It's official: Canon acknowledges BG-E2 grip is faulty

I called Canon Canada.
They gave me a service centre phone number (long distance) I had to call and get an address,etc.
Then I sent the package using a trackable, insured service.
No RMA required I don't think.
Each of the 4 times I've sent mine in, it's taken just over 1 month which seem average here in Canada.
However, things could be different in the US.

I take it that there is no problem with BG-E1 battery grip.I just bought one from ebay.

Probably not. It's just the BG-E2 which is a different design.

Well, I finally recieved my grip back from Canon in Irvine. Actually, they just replaced my original grip with another. The previous SN was 082xxx, the new one is 105xxx. So far so good. The low battery state is gone and I notice that the grip seems more solid when attached to my 20D. Also, there doesn't seem to be any play on the mounting dial as before. I tried to induce a power loss/flex condition using my 100-400mm, with the LCD on, and didn't experience any power loss when in portrait mode and shaking the heck out of the 20D while holding the grip. Time will tell I guess. Any other suggestions on what I can try to induce the power loss? In a couple of weeks I'll be gone on vacation for three weeks so the 20D and grip will be getting a workout in Hawaii and Arizona.

Smack it with a hammer repeatedly. Seriously, I had my grip repaired some time ago and it's been flawless. If I yank on my 10D's grip hard enough I can get it to power down. As an aside I have shot the 20D and its repaired grip with multiple lenses, including a 500mm Canon and have had zero issues.

RFMSports wrote:
Smack it with a hammer repeatedly.

LOL, my father always told me that I never listen to him, glad it's coming in handy in this instance. I'm hoping that I have the same experience as you as far as the grip goes. Zero problems is an excellent goal!

July 12, 2005
Canon U.S.A.

To customers using the EOS 20D/EOS 20Da Battery Grip BG-E2
*Grips will be received for free repairs starting on July 12, 2005.

Thank you for using Canon Products.

It has been discovered that when using Battery Grip BG-E2 with EOS 20D/20Da digital SLR cameras, there are cases that, even with fully charged batteries (exclusive battery pack or NiMH battery) or unused AA size batteries, only a few shots can be taken or "bc" is displayed immediately.

BG-E2 Battery Grips that cause this phenomenon will be repaired free of charge.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this issue has caused for you. We will make every effort in quality control to provide products that our customers can use with confidence. We appreciate your understanding in this matter.

Please refer to the following for details:

Products:
Battery Grip BG-E2 and Battery Magazine BGM-E2
- Battery Grip BG-E2
Serial Number 000001 - 096000 (shown below)
- Battery Magazine BGM-E2
Old type products (shown below)

• When a BG-E2 grip that is being charged is attached to the camera, the camera may not check the battery level correctly. Please attach the grip to the camera, and then charge the battery.
  
• If AA alkaline batteries are used under the temperature below 20°C, shots may not be taken. Also, the power of the AA alkaline batteries depends greatly on manufacturers' design specifications and storage conditions. With some AA alkaline batteries, shots may not be taken.
  
• The number of shots taken and the level of battery power vary with the quality and the condition of the battery.
  
• With NiMH rechargeable batteries, the battery level may not be shown as full even if they are fully charged.
  

Wow, that is a full one month later than Canon stated in their initial release.
They still don't address the flexing issue either.