Olympus learned from other corporations to just blame others when dealing with shortfalls of their products. So for us to have them fixed, it is important to know which problems the camera has by design or bad manufacture.
Olympus cameras have over decades used a lug mount design that is likely to fail. Over a third of the owners of the OM-D E-M1 I who reported back had problems with strap lugs falling out, the rear dial failing or buttons loosening. Only 64% had no such problems:
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4074573
Despite the well documented design errors, Olympus usually charges customers for repairs after the first two years of the warranty have passed. Same with lenses falling apart where screws fall out of their plastic mount without big pressure. Some customers had success having Olympus acknowledge their responsibility for products defective by design and got the repair for free. If enough keep reporting, even a big corporation like Olympus can be shamed into honouring their contractual obligations.
Unfortunately the great flagship OM-D E-M1 II has problems with UHS II SDcards, blocking the camera until the battery is removed.
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4095513
All Olympus does is blame Lexar, when Sandisk cards can not be reliably used either. There is more than one problem with their cheap card reader.
Lexar cards are defective - Olympus
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4092472
That Olympus just tried to squeeze out a few pennies more by selecting cheap components is obvious by their choice of only one UHS II compatible slot. Their new camera is supposedly all about speed, yet they cripple it when it comes to saving the pictures and video.
The E-M1 Mk II also has a problem with the SD-card door not closing properly and being loose, thus allowing water to enter, failing the weather sealing.
https://www.mu-43.com/threads/em1-mark-ii-is-a-beast.88453/page-10#post-965397
In one case, Olympus had a user send the camera back for an exchange, not a repair.
https://www.mu-43.com/threads/em1-mark-ii-is-a-beast.88453/page-9#post-963761
It would be great if Olympus could own up and stand behind their products like a man.
They should fix any problems resulting from cheap low quality parts for free. Their evading behaviour is counterproductive and causes people to doubt the reliability and production quality standards and stop buying their products.
So please, report problems from bad design and sub-standard manufacturing here to help others.
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm F2.8 PRO MFT lens mount broken off plastic base
Re: Stuff is falling apart
I just got back from a vacation to New Zealand. I of course took my Oly gear. During the trip the metal ring on the 12-40 lens hood fell off......no big deal I thought, just tape it back on. Then with a few days left on the trip I go to put the strap on the camera......hey.......no strap lug (very annoying but unfortunately a common problem).
To top it off I take the camera out of the bag and something doesn't feel right.......oh yeah, that would be the 12-40 lens mount that is broken and the screws are pulled out of the body.
Glad I have "PRO" gear.
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4090363
The 12-40mm having issues as described by the OP is a well reported issue with the lens...in fact it's one of the main reasons I haven't picked up the lens.
Have never heard Olympus come forward with a statement of yes it's an issue and yes we've fixed it in later batches.
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4090363?page=4#forum-post-58792639
The screws go into plastic, and the connection can snap off without much force.
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4090363?page=4#forum-post-58794971
Does Olympus Quietly Fix Potential Issues Under Ext Warranty Cleaning?
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4071545
Workaround for em-1 rear dial issue
If one gets broken by the design then I demand the repair even outside of the warranty and in Finland that happens as I can show it is not just one unit but a common thing!
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4079056#forum-post-58651491
Strap Lug Failure - what's the warranty situation?
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4093679
Re: Swivel Screen Plastic Housing Is Not Totally Horizontally Aligned?
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4092748?page=3#forum-post-58831021
Greg's Olympus E-M1 burnt viewfinder syndrome
Following up showed that this is a known defect in the camera design: if the viewfinder eyepiece adjustment is set to +2 dioptres, it only takes one second to burn a hole in the viewfinder fabric, as these photos by Daniel Bradley show:
I like the E-M1, but my goodwill towards Olympus is wearing thin.
http://lemis.com/grog/photography/E-M1-Viewfinder.php
What you need to know about warranty laws
You have more rights than you might think
http://consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/05/the-word-on-warranty-protection/
The Uniform Commercial Code, a set of laws adopted in much the same form by all states and the District of Columbia, provides an automatic “implied warranty of merchantability.” That unwritten protection guarantees that consumer products are free of substantial defects and will function properly for a reasonable period of time. What’s “reasonable” depends on the type of product and the amount you paid. States typically limit implied warranties to four years. They apply to products you buy from retailers that normally sell such items.
But here’s where it gets complicated: Most states allow companies to negate, or “disclaim,” the implied warranty by conspicuously disclosing that a product is being sold “as is” or “with all faults,” or by simply stating there’s no implied warranty. And manufacturer warranties typically do just that. “In my opinion, every warranty you see is taking away rights you would otherwise have,” says Richard Alderman, director of the University of Houston’s consumer law center.
Eleven states (Connecticut, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia) and the District of Columbia prohibit consumer products from being sold “as is.” In some of those states, stores can still sell items without implied warranties if they follow strict requirements, such as telling the customer exactly what’s wrong with the product or by selling the item as a factory second.
States take these laws seriously. Last year, Maine reached a settlement with a new-car dealer that it accused of disclaiming implied warranties by telling consumers that only the manufacturer, not the dealership, was responsible for serious vehicle defects. The implied warranty also applies to most used goods sold by merchants, including used cars in some states.
And last, the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act prohibits companies from disclaiming implied warranties during any period that its written warranty or any service contract is in effect.
What you should do. If you discover that something you bought is defective—even after the written warranty has expired—contact the retailer and manufacturer to ask for a repair, replacement, or refund. It doesn’t matter what the retailer’s return policy is or that the manufacturer put a notice on the box telling you not to return the item to the store.
Don’t expect a salesperson or customer service representative to know about these extra rights. To get satisfaction, you might have to go up the corporate ladder or post your complaint online.
