Attached Link: Thom Hogan: My Nikon Service Experience

I don't have a Nikon D70 ... probably not ever. What I have is a Nikon coolpix 4300 4.0 effective MP. After the lens locked up -- would not open/close when I wanted, I 'audited' their repair process. By 'audit' I mean that by submitting my camera to obtain warranty service, I know far more than I ever wanted to know about how the Nikon repair system does not work. My experience probably applies equally well to out of warranty repairs. This could be called "Repair via Black Hole Transit". (1) I called for advice ... got an eMail reply that confirmed our conversation. (2) I sent the camera via Priority Mail, insured, with Delivery Confirmation. Inside had a printed note with the usual: camera; serial number; my name and address; phone numbers; and eMail address -- even a copy of their eMail to me. (3) I knew it was delivered -- because I used USPS Delivery Confirmation. (4) They could *never* confirm when it was received. (5) They did not have a way to acknowledge receipt or track the repair process by using the Delivery Confirmation tracking number, or by my name, or by my return address, or camera serial number. (6) After several phone calls, over about 1 week, they said that the receiving department might have had 'other duties' that delayed entering the repair request in their online database. Another time they said that the camera would not go into the repair database until after the package was opened and inventoried. (7) More than 1 week after they received it, the web-based tracking system could tell me that it was in process. However, the only way I could see it was to know their 'service order number' which would be sent by letter. I obtained that number by begging and groveling. (8) Almost 3 weeks after they actually received the camera, it was returned fully repaired. (9) The *next day* I got a letter with their repair tracking number -- also said that it would ship soon. An additional *major* problem with their repair process is that updates to the repair database are batched and applied overnight -- or the day after that. IOW, when I checked the repair status via the web, I was seeing history -- not the actual status. Yes, I made sure they knew my feelings about how they handled the repair -- they even admitted they were unsatisfied with their own repair tracking system. They were going to correct those issues when their 'user department' identified all of the issues. MGD P.S. After writing this, I did a web search and found the linked article.