Gateway Computers - Gateway - Gateway 2000 Defective Product Poor Diagnostic Bad Repair and finally a dail tone Internet

I purchased a refurbished computer from Tigerdirect.com who I've always had a good relationship with. The computer was a refurbished gateway computer. After a day or two the computer developed problems. The mouse refused to work, and the system shut itself down when you removed a USB device. It also lost power when the corner of the case was touched in the wrong way (no, I didn't hit it). After a few days of trying to figure out the problem myself I decided to contact customer support.

After talking to the first person on the phone who was actually quite helpful I was informed that to continue diagnostic I would need to fax in some information and was given a number to do so. I did and after some time I was contacted and informed I would need to send in more information as I had left a necessary document out of my fax. This time it took several weeks to get the fax information to go through. Once it actually did and I contacted them a second time I spoke to someone in customer service again. This person didn't have any record of my first call and attempted to take me through the diagnostic process again which I couldn't do as I wasn't in front of the computer at the time. I handed this task of to someone who was at home. They came to the conclusion that the motherboard needed to be replaced, which I doubted. I have some experience in building computers and I suspected something completely different. Deferring to their assessment I sent the computer in to be repaired. After about a week or so It came back in, only to reveal the exact same problem it had before I sent it in the second time. After talking to several people in customer service I was informed that the computer was now out of warranty and the only service they could do was on the part that they had replaced.. which didn't need to be replaced at all, and I'd have to pay to have the part fixed that should have been done in the first place.

I don't think that I should have to pay now to have a part replaced because they didn't fix the right thing first or have the common sense to test the computer out before they sent it back to me. I'm now told by their support staff that there's nothing else they can do. I'd like to point out that I'm not the type to call and yell at support phone staff and I haven't been abusive to anyone I've talked to. The bottom line is that they sold me a defective product, misdiagnosed the problem, and now refuse to correct the problem.

I think I've been ripped off.

Rich
norfolk, Virginia
U.S.A.