Wizard Prang's Blog

Don’t buy a Gateway

I recently acquired a Gateway computer with no Hard Drive. So I went to Gateway’s website to get install media. Their site recognized the serial number, but when I clicked on the “Purchase recovery Media” link I got “We could not find the serial number you entered”.

Odd.

I went to “chat” to find out what was going on. My initial contact with them included the serial number and began thus: “I am trying to purchase recovery media for my computer (Hard Drive Failed and has been replaced). Support page recognizes the serial number but purchase recovery media does not.” The conversation – with names omitted and my words in bold [and my comments in italics] – went as follows:

• …from the serial number provided I see that the computer is Out of Warranty. As a One Time Best Effort I can provide you with some self help links to fix the issue. [Translation: "After this, you on you own, foo!"]
• Thank you.
• I have verified your issue and may I confirm that your issue is related with system recovery disc purchase?
• Correct
• May I confirm your operating system as Vista or XP?
• I believe it came with XP
• as your operating system is XP you need the recovery disc for performing the recovery. [Well duh!]
• I am so sorry to inform you that Gateway will only be storing images for systems with a Purchase Date of September 2006 and forward. Due to this we will not be able to provide an RCD to systems older than this date. Customers will need to purchase new retail media for systems older than this date. [Translation: Thanks but we don't want your money. Good-bye!]
• So you need to purchase the retail version of operating system disc from any retail outlet and install it. [You knew - or should have known - this at the beginning - why the hell did It take you so long to figure this out?]
• So I’m screwed.
• Please note that there will be data loss on installation.
• Does “Hard Drive Failed and has been replaced” mean anything to you? [Translation: You really haven't been paying attention, have you?]
• … you can use retail version of operating disc for windows xp and install it and thus you are able to reload the operating system to new hard drive. You can purchase the operating system disc from any retail outlet and install it. [Translation" You on you own, foo!"]
• You are stating the obvious. Is English your first language?
• Yes. [I don't believe you]
• I’m apparently talking to a bot. Bye. [In fact, I don't even believe that you are human]

I could not believe this. Gateway were actually turning away people who would purchase a recovery CD. So, I sent them an e-mail. Here the reply:

Dear Wizard Prang,

Thank you for contacting Gateway. I’ll be happy to assist you with this issue.

From what you have described, Wizard, I understand that you need the recovery cd for the system.

I have verified your serial number and found that your serial number is not registered and is out of warranty.

We would like to inform you that, the recovery CD’s are only available for systems for 3 years from the date the system part number was created.

Due to this reason, an order for a recovery CD is unable to be placed for your computer model. So I request you to kindly purchase a retail version of the Operating System and search for the drivers of your computer in the internet.

We have a dedicated team called “Pay for support” who will be able to provide you with the best options available and help you further. With your permission can I go ahead and set a callback for you. The specialist from “Pay for support” team would contact you and give more details.

For Setting up a callback may I have the below details.

1. Telephone Number :
2. Alternate telephone number :
3. Best time to call :
4. Time zone :

Please reply to this message if you require further assistance with this issue.

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site http://support.gateway.com/

Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.

Respectfully,
Gateway Online Technical Support

So, to summarize: They will not allow you to purchase a recovery CD after three years (not “Sept 2006″, as stated in the initial chat session). And they want me to call “pay for support”. I don’t think so… As an experiment, I called Dell technical support and asked them if I could obtain a restore CD for a ten-year-old Dell running Windows 98. They said “sure”. I thanked them and ended the call. Then I replied to Gateway:

“We would like to inform you that, the recovery CD’s are only available for systems for 3 years from the date the system part number was created.”

This is odd, as it is not what was said in the chat session. They said that they could not supply CDs for machines after Sept 2006, which is NOT three years ago. Somebody is either lying or is misinformed.

It is also unacceptable. By way of an experiment I just spoke with Dell: They say they can sell me a Restore CD for a ten-year-old machine running Windows 98.

And you cannot sell me a Restore CD for a four-year-old Gateway running Windows XP. How odd.

I hope that this is all just a misunderstanding. I am amazed that Gateway is so determined to turn away a customer. Still, I am sure that Dell would welcome my business.

P.S. This will be appended to the Blog post that I linked to in the original message. You’re in a lovely deep hole, so just keep on digging…

They soon responded:

Dear Wizard Prang,

Thank you for contacting Gateway. I’ll be happy to assist you.

Having reviewed your e-mail, I understand that, you need the Recovery Disks.

After verifying serial Number, we see that your product is out of warranty.

I apologize for the inconvenience that you have experienced.

We are sorry to inform you that, Gateway is now providing the recovery disk only for systems manufactured within 3 years and according to our records, your system was manufactured before this.

So at present, we are not providing the recovery disks for your system.

You need to purchase new retail media for systems older than this date. Please contact retailers for this.

Since the warranty period of your PC/Laptop has expired I’m going to see what best I could do for you on this e-mail. As a One Time Best Effort I can provide you with some self help links to fix the issue.

I know at times it is easier to have someone actually walk you through it giving you a tutorial, along with actually doing the trouble shooting through a Remote Tool, would you like to know more about that?

We have a dedicated team called “Pay for support” who will be able to provide you with the best options available and help you further. With your permission can I go ahead and set a callback for you. The specialist from “Pay for support” team would contact you and give more details.

For Setting up a callback may I have the below details.

Telephone Number :

Alternate telephone number :

Best time to call :

Time zone :

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site http://www.support.gateway.com/

Have a great day!

Respectfully,
Gateway Online Technical Support

Almost identical to the first e-mail, so not much change there, then. I tried a more direct, succinct, concise approach:

There is more to Customer Service than simply telling the customer “no” and repeating the same thing over and over again in the hope that they will go away.

I do not need “pay for support”, I need to restore the OS that came with the machine – the one that it is licensed to run. I find it very offensive that I should have to buy another OS simply because Gateway have decided that they are not going to support their hardware.

My question is a simple one, and I would appreciate it if you could answer it succinctly without using meaningless boilerplate. The question is this:

Why is it that Dell can sell me restore media for a ten-year-old computer, but Gateway will not sell me restore media for a machine that is not even four years old?

I had little hope of getting a straight answer to a straight question out of these bozos… and I was not disappointed. Before long they responded with:

Dear Wizard Prang,

Thank you for contacting Gateway.

I understand that you have an enquiry for recovery disc.

I apologize for the inconvenience caused.

Please be informed that without a valid serial number we are not able provide recovery disc purchase information.

Wizard, we are able to provide recovery disc for the system that have been purchased within 3 years of manufacture.

So I recommend you to provide the correct serial number to provide you with better assistance.

For further clarifications, kindly visit our website http://www.support.gateway.com/
Gateway appreciates your business with us. Have a nice day!

Respectfully,
Gateway Online Technical Support

Once again they failed to tell me anything I didn’t already know, while utterly failing to answer a single simple question.

So… what I have I learned from this experience debacle?

• Gateway have farmed out their Technical Support to a bunch of bloody idiots.
• Discontinuing support at a computer’s third birthday, while ridiculous and unacceptable, is standard practice at Gateway. Perhaps they expect you to run out and buy another Gateway? Not bloody likely…
• I cannot believe that Gateway would actually turn away someone who wanted to pay for a recovery disk for a machine that they legitimately owned. This makes a mockery of the OEM license supplied with the machine.
• The main reason people purchase Brand-Name PCs is support. Take that away and you don’t have much.

I have never bought a Gateway machine before – this one was given to me. In all the years I have worked with Dell, they have never treated me like this.

I cannot, in good conscience, recommend Gateway computers.

Why? Because if you call support in thirty-six months’ time, they will tell you: “You on you own, foo!“

Postscript: I later found a Torrent version of the same OS that came on the machine. The key on the license sticker was accepted and installation went flawlessly. Then I pulled the drive and scanned it with three different malware checkers before connecting the computer to my network. To the best of my ability, this is legal and my conscience is clear; the Computer is running the OS that it was licensed to run. While our misinformed friends in the media and content industries would love to make them illegal, this proves that there are serious non-infringing uses for torrents.