Some Countries Are Sew Respectful Of Their Elders!
A woman had a 1944 [Brand] sewing machine her grandmother brought back from Japan. Normally, [Brand]s are made in America and have a serial number such as AF-475721 for a 1944 model. However, briefly during the war, machines were made in Japan for soldiers and their families. As such, it had a serial like JP-1245.
This woman’s machine had broken a part, and she was looking for it and couldn’t find one, but she would hate to trash such an amazing machine that had lived until 2010 or so.
So, she emailed and called both [Brand] of America and [Brand] of Japan.
Her email essentially said, “I have a 1944 [Brand] JP-1245. Where can I get this piece shown in this photo?”
She got these two responses.
American Company: “We’re sorry, all American [Brand] machines start with A-H! We never have a JP code. You must have the wrong company.”
The woman explained that [Brand] had opened a Japanese branch in the 1940s and sent photos of the machine and instruction guide, which clearly showed Japan and America as the company’s location
She got a generic “Sorry, you’re wrong. Did we answer all your questions today?” response.
The Japanese branch got back to her.
Japanese Company: “We have looked into your issue. None of us on the factory floor or in customer service are very strong in English language; please forgive us. I have asked my college roommate for help. He lived in America for a few years and is the most fluent.
“We did not have an answer to your solution, but we looked up the name and address of a line worker who retired fifteen years ago. He lives in the area to this day.
“We called him, and he told us that the slide pin you need from the 1944 model is identical to the slide pin used from 1970 to 1988. With the help of my old roommate, we have found you one on American eBay. I apologize for this message taking three days to get to you. The retired worker was on vacation. I hope we have answered all of your questions today.”
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