Olympus E-P5 dial malfunction and warranty questions

traveler_101 wrote:

Anders W wrote:

traveler_101 wrote:

Just an update on this story. I wrote Olympus Europe and was referred to Olympus Norway Service. I do have a global warranty, but was informed that it doesn't matter:

"If you bought it in Europe, you have 2 years warranty. If you bought it outside Europe, the warranty cannot be applied in Europe."

I would take issue with Olympus Norway about that. I think you just happened to come across someone who does not know how this actually works. It was a while since I looked at the warranty slip of any of my Olympus lenses, but I am pretty sure that the one for the international warranty that you have says that it is valid for one year and entitles you to warranty repair at the closest available Olympus service station no matter where the gear was originally bought. Am I wrong about that?

Note: The warranty provided for cameras bought in Europe is and was a bit special in that EU consumer law gives the consumer some protection for at least two years no matter what the manufacturer thinks about it (although this protection may be somewhat weaker in some respects than that typically offered by the manufacturer). However, this does not mean that the one-year international warranty previously provided by Olympus for gear bought anywhere in the world is not valid for repair in Europe.

I looked up the warranty - soon to expire by the way (purchase was made 6 September 2014). All it says is "This worldwide warranty must be presented at an Olympus authorised repair service station dealer before any repair can be made under the conditions of the warranty. This warranty is valid if the Warranty Certificate and proof of purchase are presented." There are two strips with bar codes neatly pasted onto the warranty.

That suffices. There is no mention that you have to use a repair service station in the country of purchase.

I thought perhaps to take my case to Olympus corporate in Japan. . .

Not sure that will help much. I'd try other alternatives first. A second talk with Olympus Norway, first of all.

BUT just now as I leafed through the papers the Korean seller sent with the camera, I can find NO PROOF OF PURCHASE! Yes, there is a Customs Declaration from the seller, in triplicate no less, but no where on that declaration does it specify which camera has been shipped!

That's a pity. Olympus does want to see the receipt and we can all understand why. Otherwise, you could keep claiming warranty forever.

But don't you have any record of the transaction from the on-line services you were using at the time of purchase (ebay, PayPal, etc.)?

So this is the greyest of the grey market . . . (lol). Buyers be forewarned of what can happen when you purchase outside of your own country.

As I mentioned, I have had no trouble with this at all. I have had three pieces of Olympus gear repaired or replaced under warranty. Two of them were bought in the U.S. The third was bought in Sweden but was used rather than new, in which case I don't really think the warranty is valid any more. IIRC, the warranty is personal and not transferable. In all three cases, Olympus Sweden honored the warranty without questions.

In this case, I can live with it - and well, I have to. I got the camera at an unbelievable bargain price and except for this occasional problem with the dials it works perfectly. When the problem gets worse (as I have been assured it will), I can live with pushing buttons to adjust aperture and exposure OR I can send it in for repair at my expense. Read on a different site that three months ago someone paid $175 for Olympus America to repair his E-P5. That's not too bad.

Thanks for everyone's insights.