Complaint Review: Olympus Imaging America - Hauppauge New York

I purchased an Olympus Stylus 750 on May 25, 2007. Although the camera itself works fabulously, the door that holds the battery and memory card in broke. A simple repair, right? Not exactly. I called Olympus' customer service department on April 30, 2008. I was told that the camera WAS still under warranty and that since I had reported the problem during the warranty period, the camera would be repaired at no charge, assuming they did not determine that I was responsible for the broken door. I assured the customer service rep that I was not, and he sent me the necessary forms so I could send the camera in for repair.

First, I was put off by the fact that I had to pay to send the camera back to Olympus for a warrantied repair. I feel that they should pay the shipping in that regard. Nonetheless, I returned the camera via the U.S. Post Office, with insurance, and received confirmation that Olympus did get my camera on June 17, 2008. The following is EXACTLY what I included in my letter and package to Olympus Repairs:

June 9, 2008

Olympus Imaging America, Inc.

400 Rabro Drive

Hauppauge, NY 11788

ATTN: Customer Product Repair

To Whom It May Concern:

I am returning my Olympus Stylus 750 for repair because a small piece of the door which covers the battery and memory card broke. This happened in normal use of the camera, specifically when I pressed on the tip of the door to close it. I have also enclosed, in a small plastic bag, the piece that broke off from the door. This broken door causes the camera to display a message that the door is open and thus, the camera will not operate unless I hold the door closed, which is not easy to do when taking photographs. Other than the broken door, the camera functions properly and has no other problems.

I am enclosing a copy of my receipt from Amazon.com (purchased May 25, 2007), a copy of the warranty card that came with the camera, and an e-mail confirmation of Olympus receipt of my warranty information, dated Monday, July 2, 2007. I have also enclosed the Product Repair Submission Form, sent to me on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 by your Customer Service & Support department after I called the previous day to report the broken door. I am giving you this information because, although today's date is past one year from the date of purchase, the date on which I reported the problem to Olympus Customer Service department is well within my warranty period.

Sincerely,

(me)

Olympus received my camera on June 17th and I received a letter from Olympus Imaging America, dated the same day, stating that I had to pay for the repair. They said that they did not receive the camera before the warranty expired (which was on 05/25/08) and thus, the repair was not covered by the warranty. I contacted them both by telephone and via e-mail, only to be told, basically, 'too bad, pay for it or don't get it fixed.'

I am appalled at Olympus' practices and feel certain that they consistently and purposely do NOT honor their warranty repairs, so as to make more money for their company (who made over 4 BILLION dollars in profits last year, mind you). I am reporting this incident to the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Protection Agency and every other regulatory agency I can think of. I paid for the repair, as it was significantly less than the camera is worth, but I have yet to get it back from them. That may be another report all together.

Stephanie

greenville, South Carolina

U.S.A.