Gateway Consumer Reviews - Page 6

Since I have had my Gateway I have had a number of product quality and service issues that have been a nightmare to resolve. After 13-15 emails to Gateway's service department and corporate offices, they finally took my laptop in for repair to address type skipping and the laptop powering off within minutes. While Gateway did fix the power issues, they never addressed the issues of the text jumping. In most emails or cover letters that I was sending it, I may have had one or two issues per paragraph.

Since I was out of a computer for about 18 days when I had initially sent this out for repair, what was barely tolerable for a paragraph is unthinkable for the writing of a novel. Therefore on November 7th, I made Gateway aware that since they had failed to repair one of the stated problems, I demanded that they allow me to have this fixed locally with Gateway incurring the expense of repair. I received a system generated email that I would get a response within a week.

After about 10 days, I filed another complaint. This time, I was to get a response within 24 hours. After three days, I notified Gateway that if my conditions for repair were not met, I would file online complaints and send a copy to their corporate offices if these conditions weren't met within 24 hours. They had such little regard for their customer service that they made no attempt to address the problem.

I feel as though Gateway tech support totally scammed me by charging me for support in resolving a no sound issue on my daughters laptop. I specifically requested support in finding the proper drivers for her computer and had to purchase 30 minutes worth of support time. Fair enough it should only take a few minutes to get that information. HUH! After going through steps that I had already gone through on my own I was disconnected.

Calling back I talked to a new tech that began the process over again. After a number of times going through the same scenario the clock had consumed all but 1 minute of the original 30 minutes. When I protested that all I wanted was the driver the tech assured me that it was being emailed to me and click that was it. The only thing I ever received from Gateway tech support was a bill for 60 some dollars and a lot of aggravation. I went to a free computer support site and received the correct driver if only I had known.

Purchased a Gateway One ZX4800 on 11/22/09. It was opened on Christmas and when I attempted to set it up, I could not get the wireless keyboard & mouse to work. Since Gateway does not include an owner's operating manual, I had to try to figure it out. I decided to call Gateway Customer support in order to just find out if the PC uses an external plug-in receiver to operate the wireless keyboard & mouse or was it internal. After numerous emails and phone calls, I kept getting the same response "We are happy to assist you with your issue, however Gateway does not support changing hardware." And if I wanted further help, I was required to pay $2.95 a minute to get an answer.

First off, I couldn't make it clear enough that I did not want to change hardware and I just wanted a simple answer to a simple question, "Does the computer you a receiver or not" period...the end. Gateway techs apparently do not have the knowledge or are just unwilling to help, instead they gave me a runaround and try selling "support time".

I ended up on Google and found my own answer after some research. It's a shame that Gateway could not be accommodating to a customer's need. For that reason, I will never purchase another Gateway product until they change their game plan.

I bought a refurbished Gateway Computer from Tiger Direct. The HDD went out and I had to replace it. By my own fault I did not make a recovery disk. So I went on Gateway's website and ordered a recovery disk. Gateway took all my information and charged me for the disk. I was supposed to receive it in 8 business days. Well the 8 days are long gone.

So I went on the Gateway website and clicked on "My Order Status" and request status on my order they send me the following: "I have checked with the serial number in our database and found that this computer is a revonate computer. In order to resolve the issue, please contact our revonate computer support at **." Revonate states it's not their problem contact Gateway.

I email them back and state "I paid for an item related to this computer. I have not been trying to get SUPPORT. I have been trying to get STATUS on the item I paid Gateway for. Yes it's related to a computer you do not support. But, it is an item I paid Gateway for!!" Gateway sends the following: "I have checked with the serial number in our database and found that this computer is a revonate computer. In order to resolve the issue, please contact our revonate computer support at **." I will do all I can to persuade anyone to never do any business with Gateway! Just my3cents.

Gateway beats competitor's prices by selling its computers with TRIAL versions of Microsoft software. So, unless you only plan on using Word 25 times, you'll soon find yourself shelling out hundreds of dollars for a product key. Gateway further entices you with a free upgrade to Windows 7. However, completing the online form is next to impossible. While the form reads, "Your upgrade is free of charge. You do not need to enter Credit Card information." Meanwhile, the credit card information that you don't have to enter is highlighted, indicating that you MUST enter your credit card information.

Just for kicks, I tried to enter my credit card information and it wouldn't let me. Basically, you end up at a dead end with a brain dead Gateway CS representative who can't explain why your order won't go through. So Gateway can can build computers, BUT CANNOT DESIGN A SIMPLE ONLINE FORM OR PROVIDE COMPETENT CS PERSONNEL! Incredible!

In sum, don't buy Gateway based on price. You'll end up spending just as much as you would on another brand that doesn't mislead you to undersell the competition. And your free upgrade will burn up valuable time. The computer works fine, but Gateway is a pain to deal with!

I would like to inform anyone that is thinking of buying a Gateway... DON'T!!! Their customer service is the worst I have ever dealt with. Just read the other reviews on here, they are all right. They are rude. They lie to you about your repairs and shipping. They make you pay for shipping the first time (you have to mail your computer to Texas). They will not let you talk to a supervisor and they tell you what you will do.

After shipping it to Texas 3 times, they finally offered me an upgrade. Well it was no upgrade. The computer they sent me was below what I had before and was missing all of the software. I have a 1-inch high record of my dealings with Gateway on the repair of my computer. I was so frustrated after all this. I just accepted the computer they sent me and vowed to never buy from them again. I also want to prevent as many people as possible from buying from them. The other reviews are right on. Gateway couldn't care less that I'm not satisfied.

I purchased this computer from BestBuy.com on 10/11/09, well within the time frame for the Windows 7 upgrade promotion. I received the computer on 10/16/09 and began the process to request the upgrade kit. When I entered the serial number, the upgrade process would not complete saying the SN was not recognized. This began my horrible experience with Gateway's customer service. I literally lost count the amount of emails I sent to this company providing proof of purchase, sales receipt, the UPC code, the SNID number, the SN as well as digital pictures of my computer, showing the serial number.

Every time I sent and resent this information I received the same or a variation of the same response, "please provide the serial number and we will do the needful thing". I also tried the live chat support and about half way through the session, the representative abruptly asked me if he had solved all the issues and was ready to terminate the session when he did not even begin to scratch the surface of the issues. That being the processed request for the upgrade.

I next searched the Internet for a phone number for Gateway as they do not provide a toll free number on their website for assistance. I spoke with a representative on the phone who asked me for the serial number repeatedly. I repeatedly gave them the serial number on the computer and they repeatedly told me that it was not the right number. I found that funny since I was the one looking at the computer not them. To sum up they have refused to honor the promotional upgrade offer and this computer was promptly returned and I will never buy another Gateway product ever.

Imagine purchasing a 4 year extended warranty on your computer. Now imagine that 3 years into your warranty your computer breaks and you need to have the manufacturer take a look at it. Now imagine finding out that your warranty was not only sold to another company but that company went out of business. This has happened to hundreds if not thousands of Gateway computer owners. Many purchased extended warranties at $200 to $400 for piece of mind. This has happened to me as well. I've talked with Gateway reps who tell me they no longer recognize my existence as a customer or warranty holder.

A quick review of my warranty tells me it was owned by Gateway. It is a contract between Gateway and myself. There was no "clause" that would give them the right to transfer their obligation to another organization. So, having 2 Gateway tablet computers, I'm stuck holding the bag.

FINDLAY, RHODE ISLAND -- I purchased a Gateway desktop PC October 2008 at Best Buy and it has NEVER worked. I sent it to the Gateway repair center and when I got it back it wasn't fixed, plus a part was broken that was not broken when I originally shipped it to them. It is now 5 months later and I still do not have a PC that works (it's back at the repair center). I have been paying for internet service, I had to pay for shipping, plus they damaged my PC, plus I still don't have computer. They just give you the runaround. I hope their business goes under...so no one else has to go through what I'm going through.

It's obvious I'm never going to get a working computer because their computers DON'T WORK. All I can say is, if you are smart you will not go to BEST BUY and you will not purchase a GATEWAY computer. Oh, and I've already checked to see if it could be returned and it cannot. Even though it NEVER worked correctly. Now what kind of business is that? It's the type of business you don't want anything to do with. I'm frustrated with Best Buy as well, but my goal is to convince Best Buy management to not to sell Gateway computers.

LIVERMORE, CALIFORNIA -- I have a 2 year warranty service contract with Gateway which they are not honoring. Gateway customer support sold their warranty to MPC and says they cannot help me. Unfortunately MPC declared chapter 11 and is no longer able to support the warranty. At least all their phone messages do not have anyone from tech support responding. Their online support also does not work as well. It looks like there is no one left at MPC to support any of the warranties. Gateway at this point says they cannot support the service because they sold it to MPC. What a rip-off?

There should be a lawsuit against Gateway for not honoring the service warranties. Whether they sold the warranties to a company that declared bankruptcy is not our problem. We bought their computer and extended warranty and expect it to be serviced.