"Err" message: Nikon Shop vs "Local" shop

Hello and thank you for reading:

I purchased my Nikon D70 15 months ago and am now faced with the

dreaded "err" message post-warranty expiration. When I push down on

the shutter release I hear a faint click but nothing else (except

the "err" message). When I brought it into Ritz Camera (where I

purchased it) they said it was likely a shutter issue and would cost,

at minimum, $700 for them to ship it down to Nikon for repair. I

called Nikon directly and they would not give me a quote or minimum,

stating they would need to see it first (understandable). I checked

a couple of digital repair shops and found quite a few that service

Nikons, some authorized as Nikon repair shops, others not.

So my question is: Do people have a comfort level with sending their

D70-level cameras to the non-Nikon service centers? Horror stories

with lessons learned? Any recommendations? (They do not need to be

in CA)

 

Thanks in advance

 

Tim

Don't use those local repair places. Sounds like a rip-off. Nikon has been quietly repairing faulty D-70s out of warranty. Mine was 6 weeks past, and they repaired it for free. Send a letter calmly pointing out that others have experienced this same problem. I bet they will fix it for free. This is obviously a manufacturing defect, although Nikon will never officially admit it.

Some if not most of non-Nikon authorized local shops will actually send Nikon equipment to either Nikon or authorized shops instead of repairing by themselves, so I don't see it makes sense to go to any non-Nikon shops in the first place as I experienced once for a lens for which they told me exactly what they're going to 'fix' it. That's indeed very honest and right thing to know and learned in front about your equipment where it's end up to. Imagine that if they fix them themselves with little or no experience with Nikon stuff, you're on your own risk. I'd take Russ's recommendation for letting Nikon for a possible free repair, very likely.

Since Timothy bought the D70 from Ritz, I assume he is in the US. In that case I too would send it back to Nikon USA. You might be able to get them to fix it for free since it is just out of warranty. In any case, you can get a brand new D70 or even D70s for not much more than $700. There is absolutely no point to spend that much on repair.

 

Just keep in mind that Nikon USA in the Los Angeles area has recently moved. If you send it to them, make sure that you use the new address. See this thread for the details:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00CuyP

Thanks folks! It's in the mail to El Segundo.

When I queried Ritz (yes, based in the US), they stated that they would have their technicians try to fix it first. If they were unable to, then they would ship it to Nikon. In speaking with the Nikon service representative, they said they'd give me an estimate before they start any work.

Thanks again for the feedback. I'll re-post if anything horrific happens (as a lessons learned).

Cheers!

Tim