F**k You Canon. (Warning: Foul Language)

Before I buy stuff, I usually do research online. This applies to books, boardgames and especially pricey stuff like home appliances, electronics, and cars.

I remember spending a couple of weeks researching digital cameras before settling on the Canon A70. It had excellent reviews, great usability for a point-and-shoot, a fine lens, and used conventional AA batteries. So I plunked down my $300 and was happy.

A week ago, I turned it on and was greeted by a blank screen. No matter how I fiddled with the thing, the screen stayed blank and anything it shot was a black screen. Of course, that pointed to a CCD problem. Sheesh. I was hoping that it might be something else so I hit the web.

Lo and behold: it's a manufacturing defect.

Manufacturer's defect on the CCD for a whole range of Canon's products over the past two years. Holy shit. They're offering free repairs, so I call the local office. The lady says you have to bring the camera in for diagnostics, during working hours on a weekday. So that means I have to take a vacation day, which costs more than a new 3.2 megapixel camera at today's prices. Not only that, but it will take a minimum of two weeks to fix the camera, assuming they have the part in stock.

Knowing the range of products affected, and how many of these fucking things Canon has sold, the camera could fucking take months to repair. In the meantime, I'm fucking stuck without a camera, which is fucking annoying. Fuck you Canon. Fuck you and your crappy quality control, and your fucking customer service. Fuck you for making me look fucking stupid. I fucking research for two fucking weeks and get your fucking piece of shit camera and it turns out the fucking most important part of the fucking steaming pile of shit is fucked. Fuck you.

Of course I'll end up taking the camera in anyway, just because I want to be able to harangue them about it until they fucking get it fixed. But I also know that I'm never going to buy another fucking Canon product ever again.

There's a 3.2MP Kodak digital-for-dummies camera on sale. I just might go get one of those. But I have to do research first.

Fuck you Canon.