Gateway: Server satisfaction guaranteed
In an effort to boost satisfaction for its business customers, the computer maker is offering them 90 days to try out its servers--and a money-back guarantee.
The PC maker said on Friday that it would offer customers 90 days to try out its servers--computers that handle e-mail, store files and conduct transactions. If customers aren't satisfied they'll get their money back.
Gateway, which mainly sells computers to consumers in the United States, adopted the guarantee to boost customer satisfaction for its business customers, the company said.
Gateway hopes that the program will increase the number of customers willing to give its products a try and that satisfied customers will tell a friend, ultimately boosting sales.
Hit hard by the PC market slide in 2001, Gateway has since been working its way back toward its goal of profitability using aggressive prices, advertising, and new service and support programs to drive demand for its products.
The guarantee is designed to help the company sell business products that compete with those of rivals such as Dell Computer, Hewlett-Packard and IBM.
Although most companies offer similar money-back programs, they stop at 30 days. Dell, for example, offers a 30-day, money-back guarantee on all of its computers.
Gateway, which claims to have the first 90-day guarantee for a server, says it will do more than just offer to return funds. The company will offer customers a free on-site checkup on a new server after 30 days, as well as 90 days of advanced telephone technical support.
The "guarantee raises the bar for what customers can expect when buying a server," Matt Millen, Gateway's vice president for small and medium businesses, said in a statement.