DJI Care Refresh+: yes or no?

[Cirdan]

Now that DJI includes "flyaway" or total loss of the drone, in water for example, DJI Care Refresh is worth it, IMO. Particularly if you are new to flying a drone, such as myself.

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[Repaid1]

Now that DJI includes "flyaway" or total loss of the drone, in water for example, DJI Care Refresh is worth it, IMO. Particularly if you are new to flying a drone, such as myself.

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Ask yourself this, what did "we" do some 5 years ago when we bought our DJI products? There was nothing, except common sense and training to learn to fly these things. We didn't have Object Avoidance sensors, we certainly didn't have Care Refresh which was many years later. All we had was each other and the forums as we were all in the same boat flying new aircraft because basically nobody was flying these things or had any knowledge of them.

DJI had put in the manuals not to fly over water, so we didn't (well...much ) We didn't do long range tests (DJI Reps did that for us and they were in our forums) we didn't skim them 1 foot off the ground...we didn't do a 10th of the stuff that young pilots are doing these days.

We became competent pilots in those days, we learned the in's and out's of what DJI does, why they do it...and actually still scratch our heads on why they do alot of stuff.

I have never had any insurance on my Drones or any R/C equipment for over 35 years. Why?....Because I took flying seriously and my $3000 investment even more so (Yes I had that invested in my first DJI). I still have my first DJI, it flies better today then it did when I took it out of the box some 5 years earlier). That isn't to say it hasn't been crashed, it has twice, but those repairs cost me around $100 in total and were me being lax and not paying attention, and I have the knowledge gained on how to do these type of things now.

To me putting insurance on this hobby just takes away the drive and willingness to learn to fly and how to do it right and with that edge that yes you may crash, but not if your not foolish.

It keeps you at a controlled rate of learning, gaining knowledge with every flight, yet still holding that grit that most pilots know all to well. To me IMHO adding insurance to a new pilot is pulling all that away, as it takes all that which should be accomplished to learn and just throws them to the air without a care in the world.

YMMV and it probably does, but just my thoughts on it. IF your aircraft goes down, it better be for a reason you can't control rather than one you could...and that is why we have warranties.

 

[Dale D]

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

That is why insurance companies make so much money! They play the odds, like a casino, knowing that the house will always win in the end. But if you have a disaster (think hurricane or flood) it is well worth the money. If you don't care about self-insuring, then don't buy it. In my experience, I have replaced a Mavic Air 1, and the replacement (like a brand new one) was sold for $800 USD. Then, I had repairs on my Mavic 2 Pro! So I think the money is well spent.

 

[GFields]

I'd rather have insurance and not need it as to not have it when I need it

 

[Dale D]

I'd rather have insurance and not need it as to not have it when I need it

Hear! Hear!Agree

 

[Geeforce]

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.

I was just joking, because of the waste of money.....

 

[NG Wildman]

To me, it's a no brainer. If you can afford it; get it. Don't forget the REFRESH part. Some say the average expectancy of a drone is just over 3 years (I don't necessarily agree), but with Refresh, you get a brand new drone for cheap. So wait till the end and send in for a new one. Let's face it; it probably cost no more than $50.00 to make the drone (I know there is a lot of money in R & D), but it's not hurting the company and it's a cheap REFRESH of a drone that (if you fly as often as me) is a very good thing.

 

[peterc4]

If you are going to keep your drone any amount of time you are going to use it, when your drone hits something and is on the floor trashed not a problem, dji care is a must

 

[Cirdan]

That is why insurance companies make so much money! They play the odds, like a casino, knowing that the house will always win in the end. But if you have a disaster (think hurricane or flood) it is well worth the money. If you don't care about self-insuring, then don't buy it. In my experience, I have replaced a Mavic Air 1, and the replacement (like a brand new one) was sold for $800 USD. Then, I had repairs on my Mavic 2 Pro! So I think the money is well spent.

I have had house insurance for about fifty years. Made claim a couple of time over those years but I pay for peace of mind for just in case. I take Repaid1's point and like my house, I look after it as best I can, I take minimal risks and I make an effort to maintain it or pay for someone to maintain it the best I can however, I'm still going o continue to pay insurance for it. Sure, insurance companies do make lots of money but I suppose they wouldn't exist unless they did.

 

[Crouching Leopard]

It will seem like a waste of money, until the moment you need it. Crashes happen in a fraction of a second, even with the 2 pros, inspires, and all the other drones. The more you fly, the more you need it.

 

[African wildlife]

Ask yourself this, what did "we" do some 5 years ago when we bought our DJI products? There was nothing, except common sense and training to learn to fly these things. We didn't have Object Avoidance sensors, we certainly didn't have Care Refresh which was many years later. All we had was each other and the forums as we were all in the same boat flying new aircraft because basically nobody was flying these things or had any knowledge of them.

DJI had put in the manuals not to fly over water, so we didn't (well...much ) We didn't do long range tests (DJI Reps did that for us and they were in our forums) we didn't skim them 1 foot off the ground...we didn't do a 10th of the stuff that young pilots are doing these days.

We became competent pilots in those days, we learned the in's and out's of what DJI does, why they do it...and actually still scratch our heads on why they do alot of stuff.

I have never had any insurance on my Drones or any R/C equipment for over 35 years. Why?....Because I took flying seriously and my $3000 investment even more so (Yes I had that invested in my first DJI). I still have my first DJI, it flies better today then it did when I took it out of the box some 5 years earlier). That isn't to say it hasn't been crashed, it has twice, but those repairs cost me around $100 in total and were me being lax and not paying attention, and I have the knowledge gained on how to do these type of things now.

To me putting insurance on this hobby just takes away the drive and willingness to learn to fly and how to do it right and with that edge that yes you may crash, but not if your not foolish.

It keeps you at a controlled rate of learning, gaining knowledge with every flight, yet still holding that grit that most pilots know all to well. To me IMHO adding insurance to a new pilot is pulling all that away, as it takes all that which should be accomplished to learn and just throws them to the air without a care in the world.

YMMV and it probably does, but just my thoughts on it. IF your aircraft goes down, it better be for a reason you can't control rather than one you could...and that is why we have warranties.

Repaid1: Well said!

 

[African wildlife]

Crashes happen because of human sloppiness. As Repaid1 has said above, he/she has crashed twice but through being lax - not paying enough attention. If everyone got better at flying their drones without crashing, they'd probably improve in other areas of life as well: being better lovers, parents, friends, workers, etc etc.

I've mentioned this once before in a different thread, but the difference in attitude to material possessions within a country like the UK, America, or a similarly developed/rich country compared to a less developed country such as Ethiopia or Sudan is very pronounced. Almost all of us on this forum live in "easy", throw-away societies. Thinking skills suffer. We normalise the unacceptable far to readily. I'm not against insurance, which is a legal requirement for cars/vehicles and I always have medical insurance when overseas. But for a drone? Lockdown aside, why not instead visit BrainsRUs in your local shopping centre or mall?!

When I was a young kid, probably about 8 years of age, I was interested in rocks and minerals. I saved all of my weekly pocket money (which was hardly anything) every week for 15 weeks so I could afford a booklet on locally found rocks and minerals. 11 weeks in, I was still four weeks short, so my mother then gave me those four weeks of pocket money in advance so I could make the purchase a month early. I guess I'd proved my seriousness and resolve This taught me the value of appreciating a simple material possession. I still have that booklet many decades later and it's in top condition despite numerous house moves, I use it as a prop in the training of younger colleagues.