Brother 1034D Serger

I had this machine on my Christmas list, and finally was able to afford it about 4 weeks ago. I got it in the mail, and like all the reviews say, it comes threaded and set up to use. It was great. I made a shirt the first night I had it out. I made a skirt the next day, with a nice lettuce edge. I edged two large pieces of tulle with a napkin hem. Great - beyond some weird thread breaking issues on the lower looper. I know how to thread this machine inside and out now. But - and here's the kicker. The very next time I went to use it (for a Mother's Day gift no less), something was wrong. It wouldn't cut anymore. Looked like the knife possibly broke, and the knife lever didn't work. I called Brother - they referred me to a local repair shop. After researching said local repair shop, it appeared to be very shady - and my sweet serger didn't deserve that. Plus - it was a new machine! I shouldn't have to take it in on week 2 of ownership. Not my problem - I have little kids at home and driving a 2 hour round trip to take a new broken machine in is ridiculous to consider! At least the Brother rep was somewhat apologetic. Sort of. I returned it to Amazon as defective. I cried over it too.. Round 2 - I replaced my first machine with the same model, and pledged to myself that this was it - if this one breaks, that's it. Two "lemons" in a row, and I'm done with this brand. Well, the machine came, and I opened the box. The thread had all bounced off the bobbins - bad sign that it was juggled a bit in shipping. I set it up to run, rethreaded it (not too bad, by the way - the lowerlooper is the tricky part), and got to work. And it squealed like a pig. Seriously! There was no purr, it howled in pain when I ran it. The access door on the front would barely open too. Seriously? What are the odds??? My decision was instantaneous - either take it to the hole in the wall repair shop or return it - I returned it the next day. I killed 2 machines in 3 weeks. Moral of the story? Buy a cheap serger, expect it to act like a cheap serger. Some people (most it appears) are lucky, and don't have this experience. Not me. I've since test driven better quality machines, and I know what to look for now. I'm saving for a more expensive, reliable, non-Brother machine. Sorry, the bad experience ruined me. If a sketchy repair shop is all you can offer me, I'm going to look elsewhere. Other moral? Before you buy an expensive machine like a serger, with lots of mechanical parts, buy it locally and from a reputable dealer. Most (if not all) local shops offer warranty work and their own protections for your machine if something goes wrong. When you buy online, you have to send to the service hub in your area, as Brother doesn't offer any other option for internet purchases. Also, most shops over an upgrade policy - turn your machine in within a time period towards a better machine. A great deal if you ask me. Just something to consider, if you are going to use the serger more that a few times a year.