For camera owners other than A530/A540 experiencing short battery life, or for A530/A540 owners that are not on the below described advisory list, please see this post instead.
Some Canon Powershot A530 and A540 cameras are subject to an advisory recall. It seems that a little hinge spring in the door of the battery compartment can stick out and short the batteries. The end result is very poor battery life, with only a few shots taken before the batteries die. Also the battery door becomes hot.
The good news is that Canon will fix this for free, with free shipping, regardless of the camera's warranty status. Please see this link from Canon.
When contacting Canon, recommend that you print out the above linked advisory and have it in hand. Also, please review the following article concerning a similar Canon advisory for a faulty CCD image sensor.
http://camerarepair.blogspot.com/2007/11/canon-digital-cameras-showing-black.html
This should be handled in the exact same way. As stated in the above article, be on guard and respond immediately should you get any feeling that you will be responsible for ANY charges. Repair of your camera should be free and painless.
CR
The good news is that Canon will fix this for free, with free shipping, regardless of the camera's warranty status. Please see this link from Canon.
When contacting Canon, recommend that you print out the above linked advisory and have it in hand. Also, please review the following article concerning a similar Canon advisory for a faulty CCD image sensor.
http://camerarepair.blogspot.com/2007/11/canon-digital-cameras-showing-black.html
This should be handled in the exact same way. As stated in the above article, be on guard and respond immediately should you get any feeling that you will be responsible for ANY charges. Repair of your camera should be free and painless.
CR