just did that with my Canon Powershot S1 IS camera. Thought it was dead, called the repair number, and found it was a recall. I got a S5 for free in exchange, so I gained a $200 value in the process!
It Broke? Check for a Recall
Photo: djeucalyptus
Last time our DVD player broke, I went out and bought a new one. The Best Buy salesman said he wasn't surprised that it had only worked for a year; he called them "disposable."
Two years later, the new one is broken. But this time, instead of going shopping, my husband had an idea.
"Check online for recalls," he told me.
I don't know what gave him the hunch. Maybe it was that time a few years back when our microwave started sparking like crazy and we found out (after several failed attempts by Sears to fix it) that it had a recalled part.
At any rate, he was right. I Googled the maker (Toshiba) and the model number (SD-3980SU2), and immediately came up with an information page about a recall. One 5-minute phone call later, and I am expecting a new, 2008 model of the DVD player to arrive within a couple of weeks. I will have to package up the old DVD player and mail it in, but a new DVD player is worth a trip to the post office any day in my book.
Now I have to get Googling to see if the broken cord to my Roomba could have possibly been recalled ...
Best of Wise Bread
did that with my milwaukee 18volt drill. the battries stoped working they want over $80 dollars a piece. so i replaced it with a $20 cheapo drill then found out their was a recall for some venting problem. after afive min phone call two free battries arrived at my door and got my drill back.
i did this with my canon S400 camera a couple years ago. it stopped working, and after checking i found a recall. I sent it in and got it back a couple weeks later. I got back my working camera, and it still works to this day a couple years later. Beats buying another camera!
I upgraded from a Nikon D70 to a Nikon D300 DSLR and was disappointed the batteries I got with the D70 wouldn't work with the D300, then learned there was a recall on the D70 batteries and the new exchange from Nikon would work with the D300 and the D70.
iRobot is incredibly good about replacing or repairing broken parts. I've had several roombas replaced and even a couple of batteries. Give their customer service number a call, but make sure your roomba is close at hand for serial numbers or examples of the problems you're experiencing.
