DJI Care Refresh (for first time drone owner)

[LeSchmoo]

Does anyone have any experience with the DJI Care Refresh? Is it worth it for 39 Euros (10% of purchase price)?

Given I am a first time drone user I suspect I will purchase (if only to make me feel better when I let friends/kids/pets have a "go")...

 

[msinger]

Check out my guide here:
HOW TO: Buying DJI Care Refresh for your DJI Drone

Also, you can find lots of previous posts on this topic in these search results.

 

[old man mavic]

before you let your friends ,kids,pets ,and uncle tom cobbly and all fly your drone,make sure they have their flyer id no with them and i hope your MM is in fact under the 250 grams weight limit ?

 

[LeSchmoo]

before you let your friends ,kids,pets ,and uncle tom cobbly and all fly your drone,make sure they have their flyer id no with them and i hope your MM is in fact under the 250 grams weight limit ?

The regs in my country stipulate that drones > 1KG require registration (Ireland) - and I suspect the MM wouldn't get off the ground in that case?

I was kind of looking for a:
* "yes its a good deal for a newb"
* "don't bother, they will deny all claims like a typical insurance company"

response...

 

[old man mavic]

The regs in my country stipulate that drones > 1KG require registration (Ireland) - and I suspect the MM wouldn't get off the ground in that case?

I was kind of looking for a:
* "yes its a good deal for a newb"
* "don't bother, they will deny all claims like a typical insurance company"

response...

it is something that could be worth considering if you are new to drone flying, you have 48 hours after you register your drone with dji to decide ,read the small print and then after that decide if its for you

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I was kind of looking for a:
* "yes its a good deal for a newb"
* "don't bother, they will deny all claims like a typical insurance company"

From what I've read about DJI and Care Refresh, they are very good at covering any incident of pilot error, no matter how risky or bad the flight was conducted.
You do of course have to recover the aircraft, so be aware of this when flying over water etc.

I think that 2 birds in year one is a good coverage, with the 2 varying payments applicable . . . similar to an insurance excess.
And of course if you use none or one of those in year one, you do have the option to extend a second year Care Refresh cover for a total of 2 incidents in that two year span.

I wasn't aware of it when I got mine, but never had any issues through my M1P ownership since then (2 years).
It is probably worth it to many people taking up the hobby.

The MM doesn't have OA, but then I was always wary of this, useless on fine foliage etc, and you tend to get a little overconfident with such technology onboard.
Better to run a little risk and be more careful of surroundings sometimes.

 

[Thomas B]

I hit a tree, hung in it and the fell about 100’. Refresh had a new MPP in my hands in 8 days.
Money saved paid for the policies on three other drones.

 

[Chrislaf]

I bought Care Refresh for my Spark and never used it, then I bought Care Refresh plus which extends the coverage for another year (but only one replacement) and still haven’t used it yet. It will expire on Christmas Day. I currently have a bad battery so if I don’t use the Refresh for my Spark, I may use it for the battery.

Would I buy Refresh again when I upgrade? You bet! For me it’s piece of mind.

Chris

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

if I don’t use the Refresh for my Spark, I may use it for the battery.

Didn't know you could do that.
Do you know for sure about claiming a battery in Care Refresh ?
Obviously it became noticeably faulty after the 6 month warranty.

I think 6 months warranty on what is obviously a high grade Lipo is a bit short, would expect such a thing to be good for at least 12 months to 24 months.
Yours has lasted close to 18 months after purchase, so I suppose that is close to reasonable to some people, if it's been cared for right and had a fair amount of use.

Here in Australia, many household appliances purchased have 12 mths warranty.
Consumer law here states that an items should be warranted as long as one should reasonably expect it to last, based on cost of an appliance, and the general lifespan of an item.
Eg, a TV or washing machine it's not unreasonable to expect 2 to 5 years, but many would say if it cost over $1000 it should be 5 - 10 years.

 

[Chrislaf]

Didn't know you could do that.
Do you know for sure about claiming a battery in Care Refresh ?
Obviously it became noticeably faulty after the 6 month warranty.

I think 6 months warranty on what is obviously a high grade Lipo is a bit short, would expect such a thing to be good for at least 12 months to 24 months.
Yours has lasted close to 18 months after purchase, so I suppose that is close to reasonable to some people, if it's been cared for right and had a fair amount of use.

Here in Australia, many household appliances purchased have 12 mths warranty.
Consumer law here states that an items should be warranted as long as one should reasonably expect it to last, based on cost of an appliance, and the general lifespan of an item.
Eg, a TV or washing machine it's not unreasonable to expect 2 to 5 years, but many would say if it cost over $1000 it should be 5 - 10 years.

My battery issue was, all four lights on my battery would flash simultaneously after some normal flight movements. When I had landed the battery button did not have a distinct click anymore and was hard to turn off. If I flew the Spark around extremely gently the problem did not happen.

When troubleshooting the problem with DJI, they said the battery IS covered under Refresh but I did not want to use my Refresh for the battery at this time in case I have a crash and need to use it for my AC instead (hopefully not). All 4 of my Spark batteries are nearing 2 years old and that is the only one with the problem. Not sure if I would have to pay the replacement fee for the battery. If so, it would be like getting a battery for $10 off which I guess is better than nothing.

Chris

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

My battery issue was, all four lights on my battery would flash simultaneously after some normal flight movements. When I had landed the battery button did not have a distinct click anymore and was hard to turn off. If I flew the Spark around extremely gently the problem did not happen.

When troubleshooting the problem with DJI, they said the battery IS covered under Refresh but I did not want to use my Refresh for the battery at this time in case I have a crash and need to use it for my AC instead (hopefully not). All 4 of my Spark batteries are nearing 2 years old and that is the only one with the problem. Not sure if I would have to pay the replacement fee for the battery. If so, it would be like getting a battery for $10 off which I guess is better than nothing.

Chris

Good to know about batteries and refresh.
From what I've gathered in reading about lipos, they do get hotter when flown vigorously, not so much normal mode, but in sports mode they can get hot and even swell and be a potential 'pop out' hazard.

The Spark is very nimble in sports mode.
Was flying mine a couple of weekends ago, after a battery of normal flight and videoing, I was going fairly hard in sports mode for a bit of fun, came closer and hovered, and while watching it saw something fall from it.
Had bad thought for about 1/2 a second about a prop, but of course staying there aloft my mind then moved to the MC-UV filter I had on.
That had popped off, so flying at the extreme attitude with it on must have seen the gimbal tilt so much it dislodged the clip a little.

Even though the grass on the oval I was flying over was reasonably short, I couldn't find it.
The lawnmower person will though

 

[DanMan32]

Note that Refresh Plus not only gets you an additional refresh during the 2nd year, it also extends the warranty all the way through the term of the Plus.

Battery and remote isn't usually covered by refresh, except possibly incidental to AC damage. At least not in the US. It may be different in other countries due to their consumer laws.

 

[Chrislaf]

Note that Refresh Plus not only gets you an additional refresh during the 2nd year, it also extends the warranty all the way through the term of the Plus.

Battery and remote isn't usually covered by refresh, except possibly incidental to AC damage. At least not in the US. It may be different in other countries due to their consumer laws.

That’s what I thought too. Maybe the DJI rep was mistaken. It’s worth it to inquire if I don’t use the Refresh plus for the AC.

Chris

 

[CyrusBlack]

I bought it a a new MA owner. 1 month later I smashed my MA into a rock wall on a river run and the drone crashed into the river. Took me 30 min to actually find and retrieve it. Called DJI on Monday morning, told them the truth in what happened, and they sent me a label to send it back with the battery. 1 week later a brand new MA and battery arrive at my house. $69 replacement fee was gladly paid by me. Will I extend it, given the opportunity? Definitely! Would I buy it again for any other DJI product? Definitely! Would I recommend others to buy this? Definitely! NOTE - you have to produce the Drone or you get nothing. Never stop looking for it, It is alone and scared and wants to come home

 

[LeSchmoo]

FWIW I have the drone and have purchased the refresh package!

 

[Greekislandlover]

My experience with my Mavic 2 Zoom was pilot error when I managed to smash it into a post going sideways (the sensors don't work sideways very well). Scooped up the bits, put in a claim, posted to DJI and a shiny new one appears within a few days as if like magic! I'm definitely going to have it when I purchase my MM.