Olympus

May 3, 2008

Olympus

Dear sir/madam,

I am at counsel at this moment with my lawyer to ascertain if my legal rights have been violated by Electron World, one of your authorized Olympus distributors in the Philippines. I have also consulted with some of my friends in the media about the matter.

I purchased an Olympus Mu770 from them last August. I could have gotten a gray market unit for considerably less. However, because of warranty issues, I decided to go with an authorized distributor, Electron World.

In March, still under the warranty period, my digicam was flooded with salt water when I went snorkeling. It was supposed to be waterproof up to 33 feet. I had it brought back for replacement. Electronic World refused to replace the unit and instead offered to replace the lens! The entire guts of the camera was flooded with salt water, and they want to replace the lens? It seemed like a run-around. We had to threaten with a lawsuit and media exposure for them to agree in replacing it with a newer model, the Mju 1030SW, since the Mu770 was already known to have waterproofing issues.

We waited a month before they called us to say that the brand new replacement is available for pick-up.

When I picked it up, the 'brand new' unit didn't come in a box, and was instead wrapped in bubble-wrap. And it wasn't the Mju1030SW, but the same old Mu770. Of course I complained (again!). They said there was no box available and that they had to exhaust the Mu770s before they touch the Mju1030SW. I felt dubious about the whole thing but took the unit with me anyway.

Upon reaching home where I had my glasses, I noticed minute scratches on the unit. It was obviously a refurbished unit and not brand new. The most damning evidence however, was the picture of the previous owner was still in the built-in memory of the camera.

This is a clear misrepresentation of Electron World. They've dealt in bad faith from day 1.

It would alleviate matters if they simply do the right thing before legal action is taken against them. They should, without any further delay, or double-talk or run-around, replace the camera with a brand new Mju1030SW that comes in a sealed box.

I am an outdoor enthusiast and a member of several outdoor adventure e-groups (mountain bikers, mountaineers, rock climbers, kayakers, divers) with membership collectively in the thousands. Right now, the Olympus underwater digicam is the hottest thing to own by any and all members of my e-groups. If Electron World will not do the right thing, I will caution the entire membership of my e-groups about my bad experience in owning an Olympus camera.

Olympus is a reputable name in the digicam world. Your underwater digicam with its robust construction is a first in the industry and very popular to the outdoor enthusiasts. It would be a shame to have all your goodwill and marketing efforts invalidated by distributors who renege on their contractual obligation to uphold product warranties, and worse, to behave in a fly-by-night fashion in defrauding the very people who spend hard earned money to own an Olympus product.

Your assistance in persuading Electron World to do the right thing is greatly appreciated.

Yours,

Signed Name