I Did Not Want To Make This Video... | Episode 94

In this episode, The Opinionated Quilter explains the importance of having a good local dealer when purchasing any type of sewing machine. She details her difficulty of getting repairs done on her Gammill long arm since Gammill no longer uses the dealership business model.

[@angelroost]

Shocking response from Gammill on many levels. It doesn't matter how many forms of customer service they offer if none of them work for their customers.

[@lindakQOV]

I agree with your video! I bought a Gammill in 2011 specifically because of the reputation of a dealer. After Mr. and Mrs. Gammill retired the company's service changed! Part of the business plan was to change their customer service........to a point it's worthless!! That reputable dealer suddenly wasn't there. Now I'm stuck with someone in the Gammill factory in the southern US. I'm in Alaska. They don't even look at time zone differences when they make calls to me. I don't appreciate receiving calls at 5 a.m.!!! And the cost of getting someone up to service or fix the machine is horrid! Thanks for posting this video that tells me I'm not alone in feeling customer service has suffered greatly in the last few years. BTW, when someone is thinking of buying a longarm, I quickly say "don't even look at Gammill. Their customer service is horrid!"

[@C123abc]

I'm glad you made this video. You should get the service you were sold with your product! I'm sure they would have said something about their customer support at the onset of the sale. They need to hire and train more techs. Too many companies complain that no one wants to work when what they mean is that they don't want to incentivize them to do so. It's been called Greed-flation: charge more, deliver less, blame on the economy and increase your bottom line rather than deliver for customers.

[@veronicascott8012]

Agree with this!

[@caroljennings8778]

Thank you for making this video. I'm fairly new with Gammill but when they dismissed their dealers service actually went down hill. I talked to someone in Gammill about changing my handles to soft touch and they said I could so I ordered them. When received and unboxed immediately knew they were wrong. Customer service gave me such a hard time about returning them I needed up telling them off telling them I'll never buy another product from them. OMG what a mistake they made dismissing their dealers. I stand beside you for exposing them as the most uncaring business I've ever dealt with. LOVE YOUR VIDEOS.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

I am so sorry you had such a bad experience. Thank you for watching.

[@juliaconner5445]

I feel your pain, Maureen. Not with Gammill, as I don't own a long arm, but customer service in general has gone downhill everywhere lately. We quit going to a fast food joint because we were greeted at the speaker with, Yeah, what do you want? We fired our pest control company when pink insulation blew out of the floor registers because of rats nesting in the crawlspace; no one bothered to call back. I found another medical clinic when my calls weren't returned and prescriptions weren't called in. The sad thing is, these companies will wonder what the heck happened when their business dries up.

[@fransak2723]

I was in customer service for most of my working years. It is definitely not what it used to be. I hate paying good money for bad service!

[@user-eo9jy7kv8f]

Maureen, thank you for making this video. My business is based on my Gammill Statler and I have experienced issues like yours and heard many more horror stories. You are brave and everything you said in your video is factual and true, and you say it so nicely. Bravo! I will lose my business if I'm down for 6 weeks or more. I am appalled at the response that Michelle Andrews Weaver sent you you. She infact is the owner of Gammill and from the response you received is an unfit owner. Attacking the customer is a terrible business practice that could eventually be the downfall of the Gammill Company. Now for your bravery for posting this video you probably be cut off from any communication/membership on any social media sites that Gammill controls, I've seen it happen several times. I have recently found Everything Longarm as well and am happy to know they are trained for tech support for my Gammill. That is a little bright spot in my day.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

What I read from Michelle is a social media post. My emails were from the customer service department that I did not read. I was shocked that the post I read was from the owner of the company.

[@bethkoch11]

Unfortunately we see this bad customer service more and more these days. I spent my entire working career dealing with (among many other things) customer service, and that email is one of the worst things I've heard of. For one thing, it's really long - is that a stock email that's sent to everyone with a problem? How unprofessional. And the excuses - wow! Remember that old saying "The customer is always right"? Of course that's not true some of the time, but I'm sure you as a business owner know that if you want to keep their business and also get new referrals, you don't start out by pointing fingers, making excuses and casting blame around. Wow.

[@debmitsch2397]

So true of many companies...sell the product, where the profit is made, but fail to provide reliable support. Videos, hot lines or other short cut measures are no replacement for companies truly backing the product and good customer service. Agree a dealer network is the heart of any good product.

[@teresarobinson7471]

Thank you so much for publishing this video. So glad your machine is up and running. I do love the Gammill machines, however opted not to invest in one because there was inconsistent tech support based on how things are now.

[@ilamigut992]

Thank you for documenting your experience. I don't know if I could have done it as fairly as you did. It's a shame that there's a lack of support and so few options. Congratulations on persevering and getting a workable solution....for now. I, too, have a longarm (different company), and getting service is a constant worry. I wish there was a better system for service.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Thank you for your kind words.

[@pkfamily7297]

This is so sad. I have dreamed of having a Gammill long-arm for years because their product is the best on the market, but I’m no longer interested if their customer service is sub-par. How disappointing. Thank-you for sharing.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Very sad. No one would knowingly buy a machine for which they can't get service.

[@suesweeney5952]

Oh Maureen, I am so sorry this happened to your machine. Your revenue stream from your longarm business helps your brick and mortar store stay in business! We need you! A Gammill machine is such an investment, and has always been the gold standard. Sad story.

[@user-eo9jy7kv8f]

Yes, I'm afraid of losing my business as well.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Thank you Sue. It is really bad for all Gammill owners.

[@pjgahner4087]

Thank You. I bought in 07-2021, delivery 09-2021. Gammill has been my dream for 30 years, the last 3 yrs hasnt been a good dream. I had a not great experience with the Dealer JUST as they changed the Dealer model, no training, no follow up. I have spent lots more money to get some of the things New Owners are now getting. I’m just trying to love my machine but it has been a big struggle. I would HOPE Gammill would work to make ALL owners happier and like you I have had little response from them.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

I am so sorry to hear you too, had a bad experience. It is such a shame what once was such a great company is treating their customers so poorly.

[@lcsd863]

I like that you called out people by name. Good for you. Maybe that will make changes at Gammill.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

I really debated that. In the end, Michelle Andrews Weaver posted that on social media with her name, so I felt that she stands by what she wrote. As far as Jennifer Smith goes, my dealer, whom I did not name, gave me her name as someone who could help me. I didn't want to embarrass my dealer who over the years provided me excellent service.

[@tamrich100]

Thank you for the video. I too have a Gammill horror story, but will not share here as they did eventually make my issue right (with an additional investment on my part). I bought the Gammill because of the customer service and now it is imploding. Also got notice they will only be doing 2 shows this year, so any help we might have received at a show is not going to happen. When I asked about dealerships not being available, I was told that they were standardizing the pricing models (in the past some dealers offered better deals and sold more machines than others). So now everything is equitable. This is so sad. I dreamed about this machine for many years and when I finally purchased it the support has been so erratic. Good luck going forward!

[@theopinionatedquilter]

I am sorry you have a horror story. My issue was solved too. I just have a problem with the service wait time and how the customer is treated.

[@margaretderen2082]

I think you did the very best thing - get the news out! Thank you. Most of us belong to multiple machine FB groups where people routinely ask for recommendations for machines.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Yes, please share.

[@rhondabish2186]

Many companies are outsourcing their service departments. These secondary companies don’t care, they get paid no matter what. That hateful cow who wrote the letter needs to be fired. She obviously has no customer service skills.

[@user-eo9jy7kv8f]

That hateful cow is the owner of Gammill and it's high time for her to sell the company and moo-ve on. She obviously can't run and manage the Gammill Corp. Paul Statler would be appalled.

[@marciahowe9555]

The person who wrote that letter is the owner of Gammill. It was posted on Gammill's facebook page.

[@lisah2208]

I don’t own a Gammill, so cannot comment on their service delivery, however, I can comment on the response you received via email. It was unprofessional at the least and showed disgusting level of contempt for you as a customer. I’d be forwarding that response to the CEO and perhaps the Board of Executives for an explanation on why this woman’s response to a customer is an acceptable representation of their company. To reply to you it would be more convenient if people scheduled heart attacks and major health concerns, was to me a red flag that the Gammill company and its employees are struggling. I can’t imaging how Gammill is treating its employees if they think that sort of response to you is acceptable. Wow!

[@theopinionatedquilter]

The problem is, I found out, she is the one who owns the company. Scary. As far as how the employees are treated, one ex employee told me, she treats her employees the same way she treated me.

[@stevemcmillin2737]

So aggrivating! I know what you are talking about . Of course it's the company that provides my moms oxygen equipment! Hours on hold and no one calling me back. You can't email them, they are only over the phone! Donna Jordan's Gammill was down for several months, she couldn't finish any quilts for several months. Too much of this going on everywhere.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

I did not know Donna Jordan's machine was down. Hopefully, she will join my call for "We want our dealerships back". Thanks for watching and thanks for the info.

[@bobbinwithbrittany]

And it took several appointments for her too. They had a video of it running then it was down again. I can’t believe they let such a high profile customer hanging like that!

[@terrihunsberger7979]

I, too, had a similar experience with Gammill service. Waited six weeks for a technician to come after finding out service was not available through a dealer I had previously worked with. When I asked Gammill if I could bring my machine to them, a ten hour trip one way, I was told they don't have a service site for repairs. Gammill owners are now totally at their mercy. Six to eight weeks lead time is unacceptable!

[@theopinionatedquilter]

That is what I used to do, bring my machine to my dealer, an hour away. I can't believe they wouldn't let you bring the machine to them. If they are going to handle all of the repairs, shouldn't they have a site for repairs?

[@charlenemorris6391]

Well sounds like the customer service in this generation. Always an excuse not a solution. I am a senior and still work- it takes a lot to put up with this generations attitude. I am glad you got it fixed although with much aggravation.

[@AnnSmyser]

I hope this gets shared far and wide. They’ve been making excuses for their untimely lack of service since they took over. As long as they own/run the company, I won’t recommend anyone buy a Gammill.

[@jamesdahlin4735]

Thank-you. Good to know. Will definately steer clear of gammill.

[@stonecrestquilt]

I have a 22 year old Gammill classic plus, for years I’ve wished I just had the spoon foot to glide over seams and such. For a very short time Gammill had them but you had to buy the “kit” which was 5 feet(already had the other 4) for about $350. They discontinued this 5 foot kit and they’re no longer available and haven’t been for at least six or seven years. All the other long arm owners with different brands than mine are able to get any kind of fee they want for their long arm but I can’t get any. I would love to have the couching foot, but I know that will never happen. Now I don’t buy anything from a dealer. I just cut them out and buy used long arms from quilters. and I do all of my own maintenance and tech stuff. I even replaced the motor a few years ago. There is a place called accomplish quilting that will service and repair any brand. I live in Nashville Tennessee, and we do have an accomplish quilting here the other one I think is in Michigan. If I ever bought another long arm, I will go with another brand, probably Innova, APQS or the brand Angela Walters uses after she also dumped Gammill. I can’t complain. I paid $4000 cash for my machine from a lady up in West Virginia many years ago. It came loaded 14 foot frame perfect condition. Never had a problem with it except the work I’ve done to it. I don’t think the new ones are made as well as the old ones and I definitely won’t buy another one.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

You are lucky you can do your maintenance. When I was searching for help I did call Accomplish quilting but they told me they couldn't help me. That is terrible about the feet. You should be able to purchase what you want.

[@lcsd863]

Thank you for the video. Very important info.

[@conniesnyder9463]

This is true about any sewing machine…you buy from a reputable dealer and hope they don’t go out of business. Good luck.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Hopefully, good dealers do not go out of business. If they retire and it is a good business someone will want to buy it.

[@genawalter401]

Wow, wow, wow! I can't even believe that she sent that email to you! So very unprofessional and gaslighting the customer....really? Just terrible! Good for you for sharing and keeping your delivery of the info professional. It would be easy to just lose your cool and say many things that you may regret in the future. Very sad that a major company like that would treat their customers so badly. 😢

[@theopinionatedquilter]

It wasn't an email, it was a social media post. The machines they make are so fantastic, it is a shame that they pulled the dealerships out of the equation.

[@genawalter401]

Well, even for a post on social media.....so very unprofessional. Such a shame.

[@sammy27370]

I had the very same experience with Gamill over a year ago!!!!! Same story. They didn’t care and the people I spoke with didn’t care either. I traded it in for Innova and very happy with it

[@WeQuiltStudio]

Can you share the name of the Innova Dealer that you eventually traded with? And also the Trade-in Value that you got?

[@wandawalker4191]

Such a cute littke heart! Thank you for ending on a positive note. Keep your chin up!

[@Cotton4ME-vu5um]

with the investment made by individuals…customer service SHOULD BE A GIVEN not an Iffy,,!,,,,! Good 4 U … speak up and out

[@loisfoster6073]

This situation is total drama with Gammill. I suspect Gmail will be completely out of business soon. Doubtful the dealership model will ever comeback. I predict a big grave yard of unwanted and unusable Gammills.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

I hope not. I truly do not want Gammill to go out of business. I want them to stay in business but that won't happen unless the serve their customers.

[@randylls5341]

Thank you for sharing, rather than letting other people get blind-sided. Customer service really doesn't seem to exist in the way it used to. I have worked understaffed, bare bones so any personnel issues Immediately back up to bcome big issues, rather than small incidents. Even phone companies don't have phone numbers available for servicing customers. Profits go to the top of companies not actual workers. 😢

[@trudyward9113]

That is the cutest heart I've ever seen!

[@lizarbaugh9966]

May I just say I am so happy that I own an Innova. We have 24/7. If my machine breaks at any hour, I can pick up the phone and call and talk to somebody immediately. My Innova dealer used to be one of the largest Gammill dealers in the country before switching to Innova.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Wow. I am impressed. 24/7 service. That would be great.

[@diannaskillen845]

I’ve got a Qnique and have just ordered a new one. I live in Australia and even with the time difference customer support has been brilliant.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Good to hear.

[@suedavis1835]

I don’t own a longarm, but am in the process of looking for one. I will definitely keep,away from Gammill. I have been eyeing the Handi Quilter machines as they look to be easy to use and maintain. (And have a dealership network.)

[@theopinionatedquilter]

I don't know why anyone would buy from a company that takes so long for service. It's a shame because the machine is so good.

[@Cotton4ME-vu5um]

wondering IF the company is being prepped for the end and pushing whatever machines are out there to gain funds beforehand? i do not a long arm; i do have costly domestic machines and feel like gamill might be on the down side due to higher quality of machines.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

That is a scary thought!

[@barbaraanderson2554]

So what part should I have replaced twice now already? In 23 years I have replaced a tensioner and a switch. I do replace the O rings regularly. I oil it, keep it dust free, and clean the tracks. I also have in Intelliquilter system. That requires a little more maintenance.

[@beckypetersen2680]

Wow! That letter is something else!

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Yes indeed. Posted by the owner of the company.

[@ceciliaschleicher278]

WOW! Blaming the cusromer lack of competency

[@roycelenamond746]

I could NOT agree more with you!! The service is awful. I inherited my machine. It was working with a computer from 2007. I couldn’t even connect to internet with it. So, I called tech support at Gammill and found that it was going to be $2300 to get up to date. Since I hadn’t paid for the machine, it was not unbearable. Also, there was a glitch with the “Red Key” (Gammill owners will know). So, after much back and forth, it was determined (by tech support) that I should order a replacement key and if it wasn’t needed I could return it. Once the new computer arrived, the key problem seemed to have disappeared. So I called Gammill to get an RMA number to send the key back. It was at that moment that I was told there be a restocking fee and a credit card fee. WHAT?!?!?! Gammill charged me $1000 for the key, which broke down to $250 for the cost of the key, and $750 “core charge”. So when they received my old key, they would credit me the $750 back. So, it ended up costing me $236 (roughly) to return it!!! I was furious! I kept escalating the problem through the tech help department. When I still want satisfied, and asked for the contact info for the President of the company, I was told they don’t give out that information. I tried to find her info on line and couldn’t find it. When the dust settled I was out $236 +/-, and I had nothing for it. I did hook up the new computer, which I had to sign a waiver because they want their techs to do this. It was a 4-5 week wait, and a $475 service call charge. My husband is very Tech savvy and was able to do it all for free. I finally needed some work done on the machine and it was going to be 5 weeks waiting, and $350 or more for the service call, plus parts if needed. So, I have found a local person that works on all brands, that was here the next day, and charged $200. And the bulk of the e charge was due to the distance he had to come. Just a side note, there are 2 Longarmers I watch on KZbin that USED to use Gammills. The main reason I watched them. Both have sold their machines and changed brands. I have no problem understanding why. I hate that the writing is on the wall, but it doesn’t look like a good future for Gammill with their current trajectory. Very bad business direction. Thank you Maureen for making the video!!!! I enjoy your content. 😊

[@theopinionatedquilter]

I am so sorry you had to go through that. Sounds like a nightmare. May I ask who the two longarmers are? One comment stated that Angela Walters no longer uses Gammill and the same for Missouri Star. I am interested in what has caused big name quilters to drop the brand. Another poster said Donna Jordan's machine was down for quite some time. One would think keeping prominent quilters machines working would be a priority.

[@roycelenamond746]

@@theopinionatedquilter I responded, but don’t see the response. And I wanted to make sure you got the info. The first is a channel name Stitched With Susan, she’s now using a Bernina. The other channel is Adria Good, I don’t remember what brand she’s now using. But there is a video on her channel that talks about it. I’m really interested in knowing why others are dropping the brand. If the writing is on the wall that Gammill’s a fading company, I’d love to bail out before the ship has completely sunk. Hoping you make an update video! Best wishes.

[@Ronibearable]

Missouri Star used to have only Gammill, they ditched those and switched brands. You will end up having to switch brands too if you don't want to have to deal with the issues. I would not be surprised if Gammil goes under, better trade in and switch before that happens. I have a long arm, NOT a Gammill. It's too bad about Gammill, they used to be the best, they are not anymore. A great machine that you can't keep serviced and working is now the worst machine... because sitting there not running it's worthless. I will say though, I am SHOCKED that you published this. Perhaps they won't sue, and you won't get blacklisted.. before you can trade in and get a reliable brand. Good luck.

[@beckypetersen2680]

What can they sue about? She's telling her story - facts and all - nothing made up - she's simply telling her story and that's not against the law.

[@Ronibearable]

@beckypetersen2680 companies sue. Half the time for no reason.

[@jennrea4275]

They pulled out of the only dealer in western Canada. I’ve had my machine for over ten years, it was purchased from accomplish quilting second hand before we had a dealer in western Canada. I’m not sure why they’re having such issues with the company. Management changes?

[@leahholland6272]

Yes it's a management/owner change. No dealers anywhere. They pulled back worldwide sales and service to their head office! No dealer network, no local technicians, no supplies other than through the main office.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

And, therein lies the problem. No one local to service owners. You are 100% at their mercy.

[@LisaLisa-zl9vu]

I’m going to start a riot but where I live many of the quilt shops hire miserable people. Some of the owners are that way too. I won’t buy a sewing machine from these places because when an issue arises I will get miserable customer service.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

I am sorry to hear that. I try to give the best customer service and so should all retail businesses.

[@user-un4xd3wh7o]

Michelle Andrew Weaver is the Owner of Gammill Statler.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Wow. I knew the names Ken Gammill and Paul Statler but never heard of Michelle Andrew Weaver. After reading Michelle's social media post I now see why Gammill's customer service is lacking.

[@BeckyAndersen365]

This is all so frustrating.

[@violaqueen2234]

Just listening to what the Gammill rep wrote to you had me steaming. I’m finding lately that we are paying more for everything and getting so much less, less service, less quality, less professionalism, less choice, and we can either accept it, or let companies know we’re not accepting it. I hope you and the other Gammill owners get some positive results. Just a thought, I wonder if the company has been sold and the new owners are cutting expenses.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

The post I read was from the owner of the company. It was somewhat recently, a few years ago, sold to her and her husband. Pretty good read on the situation.

[@rosejohnson452]

This is a well documented customer service alert. Good job. Buyer beware. Be mad as hell and don't stand for poor service, insults and lies.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Thank you for watching.

[@kerryl4031]

Oh my goodness! How extremely unprofessional - to rudeness! I love the heart, and I love that book. It's one I often pull out and adapt bits - mainly borders! Thank you.

[@julieanderson2428]

Dealer is key!!!!

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Absolutely.

[@Cotton4ME-vu5um]

gee golly…where is the link to that horrific email that uses ,,, literally uses the health of individuals to blame for follow through 🤬 okays hour later i review online the gammill you tube and am wondering just what really is happening….Both, husband and wife team of Gammill Weavers seem nice. miscommunication and lack of Customer Service training for the Gammill CS team is lacking. +cancelling dealerships is definitely a financial issue and obviously has created a major pile up with the over whelming amount of Gammill Owners left in limbo when the decision to restructure the CS dept in conjunction with the Repair/Parts dept.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

The post was on a Gammill facebook users' group. I watched a video hosted by Linda Taylor with the Weavers and you are right, they seemed so nice. They indicated that they agreed to take care of all of the employees and dealerships when they bought the company. I wonder what happened.

[@donnapoulin5092]

Let's see how well she does without a paycheck for 8 weeks. I wanna know how that goes.

[@cynithiadykes8537]

Sounds like Gammil was not prepared to take over repairs

[@leahholland6272]

I think they expected some of the techs that were associated with dealers to stay on with the new business model. But the $$$ was not there for the techs (previous dealers) and probably limited their ability to continue the rest of their business

[@judyfargo8162]

You sound like you're being completely reasonable in your expectations. It's very short-sighted of Gammill to provide such poor service. Can you imagine what they have to spend in marketing to counter the effects of each dissatisfied customer? It's pretty stupid on their part.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

True, but their answer is to delete posts, ban users on Facebook and accuse those who have had issues as liars. The solution is to restore the dealership network.

[@erlinepruitt3626]

❤️👍👍👍❤️👋👋👋❤️

[@karenwerts2331]

[@wandawalker4191]

Such a cute littke heart! Thank you for ending on a positive note. Keep your chin up!

[@wandawalker4191]

Such a cute littke heart! Thank you for ending on a positive note. Keep your chin up!