In Gateway Country do People Rule?
Mar 26 '01 (Updated Apr 29 '01)
The Bottom Line The warranty does not last long and there are fees related to calling for help with technical problems with a Gateway computer. The finance charges are astronomical!!
I purchased my Gateway Astro in November of 1999 and started using the computer on December 21, 1999 the day it arrived from United Parcel Service.
On March 14, 2001 my Gateway Astro bit the dust. I tried the Recovery CD that was sent with my computer but an error occurred 73% into the installation.
Since three is my lucky number I tried this three times and still it would not budge. How my computer stopped working is a mystery to me since I was not at the computer and when I sat down the screen had yellow words stating it was now okay to turn off my computer.
When I started it back up it gave me three options and I was totally lost so I tried them all with no results. The only way I was able to get the recovery CD to work was to insert it first and then turn on the computer.
I called Gateway at 1-800-GATEWAY and first had to give the serial number to my Gateway Astro. This was not located on the left or right side like the person on the phone said, but in back.
I learned that the Hardware warranty is for one-year and the Software warranty was expired in March which seems like only 90 days. I had called someone I know who told me upon my explanation of the screen messages that I needed a recovery reinstall and a low level format, greek words to me.
The person on the phone gave me the only options which were to either call 1-800-229-1103 for a charge of $1.50 per minute charged to a credit card. The second option was to call 1-900-555-4695 for a $1.95 charge to your phone bill. I chose not to do these since my computer is here and the person on the phone would not be able to help me.
I asked for the nearest store location and called for the hours. The next day I spoke to a technician who told me there is a charge of $49.95 for checking the computer out for those who are no longer covered by warranty.
Then there is a 5-7 day turn around to even look at the computer and all Gateway Astro computers have to be shipped back to South Dakota.
The salesman at the Gateway Store said the credit card for Gateway was not able to be used for work on the computer, but when I spoke to the technician he said as long as there is credit available on the Gateway credit card plan you can utilize this for payment.
The only thing about Gateway that I like at the moment is that I can still upgrade my computer in two years, so this November I will be looking into the other gateway products.
There is also a Gateway magazine for those who have purchased Gateway products. This is published four times a year covering spring, summer, fall and winter. The cover price is $1.95 and subscription will be $6.95. For further details on this magazine contact 1-800-846-3837.
The magazine covers a guide to products and a bulletin board. You can find codes for 10% discounts on products if you purchase them online.
The number for Gateway Direct is 1-800-846-3842. Check them out online at www.gateway.com. There is training available at many of the Gateway Country stores. All prices exclude shipping, handling and taxes.
They state the credit financing is forty-eight months at 14.9% APR but that is for those who qualify and their maximum is 28%, which is what I suffer paying.
I would advise checking the warranties for what exactly they cover. In my case I was excited to get my computer and did not follow through on purchasing or looking for an extended warranty.
My computer was turned off by a switch that it was connected to by my children one too many times and I hope all it will need is a recovery reinstall. At the present time I am able to utilize a library computer for a whopping forty-five minutes twice a week and I am sitting with tons of school children watching my fingers type.
I will update this overall review on Gateway once I receive the findings on my Gateway Astro.
UPDATE: APRIL 2001
My computer was at the Gateway store from March 29 - April 18th. This is the backlog they had to look at my computer. I called a few times a week and the response was it would be on the bench in a day to be seen, but in actuality it did not get looked at until April 18th and in two hours was done.
To my knowledge Windows was restored, but the technician thought I might need a new hard drive at first, that is a cost of $200.00.
I have been getting internal errors all the time but will not take it back just yet, the wait is too long.
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