Well, I got my repair estimate from Olympus. They say my IS-10 needs a complete
overhaul (!), for which they charge $150! Their basis for this estimate? "Sand
damage" (that is, excessive dirt in the camera). But they didn't disassemble the
camera to determine this -- they could tell just by opening the back and
looking.
Uh-huh.
I take pretty good care of my equipment. This camera is only four years old, and
I have _not_ subjected it to unusually damp or dirty conditions. Nor do I
repeatedly turn the camera on and off (which would encourage dirt entry). Flaky
autofocus is _not_ likely to be due to dirt, when everything else on the camera
(seems to) work correctly. The camera almost certainly has an electrical
problem, but since a four-year-old camera _might_ have seen a lot of use, they
think they can get away with intimidating the customer.
I am more than ever convinced that Olympus's service techs are incompetent, and
the management doesn't care about long-term customer satisfaction. As soon as I
can find a spare hour, I will be writing a letter to Olympus USA. I never
expected the IS-10 to last "forever," but a bit over four years of service from
a $400 camera is _not_ my idea of a good deal.
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