12
Thursday, February 17, 1977
University Daily Kansan
Vending machines 'steal' money
By DAYNA HEIDRICK
Staff Reporter
Burglarizing vending machines used to be a law enforcement problem on the University of Kansas campus. But the tables have turned, and the machines now seek revenge, robbing unsuspecting burglars, and robbing them frustrated, hungry and poor.
Do machines really steal your money? Or is it a figment of overwhelmed, overpriced imagination? Imagination
Darrell Hutton, KU vending machine repairman, has worked with vending machines for more than 18 years. He said yesterday that some machines could be operated that customer manu-
WHAT CAN A victim of a vending machine robber do? If he wants the bandit arrested, he can call 864-3519 to notify the KU billing office. If he warns a refund, he can fill out how failure slip stating what value he has, how much money he lost, and in which machine.
Many machine bandits continue to rob customers because victims don't report a problem, Hutton said. Only 32 calls to report machine malfunctions were logged at the KU vending office in January, although 613 were turned in during last same month.
KU vending machine customers are unique in their silence about hassles with the machines, Hutton learned recently that vending a seminar for vending machine personnel.
"MOST PLACES wish their customers would quit calling to report problems, but we wish ours would call to let us know something's wrong," he said.
The vending office is eager to have problems reported and to repair the machines because malfunctioning machines can lead to vandalism. Frustrated customers often vent their fears about the damage. Repairs are costly: The 130 machines on the KU camps are worth nearly $500,000.
Hutton said it also was helpful if people who called to report problems could describe exactly what happened with the machine: Did it make a funny noise, just keep the money or deliver the wrong product?
PEOPLE WHO do call to report problems often aren't specific about what actually went wrong with a machine, making a mistake. You might have many problems aren't apparent, he said.
One of the sneakiest thieves among KU vending machines is the innocent-looking milk machine, equipped with a mobile price changer that is extremely sensitive to humidity and dust. It's this new-fangled gadget that is the culprit, Hutton said.
"It only steals money once in awail," he explained, "but it's hard to discover, because it'll work five or six times, take someone's money and then work again."
Hutton said the multicharge device used on milk machines was an improvement because the machine could accept varying amounts of milk and feed it to a machine for different prices, and prices of products could be changed without having to buy a new machine.
NEW EQUIPMENT will feature mobile price changes. Hutton said new equipment should work 85 per cent of the time, cumulative 85 per cent for the older equipment.
"Eliminating the people who use the machines would eliminate 99 per cent of the problems," Hutton said. "For foreign objects, we need to be prepared to deal with a major cause of machine malfunctions."
"Highbailers," people who shoot money into machines at high speeds, also foul up the system.
And problems with electrical outlets are another headache for maintenance men.
"SOME GUY will call me up and tell me there milk all over the floor, because the ice cream machine has been unphugged," Hutton said.
Refunds to customers who lose money in vending machines aren't challenged, Mr. Darden said.
Wescoe Hall customers receive an immediate refund from the cashier. At most other sites, like Strong, Carruth O'Leary and Marvin hills, Allen Field House, Plainfield and adjacent schoolsharing halls, refund slips generally are available to be filled out by customers and picked up twice weekly by the vending office.
Yugoslav man sentenced for attacking system
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (UPI)—A teacher was sentenced to eight years in prison for attacking Yugoslavia's nonaligned policy and Communist system, the newspaper Politika Ekxpres said Monday.
Kovacevac was accused of the "most brutal attacks against socialist self-management, equality and brotherhood and unity," the newspaper said.
The district court in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, sentenced Mirko Kovacevic, 38, for his "counterfeit" assault on his "mother." He was also charged with for creating "hostile propaganda."
Judge Rizah Hadzic, in announcing the sentence, and Kovacevic insulted Yugoslav leaders with the aim of forcibly topping the national regime of President Jehovah Tito.
We can give them peace of mind.
We must let the new immigrants know that they do not stand alone.
We can give them that peace of mind.
keep the promise
The 70,000 immigrants to Israel this year will find at country while striving for a more stable life live surrounded by hostile neighbors — enemies caps at Lod at Munich
But the 70,000 immigrants to Israel this year will find a land where their children are born and a land where they can live as Jews. Many, like the Soviet Jews, have suffered, have sacrificed, have waited for a new come-seeking a new life.
No, we can't give them their courage. We can provide for their basic human needs—housing, education. We must help them as they build new lives — as they grow.
STUDENT COORDINATING COMMITTEE FOR THE ISRAEL EMERGENCY FUND
Customers have to return to the site in a few days to pick up their refunds. At two locations, Summerfield Hall and the Military Science Annex, refund slips are collected, but customers must pick up their refunds at the Kansas Union business office.
SEVERAL THINGS can happen to keep customers from receiving prompt refunds. Failure slips aren't always available when a customer loses money. Sometimes refund slips are misplaced and not collected by the vending office. And some dorm personnel reported that the slips were picked up and returned only once a week, not twice.
Information Table 2, Union Feb. 14-J8, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
or send your contribution to
Kansas Union Box 4
Lawrence, Kansas 66045
A SECRETARY at the Credit Bureau office in Carruth O'Leary, which handles refunds for the building, said she had about 125 refund envelopes that hadn't been picked up, each containing 20 to 25 cents. She also said people were made to contact persons who had refunds.
People who don't work or live in the buildings where machines are standing often aren't familiar with the refund request process or don't take time to fill out their refund requests. They do fill out the slips, they often don't turn to the building to collect their refunds.
least one semester and then the money went back into sales.
The only really effective way of refunding money is to have an attendant at a site check the machines and make refunds, like at Wescoe, Ferguson said. But KU has too many machines and the cost of using attendants is prohibitive, he said.
Warner Ferguson, associate director of the Union, said refunds were kept for at
A $150,000 lawsuit has been filed against the Beta Tau Chapter of Kappa Sigma fraternity at Baker University by a man injured in a fire that destroyed the Kappa Sigma house and killed five men Aug. 28, 1976.
MAILING REFUNDS to customers also would be too expensive, Ferguson said. Kansas State University uses the campus mail to pick up and return refund requests.
Total refunds for the first six months of the fiscal year, July 1 through December 31, 1976 were $1,800, or about one per cent of total vending sales, which were $18,074. Ferguson said the normal percentage of refunds from one half to one per cent of total sales.
Ferguson said there was no way to know precisely how much money was lost in the machines and how much should be refunded.
Ferguson said he figured that fraudulent books were counterbalanced by people who didn't.
Baker frat, Baldwin named in fire suits
Jolly said he thought the lag between the time refund requests were made and the time refunds were received helped to cut down on the number of false claims.
Monday, the fraternity asked that the city of Baldwin and its fire chief, Archer Carlson, be included as defendants in the suit.
William T. Murphy, a former Baker student from Cameron, Mo., who suffered two broken heels when he jumped from a building on the campus fire, filed the suit against the fraternity.
The fraternity notified the city of Baldwin Monday that it had filed a third-party civil action against the city and Carlson, alleging that the city was liable in the fire because Carlson had inspected the house and ceremony. The court said, Badwin city attorney, said yesterday.
City Council to represent the city and Carlson.
He said he would file a motion on behalf of the city and Carlson asking that both parties be involved.
Carlson, however, said he had checked only the house's fire extinguishers—not the ones in front.
"I think the city is immune from the cut," Oyler said. "There is no city or oor-net." The city government has to check buildings it don't like the government can be held responsible for negligent acts of its employees." Oyler said the responsibility to inspect buildings
But the state fire marshal, Floyd Dibern, didn't agree.
He said that the Baldwin fire department may not have had the personnel or knowledge to inspect and enforce the fire marshal's office to set up the state fire marshal's office to get help.
Dibbern said yesterday that any municipal fire department, whether regular or voluntary, had the authority to enforce Kansas fire laws.
Oyler has been appointed by the Baldwin
Levi - Levi -
"I didn't even know the building was there," Dibber said.
Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi
Attention:
KU STUDENTS
Get Ready for King of Jeans Trade-in and Giveaway
SALE
Today thru Monday only King of Jeans will give you
$2
for every pair of old jeans you have regardless of condition Toward the purchase of any jeans or pants in the store,
regardless of price
ALSO . . .
For every trade-in you bring in, you get
1. One pass for 2 Free Tacos from TACO TICO
2. Free Movie Passes for the first 25 customers with trade-ins, Thursday at 1:00 p.m. (Limit 1 per customer)
3. A Certificate for a Free Carton of Pepsi for first 25 customers with trade-ins Friday morning.
4. Free Record Albums courtesy of KLWN for first 25 customers with trade-ins Saturday morning
Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi
NOBODY THROWS SALES LIKE KING OF JEANS
KING of Jeans
WE'RE OPEN THURSDAY NIGHTS
Levi's 740 Mass.
Levi - Levi - Levi -
Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi - Levi