Gateway DX4300-03 (PT.G830X.003) PC Desktop

We purchased this Gateway model from Best Buy a few weeks ago.  We always have Best Buy set up our computers for us before we take them home.  Although the sales people at Best Buy recommended this model because we were looking for a computer with a media center including built in television receiver, it's been a huge disappointment.  We left the computer with the folks at Best Buy's Geek Squad (and from experience we know those guys are great) for set-up, which normally takes a few hours to a day.  Unfortunately, we received a call from the Geek Squad informing us that the (brand new never taken home) computer was failing to load the virus scan and that they were going to give us another Gateway.  Same model, just another brand one which supposedly worked.

Well, it's been a couple of weeks, and the brand new replacement makes using that computer a totally miserable experience.  The computer has been back to Best Buy twice for repairs, and now it's going back again.  That will be three times in less than one month for a brand new computer.  The computer crashes numerous times per day.  It won't switch from one email ID to another on AOL without crashing.  And it's a total crash, which requires a cold boot.  We've had windows fail to work totally, and have had to do systems restore.  Some of the time it doesn't print on our Brother Wireless Printer, but will print on the HP WIRELESS printer but only when hardwired to it via a USB cable which shouldn't be necessary.  (We have two other Gateway computers at our house and they have no problems with the printer).  

Additionally, the computer has a nasty habit of either going to sleep or hibernating even though our power selection states that the monitor is always to stay on.  (We shut it off when we're done using the computer).  

It's been very difficult to get through an entire virus scan without the computer crashing, and then sometimes, when we try to change screens to quarantine a cookie, the computer crashes, so we have to run the scan all over again.  This is very frustrating.

To add insult to injury, as we were preparing to bring the computer back to Best Buy once again for a repair, we discovered that pictures we had copied to the hard drive were missing or impossible to find.  They're not where they should be, at any rate.  Fortunately, we had also copied these pictures to another computer.  Still, it's frustrating to pay good money and have to be going through all this.  

When the computer failed to totally disengage from AOL yesterday, our friends reported that the signal on the buddy list that they hear when someone leaves their computer failed to stop beeping, so that proves that at times the computer can't disengage without a cold boot. 

When we initially brought the replacement Gateway home the first night, it failed to connect to the Internet.  I spent over five hours on the phone with Gateway, with Best Buy Geek Squad (the extended warranties are phenomenal), with AOL, and with Time Warner Road Runner. There were numerous calls with each company.  The folks at Best Buy, AOL, and Time Warner with great.  They were polite and knowlegeable, although unfortunately, I kept getting referred back to Gateway.  The people at Gateway were impossible to deal with.  I had conversations with four people there.  All the Gateway people blamed us for the problem, they were high pitched and actually screamed at us, and refused to accept any responsibility.  The people at the other companies tried to help figure out the problem.  (It turned out to be some faulty command in the computer somewhere which eventually had to be fixed at Best Buy).  I have never ever had such obnoxious customer service as the Gateway people.  They should be ashamed of themselves to be so rude to a customer who had bought a brand new upper end computer from them.  They acted as if I was inconveniencing them by having a problem.  In addition, the English was very difficult to understand.  AOL and HP have customer service centers out of country, and I've used them numerous times for advice and have always dealt with polite people.  I just don't understand the Gateway people.  When I asked for a supervisor, the rep hung up on me.  The next time we get a computer, for this alone, it won't be a Gateway (even though we have two other Gateways that work perfectly).  The company has shown that they can't handle a problem with respect and courtesy.

Additionally problems include a keyboard that failed to work, and one of our teenagers tried playing games on it, and it failed to stay connected to the Internet crashing every few minutes and requiring a cold boot.  We contacted the manufacturer of one of the games, and they did some tests, connecting to the Gateway and discovered that the computer is to blame. 

The bottom line is that we're going to take this computer back to be serviced for the fourth time in a month.  Had we known this was going to be such a problem machine, we would have returned it within the first two week return period.  It's disgraceful that a machine should have so many problems.

If you like being frustrated, buy this computer.  If not, look elsewhere.