Maybe someone think that Nikon has survived for far to long on quality alone. It's quite astonishing really. It's time for the parent company to step in and fix the repair and customer support issues.
First: the repair process needs an overhaul. If Nikon is to stop supplying independent shops with parts, they need to be able to handle all repairs themselves. Right now they don't do that in a timely or reliable manner. This has nothing to do with any natural disasters. I've been dealing with the same crap from them for the past 12 years, and the problems last year only magnified the existing inefficiencies. I still never receive a note when a repair is shipped.