Raw Deal: Bag maker out of pocket due to faulty sewing machine dispute

ALISON Barwell was almost £1,600 out of pocket during a fourth-month dispute with a sewing machine retailer – until Raw Deal stepped in.

The 60-year-old from Kemnay, Aberdeenshire, designs and manufactures her own makeup bags to sell at local craft markets. Having a reliable sewing machine is vital for this.

In July, Alison bought a Necchi model online from the British Sewing Centre based in Hertfordshire.

She paid £899 for the machine but when it arrived it was faulty.

“The power seemed to be going to it but the sewing mechanism didn’t work,” Alison said.

When she phoned the British Sewing Centre to complain, she was persuaded to upgrade to a better machine.

“Near the start of August I paid another £670 to get a Pfaff machine instead, and I was informed that delivery would take about 10 days,” Alison said.

“But it never arrived so I started contacting the company by email and telephone to find out what was happening.

“I kept getting new delivery dates but nothing ever showed up. I was beginning to get pretty concerned about this as I was more than £1,500 out of pocket and no sign of any sewing machine.

“I must have called them at least 15 times and also sent countless emails. I was getting fobbed off with excuses. I was surprised because I had bought stuff from this company in the past and I had no complaints.”

In the middle of last month Alison – who has two grown-up children and also works part-time at a local café which caters for adults with learning difficulties – was offered either yet another model of sewing machine as a replacement, or a refund.

She opted to get her money back but continued to get no joy from the company.

“I was informed that the money would be in my bank within five days.

“Ten days after that deadline had passed I emailed and called again. This time I was informed that the person dealing with it was off work due to a family emergency.

“I was then told that he was the only person with the pin number for the company’s bank account to process a refund, and he had apparently turned his phone off and couldn’t be reached.

“At this point I was wondering if I was ever going to see my money back at all.”

At the end of her tether, Alison contacted Raw Deal and we asked the British Sewing Centre to look into her complaint. Within a few days, Alison had received back the full £1,568 that she had paid towards the faulty Necchi machine and the more expensive Pfaff one that never arrived.

The British Sewing Centre said part of the problem was that the replacement Pfaff machine had been ordered directly from the manufacturer in Germany but the model had unfortunately since been discontinued.

“We did offer to give Mrs Barwell a free upgrade to another model but she requested a refund which has already been issued,” the company said.

Alison can now shop around for another sewing machine as she will be busy making bags for sale in the run up to Christmas.

“I’d like to thank Raw Deal for intervening,” she said. “I seemed to be getting nowhere on my own.”