• Marquette ended its partnership with MPC Computers when the company started having financial problems in 2008.
• Frustrated students who purchased the laptops now have no way of getting them fixed.
• The laptops have various problems, the most common being motherboard replacement.
• The only available help was directly through the company.

About 100 Marquette students found out a warranty is not always a guarantee when MPC Computers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November. These students purchased MPC laptops based on Marquette's recommendations, but their broken computers can no longer be fixed.

Liz Wilson, a senior in the College of Health Sciences, said she is currently on her sixth MPC laptop since 2005. She said she wasted her money and feels ripped off by the university.

"It's been a huge pain," Wilson said. She said she purchased the MPC laptop because she trusted the university's recommendation and did not know much about computers.

She said her laptop would die in the middle of class when she was taking notes. Falling behind in studying made her learn to back up her work, she said.

"There should've been a red flag awhile ago," Wilson said. "The fact that (the university) kept recommending them to students is very disappointing."

Wilson said she needs a new computer because she is required to take tests online as a physician assistant.

A MPC statement in a customer e-mail read, "MPC Corporation and all of its direct and indirect subsidiaries have made the decision to discontinue operations and to liquidate all remaining assets. The company will not be able to service your warranty needs on an ongoing basis or fill any of your existing orders for goods or services." MPC Computers is owned by MPC Corp. based in Nampa, Idaho.

"MPC was selected as a preferred computer supplier in 2004 for the value the company provided to Marquette students, including low pricing and a free MU backpack," university communication manager Tim Olsen said in an e-mail. He said the relationship ended in June 2008 due to the company's financial difficulties.

Olsen said the university has always offered multiple preferred suppliers and will continue to do so to assist students in getting better deals.

But College of Arts & Sciences senior Erin Wright said she hates her MPC laptop and that she got a terrible deal. She said she purchased her computer because the university made it seem like the most convenient choice in terms of support and available assistance on campus.

She said she wasted $300 at Best Buy to fix her computer, only to have the same problems coming up a month later. She said her laptop cannot maintain the Internet, it automatically types the "=" key and she can only access Marquette Web sites.

Wright said she is prepared to take the loss since it's senior year, but that she would feel much different if she were a sophomore.

"I know it's not Marquette's fault," Wright said. "But it's sad that now they're not doing anything about it."

One Information Technology Services help desk worker, who wished to remain anonymous, said MPC laptops are a huge nuisance for anyone who's owned or dealt with them.

With the frequency of problems he sees at the desk, the worker said he was surprised that only 100 students purchased the laptops, predicting the actual number to be 10 times more.

He said the only support system for the MPC laptops was directly through the company.

"We wanted to help, but there really wasn't much we could do," the worker said.

He said the most common problem was the laptop's motherboard needing to be replaced, where MPC would send the customer a replacement shell with instructions on how to put the hard drive into the new shell.

"It's unreal for a computer company to provide such a low quality product," the worker said.

The university did not comment as to whether or not it has a plan to help students with warranty issues.