Hi. I'm Ted Waitt, co-founder and chairman of Gateway, Inc.
We really appreciate your business, and I want to let you know about some changes we're making.
You may be aware that Gateway recently acquired eMachines, Inc., making us the third-largest PC maker in the U.S. This is a development we're really excited about and I'm pleased to let you know that eMachines' CEO, Wayne Inouye, has become Gateway's new CEO while I'll continue to remain actively involved as chairman. During his time at eMachines, Wayne developed an incredible reputation among customers and within the PC industry, evidenced by a recent PC World report that gave eMachines the number one spot on several reliability and service measures.
So what does this mean for you, the Gateway customer?
There are still a lot of details we need to work out as part of the merger, but basically, you can expect even better prices across a wider line of exciting new technology products and services, from low cost eMachines PCs to Gateway's best selling Plasma TV and award-winning line of digital cameras, mp3 players, home theater products, and more. And more places to buy those products too.
As part of Gateway's new direction, we've also made the difficult decision to close our 188 Gateway stores across the nation. Our stores have been a source of pride for Gateway since the mid-'90s, but despite enormous effort we haven't been able to run them profitably. And we believe that our customers will be served very well by the increasing availability of our products, as well as through our existing phone and Web outlets (1-800-Gateway and www.gateway.com).
My pledge to you is that you'll continue to have ”a friend in the business“ in Gateway. I think you'll find that our Web and phone sales teams are the best in the industry. When we started this company nearly 20 years ago, our goal was to offer products directly to the customer, providing them with the best value for their money and unparalleled service and support. We remain committed to the very same principles today.
If you've used one of our retail service centers, rest assured you can count on the same friendly and knowledgeable service you've been getting at your store by utilizing our other service and support options. To see a full listing of our customer care options, please visit support.gateway.com.
Gateway is a solid company and the acquisition of eMachines - and the many growth opportunities it presents - means we'll become even stronger going forward. As we grow, we look forward to continuing to serve your technology needs for a long, long time to come.
Sincerely,
Ted Waitt
