DJI Care Refresh.... Is it worth it?

skypros · Dec 20, 2016

DJI Care Refresh.... Is it worth it?

I guess it all depends..... there are pros and cons

DJI Care Refresh.... Costs $99 and is valid for 12 months, and from what I understand will cover everything that is drones fault.... including "most/some" users error.... However, I do think if a Mavic has been modded in some way, they maybe able to deny it. You must be able to return the defective/broken item.

For the 1st return it costs: $79 USA / Canada
For the 2nd return it costs $129 USA / Canada

Who pays Shipping back to DJI ?? .... ANSWER, DJI Pays shipping BOTH ways (thanks niclariv)
Is the DJI Care Refresh Transferable to someone you sell it to ??

I am going to assume that when you send your problem part (drone, controller, camera/gimbal etc) in..... You will get a refurbished unit in return.

So lets break it down:
Cost of a naked Mavic (no battery, camera/gimbal, props) I am going to have to guess $500 (we do know that there will be a Mavic Fly-bare "no RC remote for I think $749 - $799)
Cost of the Camera/Gimbal I am going to guess $500
Cost of the Controller I will guess $200

I realize at this time..... Trying to get a bare Mavic or Camera / Gimbal or Controller, probably isn't going to be a easy find.... But in a few months with the amount of Mavic's being sold..... There are going to be allot of them from people parting out from all sorts of different scenarios (most common will be crashes) The replacement parts are going to become somewhat cheap..... and there are allot of talented folks out there that will be able to repair them.

So is DJI Care Refresh worth it..... I say NO..... It is an Insurance Policy.... And for "me" I never buy extended warranties. With that said, I do see a real value in DJI Care Refresh, as I don't think it is just some stupid "deniable" extended warranty that accompany most consumer electronics.

Lets see what all you Drone Pilots think about the Repair on these Mavics
If someone know real replacement costs / shipping / transfers, Please let me know and I will edit this post

niclariv · Dec 20, 2016

I'm using it right now after a crash indoors. I emailed the day of, on Saturday, they emailed me a UPS shipping label Sunday (they pay), and I shipped it Monday. Hopefully it doesn't take forever to get back to me. It looks like the slowest part is shipping. It's not like the speedy 1 day UPS shipping Apple uses, it uses UPS standard which varies in delivery time. So far my experience seems great, but I'll know for sure when they receive it and refresh it.

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Anthony · Dec 20, 2016

I have it and they have now also included water damage to the cover ....

A Very Merry DJI Care Refresh Christmas Update

Bill Wade · Dec 20, 2016

skypros said:
DJI Care Refresh.... Is it worth it?

I guess it all depends..... there are pros and cons

DJI Care Refresh.... Costs $99 and is valid for 12 months, and from what I understand will cover everything that is drones fault.... including "most/some" users error.... However, I do think if a Mavic has been modded in some way, they maybe able to deny it. You must be able to return the defective/broken item.

For the 1st return it costs: $79 USA / Canada
For the 2nd return it costs $129 USA / Canada

Who pays Shipping back to DJI ??
Is the DJI Care Refresh Transferable to someone you sell it to ??

I am going to assume that when you send your problem part (drone, controller, camera/gimbal etc) in..... You will get a refurbished unit in return.

So lets break it down:
Cost of a naked Mavic (no battery, camera/gimbal, props) I am going to have to guess $500 (we do know that there will be a Mavic Fly-bare "no RC remote for I think $749 - $799)
Cost of the Camera/Gimbal I am going to guess $500
Cost of the Controller I will guess $200

I realize at this time..... Trying to get a bare Mavic or Camera / Gimbal or Controller, probably isn't going to be a easy find.... But in a few months with the amount of Mavic's being sold..... There are going to be allot of them from people parting out from all sorts of different scenarios (most common will be crashes) The replacement parts are going to become somewhat cheap..... and there are allot of talented folks out there that will be able to repair them.

So is DJI Care Refresh worth it..... I say NO..... It is an Insurance Policy.... And for "me" I never buy extended warranties. With that said, I do see a real value in DJI Care Refresh, as I don't think it is just some stupid "deniable" extended warranty that accompany most consumer electronics.

Lets see what all you Drone Pilots think about the Repair on these Mavics
If someone know real replacement costs / shipping / transfers, Please let me know and I will edit this post

I'm with you on extended warranties but I think the Care Warranty maybe worth it for most newbies, especially those newbies that don't know about MavicPiloits as you pay x dollars and have a certain comfort and protection!

camilleface · Dec 21, 2016

Anthony said:
I have it and they have now also included water damage to the cover ....

A Very Merry DJI Care Refresh Christmas Update

Hey, so what do you mean they added water protection for front cover? Like to front of aircraft? They most certainly should since 90% of their promo vids show the Mavic flying over water. I bought it just bc I bought it for my p4 and ended up using it on a factory defect crack sort of thing (they didn't charge my dji care Balance of 1399)....

kendegg · Dec 21, 2016

Does the refresh cover lost mavic? Just got mines and was thinking of getting refresh.

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Blade Strike · Dec 21, 2016

kendegg said:
Does the refresh cover lost mavic? Just got mines and was thinking of getting refresh.

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No, not lost craft

kendegg · Dec 21, 2016

Blade Strike said:
No, not lost craft

****. That would make it really worth it.

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kendegg · Dec 21, 2016

kendegg said:
****. That would make it really worth it.

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Whoops. Didn't meet to cuss? I meant darn.

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fuizer · Dec 21, 2016

You could always get actual insurance on the drone. Cost is between $50-70 depending on the company and it covers more than The Refresh Program. Only downside is you won't likely have expedited shipping back from DJI and will instead have to buy a new one and join the wait.

Blade Strike · Dec 21, 2016

kendegg said:
Whoops. Didn't meet to cuss? I meant darn.

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Issue with that would be people using it to get a free 2nd craft...

kendegg · Dec 21, 2016

Blade Strike said:
Issue with that would be people using it to get a free 2nd craft...

Yea I can see that. Would be nice if they can find a way to send some kind of firmware update to a mavic if it was stolen that would brick it.

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niclariv · Dec 21, 2016

Or allow it to continue to be used, while sending coordinates to the owner. A find my iPhone type thing\

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makg · Dec 21, 2016

A long time ago, I worked retail and learned that any type of extended warranty being offered is always in the sellers favor. If DJI care included the first free replacement I might have been tempted initially, but you have to pay more for a service you already paid for when you break your Mavic. After looking into insurance I realized I probably wouldn't even pay the initial DJI cost. Why not just insure with State Farm for $27.50 (quote from my local office) for a years worth of coverage? Includes theft and damage, but not liability.

garaobriain · Dec 21, 2016

Received my shipped text from DHL, shipped confirmation on DJI website and Care Refresh email this morning. NOT covered for any water damage as per normal.

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Anthony · Dec 21, 2016

garaobriain said:
Received my shipped text from DHL, shipped confirmation on DJI website and Care Refresh email this morning. NOT covered for any water damage as per normal.

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It is now covered for water damage.

garaobriain · Dec 21, 2016

Yeh, looks like it is. I guess they just haven't updated their 'stationary' yet!

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kendegg · Dec 21, 2016

makg said:
A long time ago, I worked retail and learned that any type of extended warranty being offered is always in the sellers favor. If DJI care included the first free replacement I might have been tempted initially, but you have to pay more for a service you already paid for when you break your Mavic. After looking into insurance I realized I probably wouldn't even pay the initial DJI cost. Why not just insure with State Farm for $27.50 (quote from my local office) for a years worth of coverage? Includes theft and damage, but not liability.

Ooh nice. Is there a deductible?

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Cadillac Bill · Jan 7, 2017

Good question - "Is there a deductible?"

colonel00 · Jan 7, 2017

There can be a deductible depending on the agent. My State Farm policy is for $60/year (covers other stuff too) and has a $50 deductible. Many folks have gotten the policy without it though.

With that, I also have Care Refresh. I got both before DJI started covering water damage. Regardless, I don't regret paying for both at this point. I do agree that most extended warranties are garbage but you don't use most items and put them at a level of risk as you do with a drone.

Example, yesterday I was flying along and just hovering watching some ducks in a creek. For some reason, the Mavic suddenly ascends (probably due to VPS) but then it shifts sideways for no reason and clips some branches. Luckily it self-recovered and everything was good. However, if it would have plunged into the creek, I would be able to recover it and send it in to DJI. We could battle over the "fault" of the crash as I'm sure they would somehow blame it on pilot error (though I was hovering with no stick input) but in the end, it's just $79 to get a new one.

Sure, you can fly super safe all the time and never take any risks but sometimes you have to take some risks to get the cool shots. Having both of these insurances allows me to fly and try stuff that I probably wouldn't without them. I figure with both coverages, I can be out of pocket for roughly $360 and get three replacements at least within this first year. I truly hope I don't need that but it's nice to know that it's there.