🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1993Jan20.045248.2388@cs.uoregon.edu> akm@atlantix.cs.uoregon.edu (Anant Kartik Mithal) writes:

   I thought that folks reading this thread should know that Infowrold
   has a front page article that talks about Gateway's poor support. This
   is in the current (1/18/93) issue.

   Salient features (as I recall, do check the exact article yourself.)

   Gateway is growing very fast (I recall a figure like 50%, but I don't
   know over what period.) It is now a > $2 billion company. It is having
   trouble keeping up with its growth.

   Customer support lines are swamped. So returns and stuff is a problem,
   and one case was reported of a customer who could not return a product
   within the first 30 that did not work for his application (connection
   to AOX or something), and so is now stuck with something that doesn't
   work for him.

   Gateway is trying to beef up its customer support and tech support
   lines. It is going from 50 people to 68 in that department and adding
   more phone lines.

   Gateway is loosing customers who swear they will never buy from them
   again. 

   Infoworld says that despite the problems with service, customers still
   say that Gateway is a good product.

   --Kartik.
   -- 
   If you quote my article remember to trim it down to the essentials.
   Anant Kartik Mithal, 				akm@cs.uoregon.edu
   Network Manager, Ph.D. Student			(503)346-3989
   Comp. Science, U of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403  	(503)346-5373 (fax)

Actually, this seems to apply to other rapidly growing formerly unknown
companies as well.  For example, ZEOS is extremely eager to sell you a
computer, but worthless when it comes to even ordering add-on parts. 
I have been waiting for some memory for over a month --- spent many unhappy
hours listening to 800 number muzak tying up my phone line...

Berthold K.P. Horn
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA