Gateway has served me well, but there are some flaws
Sep 30 '00 (Updated Oct 01 '00)
I bought a Gateway computer back in December 1999. It has served me well, but i had quite a few initial problems with it. Luckily, I had purchased the best warranty plan and was able to get replacement parts for the defective ones very quickly and receive timely customer service when something went wrong. I never had to wait more than 10 minutes to talk to a customer service representative and my usual wait time was 2 or 3 minutes. The one problem I did have with customer service though was when I tried to get someone to come out and help me connect a piece of hardware. They said they would have someone call me back to schedule an appointment but I was never called back. Eventually I figured it out myself though. But if I did not have the minor technical skills needed to install computer hardware, I would have been waiting for a while.
The thing I like least about Gateway computers is the large amount of junk software they pre-install it with. My computer is about K7-650 mhz but ran like a 266 mhz for the longest time because they had so many memory hog programs running. I was recently, with the help of a friend, able to figure out how to shut down these programs and now my computer runs at the speed it should and my programs do not freeze anymore.
The good points about Gateway are the customer service and that they give you backup copies of all of the pre-installed software in your computer. As I said above, I have had good customer service experiences and it is available 24 hours a day. I have not yet had anything happen where I had to replace the initially installed software, but it is good to have the backup CD's available.
Overall, I recommend going with a Gateway computer if you are not very computer savvy. Just make sure that you get the best warranty option possible because something will probably go wrong in your first 6 months of using it, and the warranty will allow you to get everything working right. The price is a bit steep, but I personally think the higher price is worth it for the service you get. If you do know a lot about computers (particularly building, fixing, or programming them) I would recommend either building your own or going to one of those private retail shops and buying one of their pre-built or custom built computers.
The one thing that bothers me though is that I have heard about Gateway planning to stop using Microsoft products in their computers in the near future. This leaves me wondering what they will use instead? Linnux seems like the only alternative, which would not be too bad, but could be difficult for those who are new to using computers. I cringe at the thought of them developing a Gateway Operating System as they have their own internet service already, which I opted not to use.
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Epinions.com ID:
eddek
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Reviews written: 7
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