Went to Jessops this lunchtime to see if they could fix my camera. They could, but they'd have to send it to Fuji (the company, not the mountain), and their standard repair rate is...
£114.95.
I only paid £129.95 for the camera in the first place. I said no, and the charming German youngster (with great muttons) behind the counter referred me to an independent camera repair shop around the corner. I went along there and they said that they could open it up and check what was wrong with it. It'd take two-three days, cost £10 and not be deductible from any subsequent repair bill. I told the woman that I know what's wrong with it, the zoom mechanism is broken, can you let me know a ballpark figure for fixing that? No. Well then, you're not getting my custom either.
So, alas, it's goodbye to my Fujifilm Finepix f440. I've had the little blighter just over two years and we've been everywhere together - New York, Old York, Paris, Prestatyn, Brighton (twice), Bedford Beer Festival, Berlin, Birmingham, Bolton, Brussels, Bristol, Clacton, Colchester, Chelmsford, Canberra, Dublin, Southend, Los Angeles, Sydney, Rarotonga, Tenerife, Edinburgh, Skye and, errr, Gateshead, and a few other places too. Not to mention 94 consecutive commutes to work. And I was looking forward to adding Portsmouth and Manchester to both of those lists over the next week and a half as I have to go to both of them on business and am staying overnight a couple of times.
But I suppose I can learn to love another camera. I have a few irons in the fire and will let you know of any progress in finding a replacement. It's too late to stop now!
