Red block letters S-O-L-D flash across the inch-high screen as the “try another selection” light holds steady.

The problem is there are no more selections, something that a line of six people in the basement of Ross Hall knew all too well one recent afternoon.

One by one, the six thirsty people stepped up to the plate, so to speak, inserted their dollar bills, change or one of those fancy new debit cards into two pop machines.

One was supposed to dispense bottles. The other had cans. And both were empty.

“It’s like this all over campus,” said one disgruntled man while jamming his buck back into his front pocket. He wanted a Coke.

This is the problem many on campus have experienced with the new vending machines.

Ronald J. Santi, director of Iowa State’s Business Affairs Office and one of the signers of the university’s vending contract, which was approved July 18, said he is aware of such complaints.

He said the technology of the new vending machines is an aspect that is being examined by the Memorial Union, the entity awarded the contract out of a pool of five bidders.

Although the new machines have been designed to accept cash and the debit cards, Santi said he has received complaints about some machines not dejecting the cards.

“Some of the machines haven’t been working properly,” Santi said. “What it is that seems to be malfunctioning when the card is not being accepted, we don’t know.”

Union officials are working on that.

But not being able to get your selected vending product isn’t the only problem with the machines.

For some like Marce Zemer, a clerk in the Dairy Science Extension Office in Kildee Hall, the increased prices and smaller quantities of the products are also a downfall.

“The very first thing I noticed was that the prices went up,” she said.

Kildee Hall has a 60-cent and a 90-cent pop machine. Zemer said the 60-cent one is empty about 75 percent of the time.

“I don’t know if it’s to make you buy the expensive one, but it’s usually empty,” she said.

Zemer said the sandwich machines have the same problem.

“Prices went way up and the portions went way down,” she said.

A double-decker sandwich, which was $1, is now $1.50.

Santi said the increase in prices was expected, but the MU is attempting to accommodate buildings that lack in product availability.

Susan McDonald, a junior in journalism who also works in Kildee Hall, said many, like herself, have come back from the vending machines with very little or nothing.

“Last week in the sandwich machine there was only a hard-boiled egg and a brownie,” McDonald said. She wasn’t interested in either.

Zemer said she has never had a problem with the vending machines until now.

“We thought it was supposed to get better, and they’re not,” she said. “I feel it’s a travesty.

“It angers me. I’ve worked here for almost 10 years and we never had a problem with [the old] service or their attitude. They were sure a whole lot better to work with than the new ones.”

An option, Zemer said, would be to go to the Food Court in the Union. But she said a 40-minute lunch break shouldn’t be necessary if vending products can be adequately available in a campus building.

“Some of [these problems] are likely, I suspect, when you have a new company,” Santi said.

Warren Madden, vice president of business and finance and another signer of the vending contract, also admits to some problems with the machines.

He said some of them had mechanical problems in equipment and programming, possibly as a result of the shipping process.

“If there are problems, we encourage people to indicate that to us,” Madden said.

Random surveys will be conducted next week within some of the university’s departments.

“We’re trying to stay on top of this,” Santi said.