I won't be buying another Gateway/Acer for a while

[foff667]

Until their quality control practices get better.

I notice their prices are always usually the lowest but I'm getting the idea that this is because their QC is just piss poor.

I purchased a new gateway laptop back in June from best buy for $429, had a 500gb hd, 4gb ram, hdmi, etc.

The first one I get I had some issues with right away(I can't remember what) but basically returned it after 1 day. Best buy was very cool about this and just swapped it out for a new one which I had for about 4 days, thought everything was going good but then started using the numeric keypad on a daily basis and found that the 0 & 9 keys would only work about 5% of the time so back to best buy I went this time decided on a different model, completely new keyboard,etc it was a "downgrade" for the same price since it only had a 320gb hard drive but other than that similar specs.

Fast forward 3 months and the battery will only charge to 80%, I contact gateway and within a couple of back & forth emails they send me out a new battery on an exchange basis.

Fast forward 3 more months to Tuesday of this week and the battery will only charge to 80% again.

In the end I'm just going to a different make this time around and will likely sell this one or just give it away to a family member that doesn't have a laptop of their own.

Because of my job here I use my laptop for 10hrs+ a day and can't be without it for 7 or 10 days which is their expected eta, for that I can't be without one for a day lol.

Found a few good deals out there but geez where has QC gone these days? I've got to think since I purchase a new laptop nearly every year not only for myself but for my wife and my 3 kids you might think to just do an exchange for a new one of similar spec with all the issues I've had...its already an inconvenience to have to either way 2 weeks or to even swap over all my stuff to a new computer, might as well try and make it as painless as possible so it doesn't leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Just bought my wife a new laptop for christmas and didn't even consider a gateway as an option and at least one of my kids will be needing one soon...again gateway will not be getting that sale.

Anyways just venting and giving you a heads up to think twice about saving that $20 by going with a gateway.

-Bill

[Frosty]

There's a reason why some of these companies sell stuff so cheap. Stick with bigger name brands, it may cost you more up front but in the long run it'll keep you up and running.

Usually with PC stuff you get what you pay for.

[maroman88]

yea, wat mr frosty said!

[FlyingDutchman]

Yeah my gf has a gateway she just got a few months ago as a replacement. terrible quality, touch pad comes and goes, literally has a mind of its own. some of the keys dont work either from time to time.

As for me ill never buy another plastic laptop in general. i know macs are expensive but from what ive seen they seem to last quite a while and apple is pretty good with customer service.

[maroman88]

my toshiba has been flawless for over 2 years, its used only for internet, all my files are on an external hard drive

[r0nin89]

Originally Posted by maroman88

my toshiba has been flawless for over 2 years, its used only for internet, all my files are on an external hard drive

Gateway used to be a reputable company....

I'm in the same boat. I'll never EVER buy a Acer/Gatewar product again. When the $400 entry level laptops first hit the scene a couple years ago I bought my girlfriend an Acer. Was good for like 6 months. Then it got buggy, then the sound started cutting out randomly. Then it overheated frequently blah blah blah. Its just plain cheap quality.

Like Maroman my Toshiba has been flawless for the year I've had it now. Never a single problem. IMO when you can get a Toshiba or HP now for the same $400 that buys the Acer or Gateway its really a no brainer...

[maroman88]

mine was about 500 out the door... i thought it was a great deal and does all i need it too

[qwikz28]

Love my Dell. Just swapped out the 5400rpm 500gb hard drive for a 128gb SSD and its lightening fast now, especially recovering from hibernate. I'll likely be swapping this machine for another Dell or an IBM thinkpad after this one bites the dust.

[greenformula92]

i have a dell desktop and my gf has a dell laptop, both are great....never have any issues with them at all and are both used daily. not for 10 hours....but daily

[91chevywt]

My Acer laptop has been a tank. I got it in mid '07. I'd say it has been "on" for 95% of its life. Occasionally I'll close it and put it in sleep mode. I have the screen set to turn off after 15 min of idle, and that's really as far as I go. The keys are very worn. The center "asdfghjkl;" row is polished from my fingertips, and the little nubs on the f and j keys are totally gone from the amount of typing i've done on it.

I've replaced the battery once, with a cheap ebay replacement, that was like $20 at the most, maybe less. The old one got so bad it would only hold a charge for 5 minutes.

[r0nin89]

Originally Posted by maroman88

mine was about 500 out the door... i thought it was a great deal and does all i need it too

I meant Toshibas are awesome was a type....

[Mark B]

HP or build it yourself.

[V]

i liked my toshibas too.

first one was $250 and perfect for surfing the web email and tuning.
It even made it through Afghanistan, with all the dust and abuse. It only gave in to a virus in the boot sector, but was easily fixed with a restore, now its a backup comp and dedicated tuning laptop.

my second toshiba was $350, had win7, and i got free shipping, i use that computer when i go back to NJ. No issues at all.

[quasar34]

ive had my $600 hp laptop for over 2.5 years..battery just stopped holding a charge the other day...only problem so far (i use it daily, atleast 8hrs a day)

my cheapo $100 hp desktop has been kickin for the last 5-6 years with no problems

x2 on hp or build yourself

[WildBillyT]

I have had success with Dell, HP, and Toshiba. All are good. Pop for a business model and not a home unit if you can.

[Tsar]

I lol'd at the Quality control and Acer bing in the same sentence. There's something wrong when you can buy a PC for a price of a good video card, well maybe a little more.