I’ve had a Bernina 790Pro for some time — about three years now — and thought it would be a permanent fixture in my sewing room. That is, that’s what I thought until about a month or so ago. As I usually do, I took my Pro to my local tech for its annual cleaning, oiling, and adjusting. I didn’t realize at first that the tech was out sick, so I went back to get my Pro until the tech felt better. As soon as I’d set it back into my table, I began the automatic threading process so I could do some embroidery. And that’s when disaster struck.
The automatic threader came forward, as it was supposed to do — but then it just sat there in that position, no matter what I tried. I attempted a gentle push — nope. I restarted the machine — nope. The threader just sat there, out of place, with a big error message on the screen. Obviously, there was nothing left to do except take the machine back to the shop and await the tech’s return.
The phone call came a couple of days later, and it wasn’t good news. Not only could the tech not fix it or figure out why it had happened, but his call to Bernina in Chicago didn’t result in any solutions, either. In fact, they wanted him to send the parts in so they could see what was going on. And, of course, I’d been reading about people waiting months for fixes from Chicago. Not good, especially since I had a deadline looming for a label for a wedding quilt, as well as some FM quilting to do — neither of those are things that my cute little Bernina 475 could manage.
At that point, my very understanding husband asked me why I didn’t simply buy a new machine. You can probably guess that I perked up at that, given that Bernina was offering an interest-free loan on new machines! I immediately called my local shop and asked whether I could buy a 790Ultra. Oops. All of the ones she’d ordered had already been purchased by other people. Drat. Ten minutes after that call, she phoned me back to say that they had a floor model that was so new that they’d never even had a chance to plug it it — did I want that one?
It’s too late to make a long story short, so I’ll simply say that I’ve finished the quilt label I needed, and I’m making good progress on that FM quilting. I can’t get another of those beautiful skins I used to have, but I’ve added some pretty hibiscus stickers to my Ultra to make it more personal. I’m really enjoying my happy ending!
2 thoughts on “A major disaster”
So happy that you managed to get the Ultra. It sounds like a wonderful machine. My 990 has been gone for 8 months come Oct 3 🙁 I feel totally lost without it. The part is in finally but back in Toronto for the head technician to deal with so I totally understand. I was seriously considering the Ultra myself but I love the 990. Seems like a lot of the problems revolve around the threader. Mine also got stuck & the machine wouldn’t do anything. Just had an error message about the threader. Fingers crossed it is home soon & I will be locked in the house with it!!! You enjoy every minute with yours.
Omigosh, Candace! Your story is the latest in a series I’ve heard about with huge delays for repairs! I thought it was just the US, but apparently it’s everywhere, since you’re in Canada. I’m so sorry you’ve had this horrendous wait! And yes, it looks like the automatic threader might have some glitches to be worked out. I’d love to know what they tell you, if anything, once you’re able to get your 990 home again! Best of luck!