College laptop program costs too much money
Pamela Elkins brought along the essentials when she started at Bridgewater State College, including a new $999 Dell laptop the school had recommended she buy.
It’s a purchase she soon regretted, as the machine malfunctioned the first week. But now Elkins, who graduated this year, is wondering why she needed the laptop at all and whether she spent too much by listening to the college.
Computer experts say she probably did.
Elkins bought the laptop through the MassAdvantage Notebook Computer Program, an initiative set up by six state colleges, including BSC.
The schools mandate that all incoming students have a laptop, and one that meets certain specifications. On the school websites, they offer students the opportunity to buy one through MassAdvantage – this year, they recommend a Dell Latitude E6410 at the “special discount” price of $999.
Thousands of students have taken part in the program the last seven years, including 520 BSC freshmen who bought their machines through MassAdvantage in 2009, according to the college.
But many probably spent far more than they needed to, computer experts and former students say.
Not only can students acquire a suitable laptop for less, experts say, but most don’t need the three- or four-year warranties built into the MassAdvantage deal. Such warranties can increase prices by $300 to $400.
“This particular (deal) is overpriced, and they can do better on their own,” said Edgar “Mr. Consumer” Dworsky, a consumer lawyer and founder of Consumerworld.org. “Just because the school has made a deal, doesn’t mean it’s a great deal.”
John McNabb, of South Shore PC Services, agreed, saying most students don’t have to spend more than $600.
“Any run-of-the-mill, cheaper laptop will do everything that is needed for a student,” said McNabb.
Bridgewater officials, however, said MassAdvantage provides a vital service.
“It’s a positive initiative,” said Eva Gaffney, a spokeswoman for the college. “The students are getting the best price on a powerful machine on behalf of the campus community.”
Gaffney said the program is important because “technology is an essential part of the classroom.”
The deal between Dell and the colleges began with MassAdvantage seven years ago, when several schools began soliciting bids from computer companies with at least three years experience, according to Bridgewater State officials.
Dell won the contract the first year, and its bids have been chosen each year since. Other companies such as Gateway and HP laptop battery have also sent in bids.
As part of the Dell contract with Bridgewater State, the school receives a free laptop for every 50 purchased. Called “loaner” laptops, these machines become part of the school’s technology inventory, said Mary Rose Guillette, of BSC’s information technology department.
The school received 10 laptops last year.
These machines are bar coded, said Guillette, and kept in storage. If students who purchased the Dell laptop have problems with their computer, they can use one of the extra machines while they wait for Dell to repair theirs.
Dell also offers financing for students, and provides on-campus support and other parts services at BSC as part of the laptop deal, according to the Dell contract See a dell laptop battery.
Students who didn’t buy a laptop through MassAdvantage aren’t eligible for one of the replacements, Guillette said.
Neither Guillette nor a Dell spokesman could say how many of the loaner laptops were used last year by students, or how many Dell computers required servicing under the warranty.
But even with the warranty protection, Dworsky said other companies, including Dell, offer better deals, charging less for machines with even better specifications. Dworsky added that extended warranties are often not needed, but can also be found for less money.
“Students are making a serious mistake by not shopping around,” he said.
Some BSC students, such as 2010 graduate Jamie Long, said they ignored the laptop mandate and never had a problem finding a computer on campus to do school work. Many private schools, in fact, don’t have any laptop requirement, including Harvard University, Brandeis University and Stonehill College.
Long said he managed “just fine” without buying a laptop. Instead, he used one of the many computers in common areas of the campus, and saved his work on a portable flash-drive, which cost him about $15.
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