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Bad Motherboards
By -

INDIANANAPOLIS, INDIANA -- eMachines motherboards will fail. Do you like to pull your hard earned money from your pocket and buy a computer just to find out that the computer you bought from eMachines or Gateway has no warranty? Well this has happened to many of people around the world. Just remember, you get what you pay for and with eMachines it's not a lot, expect a lot of lies from them.

I have had 7 eMachines fail with bad motherboards and even had one fail at 10 months old. They just blew me off till the warranty ran out and then sent me a notice that it was out of warranty and gave me a link to their site to order a new one like I would pay for another board that might not last the 10 months again, I think not. You just might be one of the people stricken with the eMachines blues like me.

First you might notice that you're getting a lot of weird errors or system crash reports or the PC just freezes up on you or it will not make it past the eMachines boot screen. What I found out about these nasty motherboards is that they use bad capacitors on them and they will either leak or just explode inside the case. I do not like trying to call them because they want to charge you $20.00 to your credit card for each call for service. They will put you off or just tell you to use the restore discs that came with your pc and just destroy all your data but a lot of the time it's your motherboard and doing a restore will just make you lose all your data and will not fix the problem.

If you e mail tech support they will tell you the same thing but some people only have one pc and can not even get online to do this. These people at support are nothing but a waste of a skin bag. The best thing to do is to go buy a aftermarket motherboard non eMachines and install it and reinstall your Windows back on the pc and be done with it. Warning to people that do not know, you will need a new Windows disk for this and not the restore cd. The restore cd will no longer be any good.

A good motherboard to put in these silver and black cases is a MSI motherboard. If yours has the Intel Processor in it go with the Intel type board from MSI so you can still use your processor. Or if yours came with a AMD go with it. Some of the newer ones like I have had the AMD motherboard in it but when my motherboard burnt out it took the processor with it so I just went with a Intel Pentium 4.

Just remember you will never be satisfied with the support team from eMachines or Gateway. The best way to hurt a company is not to buy from them and to spread the word not to buy from them. It is your choice so do a Google search on eMachines motherboard defects before you buy one. I just got off the phone with someone at corporate office and he said that he could not help again so ** them. DON'T BUY A EMACHINES OR GATEWAY COMPUTER.

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eMachines E527 Not Reliable
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- I had three models of the E527 and none of them were fast in games. They would lag a lot and I can't use the internet because of this. Don't buy any of their products.

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eMachines EL1358G-51W
StarStarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 2/51

My boys recently purchased one of these computers (New) from our local Wal-Mart. This is a bargain base computer that works well for internet browsing and whatnot. Not a bad computer for what you pay for it. After we got it all set up one of my boys started to play Minecraft and were not impressed with its video performance. Even after I tuned down the settings in Minecraft it was still not very good. Needless to say they wanted a new video card to place in it.

We searched and found a Diamond Radeon HD6450 video card, that should meet their needs, but requires 400 Watts to run correctly. The power supply in computer was only rated at 220 Watts, and is a slim design. The largest power supply we could find was 350 Watts. We purchased an Ultra 750 Watt power supply and decided to install the eMachines Motherboard, 1 Terabyte Hard drive and DVD drive into an older tower that I had sitting around. This is where I needed the technical documentation for the motherboard to ensure I connected everything up correctly.

Went to the eMachines' website and could find nothing. Chatted with their tech support (they were very prompt and friendly), but to no avail - nothing is available. What kind of computer company produces a computer and does not have any technical documents on it??? I was able to connect up the cables for the power switch and led, but need the pin outs to see if I can connect the reset switch, HDD indicator, speaker, Firewire and USB ports from the tower. The Technician said this would void the warranty, but it is a $200.00 dollar computer to begin with.

So... If you want a decent cheap computer, buy it, but if you want something more capable, spend the money and build or buy one. Most decent motherboard manufacturers offer documentation for their motherboards. I will build my next one from scratch.

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eMachines HORRID Customer and Tech Support
By -

IRVIN, CALIFORNIA -- This is by far the worst company ever. I got this computer for a present last February and am now having problem with the Windows installer and downloading .msi files. I called Microsoft and they told me that the Windows was purchased from eMachines and I have to talk to them. So I called eMachines and they told me that I would have to pay either a one time fee of 99.99 or a fee of 149 for a year of support. I just choose the 99 for a 72 hour tech support - that was yesterday.

I talked to a tech and the first thing they did was blame it on a corrupt file or link. We tried several different programs that were .msi format, one download out of 4 so he said that the others were bad. Really? Java is corrupt, Microsoft is corrupt?? So he proceeds and after the call I try downloading the program on another eMachines computer I have had for about three years. Lo and behold it downloads... those corrupt files... download no problem.

I called them this morning and they want me to pay them again. AGAIN? I happily reminded them that I have 72 hours with this one time payment I already paid. They put me on hold and never came back. I called again b*tching to the next person that answered and you know what her solution was?? System restore and recovery. Really?

I paid you 100 dollars for you to tell me something that I already know how to do. I asked them why I am doing this and not REPAIRING the problem. To me restore is like a covering up - it can happen again. They promptly told me that it happens every blue moon and that a program change some files or corrupted them on my hardware. See the change here, first download files are corrupted now my hardware is corrupted! (BS. Plain and simple, BS in all its glory.) I told them then that if I restore without knowing what programs did it in the first place what makes you think it will not happen again... their reply: Because it happens every blue moon.

WOW, 100.00 for that, it's ridiculous and this company's tech support is a joke. I am in the middle of a dispute with my credit card company as we speak. PLEASE PLEASE never get a eMachines computer - YOU WILL REGRET IT!

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Wasting Money Trap
By -

I bought this notebook eMachines E525 m. KAWFO 3.07 at Wal-Mart. I paid $348.00 plus tax, I considered a good price that's the reason I chose it. I used it a couple of times and now when I try to turn it on I see a message on the screen which says, "Windows failed to start" and then it keeps going ahead by itself through the startup repairs process then suddenly appears another message on the screen which says: "Windows cannot repair this computer automatically. If you continue to see this message, contact your system administrator or computer manufacturer for assistance. Click finish to exit and shut down your computer."

Well I called the manufacturer and they said that I have to pay $129.00 per hour for technical assistance, then I realized why it is a good price when you buy it. I barely used my notebook and I'll have to spend $129.00 to keep using it; I went back to Wal-Mart to try to return it and buy a HP because I have a HP desktop and I have 5 years of free technical support and never had any problems with technical support every time I needed it, but they said it couldn't be returned because there were more than 15 days that I had bought it.

I had told to a friend of mine about the price when I bought this computer, he was about to buy one because he thought it was a good deal, but I called him back about all this issues. I told him it's probably better to spend a few bucks more to have a more reliable PC with better assistance which he agreed right away. That's all I can do, let as much people I can to know about my experience, I hope it can help.

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3 Bad Power Supplies Later
By -

JACKSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA -- At one time we were great fans of eMachines. However all that is done. The last computer we bought from them has "gone through" 3 power supplies.. ALL Bestec! The "stock" power supply which came with the system lasted about 5 months. After replacing it with a known working PS we called eMachines who sent us a new one. Due to my work schedule it was a bout 1 month before we installed it. The whole time we ran with the "test" power supply with no issues.

After installing the new one we ran for about 3 months. That one also went bad. Again we swapped out for the "test" power supply and contacted eMachines. Again we were shipped a Bestec Power supply. About 3-4 weeks later we installed it. It lasted less than 24 hours! We again put the "test" power supply in and the computer ran fine. WE called eMachines who suggested that we bring the tower in for service. The computer would be gone for 14+ days, not to mention wipe the hard drive.. (WHY?)

After explaining that the tower was a gift for my fiance and that would not be an option, especially because that the comp has NOT burned out the "test" power supply only BESTEC power supplies. After talking to 4 level 1 techs, We were told that we would need to talk to level 2 tech but there would be no problem getting another brand Power supply. HOWEVER now after talking with a level 2 - that is NOT an option.. WE offered to send in the faulty power supply.. and have it replaced. That is also NOT an option. The only Option is to send in the tower. Have it serviced, it will be replaced with a BESTEC power supply and sent back after it successfully runs.

My question is FOR HOW LONG? Are they going to hold her computer for 6 months? There is a Long list of people complaining about eMachines power supplies. It would make sense to me to maybe.. Just maybe.. STOP USING BESTEC!!! Bottom line I will NOT buy eMachines again. NOR will I recommend that any one buy them, AS I said to the last person I spoke to from eMachines, "Last I heard, customer service is #1." Guess eMachines is beyond that huh..

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eMachine/Gateway Repairs and Customer Service Are the Worst!
By -

Computer began to experience power problems in late June. After dealing with technical assistance for over three weeks, I was instructed to send my computer tower to the repair depot in Dallas for warranty repair. Computer was shipped to eMachines on 8/1. Inquired on status of repairs on 8/17, and was told they had not received it. Called back on 8/19 and was able to show through FedEx tracking number that it was received by repair depot on 8/2, and they agreed to escalate the problem to a supervisor.

Called again on 8/23 to follow up and was told by supervisor Hiram that supervisor Nathan had reviewed escalation, but there was no record of action. Hiram agreed to call or e-mail in 2-3 days with a status report. When not contacted by 8/31, called again and was told by agent that an unnamed supervisor needed another 2 days to investigate. Called again on 9/2 and was told by supervisor Jacob that there was no information from the repair depot, but he e-mailed me later that day that they had found the computer, logged it in on 9/1, and would repair it promptly.

Called on 9/13 and was informed by agent that supervisor Brian said it was to be shipped out to me on 9/14. When not received by 9/22, called again and supervisor Lance said that the records were still muddled and that it would have to be referred to a higher level headquarters supervisor who I must call on 9/23. When I spoke to corporate supervisor Don on 9/23, he informed me that my computer had been destroyed (lost or refurbished) by the repair depot and could not be returned to me. He promised to call me the afternoon of 9/26 with a proposed resolution, but failed to.

He did call me on 9/27 and informed me that eMachines would only provide a refurbished version of my original model without my upgrades of an 80 GB hard drive and 128 MB video card, even though eMachines did not warn that computer could be destroyed in the repair process, since I no longer had receipts for those items. I was given no recourse, apology, or consideration for my lost equipment, data, and the considerable time and expense I spent attempting to address eMachines error.

The refurbished computer arrived on 9/30. I sent a certified letter to the VP for Customer Care on 9/28 outlining these problems and asking for more appropriate compensation for my damages. A Gateway Executive Response Specialist sent a reply on 10/8 denying my request.

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Poor Warranty Service
By -

I bought an eMachines desktop computer just under a year ago. Why did I buy an eMachines? Simple, I have a 10 year old one that my son to this day is still using, a bit slow but it's never had an issue. So I figured I couldn't go wrong. Boy was I wrong.

Started out fine when I bought the computer. Then it would randomly lock up, then not only did it lock up it would randomly shut off by itself. So I took it to my computer repair man. He did a diagnostic, contacted eMachines as the computer was still under warranty - told them what he had done and what he felt was wrong with it. We shipped it to them, my cost of shipping of course.

They had it a week, shipped it back stating it was the power source and that had been replaced and they had booted the computer up and it worked fine. When he got the computer back, computer wouldn't boot. Imagine memory modules were not locked into place but yet they had booted it at the company. My computer man returned the computer to me and I had it three days. Guess what? Locking up again.

So my computer repair man contacted them again. We shipped the computer back again to Texas, this time at their cost. Got the computer back yesterday, after two weeks. This time they replaced the hard drive and said it's working fine. Plugged it in, booted it up and it LOCKED again! Not fixed. Contacted them again this morning. It is now back on its way again to Texas for a third repair.

Thank God it's under warranty and thank God for my computer repair man dealing with eMachines company because so far he has made them pay, except for the first time, all shipping costs. For the amount of money they have spent shipping this computer between Texas and Maine they could have replaced the entire thing for less money. I will never recommend an eMachines to anyone again nor will I ever purchase another one. Makes me wonder now why the place I bought the eMachines stopped carrying them??? Think they might have known something?

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Poor Service
By -

I purchased my eMachines computer and was told it had one year manufacturer warranty and if I wanted to purchase additional two year warranty, I did. I purchased the PC on October 2008, well present date is in August 2009. The NIC was damaged on my computer. I called the number for the extended warranty I had purchased. They told me my warranty will start until October of 2009, currently I should be covered by manufacturer eMachines til October of 2009. I called eMachines and gave all the information on my receipt and the customer service was so poor.

The first thing they told me when I gave information was "Your warranty was expired on July 2009." I asked why if I purchased the computer on October. He replied "Warranty starts when we send computer to store not when you purchased the computer." What!!! When I purchased computer they did not said that. I gave them a hard time as they were getting me so frustrated. Finally he said, "Well let me update information. Call back in 24 hours." I called back 24 hours later and the same person answered me. "Well let's restore your computer. Save all important information on your backup and restore. Call back in 1 hour." I did.

An hour later I call he said "I don't know what the problem is but you must walk it in to manufacturer. You are in Texas correct? The location is in Temple address is..." Hello I stay I in Dallas. Do you know how far Temple is from where I am staying? "Sorry mam you must take it there and we can not provide you with a number to call them." Oh my god, and then he said, "and I don't think we will cover the network card. You will have to pay for card and labor."

By this time I was already laughing instead of getting more angry. I couldn't get more angry than what I was. I ended up taking my computer to Staples where they repaired my computer and gave me a great service. I now tell everyone I know that eMachines has good products but the warranty is not good. Personally I will never purchase no eMachines products again.

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Mixed Experience but Overall Positive
By -

GRANTSVILLE, WEST VIRGINIA -- The system is now nearly exactly 3 years old, the only problems currently is that both optical drives trays are reluctant and must be annoyed into opening. It probably is partly due to less frequent use then after they have once cycled, they become operable. The AMD Athlon 64 has been satisfactory but I have added another GB of ram to the original 512MB since the software seems to get fatter all the time.

As a retired tech, I had during the operation of a small service shop, advised customers away from the brand as during that period, (mid-90s) they used some proprietary hardware that could not be replaced with readily available 'clone' assemblies so either had to be repaired or bought from eMachines at an inflated price. When my 2 1/2 year old Compaq notebook ate its hard drive, I decided to go with a desktop PC as my travels were then limited and the notebook not needed. I researched reliability thoroughly and found that eMachines had gained a solid reputation for just about everything during the intervening years.

Circuit City had a package price for a complete system that after rebate was the system I had planned on assembling myself that came in (after rebates) at $50 less than I could build it and I would not have to use my MS Windows Me OS I had on hand but was nicely loaded with XP and several freebie packages I liked along with a 17" CRT monitor to supplant the older 15" I had planned on using and a second optical drive. BTW, I did receive every single rebate promised.

The first discrepancy was a 'QWRRTY' keyboard missing the 'E' key, but with two 'Rs.' I had a new one, without trading, in FedExed in two days. Then the T6212 refused to complete the prescribed CD backup that was highly recommended in the manual. A phone call, with little hold time, got me a factory set sent. The system has not had any problems with operation other than the reluctant drive trays that wasn't caused by MS stuff tripping over itself so I am quite happy with my purchase.

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eMachines Rating:
Star Half star Empty star Empty star Empty star
1.5 out of 5, based on 2 ratings and
37 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
eMachines
14350 Myford Road
Irvine, CA 92606-1002
877-566-3463 (ph)
www.e4me.com
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