We’ve seen our share of fuzzy math at Target, from purported deals to fuzzy math coupons. But in what world does a candy bar get confused with a laptop? Only in the increasingly muddled world of Target, folks. [More]
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Your Computer Was Built In 2007 And That's All There Is To It
By 6.1.12
Max was trying to be all “yay, local business!” and bought his notebook computer less than a year ago from a local independent retailer. This computer wasn’t built by that local store, though. It came from Gateway. According to Gateway’s records, they don’t even have parts for it anymore, since it had been manufactured in 2007 or 2009. Even though it came new in the box with Windows 7 installed. Remember, that operating system that wasn’t released until 2009. According to Gateway, Max’s computer is so positively ancient that Gateway doesn’t even keep the parts for it around anymore. The computer that he bought new–or so he thought–less than a year ago. [More]
When Laptop Screen Cracks, Office Depot Comes Through
By 3.16.12
Usually, when a message arrives in our mailbox containing the name of a big-box office supply store and the word “saga,” it means that a sad tale of incompetence and woe is in store. But that’s not the case this time. “I’ve never had a corporation help me this much in my entire life,” Curtis noted in his e-mail. When something went wrong with the screen of his Gateway laptop that be purchased from Office Depot, Gateway offered to fix the screen for $200. He wrote to Office Depot about the problem, not expecting much, but ended up stunned at the help he received from corporate. [More]
Acer And Gateway Have Crappiest Tech Support
By 8.9.10
If you need to call tech support, you don’t want to be holding an Acer or a Gateway, a new Laptop Mag study finds. [More]
Gateway Won't Help Customer Replace Monitor
By 7.20.09
Gateway’s exploits in customer non-service have found their way onto our pages before, so it wasn’t all that surprising that Rafael wrote us to complain that the company left him out to dry when his monitor crapped out shortly after his warranty expired.
Is The Patriot Act Stopping Gateway From Fixing Your Laptop?
By 3.22.09
Gateway claims that the Patriot Act is holding up delivery of the part needed to fix Redwoodflyer’s laptop, which has been broken since October. Seems believable to us!
Why You Should Buy A Backup Harddrive
By 4.15.08
Waffling about whether to invest in a backup harddrive? Maybe this story will help convince you:
I am crawling under my desk in my work clothes before I have to take children to school and then run for the train. There is a phone wedged under my ear and a bowl of cereal in one hand. With the other, I am trying to pull a cable from behind my computer while a customer service rep for Treo (like a Blackberry, but worse) attempts to diagnose why the computer just wiped out every article I have ever written and my appointments through next year. She is in Bombay. My children are in my kitchen. They are yelling for me.
Hard drives WILL fail. It’s just a question of when. Protect your sanity, and your work clothes from getting wrinkled, and get a backup harddrive.
Gateway Admits That Complaint "Escalation" Really Means "Go Away For 3-5 Days"
By 4.1.08
My fiancee sent her computer in to Gateway 3 weeks ago for warranty repair. After repeatedly being told the computer would be repaired we have now been told it is still in the repair depot waiting for a part. Here’s the transcript of a chat we had with agent “Patrick” this morning. When he said he would escalate the issue, and we should check back in 3-5 business days, I asked if the escalation had any effect other than to make us stop bothering them for 3-5 business days… his response? “No.” When I asked him to connect me to someone who could solve the issue today, he ended the chat session.
Best Buy Hikes Price On Popular Budget Laptop, Gets Caught
By 2.12.08
If you were eyeing the “budget-priced” Gateway P-6831FX and thought about picking one up at your local Best Buy, you’ll want to wait until this Sunday, February 17th, when Best Buy says it will lower the price again.
Gateway, Acer, Packard Bell To Merge, Form Voltron
By 10.9.07
Acer is buying Gateway for $710 million. Meanwhile, Gateway has just offered to buy Packard Bell for $100 million, according to MSNBC.
Gateway Recalls Batteries For Fire Hazard
By 6.20.07
Gateway recalled laptop batteries that can overheat and pose a risk of fire. Owners of Gateway laptop models 400VTX with battery part number 6500760, and model 450ROG with battery part number 6500761 should discontinue use and submit an exchange request to Gateway.
Are You Still Stuck In Vista Upgrade Hell?
By 5.11.07
If you bought a laptop at the end of last year, you probably qualified for a free Vista upgrade. We did and although it took 6 weeks to get the disc in the mail from our laptop manufacturer, we didn’t run into too many hassles. No so for a lot of people, according to PC World:
“I was told it would be an easy process,” says William Bond, of Tampa, Florida. But, he says, the process has been anything but simple. Bond purchased a Hewlett-Packard Pavilion desktop in November at Circuit City and is still waiting for his Vista upgrade disc from ModusLink, the company handling the program for HP.
Help Improve Tech Support At Apple, Dell, Gateway, And HP
By 3.17.07
Vocal Laboratories, a company that helps other companies improve customer service by surveying customer calls, is working on project to improve tech support at Apple, Dell, Gateway, and HP, and you can participate.
All Laptops Break. Period.
By 10.27.06
This Consumer Reports chart ranks how quickly different laptops need repair.
Sony Recalls Fujitsu, Gateway, Toshiba and Sony Laptop Batteries
By 10.25.06
Monday, Sony voluntarily recalled batteries for all the notebooks listed in the headline, due to risk of fire. If you own one of these laptops, check out this page to see if the recall affects you.
Sony Recalls Gateway, Sony, Toshiba, Fujitsu Batteries
By 10.24.06
Monday, Sony launched a voluntary recall of laptop batteries for the manufacturer’s listed in the headline of this post. If you own a notepad made by one of these people, check this chart to see if you computer is affected.
Consumers Speak: Gateway Laptop Lemon
By 1.10.06
We heartily recommended a refurbished Roomba yesterday as we’ve had great luck in the past purchasing reconditioned electronics. (Although, in retrospect, we haven’t bought very many reconditioned robots.) We did call Roomba yesterday to question what exactly their reconditioning process entailed and were told—not very reassuringly—that “all the broken parts are replaced.”
