CENTRAL SEWING SERVICE

Old Kenmore sewing machine was frozen.

I found it difficult to even find a person to repair my machine. Of the two listed on yellow pages, one was out of business and the other did not answer the phone. I looked in safari and came up with several and called Central Sewing Service as he had a high rating on Angie’s List. He was at my house 2 hours later. That’s right, he came to my house! And my machine was fixed 1/2 hour later.

Excellent! I called at 2:00 p.m. on a Saturday to ask for an appointment to have sewing machine repaired. Steve said he could come today, but it would be late evening. I agreed, and at 8:20 p.m. he showed up at the door (after calling to say he was on his way). He had the problem fixed, machine cleaned and oiled, and tensions adjusted in approximately 25 minutes. I never dreamed I would get such prompt service and that he would actually come to my home to do the repairs. I was more than willing to take my machine somewhere for repairs, so this was a pleasant surprise. I might add that I live approximately 30 miles from his place of business. This is service you don't expect in today's society and I certainly appreciated it.

Called Steve and he quoted $29.95 for service call and clean and oiling. I said machine was clean and oiled and he said timing was probably off and for around $50 he could fix it. Steve came out, he needed my paper towels because he did not bring any and later a properly fitting screw driver to fit after he tore up one of the slotted heads on an adjustment for the bobbin holder. Turns out he tore it up because he did not loosen another set screw which holder the adjuster in place. While I was getting the tool he removed the bobbin holder and when I came back in he said it was missing pieces and another part was installed wrong. Strange thing, the bobbin was working earlier that day and there is no possible way to install the bobbin holder retainer wrong! He claimed to just happen to have a used part in his small tool box just like I needed for $40 that was not missing any pieces. But now suddenly price jumped to $165 from $50. Steve then claims machine is best ever made and worth $400. Not true as it turns out, just his way of pressuring customer to make repair and justify his price. I asked how did we go from $50 plus $40 for the used part to $165? He says additional labor charge. He then said $125 was as low as he would go. Let me tell anyone reading this that this bobbin holder is removed with your finger in under 3 seconds and reinstalled in same time. FACT. Total time he spent at house was well under 25 minutes. Steve then says he timed machine and when he used it for first time the needle broke instantly. Said it still wasn't timed but he did not do anything more except play with screw he mangled earlier and it still never rotated and took tension disc apart which also took all of 5 seconds and reinstall. He got it to sew about 6 inches and it looked good on top but underneath was not very tight stitch. Saw that after he was gone because he left the sample. He also sprayed WD40, which 2 other shops I called after this mess said is a definite no-no. Thread now soaks up all the oil he sprayed all over the bobbin area and I will have to clean it myself. I watched as he oiled the rest of machine with way too much because the manual says to oil with ONE drop per oil. He wound a bobbin for me but after he left I saw it had loops of loose thread. Bottom line machine was not working properly and I was "forced" to pay him just to get him out of the house before he tore something else up. After he left I watched a video on how to time and he NEVER even touched the gear where you time it. This guy can not work with his hands. His tools are cheap and his skill level is sub par in my opinion. He wrote an amount on the back of a business card and it is not it itemized and this is the only receipt I got. Very un-professional. After Steve left I discovered while he had the tensioner apart he removed the stop plate and took it with him. This part controls the dial tension know so it can only rotate 1 revolution. I called Steve and his reply was I did not need it. He said to sew everything on tension setting 3. Witch 3 the knob now rotates 3 revolution showing 3 3 different times. I insisted he send it back to me. As of this review I have not received it. Would never hire him again or any of his family. I want all my money back from him. I know more how this machine works now than I did before and all of my knowledge came from watching videos and none of it from watching this guy!

Terrible and terrifying experience. I'm afraid to post the details because the guy is crazy and I am afraid of him. Let me just say he overcharges, is not transparent with his fees, and was extremely rude when I brought up the issue with him. I would not let this person into my house.

unknown

I dropped off my machine at a friends house so he serviced 2 machines at one location. When I brought my machine home and tried to use it it still was not working. I called and talked to Steve. He said that he would have to charge me another trip charge. Mind you he charged me and my friend a trip charge and was only at her house. I told him I have already paid you 89 dollars for you to repair this machine and Im not paying anything else. He said why dont you just spray some WD 40 on the internal parts that should do the trick. Even though this is not my expertise I did it and it still does not work. At this point I could of went and bought a new machine.

unknown

Same day service. Punctual, polite, kind, knows what he's doing. Super convenient, as he came to my house when I was available. Great experience!

It went as well as it could possibly go. The few details were already mentioned, above.

He said he fixed my quilter and if it didn't work He would be back. I call the same day and he said he was across town at the moment.I waited and never heard from.him. To this day I have not heard a word but he kept my 93.00 dollars. I thought business on Angie's list were to reparable people and thats why I joined Because I have heard so much about it, Another thing I ask if I could write a check and He said no it had to be cash.So my quilter is in Westervile getting fix.

Great! Steve comes to your house.... on Saturday... same day as you called him! Prompt, professional and very knowledgeable. He had all the replacement parts with him and repaired my machine on the spot. I was working in a project at 12:30 when my machine broke ... I was back at the project by 3:00 ... doesn't get much better than that!

I own a White sewing machine that is well over 40 years old that my mother had given me several years ago. It's a great machine and I like to keep it maintained even though it doesn't get much use. It had been at least 5 years since I had it in for a maintenance check, so when my 10 year old daughter needed to use the sewing machine for her 4H sewing project, I decided it was time for a maintenance check. I called Central Sewing Service based on their advertised cost of $29.95 to clean, adjust and oil sewing machines that I saw in my neighborhood newspaper. I also checked Angie's List to verify that this was a reputable company and to check out any reviews that were given for this company. Based on those reviews and also that they were on Angie's List, I decided to contact Central Sewing Service to provide maintenance on my sewing machine. After contacting Steve with Central Sewing Machine Service, he said he would be able to look at my sewing machine that day and would be there in approximately 1 1/2 hours. Right away, I was impressed with their responsiveness. After 2 1/2 hours Steve arrived and I led him to the sewing machine and discussed with him the need for a maintenance check and my concerns with some of the machines erratic stitching. I showed him the fabric with the erratic stitching that I had sewn prior to his arrival. Steve was very knowledgeable with regards to my White sewing machine stating that is was a top of the line machine during its day and praised its quality. Convinced that he knew the machine well and confident that the machine only needed an adjustment to fix the erratic stitching, unless told otherwise, I left him alone. Forty-five minutes. later Steve informs me that he is finished and proceeds to show me what parts were needed to fix my machine. He explains how he adjusted, oiled and cleaned the machine and shows me the small parts that he replaced that he had on hand. He then hands me a small piece of paper with an illegible list of what he did to the machine with a written final cost of $177.83. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. With that price, you would have thought he'd give me a written estimate and given me the opportunity to decide if I wanted to pay $178.00 to fix a sewing machine that I barely used. Had I knows that it was going to cost me almost $178 to fix my sewing machine, I would have definitely sought out a second and third estimate. I am a stay-at-home mom with two kids living on a single income. There is no way I would have ever agreed to spend $178.00 on fixing a sewing machine that I barely used. However, Steve did not give me that choice. While writing the check for $178.00, I felt so vulnerable knowing that I had no choice but to write the check to cover the services he provided. I've never had to write a bad review for a professional before and I'm not sure what your company does when a bad review is received for one of your listed professionals, I just hope that anyone looking for a sewing machine repair will read this review first and avoid having to go through the bad experience I had with Central Sewing Service.

Steve was prompt and checked my machines. He was very thorough. I needed a rush job to finish a bridesmaids dress for my daughters wedding. and due to hitting a straight pin with the needle I threw the machine out of timing. His service was great and he had his prices were very reasonable. I will certainly use him in the future.

The owner/provider was great! He came to the house, very friendly, thorough and professional. It cost a bit more than I had planned but I was okay with it, He also provided some free extra needles.

The machine works great now but I would say his demeanor was not professional and he talked too much. I also thought he was a little expensive.

very prompt service. Gave me pointers. Did an excellent job.

Called to have my sewing machine fixed. Steve came to my home and looked at the machine. There were several gears that had broken, which he showed me. It would have cost more to fix than my budget. He had an older White sewing machine he with him and said he would sell it to me for less than the price to fix my Singer. Very professional and knowledgeable. Highly recommend his service to any one.

Steve was wonderful. He had car problems so got here later than he was supposed to, but kept me informed when he will get here. He was very professional and got right to work. It did not take long to fix my machine and he was reasonably priced.

I had three machines all ages for inspection and repairs. Antique bought it and needed it evaluated for use, cleaned and repaired.Older singer needed a cord and some small plastic parts were repaired outside my home, returned the next day. Newer machine oiled and cleaned, new bobbin casing and adjustments. All the machines are heavy and it was so cool to have the repairman come to me. I would recommend and call them again

Adjustments needed to be made to the knee peddle. Also some washers where broken and needed to be replaced. The repairman was prompt and courteous. I was very pleased that my 40 year old sewing machine could be repaired.

I called Central Sewing Service last night and spoke with Steve concerning my embroidery machine that had stopped working. He suggested that I call him the next day when I got home from work and he would then come right out. I did and he was here within an hour. Incredibly fast service! He disassembled my embroidery machine and found that a few washers were broken and that the machine was out of alignment. He fixed both problems, oiled the machine and was done in about 30 minutes. He had me test the machine and it, once again, works beautifully. I asked him if he had time to clean and oil my sewing machine which he did. Steve was very friendly and took the time to explain everything that needed to be done as well as some tips for preventing problems in the future. I thought I was going to have to take my machine to a store and leave it for a few weeks (with Christmas gifts waiting to be done) so I am just thrilled at the fast, efficient service. The price was well below what I expected to pay and I plan to keep Steve's number handy for any future work needed.

It went very well. He did an excellent job. The service was very fast. I knew by 10:30 that my machine was broken and it was fixed by 1:30. I was very pleased with his work. I would highly recommend them to others.

Mr. Woodbury took my machine to his truck to take a look at it. He gave me an estimate of $160.00. He told me that there was a problem in the cord, power plug, and probably a short in the wires, plus a fourth term I didn't understand. I asked him to break down the estimate for me. While he was breaking down the estimate for me at his truck, I called another sewing machine repair place to get an estimate from them. Information I received on that phone call combined with Mr. Woodbury's reaction to my request made me desire to take my machine to another shop. I ended the service call with Mr. Woodbury. I took my machine to a shop and had it fully serviced for $70, the cost of a tune up. The other repairman told me that the only problem was a loose wire which he corrected during the tune up.

He knew everything there was to know about Singer sewing machines. The machine is out of production and he knows how to take care of them.