OM-D 3rd party battery report.

[OldRoy]

In view of the shortage of OM-D manufacturer supplied batteries -not to mention their insane price - many people are sourcing alternatives. Most of these 3rd party batteries come with their own chargers which is obviously inconvenient.

I recently ordered a pair of OM-D batteries from this supplier: sevenprincess_genuinestore (Item number: 300718450985) on fleabay.uk. Before ordering I enquired if these would charge on the original Olympus charger. They replied, unambiguously, that they would. But they don't.

The battery condition indicator on the camera doesn't report the condition until the battery is flat, but I can live with this. The charging light on the Olympus charger doesn't illuminate at all when these batteries are inserted, which wouldn't be a huge problem - if the damned things charged. They don't.

The company supplied a "free" car battery charger with these batteries. Maybe I need to spend more time in the car.

I offer this information only to prevent anyone else being similarly misled. Before we get into a philosophical discussion about the ethics of 3rd party accessories, I'd point out that I have had no problems at all in the past with a variety of third party Nikon batteries.
Roy

[250swb]

Sorry you had a bad experience, many others, myself included, haven't had a bad experience.

When I ordered my Chinese battery from Ebay, due to the shortage of OEM batteries, I got a communication from the vendor saying sorry but their batteries would not charge in the Olympus charger, but did I want a free wall charger? So I said yes, they all arrived and work brilliantly. The battery life is every bit as good as the OEM battery, and the charge indicator works as normal, and the camera hasn't exploded.

Steve

[Dan Berg]

"The camera has not exploded"  
At least thats a good thing.
Not to say I do not purchase any third party gear.
If it goes outside the camera body,yes. (flash acces. shoe,Nex/Nikon lens adapter)
If it goes inside the camera,no. (batteries,cards)

[OldRoy]

Sorry you had a bad experience, many others, myself included, haven't had a bad experience.

When I ordered my Chinese battery from Ebay, due to the shortage of OEM batteries, I got a communication from the vendor saying sorry but their batteries would not charge in the Olympus charger, but did I want a free wall charger? So I said yes, they all arrived and work brilliantly. The battery life is every bit as good as the OEM battery, and the charge indicator works as normal, and the camera hasn't exploded.

Steve

Did you read what I wrote? Or wasn't it clear? I asked this supplier if the batteries would charge in the Olympus charger. They replied that they would - in perfectly grammatical English. So I bought them. There was no misunderstanding, there was misrepresentation. Let's call it what it is -  a lie.
I have no particular problem buying batteries that require a (supplied) separate charger. I'd prefer to use the existing charger I have rather than carry two chargers. Now I have two batteries that won't charge unless I put them in a powered-up car.
As I said I have never had a problem with the four third party Nikon En El3e batteries I've had for the last couple of years. With luck I've managed to prevent some people buying this crooked supplier's batteries under a false prospectus.
Olympus can't even supply batteries at the gouging rate they are charging, so the fault ultimately reverts to Olympus I guess.
Roy

[artobest]

Did you read what I wrote? Or wasn't it clear?

Calm down please, Roy, nothing Steve wrote warranted that kind of a response.

[OldRoy]

Calm down please, Roy, nothing Steve wrote warranted that kind of a response.

And what, in my original post, prompted the hopelessly irrelevant response? All I tried to do was steer potential purchasers away from a duff supplier. I even included the proviso that my own previous experience with 3rd party batteries was positive in order to forestall the tediously familiar merry-go-round about third party accessories....
Anyway, caveat poster, as ever.
Roy

[250swb]

Awfully sorry Roy, I didn't mean to cause you to have a tantrum in public,........ other than the one you were already having.

But it is worth pointing out that some Ebay traders can be honest fellows (as in my case) who can make mistakes like any of us. You will note that your target trader now has a warning in his Ebay sale (funny how people say 'fleabay' as if it is beneath them to give credit to Ebay) pointing out that the batteries do not work with the OEM charger. So he is hardly being persistently corrupt by putting right a mistake. In the hysterical insularity surrounding non-OEM equipment and the products coming out of China you've got to remember that they need to sell their products, so outright deception would be a very short term business strategy.

Steve

[MatthewCromer]

I think people say fleabay because they find the monopoly profits gouge they charge disgusting. 

[250swb]

It is captialism, if you don't agree with Ebay you can shop elsewhere. Here you have an Ebay trader who made a mistake and recitified it. He is trying to run a business, and embrace the free market, and earn a living like normal people in the west, and gets castigated for his slip via a forum that he most likely has no knowledge of and can make no response to. What a brave and noble view of the benefits of captialism he would have if he knew his mistake was taken to such vitriolic and business damaging lengths.

Steve