UM Computer Showcase

This is a wonderful service provided by the University for staff and students. Their prices on software are ridiculously low and their computer prices are either equal to or less than the manufacturer price. Don’t expect EVERYTHING to be cheaper than elsewhere because they are not contractually allowed to discount certain apple accessories. The employees are informative, helpful, and friendly and it should be noted that it is a university run business so they have to adhere to some university regulations and are only open to students, staff, and faculty.

Cheapest and friendliest computer support and supply place. Probably because you get a huge discount for student, staff and faculty but what ev’s — it’s awesome! If you can use it, then go for it. Just remember, they are all students in there, so give them a break. Be nice to them and they will be nice to you.

Oh, the Showcase. It delights and frustrates me in so many different ways.
The selection is pretty «meh», generally speaking. They do carry a lot of software and have negotiated good contracts with Microsoft and others, so a lot of it is pretty darn affordable for students, faculty, and staff. That is a big plus in my book. (Note: You MUST be a UM student, faculty, or staff member with ID card to buy most stuff there.) Every once in a while they offer really competitive sales, usually clearances. As far as I know, all of their laptops (Apple and Dell only) come with an extended warranty standard, which does increase their cost some, but I have never regretted having the extra protection. They also offer payroll deduction, which for some people can be a helpful perk.
Everything else is a minus. Case in point, I went to renew my SPSS license today and it turns out that to get the license (which comes by email), I have to buy a new media disc. They were sold out of media discs so they would not let me pay for a new license, even though I didn’t need the disc and they have to email me either way. Then the kid working the desk says that they are getting more «this afternoon». I was there at 1:30 pm, so I was a little bit curious as to when their afternoon started. I also found it sort of humorous that he thought I would just kick around the Union until someone went and picked up the discs (that they burn themselves) and brought them over. Their solution (come back later) costs me time and gas and is completely environmentally unfriendly (Why should I have to get another CD when all I need is a code via email?). What really pushes my annoyance over the edge is that this is the EXACT SAME PROBLEM they had back in the early 2000s when I was a STUDENT. One would think that 10 years later, they would learn to anticipate the demand for licenses in the first week of school and, since they have the capacity to make as many as they need, accommodate it. Unfortunately not. Maybe I’m missing something about what they are allowed to do and what they aren’t, but no one has ever put the effort into explaining the problem to me in full (or really at all, besides «we can’t do that»).
It’s not just SPSS that causes me to rate two stars. The kids are, from what I can tell, mostly work study, and don’t really know much about very much. They can’t really answer any questions, make any decisions, or say very much besides, «I can ask my manager». By and large the products are overpriced and the selection is lacking. For instance, I almost bought an external hard drive there, but they only carried two brands and I could buy one with twice as much storage space (same brand) at Best Buy for substantially less. They do sell cheap keyboards and USB drives ($ 5, last time I checked) and some cables, but even those you can probably get from Monoprice or somewhere else online for about the same price if not less.
If you happen to be a student at the U without a car (aka, a captive audience), this might be the best you can do without getting on the AATA bus to civilization. If you are anyone else… you may want to seriously consider other options, or at least be prepared for the inevitable annoyance that comes with shopping here.

This review is for the repair side of the UM Computer Showcase. I brought a macbook here that the Apple store told me had $ 800 dollars worth of not under warranty water damage and they looked at it and told me there was no evidence of water damage. So it was repaired for $ 0 under warranty.