DJI Care Refresh+: yes or no?

[Cirdan]

I have home and contents insurance and the extra cost to the premium to cover all outside damage and loss was less than the DJI Care & Refresh however, the excess is $700! Consequently I purchased the DJI Care & Refresh for one year. I also didn't see the two year option.

 

[avinash inalsingh]

Most definetly!!

 

[Drone4]

I received my new mini 2 to. Only opened the box, did NOT power on anything, or install anything yet. I just read about DJI Care Refresh+.
Not sure if I need that or not. This will be my first drone, so maybe it is wise.

I could use some advise here, thanks. Pros, cons? Usefull?

Yes it's absolutely worth it. It's hard to find good insurance to cover sUAS.

 

[African wildlife]

Crouching Leopard above has said "Even the best pilots have accidents." I haven't crashed a drone, although I'm not saying it won't ever happen (but I doubt it will). Nor am I claiming to be amongst the very best of pilots - as a drone to me is just a professional tool for work (although I do have to often fly/film in challenging situations). Almost all of my experience has been with a P4P+, until recently. I started flying cautiously, building up competence step by step. Thanks to DJI, this isn't difficult. If you get into any difficulty, let go of the control sticks for a few seconds, leaving the drone to hover, which should be enough to get your brain or logical thinking functioning again. On the PhantomPilots forum, a few years ago, I started a thread to find out who had crashed and how many times, or not. Approximately one third of the many people who responded had never crashed. So I'm far from being alone.

Am I saying the DJI Care Refresh is a bad idea? No, definitely not. But if you fly responsibly and carefully, your chances of needing it are significantly reduced. DJI are a business and the Care Refresh is an insurance policy. They earn more more money from offering it than it costs them paying out. And this simple fact also makes a good alternative point to consider.

 

[Steve L Reid]

Just make sure you don't lose it in water or lose it somewhere else because it will not cover if you don't physically have the drone. REGARDLESS how it was lost.

 

[tvdwouw]

One more thought. I did not have it for my Mavic 2 Pro, since it has collision avoidance on all sides and then DJI Care Refresh it is hardly useful. And during 18 months of use, I never crashed my M2P, mainly due to the collision avoidance! And that I learned to hand catch under windy circumstances at sea!
I did order DJI Care Refresh with my Mini 2 however, since that has no collision avoidance (only at the bottom) and it is much more likely to crash it...

 

[African wildlife]

Plenty of people have managed to crash drones with obstacle avoidance. The human factor - specifically sloppiness or carelessness - is likely the biggest cause of crashes. If you're a careful flier, the risks are minimal at best.

 

[Beron69]

What if the drone falls in the water and is lost?
Still possible to use Dji Care?

 

[NG Wildman]

I received my new mini 2 to. Only opened the box, did NOT power on anything, or install anything yet. I just read about DJI Care Refresh+.
Not sure if I need that or not. This will be my first drone, so maybe it is wise.

I could use some advise here, thanks. Pros, cons? Usefull?

Absolutely !!!!!!
I sent my M2Pro in for repairs....they looked small....$540.00 worth OR $119.00 for replacement with refresh.
It was a no brainer. And they sent new props as well as a new gimble protector with a soft piece inside to stabilize and stop scratches on the top of the sensor. Quite satisfied.

 

[NG Wildman]

What if the drone falls in the water and is lost?
Still possible to use Dji Care?

They need the original drone back. So, no.

 

[NG Wildman]

Just ordered a 1 year Care Refresh. Lets power on a drone!

Tell us what you like and post a pic.

 

[Beron69]

They need the original drone back. So, no.

Thanks. Thought so... I'll have to equip it with some kind of flotation device then when doing "over water" flying if I want to be sure not to lose it.

 

[teeroy]

Thanks. Thought so... I'll have to equip it with some kind of flotation device then when doing "over water" flying if I want to be sure not to lose it.

I cut a small piece of closed cell foam that goes on the top of my mini 2 for when I know I'll fly over water, attached with 2 small squares of Velcro. Hoping at least I'll find it floating to make use of the refresh plan if it hits the drink.

 

[DanMan32]

One more thought. I did not have it for my Mavic 2 Pro, since it has collision avoidance on all sides and then DJI Care Refresh it is hardly useful. And during 18 months of use, I never crashed my M2P, mainly due to the collision avoidance! And that I learned to hand catch under windy circumstances at sea!
I did order DJI Care Refresh with my Mini 2 however, since that has no collision avoidance (only at the bottom) and it is much more likely to crash it...

OA can't detect all obstacles like power wires and small branches. While trying out APAS, my M2Z snagged it's feet against a power wire from pole to park bathroom. It did avoid the roof before snagging the wire though.
Only lost a couple props and scraped the top nose and battery a bit so I didn't need a claim but I considered that a blessing.

Also side vision only works in certain modes, POI not being one of them. You could circle sideways right into a tree, lamp pole, building, etc.
Actually any sideways flight if not in tripod mode.

 

[Whitefalcon]

I received my new mini 2 to. Only opened the box, did NOT power on anything, or install anything yet. I just read about DJI Care Refresh+.
Not sure if I need that or not. This will be my first drone, so maybe it is wise.

I could use some advise here, thanks. Pros, cons? Usefull?

Yes,
I bought it and needed it pretty soon after opening the box. Now I've had the drone for a month I see that I probably messed up by watching YouTube vids rather than reading the manual probably missed the IMU calibration.
DJI replaced drone immediately without fuss. If I didn't have it, would have wasted £100's

Advice: DJI Care Refresh and read the manual before watching any YouTube vids.

 

[cuckaburra]

I presume you can't buy refresh every year right? Is 2 years the maximum you can get it for with a new drone?

 

[NixSpeed]

so if nothing happens over two years you just wasted that money.

 

[Geeforce]

so if nothing happens over two years you just wasted that money.

Yes, just like your car......and house, and all the other things.

 

[African wildlife]

Yes, just like your car......and house, and all the other things.

There's quite a price difference between a Mini 2 and a house or car. I have insurance on the latter two, but never for a drone - and it's never been required (as in, we've never crashed).

It's a legal requirement to have at least third party insurance for a car and also a mortgage requirement to have insurance for a house.

 

[Aerotec]

I presume you can't buy refresh every year right? Is 2 years the maximum you can get it for with a new drone?

Yes, you can buy a 1yr CR and extend it at end of year 1 or buy 2yrs from the start. 2yrs at start is cheaper and means you don't forget to renew it.

I couldn't decide re CR for my Mini 2 as I fly RC planes and Heli so am fairly competent with controlling the drone. In the end I went for it. I got 2yrs for £69 and just means I don't stress too much about hitting a tree.

If you can afford the policy it just takes away potential pain if you damage it. My main concern was gimbal or camera damage as that's not easy to DIY repair. Arms are easy to repair if you can solder. I replaced one on a friend's Mini and the part was £20.