Gateway Computer, San Mateo, CA - poor consumer experience at Gateway store

# 5 for May 11, 2002

Complaints.com received the following consumer message on May 10, 2002:

From: Ronnie [Email User]

RE: Gateway Computer, San Mateo, CA - poor consumer experience at Gateway store Dear Complaints.com,

I am not typically one in which to make grievences with businesses public knowledge however this particular company in my opinion deserves as much negative publicity as their irate customers (HA, that's a joke-Customer's) can possibly muster.

About a year ago as the result of an automobile accident, I found myself unable to go to the office where the one and only computer I used was located. I figured with all the time I had, I might as well get a home PC. I recalled seeing an ad for Gateway and since they had a location near my home I stopped in. From the moment i walked through the door it was consumer hell!

First of all the sales associates were much too busy arguing about what rap "pseudo artist" was better and "barked the sickest rhymes". As immature kids will be kids, I took the time to browse amongst the displays they had. Now mind you at this time I was literally computer challenged as I knew absolutely nada about these things! I put stock in that I could gain some knowledge through the sales techniques that such a reputable company would surely train it's employees to utilize.

Finally after rudely interupting their conversation I was able to get some assistance, or so I thought. What I experienced should have warned me of what would be in store but I wanted a system and didn't have the physical ability in which to shop 3-4 different stores. So despite the lack of knowledge of the 3 sales associates working, the apparent irritation for interupting them and the "hurry up" attitude I bought what I thought would be a good system.

As a Branch Manager for a service company which covers 8 counties in the San Francisco Bay Area and provide both sales and service to more than 3000 residential and commercial customers, I am always looking at the service provided by the different establishments I frequent. In my professional and personal opinion not only should Gateway take more pains in hiring competent personnel, but maybe spend a little bit of time training them in common courtesy, product knowledge, and even the simple task of making a customer feel appreciated for paying their paycheck!

Upon receiving the system in the mail, I set it up and found that the printer did not work correctly and returned to the strore to get the issue resolved. When I walked in I asked for the person that had claimed to be the assistant manager on my first visit, but ironically no one knew whom I was talking about. I presented the business card and was told that She was off today.

I found that funny as the person that helped me was a male! Anyways, I was given a new USB ccord for the printer and was taken by the sight and sound of a speaker system that I immediately wanted. In speaking to the associate that helped me I found the speakers to be of reasonable cost and excellent sound and quality. He even mentioned that he had the same ones at his home. He was well aware of my system and it's specs. as we had discussed in in detail. I only needed to talk to my girlfriend about the purchase.

2 days later I had decided to call Gateway and order the speakers. Well I was transferred to 4 different people in a matter of about 40 mins. and was finally told that they were not available for sale seperately. I told him that I was told differently at one of their stores and was in essence told to return to the store then! Well I returned to the store to find yet again no familiar face, but after standing at the counter waiting for the person to decide what he wanted his wife to pick up for dinner that evening over the telephone was finally acknowledged and explained my situation.

He graciously looked in the computer, entered my account info and what seemed like an hour began to make the sale when it dawned on him that the particular system I had just purchased had an integrated sound card and was not able to run the speakers that I had by this time had my heart set on! I couldn't believe it. He then told me to call the customer service line and see if I couldn't get another set similar that would be compatable with mine. I was getting a little irritated by now!

So again I was ready to sit on hold with Gateway's Customer No-Support center and after again being transferred from technical to sales to specialty sales back to technical I ordered the sub standard speakers reluctantly! During this entire fiasco I literally begged anyone I could get to listen to please let me spend some money with your company. It was if though money was not the goal here, but rather a race to see how many times one person could be passed to the next department!

So a year has gone by and through many trials and errors in learning computers, I stumbled upon the information that I should have been told months ago and 25 employees ago in that not only could Gateway have sold me the speakers and made me a happy customer and prevented my casually mentioning my disdain to a huge number of the many happy custiomers I deal with on a daily basis in my business, but they could have sold me a simple external sound card such as the SB extigy which I now own with the speakers I wanted that I subsequently purchased from another company.

You would think that a company that makes the claims about the customer being family or #1 or whatever BS they advertise might have had 1 person who cared enough to take the time to realize that a simple additional sale would fix all! But they didn't, I have nothing but contempt for them and as long as I am able to speak will be on a crusade to make people aware of the unprofessional, knowledge challenged, no having customer service, musical phone sevice, script reading operation that lacks even the simple knowledge of how to reboot their own computers. Thank you for your help Gateway!

Most sincerely,

Ron Mason

San Mateo, CA