Excellent quality pictures until the CCD chip failed

I have absolutely LOVED this camera. Have shot many special occasions, weddings, showers, etc. Very versatile and very powerful with many desirable features. However, the CCD chip went out for no apparent reason. My viewfinder is black. The chip cannot "see" what the lens is seeing. I found information on line that says this is a known problem with this camera and SONY is repairing them free until fall of 2007. I would expect better quality from SONY, considering the price of the camera, but they are backing up their product and I am glad because I really do love this camera.