it is 80 miles 160 round trip away and of course all they want me to do is bring it in so they can change me more money besides the gas it takes to take it to them. I'm not impressed with their knowledge at all.

My Bernina baby is dead again. I swear I just purchased her in March I didn't open the box until May because I was traveling. and it has been in the shop once a month since then with the same problem.
I just found out that the bobbin was not winding correctly, which was causing the mangle threat in the bobbin case, that caused it to seize, every time.

I call customer service again, and spoke to Sharon again, and basically she could care less about me and my problems on a machine I spent THOUSANDS On. She was no help when I called her 3 months ago she wasn't any help today.

the dealer offered me a Janome continental M7 and thanks to Sharon and her inability to feel any compassion for me and the fact that my son is getting married and I can't finish my Mother of the Groom dress. I WILL BE TAKING THAT OFFER.

I dont trust my dealer any longer. AND I NO LONGER TRUST BERNINA.

On 5/22/18 I purchased a Bernina Model 5 Series Embroidery Machine. As of today, I have yet to complete one embroidery project. From the very beginning I have had problems with the machine. The first time I took the machine in for a demonstration the machine did not work properly. The machine has been at the dealers more than in my home. The following are some of the problems:
1. I've gone through 6-8 needles as they have broken in the middle of a design.
2. The light doesn't always come on. I have to reset it nearly every time I turn it on.
3. The stitching is not uniform. Some letters are fine & then some are loose.
4. After stitching 5 or 6 stitches the machine stops & tells me to cut the thread.
5. The bobbin indicator shows that my bobbin is low when in fact it isn't.
6. The spacing is not uniform between letters.
7. Machine will be stitching letters and part way through it stops, the needle moves up &
bastes a one inch square.
8. In the middle of stitching the bobbin gets thread wrapped around the bottom & gets jammed.
9. Unable to use mega hoop all the time.

The machine has done some of these things while the dealer is using the machine. I have taken it back several times. The dealer has even taken a video of what the machine is doing & sent to Bernina. The machine was sent back by the dealer in September to you to try to fix the problems. I have yet to hear from Bernina or the dealer as to the status of my machine.

I feel that at this point, I am either due a new machine or a full refund. If I knew I was going to have this many problems and lack of service that I would never have purchased a Bernina and will not recommend it to anyone else.

I would appreciate your response to this problem in a timely manner.

Sherri Murawski
661-948-5262
[email protected]

Model 5 Series Embroidery Machine
Serial # 60874106
Purchase date 5/22/18

i am based in Doha, Qatar. Our local Bernina dealer is very small and has very little product knowledge and shows very little interest.
I was recently sold to Embroidery hoops for my Bernina 830. A Mega hoop 145 x 225 and the Mega Hoop for borders.
it turns out they are very old stock and does not fit on my 830, but for the Aritisa 200 machine. When I tried to bring it to their attention yesterday I was told to wait till the end of the month as the technician is on holiday.
Why didi the technical sell me the wrong hoops in the first place, they are not cheap. I am from South Africa and the dealers give such good service and training, this dealer in Doha, who apparently own the Saudi branch is rude and not interested. We never have anything on sale, like other countries and the stock is old.

I want to sell my Bernina 220 that I bought in 2007. Can you please tell me how much it is worth.

Thank you

Bernina has the worst ever customer service! I don't recommend anyone buy one. I have a Bernina 710 i bought four years ago. It suddenly went wonky and the needle up/needle down button stopped working as did the presser foot up/down button. It started sewing by itself...i took it to an authorized Bernina repair person and he couldn't fix it so it was shipped off to Bernina headquarters. It has been over six weeks and still no word from Bernina. There isn't anyone to talk to, they ask you to fill out a form and then they do not respond to inquiries. I expect much more than this from a high end company. I will NEVER buy another Bernina and will encourage all my fellow quilters and sewing enthusiasts to buy a sewing machine from a competitor. I would have done better with a cheap Brother...i could have just thrown it out and purchased another and saved the aggravation. I couldn't be more disappointed in Bernina.

This (Feb. 2018) is the second time in about 4 years I've needed customer support at Bernina and both times I've hit a brick wall trying to get help through Bernina's web page. Their web page is nicely designed to look friendly, but Bernina provides no "Customer Support" phone number on their web page, and emails sent to customer Support via their web page go unanswered. Very frustrating considering the price one pays for Bernina sewing machines.

I brought a new bernina B560 just last week dearer won't take it back because no return policy so now I have to pay for it in Evansville ind

I BOUGHT A 820 BERNINA WHEN THEY FIRST CAME OUT Let us just say it has been back to the factory 3 times, to repair people several times . I can never sew on it but for just a few minutes til something goes wrong. It has led to drinking lots of wine. Is there any recourse on this very yellow lemon. Have used Berninas for years happily but ready to throw out the nearest window

I have accidentally lost my invitation to view the Bernina Toolbox on the web at 6 pm. Would you pass this information on to the proper channels so I will receive another email invitation.

Thanks for your response to my request.

Sandra Reed

Last year I invested heavily into the Bernina Longarm Q24. I read their company brochures extensively before buying. I have a business in British Columbia offering Longarm Quilting Services. I was most of all, impressed by their new stitch regulator technology using optical sensors. The outward look of the machine and frame is spectacular. I also use a product called qBot version 3 by Litenup Technologies to offer robotic controlled digital design service. This was essential for me due to a spinal injury requiring surgery. I simply cannot do free motion quilting. I was further convinced to get the Q24 because the qBot company actually uses the same machine and found it to be extremely compatible. They have supplied the qBot system to literally dozens of customers without a hitch. I turned out to be the exception for me. At first, Bernina Canada appeared eager to help but after I spent hours creating videos that demonstrated that my particular machine was malfunctioning in the BSR mode, everything went suddenly from warm to icy. Their immediate response was that the machine was working perfectly and they do not support 3rd party products. I never asked them for support for the robotics. If I need support on that, I go to qBot for answers. A company exemplary in their after purchase support. After that, it degraded into a total gong show. The tech support people have put me through a litany of jumping through hoops. Checking off boxes as they put it. The entire focus of these was to blame me and how I set things up or to blame Lighten Up and their robotics. Not once have they considered that my particular Q24 is malfunctioning. During the quilting out process, it just randomly stops sewing with no error reporting by the machine. It is proven to be neither an upper thread or bobbin thread issue. And it is also proven that it is not the fault of the robotics. They only communication between the robot and the machine is a simple Start/Stop command. I am a very well educated man in both computers and training. It has proven impossible to get my complaints any further than trainers or techs. I have repeatedly asked for access to the 'brass' but those requests go unanswered. There is a distinctly arrogant air about my contact with the techs. It couldn't possibly be the fault of our awesome machine. The fault must surely lie elsewhere. Not one offer as been made to inspect the machine nor offer to test a replacement. Machine logs had to be sent to Switzerland and have been ignored by all appearances. It also appears my dealer is caught between a rock and a hard place. I will say that if you get a machine that is flawless you will be very satisfied but God help you if there is a problem or if you pair your machine with anything other than their own robotics, recently released as Qmatic. I was not available at the time I purchased my machine nor do I expect could I afford it after spending $27,000CAD on the machine and frame.

Readingerconnie
Jul 25, 7:50 PM CDT

My name is Connie Readinger and I have been machine quilting for 21 years. I have been a member of the Berks Quilters Guild for 17 years. I started with a Viking, then went to a Pfaff 1471, then a Pfaff 7570 which I still have, then a Jeaome which I traded for a Bernina 750 in Feb 2013. I was then offered an upgrade at Hinkletown Sewing Center to a Bernina
Model 770 SS 77060603236 in Aug of 2015.

I've had nothing but trouble with the 770QE in free motion quilting! The bobbin thread forms a bird's-nest cutting the bobbin thread and jamming the machine. And it does this a lot, although once is too often. I had it back to the dealer 5 times which is 30 miles, taking 35 minutes one way. They did adjustments, tried to replicate the problem, had me attempt to replicate the problem which I did but they said it was just tensions. They were very very cooperative and even gave me a brand new machine. Much to my displeasure the new machine does the very same thing. A local dealer even offered to take a look at it for me. Again, I wasn't able to replicate the specific problem for them but they watched my technique as did the people at Hinkletown Sewing Center and could not point out any glaring mistakes I was making. The fact that I can't replicate the problem at the dealer is really frustrating for me. After all I had no trouble quilting with the 750 and I quilt a lot.

I have changed quilting techniques as suggested by the dealer, by online experts who use the same machine, and through trail and error. I've changed to foot 44C, and also changed needles and thread many times and still am unable to resolve this issue and it really frustrates me to the point if nothing can be done for me I will take the loss and sell the machine! This has been a horrible experience and I'm at my wits end. Of course I won't be ever buying another Bernina!
My first question are: Do you have other machines doing this?
Is there a way to fix it?
If it's my technique, which I doubt, what can I do different?

I sent this back in July as you can see and have heard nothing back and it's almost a month.
I am very disappointed in the customer service from Bernina. I am also very
frustrated with this machine which continues to bind up and jam my thread. Since I can't get any answers maybe you can please authorize the dealer to refund my full purchase price as soon as possible.

need a manual for a retired 450 Aurora. Been trying since last week to get one.
This is the worst. Never will I buy another Bernina product! Too high and mighty.

You are no better than Singer.

I have had a Bernina 830 B for two years, beautiful machine until: Last fall the bobbin assembly broke, spent alot of money on shipping to Bernina for repair after local repairman contacted them and found out this is a problem (Bernina has known about this for years) with this model. Since it's return in late November it has been back to the shop 6 times - the new bobbin assembly eats thread and jams it up horribly while in embroidery mode. 6 visits in less than 5 months.... Now it sits in the repair shop, the repairman has emailed Bernina for advice and who knows when I will get it back or if it will work right for more than a few hours when I do get it back. My thought is that this is an ongoing problem with the model and Bernina needs to fix it (for real this time)at no cost to me or replace it at no cost to me. BERNINA NEEDS TO MAKE THIS RIGHT FOR ALL OF US who have paid such a high price for this lemon machine. There is apparently no one at Bernina to talk to. They don't even offer adjudication!! Packing this huge machine in for repairs ever 3 weeks is quite inconvenient. Living without a sewing machine is a horrible option, they don't even offer loaners. Problem still not resolved. Local dealer knowledgeable and friendly, but big Bernina apparently doesn't need us customers just their dealers? Unfortunately, I have no one at Bernina to work this out with. If they don't make this right soon I will be on YouTube destroying this hunk of garbage with a few choice words their potential customers will hear.

You have terrible customer service. Cannot reach a live person to ask a question. Cannot find user manuals to download which are free. All are for sale. Doesn't Bernina offer free manual downloads? I am at a public school. No funds for purchase. Phone number is circular. Could not get anyone to even ask a question? I have Bernina serger and machine at home. Will not buy another. Will recommend school district not buy Berninas again.

Watch out for the dealers in New Jersey. Had a problem with two dealers there and am skiddish about using any others. When "customer service" was brought into the conversation things went from bad to worse.

The original problem was that my Virtuosa 160 (sewing machine) needed servicing (timing adjustment) but I thought I might have needed a new bobbin case, so I purchased one at a local dealer and it didn't fit my machine (even though I brought the bobbin case into the store with me to match it). When I demanded my $70 back on the my second and last visit, the dealer offered me a generic bobbin case for $12.95. I bought it just in case I was wrong, but it too didn't fit (never clicked into position like my original bobbin case that I thought may have been my problem).

The "magic" with "customer service" happen when I took my machine in for servicing at the second dealer. Right away, the service technician noticed the bobbin didn't fit and asked if I wanted to buy one which I declined because I still had the original bobbin case and asked him to use a store bobbin case for the service. Later he called to tell me that the "hook" was damaged ($100) and I agreed to purchase the solid steelhook, but asked him to save the damaged hook for me. (I just had the hook in and out of the machine just a few dozen times, so I wanted to see the damage).

Meanwhile Bernina CS resolved the issue for me in this way:

"I needed to do a bit of research on this situation before responding to your email of Wednesday. I spoke with our technical staff and the dealer who installed the new hook to clarify this issue with the bobbin case.
The reason your tension was off, which prompted you to bring the machine to your dealer, was because the hook was damaged. Regardless of whether you used a genuine BERNINA bobbin case or a generic bobbin case, an old case or a brand new one, none would fit properly in place because of the underlying hook damage. You did not receive the wrong bobbin case from the dealer but your tension would be poor and the case would be ill fitting until the hook was replaced."

I got my machine back on May 27th and tried the old hook with my old genuine Bernina bobbin case and it sews no differently than with the new solid steel hook I was sold.

They service based on price point around here and I am so disgusted with Bernina "customer service" I'm still spitting nails. I wrote a letter to president of the company and am waiting for his response. It's nearly been a month now and so far nothing.

I have a bernina 640 and having problem doing auto buttonhole. Quick reverse button would not work. Else for regular sewing there is no problem

I purhcased a Bernina from Sew from the Heart in Scottsdale and HIGHLY recommend that you do NOT purchase from them. They have the worst customer service, do not returns call, and are unethcial.

Useless websites. No phone numbers. Downloaded user manuals. Missing critical information. Useless. Dealers don't know anything about the product. Were going to buy Bernini 880B. Changing our mind.

If you purchased BERNINA products and are not getting your lessons from your Dealer, BERNINA would want to hear about it. Did you ever contact them through the official BERNINA website? Furthermore, there is live online Software Support through the website as well. And finally, I've called in before and the phone message did prompt me to hit "0" for an operator, which connected me directy with customer service.