Midway Vac and Sew

Extremely knowledgable staff and repaired my vac super quick. Good service, and a quality repair for less than I thought it was going to cost.

Good store and customer service. My sewing machine wasn’t working so hot around Halloween and I need my costume made, so I went to Midway S&V and they got me up and running again.

I bought my wife a 50′-60′ vintage sewing machine so she could start making some of her own clothes (she’s kind of a hippy). But when I got it home, I took a look at it and it looked like it might be missing some parts. And it definitely needed a tune up. I was referred here by some friends that have used this place before. I checked the reviews and wasn’t sure I should risk it, but they assured me it’s not the same people that used to run the place. So I took in and talked with Shawn. He said it might take a little while to locate the parts and if he wasn’t able to find them he has someone that can fabricate just about any part if necessary. I thought that was awesome. I told him to take his time with it and call me if he was going to have to spend a fortune to bring it back to life. The only call I got was to tell me it was finished and to come get it. It came in way under budget too.
My wife and I are very happy with the service we received and will be back if need be.
Thanks Shawn.

Awesome, fast service. I use my sewing machine daily as a source of income so when it broke it was imperative that it be repaired in a timely manner. I took it to Midway Vac and Sew and was helped by a man named Shaun (who, I believe, is also the owner). He was very friendly and helpful. My machine was ready 24 hours later and works better than ever. Definitely recommend this place! Thanks!

I just wanted to give praise to Shaun at the vac and sew shop and to let everyone know that if you want something done fast and efficiently you need to take it to his shop. I had previously taken my vacuum to two different places to get fixed and it was unsuccessful, so I brought it to Shaun’s shop and it was ready the very next day. Thanks for the good work Shaun… you have definitely made a life time customer!
Kelly G

Brought in my dyson late in the afternoon last week. Vacuum wasn’t turning on. Sean had it ready for me the next morning and sucks better than ever. In the process of moving and was a huge help. Definitely would recommend and thanks again!

Really great shop, fantastic customer service. My vacuum was repaired in a day and it looks and runs like new! Love this store.

I took my vacuum their about 2 weeks ago & Shaun was very nice & he did a great job with my appliance. Thank you I recommend him highly

I’ve been going to Midway Vac and Sew for many years. I follow them wherever they go because they ARE THE BEST! Shawn has always taken such good care of me. I have a commercial vacuum that I use for my business, and I know if there something that goes wrong with it he’s the first person that I will take it to.

I was reluctant to try this place out because of the old Unilocal reviews, but I had a great experience at Vac and Sew! My vacuum was fixed in less than two days. After the repair, it was like a brand new vacuum. The owner was friendly.

nearly 3 years later and the vacuum is still running like a champ!

I read the awful reviews but decided to take my vacuum cleaner here anyway because it’s so close to my home. The guy who assisted me, Sean I think, was very helpful and friendly. I wasn’t sure if my vacuum cleaner was worth saving or not. It actually had just been sitting in the garage for awhile since my roommate also had a decent vacuum cleaner. I told him the problem and he said it sounded like an easy fix and would be ready in two days. It was actually done the next day and it now works perfectly. I will definitely take my business back there.

for some stupid reason, I thought I’d try them one more time and went back after crap service about a year ago
went in, the guy said he’d order the parts and call me — guess what, he never did
went to Ebey’s in North Park and they had Orek parts in stock and fixed it on the spot
no mas Midway

Great shop! My vacuum works like new. Price was reasonable and fair for the work done. Highly recommended.

Do NOT send your business here! This guy (Kevin) stole my expensive vacuum ($ 700) and claims he lost it. Not only was he extremely rude, and cursed at me, but he refuses to make it right. He lied in order to keep my vacuum. The police came and now I am forced to take him to small claims court. If I could give this business a lower rating I would. Save yourself the aggravation and go to a reputable store where they offer decent customer service.

Like many others, I’d give it negative stars if I could. I dropped my vacuum off on 7/​13, having been referred to this repair shop by Riccar. One week later, he still hadn’t looked at it. I should have gotten it then, but i was getting ready to go out of town… Get back, call, «the part hasn’t come in yet, it will be ready Tuesday». Call again last Friday– ‘It’s on the bench, I’ll call you when it’s done”. Just called again «it’s on the bench.» Starts harassing me about bothering him. So I’m going to pick it up. We’ll see what I get.
Also, I don’t know about any «new owner».

Wish I had read the reviews on Unilocal before I took my vac cleaner there for service. I was told it would take two days for service. Waited five days and did not hear back. I was in the area this morning, so i thought I’d check to find out if the service was completed.
The man behind the counter told me service would completed that day and he would call me. When I didn’t hear back I called. His response was «are you kidding me?»
As you can imagine, my response was about the same. I
I reminded him of all that had transpired up to this point and he stated I could pick up the vac in two days (two more days). I feel like my vac is being held hostage and that I’m doing this shop a favor for giving THEM the business.
I fear for the outcome and will update my post when/​if I get my machine back.

I called midway vac & Sew first because they were the closest repair to me. I asked if I could have them take a look at the machine and let me know what was wrong so i could decide if i wanted to put the money into it or not. i asked if there was a charge for this and he said no.
Left it there called the next day he hadn’t looked at it he would call me, no call so every two or three days i checked back, same story, his attitude was always very gruff and annoyed at me for calling. I called some other repair places non of them charged for having a look one was in el cahon the other in clairmont and would take a week or so, so i gave it some more time.
Finally after 13 days i called and said if he couldn’t do it today i would come and pick it up, he said he would call me in an hour and a half. grumbling about everyone calling him on mondays. When we spoke he told me it was working i said what was wrong, he said i don’t know, i serviced it and now it works. i said how much for that and he told me $ 69 I was shocked and told him i never authorized him to do that. He grumbled about people always expecting stuff for free said just come get it and hung up on me.
I went in the next day a woman was dropping her machine off, i was tempted to say something but figured i’d see how this went. he pointed out my machine started giving me some bull about i just call him yesterday to which i responded youv’e had my machine for two weeks you never called back like you said and i never authorized this work. I started to walk out with my machine and he started yelling at me to put it back. at that poin not knowing what my legal rights were i said ok but i’m going to filed complaints against him with BBB & consumer protection. i went back in and asked him if he were the owner and what his name is and at that point he responded with «I wouldn’t touch your ass with a 10 foot pole» WOW.
From the other reviews i have read here I see I’m not alone, this guy has no business being in business when he appears to hate people so much. this was the most unprofesssional excuse for lack of a better word «business transaction» i’ve ever experinced. now he has my machine and i am trying to figure out what to do next. if anyone has any suggestions or would like to get in touch with me about this, please do. as for the one star rating that is way too high, i wish now i had warned that poor woman i saw leave her machine. this guy needs to be put out pasture, and not a nice one. If there is any justice or karma due this guy he’s in for a rough ride. Ingrid G

Who is this «new management» you all speak of? The old hillbilly in there is a crazy, passive aggressive idiot who obviously doesn’t see enough human beings to know how to speak to them. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a woman because I’m seeing a pattern here…
Where do I begin?! Went in to buy a bag and the old codger grumbled that «he wont’ make any money because I’m using a credit card» I asked him if he wanted my business and why is he telling me this. He said «I’d want to know» (I figure if it’s his business it’s his job to tell people they don’t accept credit cards for under X amount. But I digress, it gets worse…
So then my vacuum stops working right. I told my son «I’m going to take it out to that place off Texas and University because I have a bad feeling about that guy in Pt. Loma. But, because I live in Pt. Loma and I didn’t feel like driving to North Park I took it to Midway Vac and Sew. I walk in with my vacuum and the old codger yells out from behind the counter «we don’t fix vacuums, we only fix toasters, microwaves and horse shoes» As I get to the counter I realize he was joking but what a BAD JOKE. He tells me my vacuum was made to throw away. I tell him I know it’s not a «top of the line» and if it’s going to cost a significant amount to fix CALL ME!!! Because I’ll just buy a new one. I just wanted to see if it was something simple and cheap. He takes my vacuum and says he’ll need 2 – 3 days.
So, 8 days later he calls and says it’s ready. He serviced the engine, put on a new roller and new belt and it’s $ 79!!! Now, is it just me or is $ 79 to repair a $ 100 vacuum reason to CALL ME before you repair it. Especially since he had 8 days to call me.
I was pissed reminded him that I asked him to call me if it was going to be expensive.. He then said «just give me $ 29 and come get your vacuum». I then hung up the phone in disgust and confusion and no one to blame but myself for going there in the first place.
So I get there and her proceeds to lecture me in from of my son about how I didn’t need to hang up on him. Like he’s my dad or something.
I gave him $ 30 cash (didn’t want the credit card lecture so I purposely went to the ATM before I went there) and left.
Got home and MY VACUUM DOESN’T WORK… Guess where I’m taking it? To the place in North Park where I should have gone in the first place…
I’d like to throw my vacuum threw this guys window but I digress…

My wife took our Dyson vacuum cleaner into Midway Vac & Sew. The vacuum had begun to lose suction and sound odd. As we just moved into our house and had been doing some renovation it seemed that there must be a clog somewhere. They said they would do a tune-​up and take care of it. Fast forward a couple of days and we get the vacuum back after they did the service saying the cleaned everything out and it should work fine. The vacuum was not much better than before we brought it in and certainly not working correctly.
After deciding to read the troubleshooting guide on Dyson’s website I was able to locate the source of the problem in less than 10 minutes which is of course what I should have done in the 1^st place. The guide walks you through cleaning filters, removing this tube, removing that tube etc. I found the tube with the Sharpie in it, removed it and it worked fine.
My wife took the vacuum back with picture of the issue and asked that we get a partial credit or refund as the work performed did not resolve our issue. Recognizing that they did do some work we did not ask for a full refund.
They refused. Seems that new owner or old owner the pattern remains basically the same. Read the how-to’s on the internet or take it somewhere else.

If I could give Midway Vac & Sew negative stars, I would. I made an e-​mail inquiry via their website requesting a price for a belt replacement and general tune-​up for my vacume. A few days later I received a response stating that the entire service would cost $ 35.99. Today I lugged my vacume to the store and was told by the man behind the counter that the same service would cost $ 69.99. I explained that I had a received an e-​mail stating otherwise and he said, «I’ve been runnin’ this place for three months now and haven’t sent an e-​mail,» to which I responded, «Okay, but someone must have, and they said that this service would be $ 35.99.» He proceeded to call someone and ask if he’d replied to any e-​mails, to which he said «no» as well. I didn’t have my phone on me so I told the man I would like to bring back the e-​mail to show him and his response was «That seems like a lot of effort for an extra $ 30.» Honestly, 70 bucks doesn’t seem outrageous for the service however on principle, I will certainly not be using Midway Vac & Sew.
When I got home I looked at my e-​mail to double-​check that I had contacted the same business. It WAS Midway Vac & Sew who quoted the $ 35.99 price, only to practically double it when I walked in. Can’t help but wonder if my «girly» (for lack of a better term) appearance and the fact that I am a woman had anything to do with this quote. Unfortunately, I feel like over-​charging can be commonplace when it comes to services that are very specialized. Anyway, this place is terrible!

attention midway vac & sew– i DO NOT appreciate being talked to like a stupid little girl. i am not stupid nor little.
i was bullied so bad here that i left in a frustrated rage and with NOTHING accomplished. all i wanted was my serger re-​threaded. simple as that. they refused to do this without giving it a total «service» that would be $ 70. no thanks.
making the customer feel stupid is not a nice way to drum up business, boys. who’s the fool now?

Recently I purchased a Ricor Starbright canister vacuum from Midway Vac & Sew. It was a floor model and came with no warranty except that offered by the shop (5 years on the motor and 2 years on the parts). After using it at home for five days, I realized that it was too heavy and awkward for me. I tried to return it and was told by the same salesperson who sold it to me that he would not accept it back for store credit with a 15% restocking charge, as stated on the receipt that I signed when I purchased the vacuum. The reason given was that he needed the sale in order to pay rent. He did refund, at my request, the cost of filter bags which I had ordered but not yet received.
I wanted to support a local vacuum repair shop which is why I chose Midway Vac & Sew in the first place. After they checked my broken Miele, I was informed that I would need a new motor and that it would be better to buy a new American made vacuum from this shop. I then gave the salesperson two opened boxes of Miele compatible filers (each box had one filter removed) that I had previously purchased from him. When I returned to get credit for the Ricor Starbright, I asked for these filters back. He had already sold them to someone else. He also stated that he had contacted Miele to see if he could find a motor so the Miele could be refurbished, which to me implies that had I not picked it up, he was going to try to repair and sell it.
This is very poor business. I am now the unhappy owner of a Starbright vacuum. I feel very stupid for making such a major investment in something that did not come with a better warranty and return policy. I will drive 26 miles to my favorite repair shop in Poway in the future and will not recommend this shop to anyone. If they go out of business, I can see why.

Oh, where do I begin? Maybe with Caveat Emptor, let the buyer beware. While I really would like to like this place because it’s a small business, its policies make it really difficult. The owner, who is also the sales guy, is a reeeeaaaallllyyyyy good salesman, I’ll give him that. But as you’re being blinded by the non-​stop rhetoric about how fan-​freaking-​tastic Ricar vacuums are (and believing every word) you are forgetting to ask or even wonder about the return policy. You’re so lulled into this business’s sense of decency by the fact that they sell the best machines on the planet — that you couldn’t imagine that these same folks could have such an archaic return policy.
So, I feel duped, and now I have a very expensive vacuum that I don’t like. Why oh why didn’t I just go get the $ 250 Kenmore Progressive canister with the Hepa filter that I had and LOVED. I will in a couple years after I get some of my «value» back.
If this isn’t a lesson in don’t buy on impulse, I don’t know what is. When you drive your old vacuum to Goodwill on the way to buy a new vacuum that’s the first mistake. Take it slower! And be damn sure to ask about a company’s return policy. Especially one that doesn’t accept American Express which comes with buyer protection regardless of how bad a return policy is.
Oh, and to sweeten the story, as he was exchanging the upright for a canister model (that was the only deal I could get) he mentions in passing as he’s charging me yet more for different vacuum bags, «oh, if my rent and property taxes weren’t due I’d have refunded your money.» What??? As an aside to my FIVE HUNDRED dollar purchase, you say if the wind were blowing in a different direction you would have offered me a decent return experience?
People, just go to Sears for things like home appliances. While the little stores are quaint and you would think they would almost provide more personalized attention, I found that it simply too risky if you have a problem.
As a second aside, my husband does like the vacuum we got. And to that I say, «Honey, then YOU can use it!»

After I picked up my STILL broken vacuum from Midway, I went to Ebey’s North Park Vacuum and they had the part and replaced it in 5 minutes! and for ½ the price Midway quoted me! My vacuum works fine now. The guys Ebey’s said there are a lot of people telling him the same complaints about Midway. They only want to sell you a new vacuum and are not an honest and efficient repair place. Don’t go to Midway, go to Ebey’s!

One of the nice things about living in an apartment complex where people move in and out of a lot is that when these peeps hit the road, sometimes they can’t (or won’t) haul all their stuff away. I have been fortunate to be the recipient of many a brand new vacuum cleaner, (and sometimes even a carpet cleaner) from folks who just need to ditch some stuff. That’s why a place like Midway Vac & Sew is so essential.
Usually I will bring them a vacuum cleaner to do a cleaning or tune-​up on & then it’s as good as new. I am particularly hard on vacuums since all the pets my son and I have make messes-​especially bird seed all over.
Midway Vac & Sew is sequestered into a triangular corner in a strip mall directly across from the back Target Driveway. There is a young guy that bought the business a while back and he has an older gentleman that fixes all the vacuums. Fixing these is like an art-​an acquired old world skill that probably goes unappreciated until yours breaks and your pad turns into a monstrosity!
I hate this mall they are in because right behind is the place where all the homeless camp out, and when I worked at Boot World right next door-​those guys were always urinating and defecating right by our back door. Just pulling up to the Vac & Sew brings back fetid memories of smells I would rather forget! Also the way the parking places are laid out-​it is a very tight squeeze there.
Still I am grateful that there is a near-​by repair place like Midway Vac & Sew that manages to help me keep my place sanitary.