What a service includes, and what it costs.
Most repairers will not put a price on a page. Here is ours, in full, with what you actually get for it.
Servicing and repair are different jobs. A service is maintenance: the machine works, and you want it to keep working and to sew better than it currently does. A repair fixes a specific fault. A service often prevents the repair.
What a full service includes
Strip down and clean, including the lint under the bobbin case that almost nobody removes. Oil and grease at the correct points, and only the correct points — over-oiling a machine causes as many problems as never oiling it. Re-time the hook to the needle. Set top and bobbin tension. Adjust feed dog height and timing, presser foot pressure, needle bar height. Set the knife on an overlocker. New needle. Then a test sew on real cloth at real speed.
How often
A domestic machine in regular home use: roughly once a year. A machine used heavily or on linting fabrics such as fleece and towelling: more often. An industrial machine on a production floor: scheduled servicing, because the cost of the visit is trivial against the cost of the line stopping.
Our rates in full
No hidden charges
Hourly rate
Labour, charged from arrival.
Minimum call-out
Covers the first hour.
Travel
Beyond a 10 mile radius of Gravesend.
Parts
Charged at cost, quoted before fitting.
No hidden charges. We quote for parts before fitting them, and if a machine is not worth repairing we tell you that rather than billing you to find out.
Things people ask
How much does a sewing machine service cost?
Labour is £80 per hour and the minimum call-out is £80, which covers the first hour. Most straightforward services fall inside that. Parts are extra, charged at cost and quoted before fitting.
Is there a charge just to look at it?
The £80 minimum covers the first hour, and diagnosis normally happens within it. If the machine is not worth repairing we tell you inside that hour rather than running up time.
Do you charge for travel?
£1.50 per mile beyond a ten mile radius of Gravesend. Within ten miles there is no travel charge. Bringing a domestic machine to the workshop avoids it entirely.
How much are parts?
Charged at cost, and always quoted before we fit anything. We hold most common spares; anything else generally arrives from our European parts partners within three to five working days.
How often should I service my machine?
A domestic machine in regular home use, about once a year. More often if you sew a lot or work with linting fabrics like fleece and towelling. Production machines should be on a schedule.
What is the difference between a service and a repair?
A service is maintenance on a working machine so it keeps working and sews better. A repair fixes a specific fault. Servicing regularly is what stops you needing the repair.
Other things we make and mend
Tell us the make and the fault
Ring the studio and we will tell you what is likely involved before you travel.