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CB Computer Hardware Gateway Gateway 420GR - what a hunk of junk!
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Gateway review: Gateway 420GR - what a hunk of junk! 15

R
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12:00 am EST
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We purchased our first computer, a Gateway, in 1998. It ran like a top. We were so pleased with it that when it came time to buy a new computer, we bought a second Gateway. What a mistake!

Since purchasing our Gateway 420GR in late December 2004, we have: Gone through two monitors. The first 17 inch flat screen LCD died less than two and one half months after purchase, and was replaced under warranty. The second died yesterday. Replaced the hard drive once. Had FOUR major crashes, all involving lost information because the back up discs which were burned on the computer failed. Our computer tech states they were not written correctly. He feels there is a fault in the burner that fails to write an ending code on the disc.

The one time I called tech support, I could not get an agent on the phone whom I could understand. I requested an agent who spoke English as their first language. That seemed to annoy them. Needless to say, I have not called Gateway tech support back.

I honestly cannot recommend anyone purchase a Gateway. It's a costly mistake that I will not make again.

15 comments
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Kevin Roy
May 15, 2007 9:59 am EDT

I have also had problems with this PC. After installing Windows XP Pro, I could not install any of the drivers. I would always get "This computer does not meet the minimum requirements for installing the software." I called Gateway's toll free number, and after giving them the serial number, they told me it wasn't bought from Gateway, and they gave me another number to call. 604 --- ----, a long distance! I now have to pay long distance to get support from a PC I bought in a pawn shop. I finally called them, and after registering my product with the phone assistant, she kindly told me that I had to pay 39$ for support. I double checked the calendar to see if we were April 1st. 39$ for support, this is CRAZY. Don not buy Gateway, they have horrible support!

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tony basile
Jun 11, 2007 1:39 pm EDT

My hard drive took a dive just after the warranty expired do not buy a gateway put a new hard drive in and the CD recovery disk does not have what was original on the computer.

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Clay House
Jun 24, 2007 1:14 pm EDT

I've also had a horrible experience with Gateway recently. I had previously purchased two machines from them and was very satisfied. This recent purchase was very different.

1) Continually received conflicting information on the status of my order - it arrived 1 month late (despite purchasing next day shipping)
2) This was a high-end machine with two video cards in a cross-fire configuration. Although the site offered to sell you a second monitor (I did buy one as a second), it failed to disclose that you couldn't use two monitors with the high-end graphics enabled.
3) The machine was defective from day 1. I've had to re-build it 6 times in 4 months and it still crashes very often. Gateway has refused to provide any real help to resolve the issue.

The bottom line is that the machine is so unstable and performs so poorly that I continue to use my 4+ year old machine (which is also running Vista with absolutely no problems). Basically, I have a $4,000 heater under my desk. That's about all it is good for. I'll be writing the SD Consumer Protection division. I suggest that you do the same if you're having problems (http://www.state.sd.us/attorney/office/divisions/consumer/complaints/Default.asp).

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Mark Doll
Nov 23, 2007 8:06 pm EST

I have also had a very negative experience with Gateway Computers. About two months after buying the computer, I began to have problems with it booting up. I called technical support and was told that it was a hard drive problem and that I could install the hard drive myself. Well, the probem wasn't the hard drive because after the new hard drive was installed, I continued to have problems with the computer booting up. I also hired a technician at my own expense to install the hard drive. Just how many Gateway customers could install a hard drive themselves? What was Gateway thinking?

I called Gateway and asked for a new computer, stating that a computer so new should not have problems booting up. The tech person I talked to then talked to his supervisor, and I was told I would receive a call the following week. I did not receive a call the following week. While putting in the new hard drive, the tech person I had hired discovered that I had not been sent the correct disc for the mother board. When I talked to Gteway about getting a new computer, I also asked for the correct disc. Gateway did not send the disc as they said they would. I eventually filed a complaint with the Oregon Attorney General's office. After receiving the complaint, Gateway did send me the correct disc and sent a check for $150 toward the $225 cost of installing the new hard drive. They would not pay the full amount despite the fact that it was their misdiagnosis over the phone and their statement that I could install it myself.

I continued to intermintently have problems with the computer booting up. I sent the computer to a Gateway service center and enclosed a note stating I would not accept the computer back. I also wrote a letter to a staff member of their executive response team stating why I would not accept the computer back, stating that a computer six months old should not require three repair attemtps.

Gateway then told me if I didn't accept the computer back it would be considered "abandonded." I then let Gateway know that I was filing another complaint and that I no longer willing to do business with them. At this point Gateway THEN offered to replace the computer. I accepted the original computer back and am now awaiting resolution of the problem. I have contacted my congressional representative's office and hope they can help me.

I did recently receive Gateways response to my second complaint with the Oregon Attorney General's Office. The staff member of the "escalation team" stated that their records showed that my computer had only been sent to a service center one time. This person conveniently didn't say that there had been two previous repair attempts. She also had the gall to state that if an unapproved third party works on the computer, then the warranty is void. As I pointed out in my response to her letter, it was Gateway who incorrectly diagnosed the problem as being in the hard drive, sent me a hard drive and said I could install it myself.

My recommendation is to NEVER buy a Gateway computer. If I can't resolve this problem through my representatives office, I will seek legal action. I urge anybody who has had similar problems with Gateway to complain to a consumer affairs office and/or your congressional representative. I have found Gateway to be both inept and unethical.

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The Customer
Apr 08, 2008 10:42 pm EDT

Kathleen Weimar
Office of the Attorney General
100 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60601

Ms. Weimar,

These ongoing negotiations with Gateway are redundant and are bordering on ridiculous. How many times do I have to address the same issues that have been presented in my previous correspondence?

1.) The phone support personnel at Gateway had determined that the failure of the motherboard was the reason the PCMCIA card slot will not to power up and that the computer would have to be returned to Gateway to have the motherboard replaced. However each time the computer is returned to Gateway, the motherboard is not replaced, which would solve the problem. The computer is ultimately returned to me as No Trouble Found/No Failure Claim Description Provided.

2.) The Sprint equipment and software did in fact work in the Gateway computer for approximately eight months, so we do know that the equipment and software are compatible with the Gateway computer.

3.) The Sprint equipment and software are currently working optimally in a Toshiba Satellite laptop computer. This would in fact prove that there is nothing wrong with the Sprint Mobile Broadband Service or the equipment provided by Sprint. The attempt by Dixie Radakovich to shift the cause of the failure to Sprint is an obvious red herring, when in fact the failure of the Gateway computer is the issue being discussed here.

4.) The computer as purchased from Gateway is in fact sold as ready to upgrade to Windows Vista and includes a certificate for a free operating system upgrade from Microsoft. Dixie Radakovich is obviously unaware of how these systems are shipped and sold as she contends that installing this software, Windows Vista, “could significantly cause problems”.

5.) I have used the Windows XP Media Center Version 2005 With Update Rollup 2 CD supplied by Gateway with the purchase of the computer and restored the system to the original factory settings. However the PCMCIA card slot will not supply power to a PCMCIA card when inserted in the computer.

I have done some research on the internet with my Toshiba laptop computer and the Sprint Mobile Service, the same service that will not work on a Gateway computer. I have found a pattern in the way Gateway handles any reported problems with the low quality products that they produce. The customer is required to send the failing product to the Gateway service department numerous times, with no service being performed. After they are certain that the warranty no longer applies, they are in a position to refuse to repair the equipment.

I am asking you to intervene and force an obviously poorly managed organization, bordering on criminal, to replace the product I have been sold with a new, not refurbished computer, which Gateway seems to prefer as method of resolving frustrated consumers complaints.

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Konya
US
Dec 03, 2009 10:22 am EST

Gateway Computer will not stand behind what they sell. My recommendation would be to buy elsewhere. You will be better off.

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Niton
US
Dec 24, 2009 1:43 pm EST

This is the second computer I have had from gateway and it has overheated and caused the hard drive to go bad. they know the problem exists and fail to fix it. do not buy from gateway.

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Gateway to Hell
Seattle, US
May 26, 2011 11:14 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Gateway computers are truly terrible products. I've owned a laptop from them for only 6 months, I now can not use it. Tech support told me to do a "system restore" which wiped my hard drive, and that didn't work either. Not to mention that I pressed the CD drive to open it and the cover simply fell off. (Which they told me they may charge me $199 to replace it.. really?) So after chatting with customer support I was told to send my laptop in and they would "graciously" send it back to me and wouldn't charge me for the shipping, but I had to pay to have it shipped to them. WTF? Are you serious? I've owned this laptop for six months, it is still under warranty and the cover fell off, and I need to pay to ship it to them. At this point I don't even care how much the shipping is, because the quality of the product is so terrible I just don't want to waste any more money on it. I guess I got spoiled having an HP Computer as their technical support is so amazing... I will not be purchasing another Gateway computer. Tech support is mediocre at best, and the additional money to be spent to get my newly purchased computer fixed is insane. (Oh I was told that they would pay for shipping if it was in the first 30 days after I bought my computer...wtf?)

Stay away from Gateway computers... truly crappy product. This is the first time I bought a laptop and didn't research the company and the warranty. I was a stupid consumer on this purchase, and now I am paying the price... $800 clams down the toilet.

Thanks for making crappy equipment Gateway...

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Amy
US
Nov 01, 2011 7:43 pm EDT

I got my computer for 1224.96 and it was damaged, so i called the company and started with that process as i waited forever on hold i noticed that it was the wrong computer. As i explained this to the several people i spoke with none of them new how to help me as if they had never had this problem before in there 20 years of business. When i finally got my refund gateway had stolen over 200.00 of my refund...

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samuelosangeles
Los Angeles, US
Jun 25, 2012 5:12 pm EDT

Do not buy Gateway. And don't be fool with the nice slick design.It is bad computer filled with junky malfunction software and most ridicules customer service ever happening in the mother earth.

I bought two computers "all in one computer" and within the 14 days having many problems, like cant Burn C. D's, often got a Blank screen for long time and got failed drivers, Till it has to tuned off. It has bad Fan noise By the way the model ZX6971 and ZX 4300 sound is disgusting and they call this is a Computer plus TV with THX sound system and remote control. gateways Motherboard is the big problem.

After few calls hangs up by the robotic answering machine. Here is the funny thing, The robotic answering machine recognized your last call with the caller ID, And if you call back for another issue for another Gateway computer (not the same computer) it would think you are calling for the same reason.The robotic machine will hangs up on you, because it has design so stupidly.

finally was able to called the help desk with the CD burner issues (it was my 3rd week of my purchased) and Indian call center agent Mr.Siri I.D number GWSI 1541 told me " you need to pay $75 to fix the "Nero Burner".
He offered me a free factory reset, which mean I will loose all my data, files and Network and it would take me another three days to put all this together. There is way to fix this issues without a factory re-set, But they are not gona do it, Till you pay them $75.

I try to complaint via there Webster and they're is no telephone number or e-mail address. there has nothing setup for clients complaints, Basically this company is out of touch. I have called so many times and it has never resolved, But If I would called "Jesus Christ" he would respond me much quickly then Gateway.

Before you buy any product, Consumer should read about the company's profiles and there product
Gateway as the worst management and bad administrations ever comes with lousy people with lousy service.They only want your money for there junky computers. Can you imagine a new computers vs over a year old computer? nothing difference, you still would get the same bad service, pay them to correct there junky software issues even you have the new computer three days old.

If any one like to know about this product call me, If you buy one of this Gateway products, I would be happy to tell you how would you be suffer.
My number is [protected] and my name is Samuel. I'm hopping some day they will get a class action law suite.

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D. Wyner
US
Oct 01, 2012 6:33 am EDT

R. A. Davis complaint is ridiculous. He bought the Gateway in 2004 and it started to give him probems in 2007 - a monitor. which was replaced. He complains about backup discs failing. If there was a problem with DVD/CD drive, the backup disks would not have completed. Maybe, he should have backup on an external drive not discs which can be unreliable. I have a 420GR for the past 12 years - never had a problem. Now, needs a new harddrive, which I will replace. That s it. I do not work for Gateway but their products have always proven to be reliable. Remember it is a machine. Machines do fail; they do not live forever but we do not either. Buy another computer, choose a different brand if you will but do not expect it to last for eternity. No computer will. I stand by my Gateway. D. J. Wyner

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ronbn
Key Largo, US
Aug 05, 2013 10:26 am EDT

bought two of these hunks of junk. different models at different times and both had hardware issues and both are junk. I found out Gateway is no longer Gateway it was bought out by Acer so that means Acer is also junk and that Best buy is aware it is junk and continues to sell this garbage.
anyone needing info can contact me with skype, id ronbn49 We need to stop the rip off Best Buy sells and promotes this junk knowing it is junk.

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gta plays
US
Sep 14, 2022 6:27 pm EDT

I don't like this device the touch screen doesn't work property it doesn't have much storage and it's a little slow if you want to gmail me do this at gta1plays@gmail.co

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Wawa Sham
US
Aug 12, 2023 6:44 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

dari 4 aug sampai 6 aug taksampai sampai , terperap je dekat kuala seberang perai tengah ni

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charmaine miller
Boron, US
Sep 09, 2023 4:16 pm EDT

movie not fitness tutorial!

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