"Gainsaver always offers great price for good used hardware. "
"Do NOT buy from GainSaver. They are crooks. They steal. They are rude. They waste your time. I've reported them to the Better Business Bureau. Here is a detailed report of what you can expect if you do business with them.
The last 4 times I talked with a sales person on the phone they hung up on me. I was not speaking loud, mean, vulgar, or the like. I was asking questions, stating in sequential order the mistakes gainsaver has made in dealing with me and they hung up on me.
On March 31 I placed an order for a 24" iMac.
On April 4 I received an email to call GainSaver about a problem with my order. I called and they told me the iMac I ordered was not in stock. They offered me one with a slower processor, which I accepted with the understanding it was a lesser machine for lesser money.
On April 4 on the evening I received an email stating the order had been received. When I saw the order cost more than the first iMac I ordered. I called Gainsaver and canceled the order. The female I spoke with told me she canceled the order.
On April 5 I received an email confirming the order and shipment. I called Gainsaver again. This time the man I spoke with told me the order had NOT been canceled and that now it had already been shipped. That I should simply refuse the package when delivered by UPS and that upon receipt of the returned package Gainsaver would refund my money to my card.
On April 11 I refused the package and it was sent back to Gainsaver.
On April 15 I called Gainsaver to confirm they received the iMac. They confirmed they were tracking it and that it was due in that day. The man I spoke with told me they would call me when the computer was received. They never called me.
On April 19 I called to confirm with Gainsaver that they received the computer and that they reimbursed my money. The man I spoke with told me the money had been credited to my account with Gainsaver toward another machine. I told him that is NOT what had been discussed and was NOT what I wanted. He told me that I would need to log onto Gainsaver website and submit a request for my money to be reimbursed to my card. I told him I was upset with how they were handling their mistakes. He then told me that I DIDN'T need to submit the online request, because it had already been done and I should see this posted to my card in 7-10 business days and then he HUNG UP ON ME. Obviously I was upset, but I decided to wait and watch my account.
On April 21 I received a call from Gainsaver. The woman (who claimed to be a manager) told me that my new machine was ready and they were going to send it out. I told her that was wrong. I explained to her the experience thus far and that I didn't want another iMac, I wanted my money. She told me I would need to log onto Gainsaver website and submit a request for my money back. When I told her the man on April 15 told me it had already been designated to refund my card, she told me it had not. I was upset and told her I didn't like how things were being handled. She cut me off and told me she would submit the request for refunding my card and then SHE HUNG UP ON ME. I was upset since this was the second time I've been hung up on.
I immediately called Gainsaver back and spoke to a man who I spoke with told me that he would help me, that the request to refund my card was made today (April 21), that it had NOT been made on April 19 like the other guy told me, and that I should see it posted to my card in 7-10 business days. When I tried to address that I didn't like all the run-around and people not doing what they said and then HANGING UP ON ME, he told me that I was wasting my time and that there was nothing more that could be done, then he HUNG UP ON ME.
I waited and on May 4 they refunded my money, but they took out $31.75. When I called to ask them why and get my money back they said that it was the cost of the shipping and that the shipping was not refundable. When I confronted them that it was their mistake not mine, they repeated, shipping is not refundable. I told them it was stealing and they said it again. Finally they hung up on me again. I then reported them to the Better Business Bureau and plan to pursue action against them.
To say that I am upset would be an understatement.
"
"Not very impressed.
I ordered an IMac from gainsaver that ended up having a severe Kernal issue. I isolated the problem as faulty RAM and instead of allowing me to send back the RAM, they wanted me to send back the entire computer - a waste of time, productivity and money.
Furthermore, their customer service agent is rude to say the least. Incredibly unhelpful and dismissive. "
"Sneaky. I bought a Mac Book from gainsaver. The website said there would be a $100 rebate on the price. After I received the order, I was told I would be getting a $100 store credit instead of a rebate. I have received neither. The computer works fine but this is bad business."
"GainSaver is great. Products are received as described, quickly and intact, and you can't beat the price. Their website can be a little janky at times, links not responding, etc., but they definitely deliver great products at unbeatable prices. I've recommended them to everybody wanting a new computer. If you don't want the newest/top of the line, GainSaver is definitely the way to go."
"I am so very happy with the macbook that I got from GainSaver, The Prices were right on. They really fix my budget and I can really afford to by two more computers for my two kids, and not having to worry about going broke.
Thank You GainSaver you really saved me alot!"
"I like the fast and easy way GainSaver offers computers and parts."
"Very good service. Very satisfied with product.
Prices a little misleading. The advertized prices are for basic units They offer upgrades at additional cost.
"
"Recently I went looking for a new computer. I started looking at Macbooks, but the price made me decide to move outward, and I discovered a website called "Gainsaver" that showed macs and my other favorite computer: the IBM thinkpad.
The full experience of what I went through with Gainsaver is documented here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F613je6aQqA .
This is a six minute video I posted on Youtube about Gainsaver's business tactics. In short, after sending me the incorrect computer and slamming a phone in my ear when I had the audacity to be offended by their complete disinterest in fixing a problem they caused with their own negligence, I had to endure Steve Harper, the Gainsaver sales manager/owner (Although he denies this) calling me a "pain in the ass" and a "charlie horse" and telling me "I'm going to leave you on hold until you decide to email me for customer service." He also hung up on me more than a dozen times. At one point I sarcastically said, "We seem to keep getting cut off," and he said, "No, I'm hanging up on you, _sshole." Of course, that was punctuated with a click and a dial tone.
Going beyond even THAT customer abuse, Harper searched me out on the internet (my web site is in my email signature) and discovered I am a football coach and teacher. In a burst of RANK INSANITY this man then searched further and found the contact information for my school. He then called my employer about a private transaction that had nothing to do with them in any way. (Harper was reported to the Durham police for harassment for that stunt.)
Looking further, Gainsaver claims an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, but they have 294 complaints over the last three years-- that's a complaint every four days, by the way. The Better Business Bureau informs me that Gainsaver is currently under investigation for the number of complaints they are racking up. The reason the score is so high is because Harper knows how to work the system: only UNANSWERED complaints lower the score. Any time a customer complains, Harper can respond with "Gainsaver is looking into this" and the automated system registers this as a zero out for the complaint; the rating stays at an undeserved "A+".
When Harper sees this post, he or one of his employees will respond claiming I called him and harassed him (I think a customer spending $560 has a legitimate right to call a business on the phone.) and that he has reported me for harassment to the Long Beach Police. (They have no record of the call or a complaint.) The insanity is that I kept calling because Harper and his people kept hanging up on me-- had they acted in any way to competently fix the problem I certainly wouldn't be here now writing this.
He will claim my account is in collections (Gainsaver threatens collections immediately after a chargeback is received from a credit card company. And by the way, California law prevents sending a customer to collections until their account is more than 90 days in arrears). Harper uses this scare tactic more or less any time an aggravated customer disputes a credit card charge.
Harper will claim I "called all the sales people at Gainsaver telling them to f__k off." (That's seriously what he wrote on the answer to complaint form he sent to the Attorney General's Office.) What actually happened is that after his employee hung up on me the second time, I called in a third time and said, "F you if you won't help me. You're getting the entire computer back." Dropping one f-bomb after you've been hung up on by a customer service 'professional' because you asked for an RMA number is hardly the profanity-laced diatribe Harper wants you to THINK I accosted him with. (Harper's claims don't explain where calling a customer a "pain in the ass" and a "charlie horse" fall on the profanity chart.)
Harper will ALSO claim "recordings are on file." This is true. After he called my principal, I called him back to tell him if he called my place of business again I would file a harassment complaint. He replied, "Oh I want to record this! Say that again!" So I did. In other words, the ONLY recording this maniac has of me is an admonishment not to ever harass me at work over a private transaction again.
Currently, Gainsaver does not appear to be licensed by Apple to sell or refurbish Apple products. I'm still waiting for a call back from Apple on that subject.
Here's the bottom line: protect yourselves, folks. You don't have to take my word for what happened with Gainsaver. (I tell my students, "Don't trust NOBODY! Not even me.") Please make your own opinions after doing some necessary research.
Please take the time to view my video about my experience with Gainsaver: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F613je6aQqA . I would be very appreciative if you would comment, and link to it/like it on Facebook and Myspace as well, if you have accounts with those services. (As an educator, I do not.)
Even if you don't bother with my video, and you don't have the time to read the reviews of Gainsaver here at the LA county BBB website http://www.trustlink.org/Reviews/Gain-Saver-205952320 , (the reviews paint a MUCH different story than the rating score), please protect yourself by deeply investigating every company you do business with on the web. I should have looked beyond the rating myself, and now I'm busily documenting Gainsaver to my credit card company instead of enjoying the computer I purchased through another vendor.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at coach_wadeAThotmailDOTcom . Anyone who has been ripped off by Gainsaver and needs help building a case to get your money back from your credit card company or to bring to the Attorney General, please contact me as well. I have 54 pages of documentation about this company and their fraudulent tactics I can supply to you to support your case.
Best wishes, everyone.
~D. "
"There were no problems with my order. My order was shipped as promised and arrived as expected. No surprises. I would order again from GainSaver without hesitation. "
"I called them 3 times and sent several emails to correct the address that their system had mistakenly appended to my order. I was assured it would be corrected.
3 weeks later, they shipped to wrong address and would do nothing to correct for this, except tell me I'd get another one in two weeks."
"I had a great experience utilizing Gainserver for my needs. No issues with any part of my transaction. Delivery was ahead of schedule..Being an online merchant myself I have a great deal of expectations that customer service is key and Gainserver is a merchant I would recommend and use again for my needs"
"Excellent value for a good tablet computer."
"I was very hesitant to order such an expensive piece of equipment from GainSaver, and likely wouldn't have if a friend hadn't persuaded me because of his positive experience over the years. I am very satisfied with the service and speed of my order(s). Originally ordered a 17" MacBook Pro which had some booting issues, so I sent it back, and switched to a 15" MacBook Pro which came the next day. Steve the rep was attentive and responsive to all my questions and extremely helpful in returning the original and shipping the new. Can't rate the refund section yet but, Steve again, very helpful in letting me know where it is in the process and when to expect it to show up. Aside from the initial worry with the 1st computer, no complaints!"
"Gainsaver made my Christmas and my whole year. I used my Christmas money to buy a Macbook 13.3" 2.16 GHz with an Intel Core 2 Duo White. I think the skew was MB062LL/A. Anyway, their customer service reps were great about going over what I might need most for my computer. As a student I spent the the last 3 years having to borrow other students computers because my old one kept breaking down. After 3 overpriced repairs, and no sympathy from the retail techies that did the work over, and over, and over, charging every time, I decided my next computer crash meant looking into a new computer. Then I saw the prices of what I thought I wanted, and decided, it would be new computer for me, but a newly refurbished one. My computer arrived in a day earlier than promised, so that meant I was able to check Facebook and emails before going back to school, and had my new laptop ready to head back to Campus with me for the new semester. Judging by the speed their technicians configured my laptop, it is obvious they didn't take too much time off over the holidays. The same for their customer service guys, they were always pleasant and available to answer questions, and they never sounded hungover or grouchy about working so many hours over the holidays. The speed in their delivery time, the pleasant staff and the perfect customized computer makes me wonder if Gainsaver borrowed some of Santa's Elves over the holidays!.
"