DJI REPAIR SCAM

[niclariv]

But if it was a car, they would actually take care to see what is broken and what isn't - they wouldn't just replace the whole thing. And if DJI is going to just replace the whole thing every time, instead of writing up a list of 'all the broken parts' (which add up to the whole drone), they should be up front and say they don't do repairs on drones that have had a crash no matter how small the damage appears to be, they only do complete replacements. Instead when you send your drone in and log in to their repair website you see it going through steps like 'damage assessment, quote, repair, flight test' etc


iPhone 6S

 

[niclariv]

Like this, except this is for a warranty case so that's why it says free of charge instead of quote, payment received etc.


iPhone 6S

 

[niclariv]

But they shouldn't pretend to actually assess the damage if for every drone that's been crashed they just look at it and say 'yes it's been crashed, replace the whole thing' instead of opening it up and giving it a proper inspection. Further to that, the fact that they send a repair invoice that lists all those components separately is also deceiving - it makes the customer think that they found something wrong with all those pieces, when they likely didn't inspect them at all, they're just adding up everything that could possibly be replaced so the total is most likely the 'at cost' price of a new Mavic. If they were being straightforward the invoice would say 'complete replacement' and have a price for those without DJI care. Their whole system is set up to make it appear that technicians are actually doing a repair.


iPhone 6S

 

[ksull72487]

For profit business. Buy a matteress. Your 2k is about 200 lol.

Your iPhone is about $179. Battery is half that. What!?!?

Called Business. But I agree they need to streamline it a bit better.

Replacing the drone is actually probably more cost effective as well. In some cases. So they may treat some cases differently especially now considering popularity.

The Mavic is still a great peice of tech. But at the end of the day it's business.

I had my Mini Cooper S screen replaced. The dealer wanted 2 grand for a 7 inch non led non touch screen. Not even HD. Bought it off eBay salvage car with 2016 production date for $80 since no one bid.

And as long as we touched that basis let's talk about flat screens. Cheap pieces of plastic with bad Refresh etc. They are popular because test they look better and are smaller but also because they are cheaper to make. The tube tv actually cost more to make.

Business!!! They all do it DJI just did a piss poor job covering it up lol.

Don't feel bad. You'd be surprised that the majority of what you own is worthless and has a 75% mark. Not everything although. Grocery and food is 32%. Some times less and bet on volume. 32% mark is minimum for a company to have a shot in general most will go for 34%+. Anything less it probably goes under.

My bet is DJI is 50%+ no problem probably 75. Niche market, more they sell the better the price in general or hopefully.

When's the last time you people bought a refrigerator or AC. You don't really think those cost 2-10k do you? Hahahaha. If you buy them once every 10 years they better be ripping you off. The. Let's not forget the consumer who pushes it and gets 20 out of it. He did nobody any favors lol.

You'd **** a brick if you knew what your car really cost. Margins not with the dealer either so don't beat the sales guy up. It's with the manufacturer.

How do you think Costco can give you a satisfaction guarantee or what some of us call a lifetime return policy. Well they bet on membership and in order to sell in Costco the manufacturer has to abide by their rules in most cases the manufacturer has to reimburse Costco for up to 5 years on a return. Try bringing back something that's 5 years or older. You'll learn real quick when the manager comes out to try to block the return since they know they'll lose money since the manufacturer may be off the hook.

It's a game. There is no such thing as a deal. Trust me. I play it.

Smoke and Mirrors. These places wouldn't make it although otherwise.

Costco can be a ***** to deal with too. Some manufacturers won't take the risk others bet on the volume and for the most part it offsets anything else.

Well Costco dosent mark anything up more than 12-14%? Right? Yes that's true. Manufacturer did before hand although haha.

I also said most companies won't survive with out 32% minimum margin if Costco only gets 12-14% how is it possible.

Services, that membership fee and citi credit card. You know they get paid **** near $50 bucks and pay no merchant fees when they get that Citi card, right. Offsets it. Costco gets their money same as everyone else just differently.

Smoke and Mirrors. The average consumer hasn't a clue.


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[Robbyg]

But they shouldn't pretend to actually assess the damage if for every drone that's been crashed they just look at it and say 'yes it's been crashed, replace the whole thing' instead of opening it up and giving it a proper inspection. Further to that, the fact that they send a repair invoice that lists all those components separately is also deceiving - it makes the customer think that they found something wrong with all those pieces, when they likely didn't inspect them at all, they're just adding up everything that could possibly be replaced so the total is most likely the 'at cost' price of a new Mavic. If they were being straightforward the invoice would say 'complete replacement' and have a price for those without DJI care. Their whole system is set up to make it appear that technicians are actually doing a repair.


iPhone 6S

Yes they are adding up everything on your drone that is no longer 100% perfect. So if your left front arm has a scratch on it they will say it's damaged. Some people will like this policy and love the idea of getting back a new drone while other will be horrified by the bill.

As you said it would be better if they just came out and said we don't repair we replace.

 

[method007]

Nothing about the repair process seems suspect. Every get a plane repaired? It's the same way. Nobody want's the liability of allowing a product to leave their control with something that is not 100% working.

 

[Robbyg]

Nothing about the repair process seems suspect. Every get a plane repaired? It's the same way. Nobody want's the liability of allowing a product to leave their control with something that is not 100% working.

What are you talking about?
Send a Cessna back to the company with a broken rudder and you get back a new plane and a bill for half the value of a new Cessna??

 

[ablack]

Too bad it's gone so sideways for you, sorry for your pain. I've had three close calls, two indoors, and feel I've used up my beginner's luck. I'm flying so cautiously now as a result.

This thing isn't definitely not ready for indoor flight. Mine flew away unresponsive when it switched from OPTI to ATTI in a darker part of the room. I haven't even flown it outdoors yet as it tore off the gimbal and is already at the "Carson Repair Shop" sitting on the dock according to UPS tracking but not yet after a full day checked in by DJI. Their support SUCKS!

 

[niclariv]

I think the point we're making here is that yes, we want everything that needs repair repaired - we don't want a half fixed drone coming back, and we're happy to pay for the repair of every component that is scratched or damaged. The question is are they actually inspecting it, or are they just being lazy about it and replacing the whole thing and charging us for it. The worry is that after we've used up our two refresh's if we have a very small bit of damage to one component and the rest of the drone is 100% fine and safe to fly, we can't get just the one component repaired and to keep the Mavic in the air will get expensive.


iPhone 6S

 

[cobra46]

While I feel your pain at the higher then expected repair bill. As an Operations Manager on my former job I also understand the companies liability if something is sent out partially repaired. We had many times when a customer only wanted a partial repair and then called in complaining that the technician caused the other items to fail. They always wanted a different technician so they could get the rest of the machine repaired for free.
In the case of drones or motor vehicles you could have a lawsuit if it hurt someone due to an incomplete repair. We have too many lawyers looking for anything that can make them money and they will go after the biggest pockets.

Repair facilities easily cover their behinds when a customer doesn't want a full repair by simply documenting that the customer declined X, Y and Z recommended repairs. This happens all the time in the automotive repair business that has huge liability.

A simple example is you take your car in for new tires and the tech notices you have 1mm of brake pad remaining. Service writer calls hoping to get the up-sell on the brake repair. Customer declines brake repair as they can do it themselves. Service writer then documents the brake condition on the repair order and passes the liability back to the customer.

DJI could do exactly the same thing but chooses to screw the customer. I wish DJI was like Traxxis where every part is available for the customer to repair their own stuff.

 

[jointeffort]

I just crashed indoors on my first indoor flight. Same error message. I have care refresh and don't mind using it. Pay $79 and get new and or like new Mavic. Fine by me.


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[iride4u]

I just crashed indoors on my first indoor flight. Same error message. I have care refresh and don't mind using it. Pay $79 and get new and or like new Mavic. Fine by me.


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I have 3 birds the only one that I bought Care Refresh. While I don't plan on using it this bird is new enough that parts won't be available for a few months at least. I also plan on taking this drone across country by motorcycle. Damage can happen.
Care Refresh is cheap enough on the Mavic. I was quoted $279 on the P4.

 

[duelingglove]

Dji lost my order so I have to continuously chat. Calls yeilded nothing. Eventually they quoted a repair of $650 or $79 refresh. I chose refresh and they lost that too. Chat chat chat chat and finally bird was sent back new. Don't give up and keep keeping your records. Someone with Dji will fix it hopefully.

 

[method007]

What are you talking about?
Send a Cessna back to the company with a broken rudder and you get back a new plane and a bill for half the value of a new Cessna??

What are you talking about?
I'm saying it's a common practice for a manufacturer to want to repair anything with a flaw, that's not an issue. The issue is that DJI will not let you selectively have things repaired.

 

[Filmscum]

You all make very convincing points. I guess until they get a decent supply of parts this is the way it's going to be, and with how far behind they are with fulfilling orders added to the Chinese New Year it's not looking like a positive timeline. Keeping up with this forum as well as RCGroups it seems to me the vast majority of crashes that require repair/replacement are coming from people flying indoors.

I've got several small micro drones like the Blade Nano QX that can literally bounce off the wall or ceiling drop to the floor with motors spinning and be totally fine. I'd say if you want to fly indoors and you're not in a really big room look into getting something else and keep your Mavic for flying outside or in a gymnasium. To be honest I'm not sure why you would ever want to fly this bird inside? I'm not knocking anyone for doing it, but with the prop wash and everything else that can go wrong with sensors, gps drop out due to what's over your head and in confined spaces there's way too much that can go wrong in a hurry.

My 2 cents.....

 

[niclariv]

You all make very convincing points. I guess until they get a decent supply of parts this is the way it's going to be, and with how far behind they are with fulfilling orders added to the Chinese New Year it's not looking like a positive timeline. Keeping up with this forum as well as RCGroups it seems to me the vast majority of crashes that require repair/replacement are coming from people flying indoors.

I've got several small micro drones like the Blade Nano QX that can literally bounce off the wall or ceiling drop to the floor with motors spinning and be totally fine. I'd say if you want to fly indoors and you're not in a really big room look into getting something else and keep your Mavic for flying outside or in a gymnasium. To be honest I'm not sure why you would ever want to fly this bird inside? I'm not knocking anyone for doing it, but with the prop wash and everything else that can go wrong with sensors, gps drop out due to what's over your head and in confined spaces there's way too much that can go wrong in a hurry.

My 2 cents.....

Or using that new propellor cage - seems to be made for indoor flight. I think there are some good shots that could be filmed indoors in the right space.

I wonder if with DJI drones that have been out for a while they're doing actual repairs, or if the same thing is happening.


iPhone 6S

 

[Jsun]

My Mavic was repaired, not replaced. Same SN on the drone. The gimbal&camera part (179$) was replaced. Took about 2 weeks waiting for the part though. Got no response about this before a asked. This was DJI in Netherland though.

 

[stafvh]

My Mavic was repaired, not replaced. Same SN on the drone. The gimbal&camera part (179$) was replaced. Took about 2 weeks waiting for the part though. Got no response about this before a asked. This was DJI in Netherland though.

Replaced at a cost of 179$? Under warranty conditions? I don't know what is covered under the 2 year warranty which i suppose is due in Belgium. I would like to know what is covered at no extra cost. Seems a gray zone to me , the responsibility of the buyer vs the seller.


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[Filmscum]

Or using that new propellor cage - seems to be made for indoor flight. I think there are some good shots that could be filmed indoors in the right space.

I wonder if with DJI drones that have been out for a while they're doing actual repairs, or if the same thing is happening.


iPhone 6S

I totally agree with you, there are some great possibilities for shooting video indoors in the appropriate sized area. I believe most of these mishaps are people flying in their living rooms or dens because they either can't go outside due to weather or darkness and they just want to try it out because they've waited so long to actually get their hands on one!

As far as other DJI craft and repairs they are most definitely repairing them because the parts are available and have been for quite some time. It will be that way with the Mavic eventually.

 

[Jsun]

Replaced at a cost of 179$? Under warranty conditions? I don't know what is covered under the 2 year warranty which i suppose is due in Belgium. I would like to know what is covered at no extra cost. Seems a gray zone to me , the responsibility of the buyer vs th

This was a warranty repair, so no charge for me. Got a quotation of what it was supposed to cost. So some reparations are made, but they apparently have some shortage in spare parts.