Emerald 183

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Emerald 183

by Frustrated Quilter
(Colorado)

I purchased a brand new Viking Emerald 183 and was able to enjoy using it for under 5 months.

For the last 6 1/2 weeks I have been doing a song & dance routine with their customer "support". The complete and total apathy is appalling. This has been by far the worst retail experience I have ever had.

My my machine has been "in the shop" or MIA for 6 1/2 weeks now. It took NINE days to get a representative to respond via email.

The 800-358-0001 number listed on the webpage doesn't even connect to customer support. Once using a long distance number to contact a human, excuses abound but still no machine. I am told it will take THREE days to "locate" my machine and determine it's status in repair queue.

I had a laptop break - door to door repair in under 5 days.

More than 6 weeks without a machine?
Where is the outrage?
Where is the pride in their brand?
Where is anything remotely resembling customer service?

Don't buy Viking. If I can shake my cash out of them, I will certainly take it to a competitor.

Comments for
Emerald 183

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May 28, 2009
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WISH I HAD NOT BOUGHT IT
by: Gaye Antle

i ALSO PURCHASED AN eMERALD 183. THE THIRD OR FOURTH TIME THAT I USED IT, IT REALLY MALFUNCTIONED IN THE PRESENCE OF SEVERAL LADIES. WE WERE MAKING PILLOWS FOR CANCER PATIENTS. IT WOULD NOT GO TO FULL SPEED. IT JUST CHUGGED ALONG FOR TWO HOURS. THE REVERSE SEWING WOULD NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY SO I COULD NOT SECURE THE ENDS PROPERLY. IT CONTINUED TO SEW IN REVERSE. THE NEEDLE UP AND DOWN FUNCTION JUST TOOK OFF ON IT'S OWN AND STARTED SEWING. I HAD TO TURN THE MACHINE OFF TO STOP IT. IT DID THIS REPEATEDLY WHEN I CHECKED THE PROBLEM. OF COURSE NOTHING ACTED UP WHEN I TOOK IT IN. HOWEVER, THERE WERE TWO OTHER LADIES THERE JUST AS UNHAPPY. ONE HAD AN EMBROIDERY MACHINE FOR TWO YEARS. SHE HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO EMBROIDERY YET. SO - COUNT MY BLESSINGS - I DID NOT BUY THE EXPENSIVE ONE NOR DO I WORK THERE AND HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS DAILY. CONSUMERS REPORT RECOMMENDED A BROTHERS SEWING MACHINE FOR ONLY $200. I MAY GO GET IT.

Oct 21, 2009
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I've had the same problem with my 183
by: Megan S.

I've had the exact same problem with not one, but two different Emerald 183s; the dealer eventually replaced my first one because of this problem, and now the replacement is doing it as well. Just curious if you've had any luck with getting your money back from Husqvarna?

Nov 08, 2009
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Viking Emerald 183
by: Anonymous

I bought a Husky Star C10 and it was a piece of junk. Husqvarna replaced it with Emerald 183 because of all my trouble. I am not sure I want to keep this machine. I am not sure Husqvarna is a good machine!

Nov 08, 2009
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Trade in
by: Frustrated Quilter

I ended up trading mine in for a Sapphire.
They did not offer a refund.
Have been quite pleased with the Sapphire to date.
Last I heard the Emerald is still MIA at the shop - 7 months & counting.

I believe the Emerald is really a Singer with a Viking label.

Jan 01, 2010
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I just purchased this machine
by: Anonymous

I just purchased the Emerald 183 yesterday. It is still in the box. I found this review site today.

Now I am wondering if I should just take it back tomorrow morning.

I have been looking for reviews of the Brother machines on this site and have found none. That is puzzling.

I know most people post reviews when they are unhappy, but usually there are some positive reviews. The reviews for the Husqvarna have been overwhelmingly negative.

Aug 05, 2010
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This machine is driving me NUTS!
by: HeatherRae

I got the Emerald 183 in December 2009. In May 2010 it totally crashed. The screen would turn on, but the machine would not respond to ANYTHING (moving the bobbin winder over did not change the screen, pushing buttons did not produce any action - not even a beep, and so on).

The machine is perfectly clean and I've taken the covers off and checked every single part for lint or obvious problems.

I took it to the Viking servicer and they told me "nothing was wrong with it, all the had to do was clean it". ARGH!

NOW... I'm on an important deadline and the machine froze up again. So frustrated. I can't have a machine that crashes in the middle of important projects.

Aug 09, 2010
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mine is wonderful
by: Anonymous

i have had my emerald 183 for about 3 years now and it works like a champ. I use it all the time and have never had a problem with it. In fact i had purchased the floor model even. maybe it is just a random malfunction these people are having. My sister has the exact same one as I and she has never had a problem either.

Oct 23, 2010
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Emerald 183
by: mlu

I have had this machine since July of 2008. It started sneezing 6 months after I got it... just enough to make me think, 'new machine user error'.
This is my third machine in 40 years, 38 when I bought it. I had a Sears machine for 12 years and a New Home for 26 years that I would not have replaced had it not quit working. I have sewn clothing from baby to formal gowns as well as draperies to quilts over the years.
When I started using the new machine again several months later, I found out it wasn't a sneeze. It likes to continue sewing even though I stop. I unplugged the foot pedal one time when it did it and it kept going. It apparently only likes to embroider on lightweight fabric since it goes berserk on fleece.
I took it in... it refused to misbehave and I was assured that they had never heard of either of these problems. And it definitely should embroider fleece. Right.
I have a little lightweight Brother that I bought at Costco... it embroiders fleece. I had thought to give it to my granddaughter in a few years, but may need to use it myself.
I would not consider another Viking. This machine is persnickety and untrustworthy. I usually have timelines for sewing... I have yet to meet one with this machine.

Nov 29, 2010
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WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS MACHINE DOING
by: Anonymous

I too have an Emerald 183. Boy, what a dissapointment. First the needle threader stopped working, then the needle down position stopped working. THEN -- to top it all off, the machine keeps sewing even when you take your foot off the pedal. You have to stop the machine from sewing by using your hand to stop the wheel. I can't believe it! I have taken it in to get fixed, but each time the problems keep coming back. My friends just laugh at me when I'm sewing and my machine keeps going. I work at a quilt shop. Boy this sure demonstrates to people not to buy this machine.

Jan 21, 2011
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Emerald 183 is BAD investment
by: Anonymous

I've had nothing but problems with the machine after about 20 hours (8 months) of sewing. The machine will stop sewing and then screen will starting blinking. After 'resetting' the machine by turning it off and then on again it seemed fine until today. I still have less than 50 hours on the machine (2 years) and it was still doing the same thing over the past year until today when now it's stopped working all together. It's obviously out of warranty and I'm thinking it will be cheaper to replace it with a cheap throw away machine than it will be to take it in for servicing especially since you can see how often I sew! (and yes, I always clean my bobbin and bobbin case so that hasn't been the problem). My disappointment is huge as I thought I was investing in a quality machine.

Jul 21, 2011
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love my machine
by: Anonymous

i have had no problems with my emerald machine, i love it, i am telling everyone i know to buy this machine, my friends have tried mine and they went out and bought one for thmeselves.

Dec 07, 2011
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Sorry I bought this Machine NEW
by: Deb

I bought my Emerald 183 four years ago and have used it with no problems until 2 weeks ago and BAM....the LCD screen went black while winding bobbins. I turned it off, and back on again, the LCD flickered for a moment, then went back to black. None of the controls worked, the needle moved itself all the way over to the left at start-up and then moved itself all the way over to the right at the next turn-off/turn-on cycle. I then found out from the JoAnn Viking store that the 10 Yr warranty ONLY covers "defects" and the warranty on "computer parts and on mechanical parts" is only one year. I was shocked...I guess I focused on the "10 Yr" warranty I was told about when I bought it....what a joke!!! Well, it indeed was the Mother Board that went out on it. I can tell you this much....I'll NEVER buy another Viking again! Read tons of stories on-line just like mine....apparently Viking mother boards SUCK!!!!! I'm going to buy a new machine in Sept. at the next Sewing Expo and will most likely go with Bernine. Don't buy the Emerald, trust me!!!

Dec 11, 2011
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Emerald 183 NEW
by: Anonymous

Sounds like some of the problems are circuit board failure. The circuit board on my machine malfunctioned and the dealer replaced it for free. They said it was covered under the warranty still and that alot of the Emerald 183s have had the same issue. My machine was 3 yrs old when this happened.

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