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From: rob@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Robert K Shull)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.wanted
Subject: Re: Will pay $200 for Student to Buy Mac
Message-ID: <1991Feb4.195905.31376@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu>
Date: 4 Feb 91 19:59:05 GMT
References: <43622@nigel.ee.udel.edu>
Organization: Engineering Computer Network, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
Lines: 49

In article <43622@nigel.ee.udel.edu> johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu writes:
>An observation:
>
>It had been suggested that Apple is defrauded by "ineligibles"
>who arrange to buy Macs at academic discounts.  I think the real
>losers are the VARs and retailers (the ComputerLands and BusinessLands).
>In our area, a local ComputerLand does an enormous amount of repair
>work on computers purchased by students.  The costs might be defrayed
>by repair charges or Apple warranty reimbursements, but the net result

"...defrayed by repair charges" is an understatement. Our campus computer
store does repairs at parts cost + labor cost for departmental equipment
only. Students, staff, and faculty who purchase through the educational
discount program are required to take their machines to an authorized
dealer for non-warranty repair. The price differences are interesting, to
say the least. Motherboard swap on a Macintosh II is about $300 + $25 labor
at the campus store. The local computer store charges $700 + $150 labor.

>is that a ComputerLand is giving up some of its ability to service 
>paying customers in order to fulfill it's obligation as an authorized

See above. I think that if I'm paying roughly 2.5 times cost, I qualify
as a "paying customer". Perhaps even a "paying through the nose customer."

>reseller.  Service people have told me that the non-student academic 
>Macs just add insult to injury.

Again, I don't see what the problem is. $100 an hour labor is the same no
matter whose machine you're fixing. And If they're losing money at those
prices, maybe they should consider taking some management courses at the
local university :-)

>I guess this won't dissuade somebody who'll try to give a student
>$200 to break a contract -- but there is more at stake than a few
>dollars lost in Apple profits.  Why give ComputerLand yet another
>reason to push IBM PC's?

Uhh, Apple isn't the only company that does educational discounts. The
campus store here sells IBM, Zenith, and HP products at rougly the same
percentage discounts as Apple machines. In fact, IBM and Zenith are
more easily purchased, as they both accept credit cards for payment,
where Apple requires a cashier's check on delivery.

>-- Bill (johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu)

	Robert
-- 
Robert K. Shull
rob@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu				chinet!uokmax!rob