trebblekicked
Apr 19, 2003, 11:33 AM
i bought a gateway about 5 years ago. today i got this letter. you guys should have a field day with this. have fun!:
Hi,
I'm Ted Waitt and I'm the CEO of Gateway. I used to write a letter to our customers once a quarter, so I'm excited to be doing it again. If you'll give me a minute, I'd like to tell you a story and also give you something as thanks for hearing me out.
I started Gateway with a friend back in 1985 on my dad's farm. At the time, we believed there was a better way for you to buy computers- we cutomized a computer for your needs and sent it with a bit of the heartland in our famous cow box. No gimmicks, just honest value and great service. We didn't just make computers, we were someone you could trust.
And then somehow, the whole industry just started going nuts. To get bigger and sell more, the PC companies started using complicated rebates and limited offers of "free this or free that." Or they advertised stripped-down PCs just to show the lowerst price on products that they really didn't want to sell. Just try to buy one of those cheap computers you see advertised on TV all the time. You'll see.
To be honest with you, we got caught up in some of those games, too. And it didn't feel good. But now we're getting back to what we were, and here's my promise to you.
I promise to do what we do best. Making our computers the way you want them for the things you want them to do, and not for the sake of just matching the competition. Great computers at great prices that are useful to you, right out of our cow box, with more features built in right from the start.
I promise to make it simpler. No more games, no more rebates or complicated offers. Just great value in every computer we sell an in every experience we have with you- and shipping is included on all all our new home computers all the time.
I promise we won't let you down. When you get in a bind with a product we've sold you, we'll stand behind it and do our best to make you happy again with unbeatable customer service and technical support.
We've always been known for straight talk, a smile, a firm handshake, and going that extra mile. And contrary to what some of you want to think, we have a very healthy business with over a billion dollars in cash in the bank and no debt. So we plan to be around for a very long time.
To show you our commitment, and to say thanks for your business, I've included a special certificate with this letter as a way of starting our conversation again. And if you'd like to give us feedback, e-mail us at mypromise@gateway.com. Thanks for your time, hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
(signature)
Ted Waitt
Hi,
I'm Ted Waitt and I'm the CEO of Gateway. I used to write a letter to our customers once a quarter, so I'm excited to be doing it again. If you'll give me a minute, I'd like to tell you a story and also give you something as thanks for hearing me out.
I started Gateway with a friend back in 1985 on my dad's farm. At the time, we believed there was a better way for you to buy computers- we cutomized a computer for your needs and sent it with a bit of the heartland in our famous cow box. No gimmicks, just honest value and great service. We didn't just make computers, we were someone you could trust.
And then somehow, the whole industry just started going nuts. To get bigger and sell more, the PC companies started using complicated rebates and limited offers of "free this or free that." Or they advertised stripped-down PCs just to show the lowerst price on products that they really didn't want to sell. Just try to buy one of those cheap computers you see advertised on TV all the time. You'll see.
To be honest with you, we got caught up in some of those games, too. And it didn't feel good. But now we're getting back to what we were, and here's my promise to you.
I promise to do what we do best. Making our computers the way you want them for the things you want them to do, and not for the sake of just matching the competition. Great computers at great prices that are useful to you, right out of our cow box, with more features built in right from the start.
I promise to make it simpler. No more games, no more rebates or complicated offers. Just great value in every computer we sell an in every experience we have with you- and shipping is included on all all our new home computers all the time.
I promise we won't let you down. When you get in a bind with a product we've sold you, we'll stand behind it and do our best to make you happy again with unbeatable customer service and technical support.
We've always been known for straight talk, a smile, a firm handshake, and going that extra mile. And contrary to what some of you want to think, we have a very healthy business with over a billion dollars in cash in the bank and no debt. So we plan to be around for a very long time.
To show you our commitment, and to say thanks for your business, I've included a special certificate with this letter as a way of starting our conversation again. And if you'd like to give us feedback, e-mail us at mypromise@gateway.com. Thanks for your time, hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
(signature)
Ted Waitt
