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Gateway - Letters to Ted

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We're building up quite a collection of letters to Gateway CEO Ted Waitt. Here are a few of the better ones:

Emily of Mercer Island, WA (9/27/02):
Ted Waitt, CEO
Gateway
610 Gateway Drive North
Sioux City South Dakota 57049-2000

This letter comes to you after an extremely dissatisfying relationship with Gateway. I have made every attempt to resolve the issues outlined below in a timely fashion and Gateway has failed to provide adequate resolve to my extensive laptop problems. I purchased my Solo 9550 on February 1, 2002. It arrived at my home on February 8, 2002 with the speakers blown out. I took it into the Gateway Country store the same day and sent it out for service.

When it arrived back from service, the mouse button on the chassis was broken. In an attempt to fix the mouse the LCD screen cracked. On May 3, 2002 I returned to the Country store to send my laptop out for service, again. It returned to me on May 16, 2002 with the mouse button still broken. Unfortunately due to work constraints I was unable to immediately send the system out for service.

On July 23, 2002, I returned to the Gateway country store to send the system out for service, for the third time. The system returned on July 31, 2002 with a broken module port, broken LCD latch and malfunctioning USB ports. At this point my system had been ‘out’ for service for a total of six weeks.

In an attempt to rectify the problems caused by your repair center I was sent a replacement chassis. This replacement arrived on August 28, 2002, with a broken hard drive port. I spent over three hours on the phone trying to rectify the problem; when the techs determined it was unfixable Gateway requested that I send that system back. I was told my only option was to wait until I was sent yet another replacement chassis.

The second replacement chassis arrived on September 6, 2002; it had a damaged processor which made a tremendously disruptive, loud high pitch noise. Once again I contacted Gateway, and spent the better part of four hours on the phone, again I was told that my only recourse was to send the chassis in to service and wait until a third replacement chassis arrived. The third replacement chassis arrived on September 25, 2002; this system has a discolored screen which could not be resolved by your tech line. After a total of four hours on the phone I was again told to send the system in and wait for another replacement, but if another replacement chassis was not acceptable I would have to write to warranty and wait for some one to decide how to resolve this continuing problem.

It is clear to me that this laptop is defective, I do not have the time to wait for weeks while I am sent replacement after replacement until someone gets it right. I purchased my system in February and it has never functioned properly and I am extremely disappointed. In addition to the stress of having a semi-functional system I have spent well over thirty hours on the phone with Gateway, during these calls I have been hung up on twice, several case managers have insinuated that I was maliciously breaking my computer, and a countless number of customer service reps questioned the mail service by suggesting that this is a Fed Ex problem.

I assure you that when I purchased a Gateway it is because I wanted a fully functioning system and so far I have not received what I purchased. It has been over seven months and my laptop has never fully functioned. I will not accept another 9550 chassis, nor will I spend anymore time on the phone trying to fix this product. I purchased this system in February shortly after I was accepted to Law School and the school I attend has a purchase program set up with Dell. I, however, chose to purchase a Gateway based on the services provided and the good things I have heard about the company. I can assure you that I will never purchase a Gateway again; the majority of customer service personnel I have spoken with have been tremendously rude, the case managers have no ability to solve a problem and it is apparent that the product is inferior to other systems.

My husband Bryan and I will be purchasing new computers every three or four years for the rest of our professional careers and I assure you that none of them will come from Gateway. I can also assure you that I have alerted everyone I can find about the poor product and poor service I have received from Gateway.

The warranty clearly holds that a complete system replacement is an option; if I do not receive a new laptop then a full refund for the purchase price of this system is acceptable. These are the only two acceptable options left after the severe difficulty Gateway has put me through. If I am not contacted by Gateway prior to October 27, 2002, I will file for arbitration to ensure that I have some resolve. I encourage you to pull up my file and look at the record of over twenty different phone calls, ten trips to various Gateway Country stores, and numerous visits to the web site. Even with the extensive effort on my part your company has done virtually nothing to ensure that I have a fully functioning system. I am exceedingly sorry that I did not purchase a Dell.

Another disappointed customer:
Mr. Waitt,
I am a recent purchaser of a Gateway computer. My client ID number is xxxxxxx. I received my computer on January 11, 1999 via UPS.

Soon after its arrival two problems were discovered with the computer. First, I discovered that the computer did not have the modem which we purchased, but rather it included a modem which was less expensive. Second, the floppy or "A" drive was broken. It had no power running through the system to the drive.

From January 14, 1999 through January 16, 1999, I attempted to address this issue. I spoke with numerous people in your different corporate operations. Not only were they not helpful, but they obstructed my ability to discuss this matter and replace the defective computer. The names of the people are as follows:

• Trevor T, Salesperson: Did not return several calls.
• Trent: extremely rude and dismissive about my problem.
• Dave: badge number xxxx. Placed me on hold for over twenty minutes.
• Kathrine in Sales Support in Salt Lake City: badge number xxxxx. Hung up on me.

I requested to return the defective computer and have it replaced with another system. They told me that they can not do that. That they would send a person out to my home to get the system up and running. After two problems with this NEW computer in four days, I really do not want to keep this system. Further, I am required to pay the return shipping costs.

What I want is a computer which works. I do not want a computer which needs to be put together part-by-part over the first few months for which the computer is in my possession. I want a new system sent to me according to the specifications which I ordered. I am a writer and researcher who relies on my computer.

I hope that this matter gets some attention. I was told by one of your largest competitors, Dell, that your company fails at customer service. I did not believe what they told me at the time. I am beginning to believe it now. In my field where the individual computer is so important, I will make sure to tell each co-author of mine about my experiences with your company.

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