Bob and Mabel gave me a new Gateway NetBook (THANK YOU!) model LT2044u. Teresa Boardman convinced us this netbook is a good choice because of the eight hour battery life.
This netbook is great! I love it! But there was an issue while setting up the AT&T Lightning USB Connect card.
I am posting this information, to save anyone else with the same issue some grief (This all took place December 23, all is fine now):
Although Los Angeles is a Big City, good wifi hotspots are not always available. So I bought an AT&T USB air connect card. Should be simple, right? Plug it in, go online. It didn't work.
Spent about 2 hours on the phone with AT&T. The rep had me uninstall and reinstall the AT&T communication software a couple times. She had me take out the SIM card and try it in a cell phone. She had me plug the air card into a different computer, where it worked fine. Wouldn't work with the netbook. Nothing.
The AT&T rep set up a conference call to Gateway tech support. As you know, Gateway's first level support center is based in India. The first Gateway rep worked down her script screen to asking about the communication switch in the front of the keyboard case. She was clueless when I told her that the switch slides only to the right, and then it moves back when I release it. I finally hung up to find out what I could online.
After finding some diagrams of the netbook's communication switch online, and exchanging emails with Teresa, I called Gateway tech support back.
This time, the Gateway rep in India told me the netbook did not have G3 wireless capability.
Somewhere around 5:30 PM I finally put up the $59 to talk with the U.S. based Answers-by-Gateway and spoke with a young woman, Laura, who ACTUALLY knew what she was talking about.
She was a little shocked to learn that the support rep in India had said that the LT2044u did not have G3 capability.
She had me plug the network into a hardwired broadband connection, so she could access my machine with shared connection software.
We kinda poked around together until she realized that the driver for the air card included with the air card was not functioning with the starter version of Windows 7 installed on the netbook. Solution: Poking around the card manufacturer's (Sierra's) web site until we located a compatible driver.
7:00PM: Netbook and air card finally working sweetly together.
I would like to call AT&T back and tell the solution for the benefit of other customers. I figure that would be useless. And I think the off-shore support centers that most of these big companies like Gateway employ probably do more harm than good. I could have broken that little communication switch trying to force it to move further to the left.
And if I would have listened to the second guy in India, I would have probably decided to send the poor little netbook back. :-)
All is fine now. All's well that ends well.
Cheryl, I'm glad you have it working but I'm SO tired of dealing with those other people, many of which I don't understand. I'm on my 3rd laptop...a defective Dell and then a defective Acer (of which I spent 4 1/2 hours on the phone trying to fix) and just got a Gateway. If I run into similiar issues, I'm done trying!
Good luck with your new machine!!
I wish my Netbook had an 8 hour battery.
That's a nightmare. I would not have the patience to deal with it and paying $59 to talk to someone to get the answer on something brand new would kill me....
Maureen, the thing is, after you've spent 5 or 6 hours on the phone with nothing to show for it except frustration, you are soooo willing to pay the $59, if it will just solve the freakin' problem....
I usually don't have computer problems that I can't fix myself :-) But next time I do, I am going straight to the paid-for service.
I was going to say the difference is night and day. But that's too mild a comparsion. It's a whole different universe!
@Carole -- A weird thought crossed my mind: Your Dell and/or your Acer may not really have even been defective. The support techs you talked to were probably reading scripts off a screen, and may not have even ever seen or touched the particular model you were asking about.
I'm just trying to form a thought about how tech support should work in an ideal world. The support tech absolutely has to:
1. Have some familiarity with the product you are talking about. Have a good foundation about computers in general.
2. Have access to your machine via some kind of Rescue/Remote Control software.
~~~~~~~
Again, if I would have listened to the first level support people in India I would have either:
1. Shipped the machine back for "repair", turn around time 2 weeks. And keep in mind there was nothing to "repair"!!! Unless the repair included locating the driver conflict with the Lightning card, which I SERIOUSLY doubt would have happened.
2. Tried to force the "communication switch" at the front edge of the case, which had NO relation to the problem, and probably would have broken the switch, in which case I would have needed to ship the machine back for repair.
3. Sent the machine back for a refund because India tech number 2 said it was not G3 capable.
Compared to these WRONG solutions, $59 seems a small price to pay. :-)
Cheryl, glad to hear you got your Netbook up and running.I thinking about getting one. Thanks for the heads up.
It takes perseverance, good for you. I spent this morning setting up some final things on my new iMAC and one of the reasons I love Apple is that support is in the USA, they answer the phones, they know what they are doing and no more 5-6 hour waits. I have an issue and when I spoke to them this morning I had to leave and go on an appointment and they are calling me at 6:30, yes they are calling me to finish up. Never again with Microsoft or Windows and I will throw AT&T in as well since in my area their service is miserable - both in the store and wireless. Enjoy your netbook and Happy New Year.
Cheryl - kind of like politics. We need to create a meaningful barrage of communications to the Chairman or Gateway and make sure they realize we - their customers and potential customers think their service is unacceptable. You are a respected blogger with a potential readership of 166,000 AR members. I would listen if I got your letter.
On the other hand maybe we would be better off just to outsource the US Senate to India.
Take care and enjoy a safe New Years.
"On the other hand maybe we would be better off just to outsource the US Senate to India." LOL!!!