(A lurker surfaces), after reading this whole sorry
account,I wonder if anybody on this list knows if
Olympus America or Olympus Japan monitors this list.
If they are smart(a leap of faith) this list could
teach them much about customer service, and indicate
where they need improvement. Perhaps they have written
off silver halide users as stuck in the photographic
stone age, and now only care about the digital medium.
--- Giles <cnocbui@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> I think the list should hear about this.
>
> George was kind enough to enquire of Oly America, on
> my behalf, if they could supply
> a handle/tripod mount for my 180mm f2 (sawn off
> short by the previous owner would
> you believe!).
>
> They told him they had disposed of them due to low
> demand. As this is what you
> could definitely call a pro-grade lens I find this
> incredible.
>
> If you were a pro using Olympus equipment such a
> response would be enough reason -
> if there were not enough already - to abandon the
> system. I can sort of comprehend
> being out of stock or running out of spares for a
> discontinued item but the 180mm f2
> is supposedly still available new. Throwing out
> perfectly good spare parts is
> illogical in my world. I can only assume Oly
> America has some economist in its
> upper echelons who thought it was costing them money
> to keep them.
>
> Note: Olympus America did not offer to acquire the
> part from Japan, just said
> it was no longer available. When George told me all
> this I was quite disconcerted
> that Olympus had got so bad as to no longer have
> parts for lenses which are still
> available. I began to be a bit suspicious of Oly
> America itself.
>
> I then contacted Olympus UK, as I live in Ireland.
> They were quite helpful. They
> said they could not supply me directly but gave me
> contact details for their
> official repair agents who could. One of which was
> Luton camera.
>
> I contacted Luton and they were very helpful - they
> even emailed me a diagram,
> which I presume was from a spare parts catalogue,
> showing all the parts related to the
> tripod mount collar and handle assembly and
> including part numbers to aid in
> precisely identifying the part I needed. When I had
> done so they said the part was
> not in stock (surprise, surprise) but that they
> could order it from Germany. When
> I then enquired about the price they said they did
> not know but that they had
> ordered the part and that I was under no obligation
> to purchase it! They said it
> might take 6 weeks to arrive - it took 5 days. They
> then sent it to me after I had
> paid for it..
>
> This is not the only instance. A list member was
> recently after a lens mount for a
> Zuiko 400mm f6.3. Oly America said it was not
> available. Luton Camera in the UK
> are able to get it. One thing though, they say they
> are not allowed to supply parts
> to people in the US. I presume this is because Oly
> America has that market stitched
> up - in the alternate meaning of the expression.
>
> Seems to me the best place to be if you want to get
> the rarer parts for the OM
> system is in Germany or of course Japan.
>
> I now do not think it is Olympus Japan which is
> trying to kill off the OM system,
> but rather it is Olympus America.
>
> Giles
>
>
> George M. Anderson wrote:
>
> > Yeah, I know what you mean. I called the
> accessories dept in NY/NJ 2
> > weeks ago to see if I could get the OEM lenscap
> for my new(used)180/2
> > (which will soon be on it's way, John). Went
> something like this:
> > these interchangeable thingys! After 5 minutes I
> finally find out Oly
> > has tossed all the OEM leather/zippered lens caps.
> They do have a
> > 'usual' type of flat cap with the tabs ... for
> $60.
> >
>
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>
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