Hi Dave, welcome to the forum.
I live in soCal. and got my TM31 from Canada from
this vendor. They were very helpful at at the time were offering free shipping (in Nov. 2009) which they do periodically.
I was directed there by Helene, a very enthusiastic
Thermomix Blogger: While I haven't had the advantage of having a consultant, the machine does not have a steep learning curve and there are many videos on line that are sufficient to demonstrate how to do some of the trickier procedures.
The machine has great advantages to folks who have small kitchens - friends who live full time in a large motorhome (snowbirds) bought one last spring and have nothing but raves about it. Another friend who lives on her boat in a marina also has found it to be a terrific adjunct to her life style - she no longer eats out three or four times a week because of the chore of cooking in a tiny galley. She says her diet is better and she has saved more money than the TM31 cost in just one year.