I went off to the camera shop to see if it could be repaired. The shop was staffed by two very young men who were Ant and Dec dopplegangers. I failed to get their names so I'll call them A and D for the sake of simplicity. This is how it went:
A: And what can we do for you, madam?
M: I hope you can repair my camera. I think it has sand in it.
A: Sand in it, you say? Oh, and it's a Sony.
D: Sand in a Sony, did you say?
A: Sand in a Sony!
D: (looking at said Sony) I can see grains of sand in it.
M: Yes, that's what I said. I had it on the beach.
A & D in unison: Sand in a Sony!
Pause for a little dance around the store - no, I made that up but I was expecting it!
D: Do you want the bad news?
M: I think you have already given it.
D: Well, sand is a Bad Thing and Sony cameras can only be repaired by Sony. There is not much hope for it and it would certainly cost at least £180. You see what I'm saying?
A: Yes, it is an old camera.
M: Yes, I suppose four years is old. Although my father's box Brownie is still going strong after 80 years.
A: You could put the money towards a new sand proof camera.
M: Indeed I could. Thanks for your help. I'll go and see what Amazon has to offer.
D: Well you could always try an old sock.
M: ????????
D: Take your vacuum cleaner and fit an old sock over the nozzle, then gently run it over the
camera. It might work.
Here is a picture of the old sock, taken with my ancient but now sand free Sony Cyber Shot camera.
Moral of the tale
Head for the exit without making a purchase and you may well get some good advice!
Perform the same task on your keyboard for equally excellent results.
ReplyDeletee, you gave me that tip without threatening a huge bill or telling me my keyboard was out of date! Thank you, I'll try it.
ReplyDeletem. unfortunately in today's world, repairing something is prohibitably expensive and while replacing things is usually cheaper, the old saying, "you get what you pay for," applies in full force. We recently were forced to replace almost all our appliances because parts were no longer available and in every case, the new one is inferior in all ways to the old.
ReplyDeleteBTW - if you're too "busy" to get out the vacuum, you can turn the keyboard upside down and gently spank its bottom. You'll be surprised at the debris that will fall out -- or not -- if you don't snack while you type.
e, my laptop stays in the study, so no snacking while typing. I will give it a gentle spank, though, just to see what may be lurking in there. I expect there will be spiders!
ReplyDeleteLove it, M! My current mission is to do apply a similar approach to anything that goes wrong in the house etc., which explains why the battery in my iBook is now held in place by a few strips of microtape. The lock screw that would normally hold it in place fell out and had disappeared before I realised what had happened. Attempts to buy a replacement Apple screw failed miserably but I simply couldn't contemplate buying a replacement iBook or even a replacement case. Apple would probably disapprove strongly of the microtape but, several months on, it's still doing the job . . .
ReplyDeleteD, with the money we've saved on repairs or replacements we could have a great day out or maybe even pay for that photography course!
ReplyDeletem. not snacking while typing! Next you'll be telling us that you don't snack while reading.
ReplyDeletee, reading requires snacks, especially chocolate. I thought that was a law of nature! I suppose I developed a snack-free habit around computers when I was working and had to share a PC with two other people. Whoever was at the work station had to get on with the task pretty quickly or risk physical violence.
ReplyDeletem. glad to know reading habits are the same east and west of the pond.
ReplyDeleteYou know my idea of heaven: a comfortable chair, good natural light, books I like without end, cold milk and cookies which appear on demand ... and fast internet access.
Conversely, h*ll would be the absence of same.
I wouldn't mind sharing that heaven, e.
ReplyDeleteJust catching up here. Good book recommendations, yummy recipes, and hilarious adventures. Glad the camera's working.
ReplyDeleteHi Jodi, it's good to see you. I'm off to visit Millie and Benjamin for the weekend so the camera will get a real trial.
ReplyDelete