Gateway tablets and laptops.

Local Inspection Issues Canadian Home Inspectors
#1

Last February I purchased a Gateway tablet model M275 laptop from Computer Trends in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
I asked the salesman for a back up battery He told me to go to the gateway web site and I would have the battery in seven days.
No problem so I bought the tablet.
When I got to Gateway’s web site it would not take a Canada postal code so I got into a chat room discussion with Gateway. They refused to ship outside the USA. They gave me a phone number to call. They referred me to Mundo where I ordered the battery. A few days later UPS called and asked for my charge card number. After I gave it I asked for the cost to cross the border. UPS caller did not know but would have some one call me. Two days later UPS called and quoted the cost $59.00. By this time it was too late to cancel the order. So the $150.00 $US battery ended up costing $250.00. $C.
Last month I ordered an AC adaptor and Stylus and asked that the order be ship via US post. They shipped it UPS. When UPS called for charge card number I asked for the cost. Again they did not know so I told them to call back when they had the cost. They decided to return the order to mundo. To day they credited my account with 43.00 part of the original order cost of $101.00

Bottom line. Do not buy any gateway products unless you enjoy getting screwed by UPS and Munto because they refuse to ship to Canada or use any shipper other then UPS.

I will not buy Gateway again and I recommend that you also insist on parts being available at reasonable cost before you buy any products.:twisted: :twisted:

#2

Up date 1

When I first talked to Gateway in February they referred me to Best Buy for the parts.
I phoned Bust Buy in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and they referred me to gateway. When I told him that I was talking to gateway and they refused to ship parts outside the USA he decided to talk to his supervisor . He and the supervisor never came back to the phone.
Yesterday I went to the Best Buy store to see if they had a stylus or AC adaptor that I could buy or order. The clerk immediately told me to order it from Gateway web site, I told him that they did not ship outside the USA. After some discussion He went to talk to his supervisor. Going through the same song and dance again the supervisor, she referred me to Steve Baily District Manager at 1-866-237-8289. I spent a half hour on the phone trying to leave a message to have Steve call me back. I now have a promise from Best Buy that Steve will call me back within 24 hours.
Will keep you posted.](*,)

In the mean time do not buy any gateway products if you live in Canada.
You have been warned.-X

#3

The drop shippers that I buy from make it clear that they don’t ship outside the U.S., not even Canada. Most of the time this is an insurmountable problem, but what I do is have the product shipped to my address, then I’ll ship from my place to Canada. I give quotes for shipping before the person orders so they know whether or not they can afford it.

#4

It is not so much the fact they will not ship to Canada as the fact that UPS charges a fortune for brokerage. Nachi shipped me some printed material via UPS and the brokerage bill was well over $50.00 the next shipment came by mail and it cost about $5.00.
Larry

#5

Vern

You should try ebay. I am an ebay junkie and almost always find the parts I need on there.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/New-genuine-battery-for-GATEWAY-6500821-M275-M275R_W0QQitemZ130013036684QQihZ003QQcategoryZ116325QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

#6

I have heard this before about UPS. They charge for providing Custom Clearances. I think the last time I ordered something it came via UPS and there was always a Customs Broker fee include in the total.

#7

I have posted this here before . NEVER…have any thing shipped to Canada by UPS
I just had a friend in the USA shipped up a gift for us as they can not come to Canada thisyear. ( Came every year for the last 20 ). I told him to put it in the US Mail and It would come fine . No he always send things to his Daughter in NJ by UPS so he sent it to us . Value $30.00
UPS charged me $48.00 for a gift
I can not tell Joe or he will want to pay .
Mail works great FED ex if you need a carrier is good .

Roy Cooke Sr

#8

Yes UPS or upuke as some call them are crooks and I will never accept any shipment from them again.

The problem is the suppliers that refuse to ship to Canada or will only use upuke. What I will be insisting on in the future is the products I buy will be serviced by canadian suppliers and if the product comes from a foreign country them they will have a parts warehouse in Canada.

Gateway is on my never buy list.:twisted:

#9

I have heard that before about gate way and I listened
Gee I get lots of things from USA . I just tell them it must go by mail as no other delievery system can get it to me and I have never been refused yet . Just lucky I guess .

When I need a larger shipment sent to me I then UPS but have it shipped to their wharehouse in the USA and drive down to get it this works good too.
They will hold it for ten days I think .I usuall get free shipping then too.

Roy Cooke sr

#10

Same here…

Initially I wanted to purchase a Tablet PC from Gateway, then learned that they would not ship to Canada (I confirmed this when their order form would not accept my postal code). My next try was to have it shipped to a drop shipping place in Sumas WA called Ship Happens. I’ve had lots of things shipped there to save on brokerage fees. I just pop down (I’m 5 minutes from the border) and pick it up when it comes in and bring it across myself.

I tried having a Gateway Tablet PC shipped to Ship Happens. I used my name and their address and did not include their name in the order. Well, they must hjave had the Ship Happens address in their tabboo data-base because I got a nasty and almost accusitory email from Gateway regarding not shipping to what they termed a “forward-shipping company”.

Legally, they would have been cool as no one was forwarding anything. I was going to pick it up myself. Once it is mine and in my posession, what I do with it is my business, right? Anyway… I never got my Gateway PC from Gateway.

I did buy one though, as I liked the product. I ended up purchasing one through a Canadian company www.tigerdirect.ca.

They were pretty good. I had a problem with my stylus which was covered under warranty, and as I had legitimatly purchased the Tab through a valid Canadian distributor, Gateway treated me well and replaced the stylus no hassle. I actually had it two days after I fired off my email to them.

#11

TWO WORDS;
DELL CANADA DUDE
(ok three words):mrgreen:

#12

Unfortunately Dell doesn’t carry a tablet PC that also functions as a laptop. Their tablets are small, expensive ($2400 and up), and strictly tablets with no keyboard. Otherwise I would have used Dell, as I have for a couple other computers in the past.

#13

They actually have one now that is convertible and full size. It’s VERY nice. It’s an XPS something. Plus if you use the NACHI discount code along with any current discounts Dell has, it really makes it affordable.

#14

OoooH man!!! When did Dell come out with a tablet. I would have bough it if I had known they have one. I’ve been using a dell inspiron for the last three and a half years. Had a 24 hour on site service contract. They had to come out three times and did every one within 24 hours. Great service. to bad gateway can’nt lean from Dell.

#15

Thanks but just checked Ebay and it costs 18.95 to ship pen and the pen costs 12.00. Whats wrong with this picture?
There is a promotions co in Ontario the mails me a pen with my co name on it trying to sell me more pens to give out to clients.
They just mail it in a regular envelope for 55 cents.
The stylus I want is smaller then the pen. How the hell does 55 cents grow to 18.95.
The new stylus is for back up and as long as the one I have keeps working or does not get lost.

#16

Ditto!

I have three Dell Canada systems. Excellent service and support. I have not had one moment of trouble with any of their systems.:smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

#17

Bye the way Best Buy has not returned my call yet. :roll:

#18

Maybe you’re too demanding!!!:p:p

#19

I ran into a problem with my Gateway stylus it was purchased through Tiger Direct. The electrical plug transformer got wet and shorted out.

I searched for a replacement through gateway, but eventually found a company online that sells replacement parts. The original manufactures price was in the range of $75.00 but the acceptable replacement through a secondary manufacturer was under $25.00.

Bottom line - it not only works well, - no problem -and equally shopping online saved me big time!

#20

Wow, I hadn’t thought about the Gateway stuff in a long time.

I had a Gateway CX table that got about 30 gallons of water dumped on it. No workie no more.

BUT, at the time it happend I had one stylus I was using and two more in boxes (never opened the padded envelope they were shipped in). Yeah, I lost and broke one or two and learned to keep backups, but it was a great tablet PC.

Anyway, If one of you guys up in Canada want them, I MAIL them to you for $100.00 for all three.

I was going to put them up on EBay over a year ago but somehow just never got around to it and then kinda forgot about them being up there on the shelf.