Dont Buy Gateway

WARNING......CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS......MY OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES TO PROVE THEIR LIABILITY IS RIDICULOUS......NATIONAL ARBITRATION FORUM WAS CONTACTED....COMPANY DOES NOT STAND BEHIND THE PRODUCTS THEY MAKE.....READ ON IF INTERESTED.....The problem started innocently with an error message that I had previously posted on this site and the responses I received were far from encouraging. The error message is PXE: Media Test Failure reboot or boot from a bootable device... Enter password. NO PASSWORD WAS EVER INSTALLED ON THE HDD. I don't know how to install a user password on a "hard drive". Furthermore, any beginner or professional would write it down or make it the same as the "user password", I digress. Notebook was sent back to GATEWAY(INCOMPETENT BOOBS). Because the hard drive had a password they could not help me, "USER ERROR". HOW INSULTING!!! I sent the hard drive to "Data Recovery Services"(GREAT COMPANY). I spent 100.00 for them to do what GATEWAY( INCOMPETENT BOOBS) should have done. Yes indeed: Hard Drive corrupt. Yes indeed: We can recover your files. Yes indeed it will cost me an arm and a leg to get it back. IVE HAD THE NOTEBOOK FOR 3 MONTHS. Enter the PARTNER IN CRIME "CIRCUIT CITY". "No sir we can not honor your 300.00 extended warranty until GATEWAY (INCOMPETENT BOOBS) 1 Year warranty ends." HOLY SH!T !!!!! BOYCOTT GATEWAY....HELP ME GET MY POINT ACROSS.....OTHER POSTS HAVE BEEN MADE CONCERNING THIS EXACT PROBLEM....REF. Dan on 4/30/05 12:10:09, and others on this site. Anyone with advise can contact me at [email protected] or through this site. Thanks, Dante

 

I will tell you what I did in the other thread: Gateway's job in the case of a defective part is only to replace it, not to go to great lengths to recover your data. If whatever was stored on your hard drive was that important, it should have been backed up elsewhere.

Also, again, please don't cross post. I understand that you're upset, but that doesn't justify breaking forum rules.

 

I think Gateway has made fantastic strides over the past year and is one of the few brand I recommend machines from. I know you feel like you got a raw deal and I know you're frustrated, but no reason to attack the entire brand.

 

ouch, that's a tyrade. I think there's a horror story for every manufacturer out there. I'm not in love with Gateway either, but I do think they're getting better than they were say a couple of years ago and doing the right thing to turn their ship around.

 

Wow... Two admins and LowlyMarine(this guy is fantastic, love the site)...
I chatted with the Gateway sales people... It's sort of like two Gateway's exist, online and retail... The Gateway everyone would love and have commercials is the ones you would like to deal with... The let you customize laptops and give you support deals and the whole nine yards... The computers they sale at stores are made by them but they don't accept them... No support what so ever it seems... I wouldn't suggest this for my mom, she's needs support if something goes down... Gateway retail is not for the faint at heart...

 

Xerxes,

I agree with you about non-existing tech support for retailed models. I experienced once and later return it to the store I bought. GW website couldn't even find the S/N of my system in their database, which is unacceptable to me.

 

See those things are understandable tom_handheld... I'm not going to say you can't cut cause that's stupid of me... But you don't want to go through that trouble for the money you spend I hope is a fair assement... Hell not having the drivers on the website is also very poor judgement on Gateway's behalf... BUT I really like the system as it is and I'm sure after wrestling with it enough it will be just fine, and for that price... Gateway Retail is again a nightmare... Does anybody have anything good to say about Gateway Online... I would think they are a bit decent...

$1300 is a tad much too not get decent support... And they expect to sell 7000 of these... That's somewhere near $9,100,000+ floating around... Can they say they deserve something like that with the poor quality... Boycott no, but I think they need some more choice worded emails and petitions after thinking about it...

 

One time, I chatted with a GW technician online, asked him/her some question, and strangely he tried to sell another system to me. I had some bad impression about what I was dealing with. I think the tech-support dept should have been separate from the sales dept, or am I wrong? In addition, there was no toll-free number to call either.

 

I work at Best Buy, as an In-Store Technician, and I think Gateway does a good job. Yeah, we do seem to receive and sell laptops, before there is support for the computer on the Gateway site, but the support is usually available in about two weeks after the product is released in retail stores. I'm sure they don't expect you to be troubleshooting your system right after you purchased it. I feel that people that do things to there computers, like doing a clean install of Windows, when they know the computer didn't come with a "drivers" cd, should really leave it to the professionals. There is no need to complain to the manufacturer about that. Things like that are not normal use; That's why there are computer shops, and the Geek Squad (in every Best Buy store).

I have actually chatted with someone from Gateway a couple of times, because I couldn't find a driver, and he/she searched and gave me a link to the driver (It was a driver listed under Windows 2000, and not Windows XP, but it works with Windows XP, which is why I couldn't find it).

We have had a couple of issues with the ARIMA organization, but we have had issues with probably every manufacturer at one time or another.

The manufacturers don't say they do data back-ups for customers, and there for they really don't have to. They probably don't have time to. As for buying the product at Circuit City, well, they don't have a service center, so I don't know what you expected them to do. Also, I think their warranty clearly states that it starts after the manufacturer's warranty expires.

 

LOL... When I chatted with them, they tried to build me a intel computer from the website... How long has the 7510gx been in stores...

 

"when they know the computer didn't come with a "drivers" cd, should really leave it to the professionals. There is no need to complain to the manufacturer about that. Things like that are not normal use; That's why there are computer shops, and the Geek Squad (in every Best Buy store)."

I'd disagree with your statement. I believe those tasks aren't too complicated for normal users like us to accomplish. For having owned several branded PCs, majority of them provides users with drivers sources like CD (e.g, HP), online download, or you can ask for from them (e.g., Dell). If GW wants to compete with other major PC makers, I think they should improve on this matter. Personally, I really like the designs on several of their laptops, but the service aforementioned held me back at times.

 

I understand that it's not too difficult, but the person should atleast check the resources first, before doing a clean install if Windows.

 

I agree, it isn't difficult for gateway to include cd's with restore info already burner on them...it wouldn't cost them that much to make such a thing. Heck they're already putting the cd's with the computer...it probably wouldn't cost anything extra for them to put the info on the cds.

Also, they do include a slip of paper that warns the consumer to make the backup cd's first, before doing anything else. So if you bypass this warning...its your own fault. I would however love to see more support online and in cd format in the weeks to come...but I definately won't be holding my breath.

 

Really it isn't a big deal, they don't suggest reading the users manual for nothing.. of course I didn't read the manual, but I did check for the backups before I did a clean install. It should be common sense to check for the required items for a reinstall, and novice useres are likely to get help. It only takes minutes out of the countless hours of life.

Yeah, it would be nice to have them pre-burned, but it is not a necessity. I am not going against all of you, I am just trying to make a point.


excuse me for further proving Aiwa's point, I didn't take time to read all of the posts