They are one of the best things since sliced bread, but it does seem that some do have trouble getting their auto threader to work. One thing I would suggest is to make sure the needle is in the correct position by making sure that the last stitch cycle has been completed . Try pressing the needle up and down button if your machine has one, or turn the hand wheel ( toward you ) to do a stitch cycle. Another thing that may be the reason they don't work is the eye of the needle ( smaller needle size ) is too small for that threading hook. I usually use a size 14 needle for the types of projects I make, maybe sometimes a 12. I rarely have any problems getting the threader to work. I hope this helps! Happy sewing!