How would you react if you bought a totally new PC, set it up, and right out of the box there seemed to be a problem? And then after speaking to the manufacturer numerous times, you were told you could no longer get free technical support, the company wouldn't repair the PC, and that you couldn't sue because there was a clause in the original sales agreement that stated buyers must settle disputes through a private forum and not a public courtroom? Well, that’s exactly what happened to a customer who bought a PC from Gateway...
"Right out of the box, he says, the computer displayed scattered graphics and wouldn't work properly. H
e says he called a Gateway salesman five times and sent him an e-mail to get an authorization number to send the computer back, but his phone calls and message were never returned.
Then, over the course of months, Sheehan said he called Gateway technical support dozens of times. Technicians kept telling him the problems could be fixed, but they never were, he says. E
ventually, Gateway refused to provide him with any more technical support, and despite his repeated demands, the company would not return his money or replace his computer, Sheehan contends."
I guess this is one more reason to build your own machines if you have the knowledge to do so.
Marco Chiappetta
Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com
