Fresno State student Ryan Rogers purchases a snack from the
campus vending machine. Fresno State receives $14,000 for
the vending machines on campus.
Alicia Acevedo / The Collegian

Vending machines on campus are known by some students to eat change instead of dispense snacks or drinks at all. This leads to the question of whether or not vending machines are reliable. ­ ­

“I go to the machines about five times a week but mostly for water,” Fresno State student Jesus Moreno said. “I’ll continue to use them until winter comes when it won’t be so hot and I won’t have to get water from them all the time.”

Fresno State Auxiliary Operations said they service the machines on a regular basis and sometimes even weekly depending on the location of the unit.

“The snack vending machines throughout campus are filled and serviced by Canteen Scott Browning,” general manager of Canteen Scott Browning said in an email. “I can assure you that we take the quality of the items sold to the students and staff at Fresno State very seriously,”

Some students say they are frustrated because of inconsistent and unreliable vending machines.

“They take your change and it makes you want to break the machine but you can’t because it would be vandalism,” Moreno said. “You call the number but they don’t do anything about it.”

Associate vice president for Auxiliary, Debbie Astone, assures students vending machines are reliable.

Astone said Fresno State recieves $14,000 a year from the vending machines.

“If anyone has experienced problems or issues with any of the food items they should contact the number on the machine and the University Dining Services main office so we can follow up as well.”

“As far as the refund policy for the snack machines on campus, each machine has a sticker in the upper righthand corner,” Browning said, referring to a sticker where students can call for repairing services.

“If a student loses money or receives an item they are not satisfied with, a call to our office is all that is needed. We will ask name and address, amount lost and mail it out that day,” Browning added.

“One time the machine ate my change but it was not a big deal. I didn’t bother to call the number though,” Fresno State student Matthew Ramos said. “I like them and they’re convenient when I need them. I usually go for the Gatorade bottles.”

“I think they are good. It’s better to go to the vending machines because of the easy access to get snacks when you are sitting in class and need a quick snack to wake you up,” Moreno said. “It’s also faster to go to the machine then to go to the snack shop at the Kennel Bookstore.”