There had been a lot of discussion on what would happen to the Olympus product line post acquisition. I noticed recently (after I acquired an OMD EM1 III) that Olympus USA (now part of OM Digital Solutions) no longer advertises extended warranties for lenses/bodies nor do they market the Pro Advantage service. I called USA customer service to ask about this, and here's what I learned.
The Pro Advantage program is not currently being marketed but is planned to be offered in the future (this shouldn't affect current members). The Canadian based repair center was closed down due to Covid and insufficient business to support the operation. The remaining US service center continues. OM Digital Solutions needs to update their literature and sort out logistics on how to handle Canadian service, but they plan to market that program again once things are sorted out.
The story isn't the same for extended warranties. The person with whom I spoke (who was not in management) said that from what he had heard, they don't plan to offer them anymore. I suggested that not offering extended warranties would be problematic as it would send a message of lack of support for the product line moving forward, and that the issue was compounded given all the customer uncertainty surrounding the future post acquisition. I also politely said I likely wouldn't buy any new Olympus equipment unless they offered extended warranties. The person was very nice and said he really appreciated the feedback and would pass it on. He indicated that it would be helpful if other customers provided feedback on this issue (or others). He also mentioned that the GM of the Olympus Digital Imaging business in Japan moved to the new company as part of the acquisition and they planned to continue product development. So maybe those of us that have a vested interest share our thoughts with the company?
The Pro Advantage program is not currently being marketed but is planned to be offered in the future (this shouldn't affect current members). The Canadian based repair center was closed down due to Covid and insufficient business to support the operation. The remaining US service center continues. OM Digital Solutions needs to update their literature and sort out logistics on how to handle Canadian service, but they plan to market that program again once things are sorted out.
The story isn't the same for extended warranties. The person with whom I spoke (who was not in management) said that from what he had heard, they don't plan to offer them anymore. I suggested that not offering extended warranties would be problematic as it would send a message of lack of support for the product line moving forward, and that the issue was compounded given all the customer uncertainty surrounding the future post acquisition. I also politely said I likely wouldn't buy any new Olympus equipment unless they offered extended warranties. The person was very nice and said he really appreciated the feedback and would pass it on. He indicated that it would be helpful if other customers provided feedback on this issue (or others). He also mentioned that the GM of the Olympus Digital Imaging business in Japan moved to the new company as part of the acquisition and they planned to continue product development. So maybe those of us that have a vested interest share our thoughts with the company?
