How Long Will It Take to Fix My Camera?

On Saturday, December 3, my bleedin’ PowerShot A70 broke. Though I could still view old images, the viewfinder in camera mode showed a blur of black and violet. Balls! This will be a regularly updated entry to see how long Canon takes to fix this problem.

UPDATE! 1/3
FedEx note on my door sez they tried to deliver a package, but maybe this is something else I ordered (shoes). The exciting answer tomorrow!!!

UPDATE! 12/29
A little email (followed by a letter the same day) informs me that the camera has been fixed and shipped. So I will have to borrow a camera to get that New Year’s Eve action. Balls.

UPDATE! 12/21
Canon loves me! They really love me! They’ve officially decided to fix my camera FOC (free of charge). Niiiiice. “You will receive the camera within 7 working days of this date.” I put that date at 12/30, just in time to catch a photo of me sicking up too much vodka for New Year’s. Excellent.
But we’ll see, won’t we?
UPDATE! 12/19
UPS delivered the package to Elks Grove, IL this morning. Get to work, dudes.
UPDATE! 12/13
Returned home yesterday to find the letter from Canon containing my UPS sticker. I sent out the camera in the box today. Let the thumb twiddling begin!
December 4
Took the camera down to Russ Camera, just to see if this was a commonly diagnosed problem. It was.
“It’s the chip!” the lady there said. “Are you out of warranty?”
Yes, I am!
“Did you buy it with a credit card?”
Yes, I did!
“Ah, well, some credit card companies actually extend any warranty for you. You should give them a call.”
December 5
I give my VISA card a call and find out that yes, there is an extra year tacked on to all orders paid. Cool.
December 7
At work, I call Canon and I don’t even have to worry about warranties. Because this sounds exactly like a bad chip, and the A70 was known (was it?) for bad chips, they will fix it for free. But they need the camera’s serial number.
I rush home after class and in the final five minutes before their customer support goes home for the day, I relay the serial and I’m told that they will send out a packing label for me. Upon receipt, it should take 7 – 10 working days. I imagine a backed up tech lab with piles of faulty A70s. A harried chip-replacer says to himself “Goddamnit! I must be seven to ten days behind. And it only takes a minute to replace!”
December 10
Still no packing slip in mail…hmm…