🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <4jupf7$qia@ptdcs5.ra.intel.com>, tbarrett@ptdcs2.intel.com
(Tom Barrett) wrote:

  :In article <atticus-0304960500470001@atticus.mindspring.com>,
  :Andy Walton <atticus@mindspring.com> wrote:
  :>Is it just me, or is this a moronic way to do business? I, for one, would
  :>not buy a machine with no resale potential. With a new generation of
  :>machines every year, ensuring a poor resale value for your machine would
  :>make your machines much less attractive right off the bat, at least for
  :>non-corporate customers who only have 1 or 2 machines.
  :
  :I'm not going to comment on Gateway, but I do have a generic comment...
  :
  :What about a used car? Conceptually there should be no difference
  :between buying a used car or a used computer.

If you buy a used car, you can go to a manufacturer's dealer and get
service or parts, whether you're the first owner or the 100th. You can go
to a dealer for service. The dealers maintain service manuals.

I can go to a Chrysler dealer and get just about any part I want for a
1977 Dodge Aspen. They don't ask if I am the original owner, or if the car
is registered to me.

If this were not the case, how many used cars would be sold?

The same applies to my Apple computers, right back to the 10-year-old Mac Plus.

  :I know that manufacturing problems still have to be fixed free (i.e. 
  :recalls), but what are the typical warrenty clauses? I know that most 
  :used car lots nowadays have their own warrenty. What about used TVs and 
  :Appliances? I also seem to remember that some "lifetime" battery and 
  :shock warrenties are only good for the original owner.

I'm not talking about warranties. From some of the posts here, it sounded
like Gateway would not *sell* parts and services except to the otiginal
owner.

  :Common sense would tell me that offering services beyond fixing a
  :manufacturing defect is at the whim of the company.

Offering them for free is at the whim of the company; not offering them at
all, while perfectly legal, is dumber than dirt. Computers fall into two
categories: transferrable or disposable. If -- and all I know about
Gateway's policies is what I've read here -- they don't support used
machines, Gatewayputs their machines in the latter category.

A reasonable minimal standard, IMHO, is that a company should suport all
of its currently shipping products. I don't expect Ford to sell Model T
parts, but if they will not sell me a fender for a '94 Taurus, I will
never, under any circumstances, buy another Ford.

  :Luckily, most stores nowadays sell PC parts (I've even seen batteries
  :in the Wal-Mart). And, most local PC shops also do pretty cheap and
  :good repairs.

Most computer manufacturers have a network of local dealers -- Gateway
opted (as I understand it) to operate as a solely mail-order company, and
not to offer local factory-authorized service. If they do not offer
service, at any price, then a Gateway computer is a poor choice.

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Andy Walton * atticus@mindspring.com * ROT-13
http://www.mindspring.com/~atticus/