OLYMPUS USA - let the buyer beware.

What can you do when you feel as though a camera company that you trusted sells you a defective product, refuses to honor its warranty, and calls you liar? If you are like me, and you are dealing with OLYMPUS USA, you pay up and shut up, like a sucker. But at least I can tell you the story so that you don’t have to make the same mistake.

I bought an OLYMPUS PT-020 Underwater Camera case for my OLYMPUS C-5060 Wide Zoom Early last year. After the third use, the bolts that hold a base plate to the bottom of the camera broke free. It seems that the Lexan that supported the bolts crumbled.

I sent the camera housing back to Olympus for what I thought would be a quick repair as the camera housing broke under normal use. But then, I had expected OLYMPUS to support its warranty like the reputable companies with whom I normally deal.

I received a letter back that stated my the damage to my “Camera” was “..not covered under warranty” and that I could have my housing repaired for twenty dollars less than what I paid for my housing new.

Of course this had to be mistake, I thought, and I called Olympus. As it turns out, I was not allowed to speak with the department that supposedly evaluated my housing, but seeing that they called it a camera and not a housing, I doubted if it was ever seriously looked at it. In the end, after 7 phone calls and more than three hours of time trying to get someone who looked at the housing or had any authority on the line, I got a Customer Service rep name Lori, who was at least honest enough to tell me that the technical people at Olympus said that there is no doubt that I tampered with the screws and broke the housing myself.

I assured her that I did not do that and had no reason to do so. She told me, “These are the facts. You broke the housing yourself and that is not covered by Warranty.” But it was simply untrue. I had never touched the screws that broke. She stated that there was no possibility that the camera could have been defective.

In the end, it seemed almost as though I had to “buy back” my housing from OLYMPUS. I wouldn’t call what they did overt extortion or theft, but as I was heading out on assignment to Grand Cayman Island in three weeks and I had already purchased spare lenses and strobes for this camera, I was in no position to do anything but give in and send them more money to get the housing fixed.

Needless to say, I will never buy another OLYMPUS product. Not a camera, not memory, nor even a battery. A company that doesn’t honor it warranty, no matter how nice their products *seem* to be, is just too risky to do business with. And even more than that, there is the question of honor. I never do business with people that I can’t trust. I feel the same way about corporations.

Let the buyer beware.

Final Note: As much as Olympus claimed there was no problem with their housings one of the ultimate authorities on undewater photography, Cathy Church, reported this EXACT SAME PROBLEM!!! Now how can OLYMPUS claim innocence on this one? I smell a class action law suit!

From Cathy's web site (http://www.cathychurch.com/latestdv.html):

Olympus systems--housing tips for older compact digital housings
Be careful with plastic housings. Sometimes screws have been over-tightened at the factory and they develop stress cracks. I recommend that you loosen all screws at least very slightly. Some people even remove the accessory fitting on the top. Beware of using the Ultralight trays with a riser on the back. If not positioned clearly away from the edge of the back door, they will cause a major flood. Be sure that the lip of the tray is either fully between the two rear feet and the tripod foot (i.e. under the housing) or outside of the door completely, holding it shut, but not under the door pressing the door upward. Also, watch the red back-door o-ring. It can jump out of its groove and cause a major flood. Visually check the seating of the O-ring as you close the door, and again after it is closed, especially if you have any difficulty closing the latches. As with all cameras, check it carefully in a tub of fresh water before heading underwater.