GainSaver
Reviews and Complaints

I went online to sell 10 computers. I completed the rating of condition which was quoted at approx. $150 each for fair condition. Once all computers were received by them it took over 3 weeks to hear back. At that time they said computers had minor scratches and therefore they were offering only $5 each for the toughbooks. When I declined their offer the requested my credit card to charge me $250 to ship computers back to me. This was never made clear in the beginning of the transaction (that they would low-ball the offer and then charge such a high amount for the return.)

Of course I was forced to accept their offer of $5 each which they will probably turn around and sell for a couple hundred each.

complete bait and switch. I would NOT recommend this company.

"First experience with them was good. Second was terrible. Sent an iMac and I checked out everything, but optical drive before I shipped. I had never had a problem with optical drive, but I did not double check before shipping. Everything else worked. When that received the computer they emailed, that the optical drive did not work and made a lower offer. I responded that I was surprised the optical drive didm't work, but never refused their offer. They have a policy that unless you refuse the offer in three days they will take that as an acceptance. During this time the only response I got was an automated message saying they would respond in 2-3 days. Then I get an email that they are returning the computer. I agin tried to contact them and say I would take their offer, but a week later the computer arrives. However the keyboard is missing a shift key and the iMac is damaged and will not boot at all. I can see cracks at the top where it looks like someone tried to access the inside of the computer and cracked the case. I have called and emailed, but no one has responded. Will not use them again."

II bought an iMac 24” desktop with an Intel Core 2 Duo, a 40 GB hard drive, and some extras, for about $1, 045 in October 2012. I paid extra for a 2-year extended warranty.
When I took it to my local Apple technician to get my applications and data transferred, he found glitches in the video, and the computer froze on him several times. I returned it to Gainsaver, meticulously following its instructions for UPS shipping and insurance.
Gainsaver sent me a second computer, ignoring my request for reimbursement of the $125 I spent transferring data and the $70 I spent returning the first one. I paid another $169 to get my data transferred to the replacement computer. That computer crashed in the technician’s shop; it had a “failing drive and no bootable system.” It cost me another $67 to ship the second computer back to Gainsaver in compliance with its instructions.
I told Gainsaver I wanted no more replacement computers, and demanded a refund of my out-of-pocket expenses, pursuant to the warranty.
Though its website “guaranteed 100% satisfaction, ” Gainsaver’s salesperson, Jonathan, required me to fill out a third (10/26/12) “service request” in order to ask for a refund of the money it had charged on my VISA account. Gainsaver took no action to refund my money until I had (a) contested the VISA charge it had collected, and (b) sued the company in Sonoma County Small Claims (Superior) Court, on 11/8/12. Though it eventually credited my VISA account for the $1045 cost of the defective computer(s), it ignored my demand for reimbursement of my $368 out-of-pocket expenses.
Gainsaver did not show up for the Small Claims Court hearing on January 18, 2013. After considering the evidence of Gainsaver’s recalcitrance, the Court awarded me $368 reimbursement and $736 “double damages” penalty for Gainsaver’s willful breach of warranty, under CA law, plus $40 court costs. Instead of paying or appealing that $1144 judgment, Gainsaver had its lawyer send me a letter threatening to sue me “for fraud, misrepresentation, harassment, libel, and slander.” When I contacted his office, Gainsaver’s lawyer refused to negotiate any compromise of the judgment against it.
In October 2013, the Los Angeles County Sheriff seized Gainsaver’s property to satisfy the judgment I had obtained, collecting from that company $1, 444.

This site is a scam its ran buy a bunch of kids. they tell you they have what you order in stock after they get your money they send you an email saying they don't have it and the only one they have is going to cost you a hundred dollars more .then there telephone is like on a comp or its a home business because they don't answer when you call. i decided to cancel my order and they sent it out after sending me a email saying the cancellation was confirmed. don't do it to your self i rate them a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Purchased MAC with an extended warrenty. It failed. I sent it back within the warrenty period. They shipped another (I bought and extended warrenty for this one too) which failed immediately. Asked for a refund. Denied becuase I had ordered "too long ago". They offered to ship another one but would not reset the warrenty clock. The plan is to keep shipping you bad units till you run out your warrenty and luck. Person I spoke to, Steven Harper was with out a doubt the rudest individual I've ever done business with

This is what happened to my friend:
"1/8/10 they acknowledge my first order, cost $1300.87; delivered the following week 1/15/10
3/3/10 call customer service to report problems, left message for "steve"; no response
6/18/10 in response to earlier request for service due to multiple failures received return authorization for 1st order from gainsaver ; shipped to them 6/29
7/7/10 receive notice as follows: GainSaver Store Credit or Credit to Card Issued - CR-2070; invitation to reorder or request replacement in body of message
7/7 - 7/9 there was some confusion apparent at gainsaver as to whether or not they could replace; i had been told no replacement on phone, then replacement appeared in message from gainsaver, then cancellation of replacement, then another replacement
7/15 second/replacement order received; upon opening and turning on discovered screen would not illuminate
7/17 return authorization requested; authorization received 7/19, shipped 7/20
7/28 gainsaver sends note receipt of returned item, acknowledges receipt of request for refund; sends note next day: Dear Customer, Thank you for your request for a refund. We are more than happy to issue a refund. You should receive a refund within 24-48hrs. Thanks for the Business, GainSaver
8/6 after several phone requests send second online request for refund, per instructions of steve; acknowledged and agreed via electronic response same day
8/10 steve says wait until friday (8/13), i complain that this has gone on too long, ask to speak with next level, to which he says he is the next level; when i say it feels as if he's cutting me loose, he says he is and invites me to "have your lawyer serve me"
believe it or not this is the nutshell version. there are other employees involved (i have names), but it seems clear the steve harper is calling the shots. i think it needless to say that i am totally discouraged in my dealings with gainsaver."
Do not buy from this company. Currently in process of lawsuit.

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 ###" 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 ###" 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.

Late nite, ordered a Mac laptop for a friend's son. Received a call the next day from a lady but got disconnected. Telephoned the same number and was (unknowingly) connected with the Owner: Steve Harper. He stated that I would need to fax copy of my driver's license & credit cd. because the deliveryaddr was not mine. My suggestion
was that they consider setting up their webpage so that the person ordering inputs all of their info; and then be offered the option of a Different Shipping Addr. He seemed impatient and dismissive, so I asked to speak with a supv. He informed me that he Was the supv, and that if I didn't fax the requested info, the order would be cancelled. I attempted to explain my suggestion again by stating that I did not have direct access to a fax machine, so this would be undue stress for not only myself, but for his future customers. He impatiently and rudely retorted that he would just cancel the order, then.I chuckled and said, "Keep your shirt on." His response, "I have my shirt on! I'm cancelling the order!" He then hung up the phone on me! I was more surprised than outraged. But I set out to find who the owner was so he could fire that bum that's running away bs'ns. When I called back, I found out that the bum Was the Owner. Once connected explained to him that I was the woman he had hung up on. And why did he do that? He said, "Because you were talking silly to me and I don't need that crap!" I attempted to explain that I was only offering a suggestion to make purchasing easier for potential customers...when I realized he'd hung up on me AGAIN! Well, from
the # of complaints listed here, Steve Harper apparently did me a favor. Do bs'ns with this bum, and undoubtedly, you'll be Sorry!

Daughter ordered Apple iMac Desktop. Gainsaver pulled "bait & switch" sending older model with lower GHz Intel Core. Contacted Customer Server, spoke with Steve Harper who noted 15% restocking fee (roughly $144.45 on orginal $963 purchase) would be charged, despite the FACT error was 100% Gainsaver's.

Based on research, company's history is replete with examples of fraudulently filling orders with damaged or incorrect computer assets. Then when customers attempt to correct the order issues, Gainsavers charges additional shipping and 15% restock fees for their shipping errors. Despite the shipping error being completely Gainsavers, they "stick" customers with added charges. When discussing issue and mitigation next steps with Steve Harper, Sales Manager (i.e. Owner) he stated is was company policy and hung-up on me. Call back illicited similar response, rude hang-up. Per PublicData and online research, fraud appears to be common approach at Gainsaver. Strongly recommend NOT doing business with this person!

Gainsaver "bait & switch" tactics of showing one product online, documenting via Invoice the correct product, and then shipping a lesser valued one is fraud. In this case costing my young daughter $144 ... assuming she actually receives the remaining amount in refund (which is yet to be seen).

I bought a 1200.00 laptop from gainsaver thinking that it was a legitimate and good company. When my Macbook stopped working and the screen would not light up I returned it per their specifications. The guy who removed the hard drive information for me before I returned it used to be a tech for IBM and informed me that the hard drive was about to crash anyway. They had told me it was a new or hardly used hard drive.When I called them they told me they could not replace my laptop and that they could not give me store credit. Basically these guys are thieves and should be jailed for fraud. Never purchase a product from them. They should be ashamed of themselves selling bad products and I can only hope they don"t sleep well at night knowing they are robbing money from good people!

I needed a second power supply for my Macbook, but didn't want to pay the full retail price or purchase a cheap knockoff.

I finally found one on Gainsaver; it was about $10 more than the generic replacement parts, but claimed to be a genuine Apple product:
*The product photo showed an Apple power supply
*The model number listed matched the one on the Apple store
*The product description matched both of the above

What do I receive? A cheap knockoff!

They said I could return it for store credit, I said no thanks, I want my money back. After no response, I decided to just suck it up and use the generic product.

The second time I unplugged it from the wall, the entire thing literally fell apart in my hand.

Filed another customer support request and received no further response.

BE WARNED!

I bought name brand hard drive. They delivered generic. They refused to pay shipping back. They substituted without my authorization. I stopped credit card pmt. They threateded collection. Two months later they just rebilled credit card. I gave up and tried to use generic drive and found it defective. They told me apple warranted the drive. Apple never heard of the brand,

This company is nothing bad news as all the others have reported.

I purchased a used computer that was supposed to be refurbished and checked out thoroughly before it shipped. It came in broken from day one. I thought it was a software issue, but turned out to be a hardware problem. I sent the computer back after they issued an RMA#. They said they would give me credit. I also paid double the shipping costs to send it back to them. They subtracted a 10% restocking fee, thus I lost a $100.00 right off the bat. Now to get the same product configuration, I will have to pay another $100.00 (or more) to get what I originally wanted. Now they say they don't have that same computer anymore and may be weeks or months before they have another one. I have spent over a $1, 000 dollars with these people, and I have nothing, and they have all my money! I have phoned them and they rarely answer the phone and never return the messages I leave. I have even talked to the owner, Mr. Steve Harper. He said they would send out a new computer to me. That was last week, and the store credit now shows that it has canceled! I'm in Texas, and can do nothing! I need this computer for my video business, and I have nothing! They have all my money and never return calls! This out-right theft!

This company is a scam.

First of all, don't believe the 10% Apple Products off SALE ENDS TONIGHT HURRY. It never leaves the screen.

I received a computer that worked for 45 minutes and then was charged to ship it back. The manager then sent me a inferior model with the wrong postage instructions even thought he said it was a better model. Clearly, he doesn't know how to read their company invoice.

They usually only offer credit. I guess I made such a stink and called so many times they agreed to a refund, except it was less 225.00 and ittook me two months time to get my money back. According to them, they keep the warrantly (even though I didn't have a computer and this IS NOT in their terms), the diagnostic fee (even if the computer arrived broken) and the shipping (although I had to pay an extra shipping to return the broken computer). I have reported them to consumer affairs and the better business bureau. In total I lost 250.00 for two plus months of aggravation, terrible customer service, and at least one dozen phone calls. By the way, each time I called the manager he acted like he had no idea who I was. Either stupid or sinister, I'm not sure.

In retrospect, I should have gotten the refurbished computer from the dealer, it would have been the same price.

DO NOT TRUST GAINSAVER.com
These people are rude, dismissive, ignored the fact they tried to unload a damaged and defective computer on me. They threatened sending a collection agency after me, should I after i suggested that my pursuing a refund could be assisted by my bank (B of A). I suggest considering another alternative to finding a inexpensive used macintosh. If you do buy anything from them—get ready, once they have your money, they turn into jerks — all they seem to care about is getting you off the phone when you call. Hope this helps someone else out of a lot of stress and wasted money and time. Do a google search on GainSaver — I wish i did that before trying them. Yikes.

Gainsaver is a scam company. Do not buy anything from Gainsaver. I bought a G5 computer from them and it did not work right out of the box.

Cost me $60.00 to ship it back and they will only issue a store credit. This company is running a scam.

It is hard to dispute the charge with the Credit card company because Gainsaver will issue a store credit.

We will fight this charge and post everywhere to alert others about this fraudulent company Gainsaver.

Do some research online and you will see that Gainsaver has scammed lots of people. You will find a lot of complaints about Gainsaver.

On April 18th, i placed an order for a DLO HD docking system for an ipod, to make sure the item was in stock I proceeded to place the order over the phone after verifying online that the product was in stock. After placing the order they advised me that the item was going to be shipped that same day. One business day later (today), i call to verify the status of the order and they told me that the order was not submitted on time so that they had to move it up for today's shipment. About three hours later, I get online to confirm if they had shipped it or not and I see the item in back order for which I proceeded to call again. Their answer was, we just placed the item in back order, so you "might" get is shipped in 5 days. Of course i proceeded right away to ask for a supervisor, the supervisor got on the line and told me the same thing, I told him to cancel the order and his answer was he could not cancel it. I am in the process of calling my credit card company to proceed with a charge back, but all of this time I received nothing but a bad attitude as they did not care whether i had a problem or not. Please stay away from them, I should know already that saving a couple bucks will eventually get you. In today's world we try to use this scam artist's to save money and time as we live a very fast paced life, but be carefull out there, as you might have to spend more time solving a problem than just buying the item from your local store. By the way if you check the item online right now it still says is in stock... so good luck and stay away...