Customer Service - Babylock Symphony

UPDATE - SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

The machine is ready to pick up! Will be picking her up tomorrow! Cross your fingers that Cranky One is not there!



This is a vent...so if you don't want to read it, I'd say browse some of my other posts.
 ***warning... contents may be caustic to some readers******

My lovie bought me a beautiful Babylock Symphony at Sewing Sensation in Calgary (south store). It was a LOT of money -- to me that means over $2,500.00 (on sale) -- which in my world was a HUGE present. I was gobsmacked and blown away at the generosity of Chef. I love, love, love my machine. Considering that I went in the store and was not allowed to "touch" it, or try to sew anything on it, but I got to watch the sales clerk (aka Cranky One) show us all the great features. I should have walked out then, but I didn't. I listened politely, asked questions, looked at Chef and he said, "Do you have one ready to go?" Off we went with it. BEAUTIFUL! It's a great thing that I can read. My lessons consisted of "Come in anytime, but you have to book first." The "lesson" came with buying the machine.

"OK, sign me up!" -- Cranky One went to the calendar and said "There is an opening with me three months from now." Now, here I am, a new customer and I'm thinking to myself that I'm excited! I want to rip into the package and get sewing and try out everything! THREE MONTHS???? You have got to be f-ing kidding me?  Could I figure it out on my own? Would Cranky One be upset even MORE if I asked for another person? Politely I said, "OK, that would be lovely".

Flash forward to three months and I go in for my "special lesson" that came along with the purchase of this machine. Again I sat there as Cranky One made me sit next to her while SHE sewed and showed me the stitches. What a bloody waste of my time!

Any time I went back to that store (only if I absolutely had to), I would sit in the parking lot and get my gumption up to walk in the door. Cranky One would sniff you out like a rat in heat and pounce! Now don't get me wrong, there are "other" people in there, but MY luck, I always ended up with Cranky One! I even drove to the NORTH store (now realize I live on one end of the city and the North store is a "pack your lunch" ride!) When I went to the North store, the customer service was OUT OF THIS WORLD! There was ONE person in there that handled 3 people at one time with courtesy AND a smile on her face. She even offered to let me sit in front of a machine and SEW ON MY OWN! Lordy! (Trust me I said thanks to God right then and there!) ok..ok...I digress....

A couple of weeks ago, I called in because it's been 2 years since my "Baby" has been there. She works beautifully! I got another lady on the phone at the south store (NOT CRANKY ONE), who said it would take a couple of weeks if I brought it in. She said though that she could put me on the list and that when my machine came up, I could take it in right then and they would service it that day or the next. She told me to be sure to bring in my foot peddle and the power cord. I could do that. Well they phoned yesterday and asked us to bring it in today. YEAH! Baby is going to the spa! I've been good with her and treated her well. Cleaned her and used good thread and of course the right bobbins, etc. She is FINE. She just needs a spa day to clean out where I can't!

Today I walk in after a day of appointments to drop off Baby. Waiting patiently at the desk for someone to free up. Out of the corner of my eye, I see, in stealth mode.... CRANKY ONE headed to the desk. I look down at my feet hoping and praying she will wait on someone else, but you know, she's sniffed me out already and barks at me, "YOU NEXT?" God, I look around and there is no one behind me that I can push forward...and I meekly say, "We had a phone call saying I could bring my machine in," pointing to Chef standing next to me holding my machine.

"Well put it up here!" she says to Chef, who comply's and walks towards the kids area where our grandson spy's a train set.

"What's WRONG with it?" she says, staring at me with a sneer on her face.

"Nothing's wrong with it. I just brought it in for a spa day!" I said smiling! (hoping to God that maybe she'll lighten up a bit!)

"ARE YOU SURE NOTHINGS WRONG WITH IT?"

"I'm positive! She sews like a dream!" I say

Cranky One looks disdainfully at my Baby (realize it's still a pretty new machine that SHE sold me), an starts writing out all the stickers to place over the machine, foot, cord)

"Oh, I labelled everything," as I show her where the labels are.

"Well those arn't GOOD ENOUGH," she says.

"Oh?"

"These labels have to have the invoice number!" (with you guessed it, the sneer!)

"Oh, Ok." I say (with a f--ing SMILE) God help me be graceful and less potty mouth!

"You DIDN'T bring the right presser foot!" (said like I am a total moron)

"Well, I WOULD HAVE brought the RIGHT presser FOOT, if I was TOLD to bring the RIGHT PRESSER FOOT!"

Cranky one glares at me.

"I am more than happy to buy the right presser foot so that you have it!" pulling out my wallet.

Huffing, she heads off to see if they have a presser foot (remember this is the store I BOUGHT the machine at and they have parts).

She comes back to the counter and says, "We don't have one!"

Cranky One glares at me, "They would have told you to bring it when you booked it in."

I look at her, "Well they didn't, and nor did they tell me yesterday when they phoned to tell us to bring it in."  (Cranky One glaring at me like I just fell off the turnip truck).... "Alright, would you like me to go home and bring it tomorrow?" I ask.

"NO," Cranky One says...... That's it...she says "NO" and nothing else...she goes to the next counter and grabs a paper and writes with a bloody big felt pen, "NO PRESSER FOOT"

 like the sign would be seen by certainly a visually impaired person!

Next.....don't hold your breath here....she then rings it into the register so I get a receipt for it.

I thank her...yes, I THANKED that woman and asked, "So when can I come back and pick it up?"

Cranky One, "Maybe sometime next week."

Now realize, we booked it in, waited 3 weeks to get it in so it could be worked on and I get "Sometime next week." Yes, I had to open my mouth and ask, "Early in the week, at the end of the week, or the following week?"

Cranky One stares at me like I'm an idiot.

"Sorry," I say, "But I have never done this and would like to have an idea."

"We'll call you," Cranky One says.

Again, I THANK HER.

With a smile on my face I wish her a great weekend and thank her AGAIN. She yells after me, "You have a good weekend too!" (and under her breath I am sure she was saying "and I hope you die")

I'm writing this post and thinking that poor Baby has been left with the evil witch. It's like those bad restaurants and you send food back, thinking to yourself that they will spit in your food or worse and bring it back! Maybe Baby is GREAT now, but Cranky One will drop her so she really has some "problems". I am just sick, sick over all of it!

So, to the wise Calgary people out there.... find another shop, or if you are truly adventurous, I dare you to go in and see if you can spot Cranky One!

While I mourn here over the brief absence of Baby,

Happy Quilting Everyone!