Warning agains gateway support

Just to kick gateway while they're down:

I purchased a gateway laptop a while ago...received it with a broken bezel (1 inch crack next to the mouse pad). Naturally, I requested it be fixed. Gateway refused saying that it was caused by the carrier and would file for it. In the meantime they charged me $70 for a box to have it repaired. Gateway then claimed that the carrier did not damage it and that I would be responsible and charged me $250 for to replace the bezel and took it out of my card that I paid for the box with. Naturally, I was pissed. I complained and got nothing.

The box was sent back soaked...so I refused it and let it return to gateway. I got it back in a new box and it ran for one day. Gateway said there was nothing wrong with the laptop from the original shipping. I contacted my insurance for a claim and went through the process of having a local computer repair look at it. The final determination was that the laptop was entirely soaked and all the circuits were rusted out...I got to see it as well. My insurance contacted gateway to obtain and invoice (gateway refused to give me one) and gateway would not give them one. They told my insurance that I had ordered a 15" laptop. I was given $700 for a replacement cost.

I was rather pissed at that because I ordered a $2000 17" laptop. I sent the remains of my laptop into the insurance company to prove that Gateway was lying and was eventually quoted $2000 replacement cost for all the parts independently. My insurance company requested I sue for fraud but I couldn't because I live in Okinawa, Japan. Just a little warning on gateway. BTW, they canceled my warranty coverage after the first payment.

This isn't to say that they make poor laptops...they don't...they just don't cover them after factory.

 

I hope all is well now! I called there customer support line because my notebook seemed to run hot. Their advice? Turn off the computer! I don't bother them anymore!

 

I didn't go back to gateway...I ended up buying a Sony to replace it with...now I'm going to with a Dell XPS M1330 for a small sized laptop.

 

They really are a crappy company outside of north america.

 

They may be crappy outside of NA, but it still makes me stop and think (I live about 30 miles away from their corporate HQ).

I'm looking for a new desktop to replace the current Gateway desktop. I was leaning toward Gateway because my experience with their CS was very good (they talked me through a tear down/rebuild of the tower and were great).

There are two things that are holding me back: I don't want Vista and having to deal with customer service with any of the other companies.

 

Well, here's my wrapup of CS of all the "big" companies:
Sony: Admits lack of CS if anything is changed
HP: No customer support: I bought an HP, they sent one with the wrong video card, I tried to tell them that it was an integrated Intel and I purchased the nVidia...they said that according to my invoice, I have an nVidia so they would not let me exchange it...so I promptly returned that.
Gateway: read above, owned 3 before leaving them. Pulled the government contract on them as well.
Dell: Had one a few years ago where the notebook screen was scratched every time I moved it...CS replaced it for me three times. I ended up selling it. That laptop I sold is still doing well. I've helped and encouraged gov't contracts with them...so far no probs. Sales support blows with the screwup of the m1330s...which I bought.

I would still recommend the top of the line smaller producers like ASUS.

 

A few years ago, the Gateway laptop we got for my sister had a head vertical line on delivery. We sent it back.

2 weeks pass: "Oh, we replaced the screen and are now running final testing"

4 weeks: "Still testing, something wrong with the mobo"

6 weeks: Absolutely no communication despite repeated daily attempts

8 weeks (at this point, my sister has left for college): We write up a consumer complaint

10 ****ing weeks: They finally decide to get off their butt and just flat out replace the laptop. Geez, thanks Gateway. Maybe you could have done that around A MONTH AGO?