Chloe, I don't know about any local places being able to fix it. They need the part first, and if they don't have it on hand they'll have to order it. If Canon was only going to tell me that they "discovered a new way to fix the problem" but wasn't going to tell me how, then I'm guessing they're not going to let anyone know (if indeed they did find a new way at all). You're best bet would be to call or e-mail Canon and tell them that you know what the problem is and you want to know if they can give you the instructions over the phone/e-mail to fix it. Good Luck! I'm mailing my camera in today after thinking about it a while. I'll keep you posted as to the outcome.