Disposable World part 3 (Lumix looser)

Disposable world strikes again.

I was loving the Panasonic Lumix we got to replace second dead Casio. And for the first 6 months it was lovely. Then it started to having trouble turning on.

Then it died.

Sure we used it in the water - but only as advised. We took care of it and looked after it. And it was less than a year old. We sent it in for warranty repair.

Panasonic representatives wrote back claiming its out of warranty because we didn't "clean the exterior of the camera and the waterproof seals as described in the user manual". They concluded there was "neglect / misuse of the camera this resulting in it not being covered under warranty".

So much for a tough camera you can supposedly throw across a river. (How ironic it is, that I first saw that particular ad in a paid focus group, two days after we had actually bought the camera!)

To fix it, they want $200.

Of course, why would we pay that when we can get a newer waterproof Pentax camera, delivered, for around $135?

Why pay more to fix something you already have, when you can buy a newer one for less? Especially as the so called 'tough' camera lasted the same as our previous two Casio cameras. As my wife said "As far as I'm concerned, the cheaper the better, because no matter how much we pay, our cameras seem to last for one year"

To add insult to injury even when repaired, Panasonic say that any "repaired waterproof / underwater cameras will not be covered for any form of liquid damage after the repair is completed."

So, let this be a warning to the many family and friend's I've recommended the Lumix camera to... you might be hiking with it in the mountains, but if you don't clean the seals before you skip it across the water, don't expect the warranty to be upheld.