Complaint Review: Olympus Systems - Bethlehem Pennsylvania

I purchased an Olympus Mirrorless micro-4/3s camera through eBay in late February 2022 and took delivery of the camera in early March 2022. The camera was registered with Olympus in mid-March 2022 and deemed Under Warranty.

         

The camera experienced a major malfunction/defective product noted in mid-April 2022 after less than 35 days of ownership. Olympus was notified of the camera's malfunction issues and they provided me with RAM documentation to return the camera to their repair facility. Since the camera was registered and under warranty, the repairs would be free of charge.

         

After shipping the camera back to Olympus for repairs, I received a response from Olympus that the repair period had expired, and repair parts were not available. They further advised that if they needed to return the product, an invoice of $20 for the return shipment would be due. Another of OMDs reasons was that the camera was lost in their repair facility.  I was given the option of purchasing one of their recertified/reconditioned cameras and given two weeks to respond or the camera be discarded.

         

I inquired to Olympus as to types of cameras, costs, and availability and did not receive any response to my requests. Also, I made a specific request that Olympus hold my camera and not discard it as scrap. I never had the camera returned to me. Olympus Systems customer service contacts had requested information on product serial numbers and other product specifications, all of which I provided. I never received information on alternate product offerings for replacing my camera.

         

Repairs were systematically ignored, with new and novel excuses for not honoring their product warranty. I contacted Olympus Systems Corporate Consumer Affairs on this matter and received no response. This has been quite a journey in dealing with warranty issues, repair attempts, and communications with Olympus. After 2 years of being without my camera. Olympus reported that the camera was lost, lack of spare parts, the product was discontinued, expired repair period, and the camera was sold by an unlicensed third party via eBay, ergo voiding the warranty.

       

Later during this period, Olympus maintained that they had exhausted all means possible and could not find a creative solution for my camera issues, and that no additional support would be provided.

   

Further, it was cited that copies of emails to validate warranty registration were not received by the OMDS repair center. I offered to send hard copies of my product registration information and received no input Also, I offered to send hard copies of all relevant communications via regular mail should you desire, with no response.

         

During mid-February 2024, I received notification from Olympus Customer Service with a restatement of the reasons that they could not honor their product warranty. I was able to discern from the email that OMDS wanted to avoid providing information and resolution to my lost or destroyed camera!  I notified OMD that I felt that they had BREACHED their existing product warranty due to the unavailability of repair parts. OMD had had my camera for nearly two years, and I had requested that they hold the unit and not dispose of it. I received new and novel reasons for not repairing the camera and no further support was provided.

        

Further, OMS asserted that since I had acquired a product that had been discontinued from an unrecognized third-party vendor; OMD could not validate any warranty due to the cessation of technical support for this product offering. The primary reason provided was due to spare parts' unavailability, as previously communicated by their repair center. The bottom line is that after prolonged discussions with Olympus, they miraculously found my camera in their facility and wanted to return the camera to me unrepaired for a fee.

At the end of March 2024, OMS notified me that internally the organization had decided to it “exceptionally” to return the camera free of charge. None of the OMDs cited warranty exceptions were mentioned in the product warranty at the time of my registration in 2022.

         

 I attempted to discern some of the conditions of the OMD product warranty provisions to learn that:

          1). Units outside the warranty may still be sent to Olympus for repair, with pre-approval costs displayed up the selection of the camera on the repair site.     

           2) Under certain circumstances, Olympus may replace the model with a reconditioned same or compatible model if deemed unrepairable due to parts unavailability or damage. If a replacement is not acceptable, customers can indicate so on the submission form, and their model will be returned at no charge.

          I was not offered any concessions for my camera repair or replacement after two years. The camera was forcibly returned to me “unrepaired”. In early May 2024, OMD waive the return charge fee. Olympus concluded that they were not liable for their product warranty and had not breached their product warranty provisions. I searched consumer rights regarding product warranties to discern some potential consumer protections that may be provided under the Magnuson-Noss Warranty Act.

          I inquired of Olympus how the consumer would know about the product’s obsolescence caveats and exceptions. How would the consumer know of any product performance exceptions when purchasing from any e-commerce platform, and who would be responsible for informing the consumer of product limitations?  

           The OM Systems Division, Imaging division, stated that the goal of its mission statement is to deliver unparalleled experiences to its customers. This stated goal seems contradictory, especially considering my experience. I sincerely would like other customers to learn from my deplorable experience and be mindful of some product pitfalls to avoid with this company.

Regrettable,

S.Cy Jones

 

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