Olympus Refurb camera hell... suggestions?

This is my first purchase of a refurbished camera of any sort...
barring a few flea market finds of the past where I was able to
inspect the camera (Zeiss Ikonta, Yashica Mat-124).

Anyway, to be on the safe side, I bought from Olympus America auctions
on eBay.

First C-5050 camera kit arrives.

Marks on the front element of the lens
Missing hot shoe cover
Lens cap string broken
Incorrect remote included


I send it back, because I don't want a lens with marred optical
coating or scratches if I can avoid it. Not for $470 at any rate!.


Second C-5050 kit arrives.

Badly scratched viewfinder (the main issue)
Tiny marks on the front element of the lens
Missing RM-1 remote entirely.
Alkaline batteries substituted for a set of NiMH rechargeables that
the camera is supposed to come with.


I posted here before I decided to buy refurb... and most people seemed
to have had good experiences and also felt that at least any refurb
camera would have been inspected. But at this point, I'm beginning to
have my doubts about that. Or, if the cameras are being inspected, the
kits sure as heck aren't!

So, my question is, does anyone know a place I can find an Olympus
C-5050 new for around $550 or less? If I can find a new one, I might
be willing to go that route and return my Olympus auctions kit for a
refund instead of another exchange even though it costs me more.

Or should I just keep exchanging until I get a decent camera?

Will Olympus stop letting me exchange at any point? Their policy is no
questions asked, but you have to wonder if there is a limit. Plus,
with them sending me TWO kits so far that have had missing items,
might they think I am taking the stuff?

It's disconcerting to say the least and very disappointing. Yet, I've
been very happy with the Olympus cameras I've owned in the past and
currently. But all of them were bought new.

Or am I just being too picky on a refurb camera?

The auction ads say the refurbs will be functionally like new... with
perhaps some scuffs or marks on the body. To me though, lens,
viewfinder, LCD are all items that contribute to function and should
not be damaged.

Cynthia

"Cynthia P" wrote in message
...

Or am I just being too picky on a refurb camera?

The auction ads say the refurbs will be functionally like new... with
perhaps some scuffs or marks on the body. To me though, lens,
viewfinder, LCD are all items that contribute to function and should
not be damaged.

Cynthia

Refurbished must surely be the most abused word in the English language.
The stuff is second hand. It comes from the pile of junk gotten from
replacing people's cameras with new ones under warranty. Some trainee
Technician is let loose on the pile to see what he (she?) can get working
again and then they put 'em up on Ebay because they are not new anymore...
Just trying to recover something - anything - from a warranty replacement.

Whoever told you you'd get a bargain this way lied. If they worked for
Olympus they committed fraud. Send it back and get a refund. If they give
you a hard time about it, call your card provider and tell then the
tracsaction is disputed because the goods don't match the description.
They'll get the money back for you. You got had. Ripped off. Lied to and
cheated. It doesn't get much worse, does it? And regardless of how good the
new Olympus might be, ask yourself is this the brand you will be comfortable
buying.

Buy a new camera. The few bucks you *might* save on the (ab)used one just
isn't worth it.

Doug

"Cynthia P" wrote in message
...

Or am I just being too picky on a refurb camera?

The auction ads say the refurbs will be functionally like new... with
perhaps some scuffs or marks on the body. To me though, lens,
viewfinder, LCD are all items that contribute to function and should
not be damaged.

Cynthia

Refurbished must surely be the most abused word in the English language.
The stuff is second hand. It comes from the pile of junk gotten from
replacing people's cameras with new ones under warranty. Some trainee
Technician is let loose on the pile to see what he (she?) can get working
again and then they put 'em up on Ebay because they are not new anymore...
Just trying to recover something - anything - from a warranty replacement.

Whoever told you you'd get a bargain this way lied. If they worked for
Olympus they committed fraud. Send it back and get a refund. If they give
you a hard time about it, call your card provider and tell then the
tracsaction is disputed because the goods don't match the description.
They'll get the money back for you. You got had. Ripped off. Lied to and
cheated. It doesn't get much worse, does it? And regardless of how good the
new Olympus might be, ask yourself is this the brand you will be comfortable
buying.

Buy a new camera. The few bucks you *might* save on the (ab)used one just
isn't worth it.

Doug

Ryadia wrote:

Refurbished must surely be the most abused word in the English
language. The stuff is second hand. It comes from the pile of junk
gotten from replacing people's cameras with new ones under warranty.
Some trainee Technician is let loose on the pile to see what he
(she?) can get working again and then they put 'em up on Ebay because
they are not new anymore... Just trying to recover something -
anything - from a warranty replacement.

That's probably one of the best descriptions I have ever read about refurbs.
While I agree with you and feel Cynthia's pain, I still have to say there
are still great advantages of buying refurbs if you know what you're getting
into and have a basic understanding of working with or around the problems
associated with refurbs. The problem buying refurbs on eBay is that many
people don't understand the concept of what a refurb is and tend to overpay
for the item.

Whoever told you you'd get a bargain this way lied. If they worked for
Olympus they committed fraud. Send it back and get a refund. If they
give you a hard time about it, call your card provider and tell then
the tracsaction is disputed because the goods don't match the
description. They'll get the money back for you. You got had. Ripped
off. Lied to and cheated. It doesn't get much worse, does it? And
regardless of how good the new Olympus might be, ask yourself is this
the brand you will be comfortable buying.

I too would be inclined to send the camera back for a full refund unless it
was attractively priced making the deficiencies worth the price/aggravation
factor.

Buy a new camera. The few bucks you *might* save on the (ab)used one
just isn't worth it.

After putting things into proper perspective, that might very well be the
case. Sometimes it's worth waiting a little longer to find a new camera for
a few dollars more.


Rita

Ryadia wrote:

Refurbished must surely be the most abused word in the English
language. The stuff is second hand. It comes from the pile of junk
gotten from replacing people's cameras with new ones under warranty.
Some trainee Technician is let loose on the pile to see what he
(she?) can get working again and then they put 'em up on Ebay because
they are not new anymore... Just trying to recover something -
anything - from a warranty replacement.

That's probably one of the best descriptions I have ever read about refurbs.
While I agree with you and feel Cynthia's pain, I still have to say there
are still great advantages of buying refurbs if you know what you're getting
into and have a basic understanding of working with or around the problems
associated with refurbs. The problem buying refurbs on eBay is that many
people don't understand the concept of what a refurb is and tend to overpay
for the item.

Whoever told you you'd get a bargain this way lied. If they worked for
Olympus they committed fraud. Send it back and get a refund. If they
give you a hard time about it, call your card provider and tell then
the tracsaction is disputed because the goods don't match the
description. They'll get the money back for you. You got had. Ripped
off. Lied to and cheated. It doesn't get much worse, does it? And
regardless of how good the new Olympus might be, ask yourself is this
the brand you will be comfortable buying.

I too would be inclined to send the camera back for a full refund unless it
was attractively priced making the deficiencies worth the price/aggravation
factor.

Buy a new camera. The few bucks you *might* save on the (ab)used one
just isn't worth it.

After putting things into proper perspective, that might very well be the
case. Sometimes it's worth waiting a little longer to find a new camera for
a few dollars more.


Rita

"Cynthia P" wrote in message
...
This is my first purchase of a refurbished camera of any sort...
barring a few flea market finds of the past where I was able to
inspect the camera (Zeiss Ikonta, Yashica Mat-124).

Anyway, to be on the safe side, I bought from Olympus America auctions
on eBay.
snip
Cynthia

What's the ebay ID. If it is OlympusUSA, that is NOT Olympus.

Tom

Cynthia P wrote:
....

First C-5050 camera kit arrives.

Marks on the front element of the lens
Missing hot shoe cover
Lens cap string broken
Incorrect remote included


I send it back, because I don't want a lens with marred optical
coating or scratches if I can avoid it. Not for $470 at any rate!.


Second C-5050 kit arrives.

Badly scratched viewfinder (the main issue)
Tiny marks on the front element of the lens
Missing RM-1 remote entirely.
Alkaline batteries substituted for a set of NiMH rechargeables that
the camera is supposed to come with.

....

The auction ads say the refurbs will be functionally like new... with
perhaps some scuffs or marks on the body. To me though, lens,
viewfinder, LCD are all items that contribute to function and should
not be damaged.

Lens viewfinder and LCD are items that contribute to function. However
they may not be like new and still function just fine.The only functional
issue you seem to have documented is the remote and you did not even list
that on your list of those things you consider important for function.

Did you try using the camera? Did it function?


--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

Whoever told you you'd get a bargain this way lied. If they worked for

Well....I don't like being called a liar at all! I am one who advocates
buying refurbs for the savings. My feeling is that the apes on the assembly
line are more likely to let a problem get through than someone who is
checking out one camera at a time. That being said....I have not bought an
Oly camera that way....and there have been other complaints about the way
Oly does it's Ebay sales.

Cynthia P wrote:
This is my first purchase of a refurbished camera of any sort...
barring a few flea market finds of the past where I was able to
inspect the camera (Zeiss Ikonta, Yashica Mat-124).

Anyway, to be on the safe side, I bought from Olympus America auctions
on eBay.

First C-5050 camera kit arrives.

Marks on the front element of the lens
Missing hot shoe cover
Lens cap string broken
Incorrect remote included

Snip

Or am I just being too picky on a refurb camera?

The auction ads say the refurbs will be functionally like new... with
perhaps some scuffs or marks on the body. To me though, lens,
viewfinder, LCD are all items that contribute to function and should
not be damaged.

Cynthia

Send it back and get your money back. The C-5050 is a very good camera
and you should be able to find on in very good shape. Have you tried
KEH.COM?

I just looked on KEH and there is a C-5050 "Like New" for $325.00

nick

Cynthia P wrote:

-snip-
So, my question is, does anyone know a place I can find an Olympus
C-5050 new for around $550 or less? If I can find a new one, I might
be willing to go that route and return my Olympus auctions kit for a
refund instead of another exchange even though it costs me more.

Is the 5060 a step down in any area? Amazon & Target have them for
$460 new.



Or should I just keep exchanging until I get a decent camera?

I think I would have lost faith in the current supplier, but if I was
forced to deal with them [even to save a few bucks] I'd be talking to
an upper level supervisor to expedite things and make sure the next
transaction was the last.


Will Olympus stop letting me exchange at any point? Their policy is no
questions asked, but you have to wonder if there is a limit. Plus,
with them sending me TWO kits so far that have had missing items,
might they think I am taking the stuff?

What is the ebay iD? Are you really dealing with Olympus or someone
with a similar ID?

-snip-

Jim