That really stinks... that they're denying coverage on their flagship product is an extra kick in the gut IMO.

What's Olympus' customer service reputation?... has it been known to be flaky in the past?

If it's serious water damage, they won't repair it all, they'll just replace it. And for (ironically) warranty reasons, water damage is almost always treated as 'serious.'

Definitely. Moreover, unless you really immersed it, even an unsealed camera generally does fine in rain.

DH

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E-M5 | E-PM2 | mZD 12-50 | ZD 12-60 | P 14-42 X | mZD 40-150 R | PL 25 | mZD 45

While I really hate it that you have a (huge!) repair bill for the camera, it doesn't help your case when reading this:

You don't know if the cap was even there, but you're assuming it fell off because it was loose? These are contradictory statements.


I cannot attest to the extent of the weathersealing of the camera, but there are certainly conditions one must adhere to to sustain "weathersealing". Just like one can't walk around with a 1Dx or D4 with the battery doors or card doors open, I'm sure most cameras with sealing also require the rubber doors to be firmly in place.

It's a shame Olympus won't work with you on this issue, but you already admit you have no idea if the door was even there, then you slam Olympus for their camera build. I think this is a bit unfair, also.

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OM-D , G1X
P25mm, 14mm
O45mm, 12-50mm

Nope, I put in a very early preorder, so I received my camera the first week they were shipping. Nobody would have had any time to get a camera and return it, so I'm pretty sure mine was new. It's vaguely possible that a guy in the B&H warehouse opened it up to look at it, but I think that's unlikely.

Good thinking, but not likely in my case.

Well, I'm honestly unable to verify the state of the cover. But I also know I never deliberately touched the cover. Also, there's little question that the camera won't be waterproof with the cover missing, and there's no question that the camera did have water damage. So I have to conclude that the cover was not doing it's job for some reason other than deliberate removal. What other conclusion would you draw? I'm open to suggestions.

My mistake was not knowing how critical the cover was to the water resistance of the camera, and therefore not verifying it's status when I knew the camera would be exposed to rain. Which is the main purpose of this thread: to make sure the rest of you don't make my mistake.

Ow that sucks..sorry to hear that. Might be worth trying to escalate it with a supervisor, don't exactly have a lot to lose.

Sent from my iPad using Mu-43 App

I'm sorry for your loss.....it will definitely be a good reminder to to others though. I wonder if you paid by credit card if your credit card company would cover something like this.

I Dont have a OM-D, But i'd read the terms and conditions of your warranty.
Honestly, if its anything like other service departments, That technicians that opened the camera's assessment is whats going to be taken as gospel.
If he said the bottom seal was removed, thats what they are going to go with, what makes things worse is you don't have the camera to inspect yourself now either, although by the way it sounds you may have not been sure it was on to begin with...
Pleading your case with a manager will at least put a note in the system but the people who will really be able to help you is customer relations. One drop of liquid on a board for any electronics (camera, computer, game system) is pretty much a guarantee replacement ofthat part, since the corrosion makes that part unreliable for the rest of its existence.
I wish you lots of luck in your situation. Thats a huge bill, but half price is about the going rate for accidental damage. try and talk to customer relations and when you talk to the supervisor, just state your case, be respectful but be firm on how you feel...those notes can make the difference between a repair thats covered and one thats not.

Awesome news! Good to hear.

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OM-D , G1X
P25mm, 14mm
O45mm, 12-50mm

Good news everybody: it's covered!

The lady I talked to earlier today just called me back a few min ago. She had gone to her director and explained the situation. They decided to cover the cost of the repair for me.

So, important rule of talking to customer support: be nice, don't yell at them, and they will try to help you.

Also, the repair technician passed on the warning again, and I told the nice lady that I'd pass the same warning to you guys here: that cover NEEDS to be present to make the camera rain resistant. She also mentioned the cover on the hotshoe needs to be in place, which I assume means the one covering the accessory port on the back not the flash contacts on the top.

So, when going out into wet weather, have a checklist: SD card, battery, covers top and bottom.