DJI Support response and a warning to anyone who wants a DJI product.

[cderoche]

For those saying they always fly VLOS i laugh. Why would you buy a $1,000 drone if you ALWAYS fly VLOS. just silly..

For those that have lost communication.. shouldn't it RTH if that happens?

Yes it should, and in that regard I would hold DJI responsible unless there is indication of user error or bird strike, etc. It's a tough call. I'm sure they're easy way out is in fine print when you buy a DJI drone, must always remain in LOS etc., but yet they push that long range 4.3 miles as one of their big advantages to own a new DJI drone. Maybe they should just say strong radio signal and leave out the range part so less people try to attain what was advertised. Personally in my neighborhood there is too much interference to get beyond 2 miles regardless of the altitude. I've done it a few times just to test it out. If I owned a new Corvette I'd probably speed a few times also to test it out, otherwise why not just stick with a Corolla or something. I say unless they prove it was user error cough up a new drone.

 

[cderoche]

YES, but keep in mind -- there are different settings for what the Mavic will do when it loses signal from the controller. The options are: 1.) RTH; 2.) Hover; or 3.) Land immediately.

I learned this the hard way during a recent trip to London. I lost signal for no apparent reason, and I thought: "Gee, no worries -- I'll just sit here and wait for the Mavic to come home." Except it never came home.

See -- I forgot that before this flight, I was doing some flying from my boat and I was worried that if I had a signal drop over the water while filming from a moving boat, I didn't want the Mavic to RTH (since the takeoff location -- my boat -- wouldn't be in the same spot). So, I went into the settings and I changed the signal drop to "hover" (or at least I thought I did).

The good news is that I didn't have any issues filming from the boat, but I forgot to change the setting back when I was flying over London. So, when my signal dropped there, the Mavic didn't come home....because it wasn't set to RTH (I actually had it set to land -- which must have been accidental because that's not the setting I used at the lake).

Anyway, the good news is I got VERY lucky and was able to recover my Mavic from a friendly person's rooftop in London. But the lesson should be clear -- RTH is a good tool, but it won't work if you have it set incorrectly (including the dreaded RTH incorrect height issue).

With the app and firmware update marathon DJI has been running I have been having to constatly check all my settings that get changes with some of the updates. That part right there IMO makes them much more liable for lost drones.

 

[cderoche]

Well isn't that interesting - mine happened on June 18 almost exactly as you reported - I have been piloting for over five years and this has never happened. Everything was fine then all of a sudden there were multiple errors on remote/app. I always had visual on aircraft but it was totally non responsive and flew away. After examining the data and the video they do not match up at all - I feel that this is a DJI problem and not a user problem - note - I still have not received a reply from DJI concerning my issue and I submitted everything on June 19.....,

When I ran a business years ago I dealt with several Chinese companies, and every single one of them had that same dry impersonal could care less about your problem it was probably your fault and we won't warranty anything attitude. I since have - except for this drone shunned buying from China when possible.

 

[stafvh]

Keep the MP in line of sight and you won't have this problem. I hear a lot of stories about people losing their Mavic and it's over 2 miles away. There is no way that is flying within the rules of line of sight. I have been flying for several months and have lost connection several times but I was always able to see my Mavic until I gained control. Just because the MP can fly 4 miles away doesn't mean you should do it.

Right, but on the other hand ( not taking reglementary restrictions in account) , if DJI states in its specs that the Mavic can fly 4 miles away, then it should be able to do that, technically speaking, without exception....[emoji6]

 

[cderoche]

Too many people think that just because they did nothing wrong, DJI should pay for their damaged drones. But in reality, DJI will only pay for the drones if you can show that it was clearly their fault.

Let's say you drive your Toyota Camry and hit a tree, and you are positive you did nothing wrong, so you want Toyota to fix your car. They will probably want proof that it was their fault. Without physical evidence, Toyota will not pay for the damages, and the assumption will be that it was driver error. This is how it generally works.

Unless you have data to support that it was a defective product, don't expect manufacturer to pay for the goods.

Yes but remember when all those Toyotas kept getting their gas pedals stuck at full throttle causing fatal crashes? Drone equivalent to a flyaway. RTH on signal lost if it was turned on, and did not function properly, should be their fault.

 

[stafvh]

I own a Phantom 4P. I was concerned about losing the drone, so I purchased a Mavic to use as a recovery drone so if I lose my Phantom in a tree, I can send out the Mavic to locate the Pahntom; I am now thinking about purchasing an Inspire, to send out to fine the Mavic if that gets lost attempting to find the Phantom.

Never thought about buying an helicopter....?

 

[cderoche]

For all. When you sign on to the go app originally you agree to free Dji from all liability or you can't use it. Second. Get your *** insurance on your thousands of dollars worth of equipment or don't ***** like a little girl who lost her dolly

No one came here to be scolded like a little kid. I have insurance on my home, if I bought a new TV that caught fire the minute I plugged it in, yes I have insurance, but I would like the TV manufacturer to own up to their defects. I'll bet the insurance company would agree. I'd love for an American company to one day be the king of drone manufacturers so I can buy from them. We have supported China for far too long (Wal-Mart anyone?).

 

[sined00]

Hi mate! I am a Newbie Mavic Pilot and just wanted to say sorry about your dilemma, must be frustrating ! I have attached a Trackr device onto my Mavic and it works brilliantly! Check them out you might want one for your next drone

TrackR? Which trackr do you have on it? Are you referring to this trackr key fob disk things you can attach to your keys or etc? I had one of their first ever models and I didn't think it worked very well.

 

[stafvh]

The consumer drone world, as DJI ( and probably other less successful firms) see it, is a very lucrative business. They sell very expensive equipment, with a promise of great specs and software, only to leave the consumer with lots of unfulfilled promises, extra restrictions that did not exist at the moment of purchase, and a questionable after sales service at least. An inadequate QS , with unpredictable results , leaves the consumer with fearsome feelings towards his purchase... A drone aficionado must dispose of a substantial amount of masochism to endure all that ( and then we even don't take the ever more stringent flight restrictions per zone and country into account.)

 

[Maddogcrusader]

For all. When you sign on to the go app originally you agree to free Dji from all liability or you can't use it. Second. Get your *** insurance on your thousands of dollars worth of equipment or don't ***** like a little girl who lost her dolly

No one is as you would politely say **** like a little girl and how did you know I named my Mavi "Dolly"! Some insurance companies do not provide coverage for drones - do your research before slamming people on the forum. Forums were created to have constructive discussions on issues and to assist people NOT TO BERATE THEM AND HUMILIATE ANYONE. I guess that is the attitude of today - I can say what I want because I don't have to face the person.

 

[Maddogcrusader]

I didn't assume anything. I didn't say that you didn't have any data or that your claim is false. I only made a general statement, that manufacturers (whether they make cars or drones or watches or phones) will not pay for accidents unless there is proof that they are at fault. At least from anecdotal evidence, DJI has been replacing drones when they see from logs that the drones malfunctioned. And since you do have have the data to support your claim, then I am agreeing with you and you're essentially agreeing with my post.

Let's take your own advice and not ASSUME, shall we?

I agree - done deal.

 

[TerryJ]

What you think of the response that took over a week, I will never buy a DJI product again as they will never admit its their fault when the product fails. Full transcript and logs available for anyone and will be posted soon if required, but waiting for their response first after another few days
To be honest, I did not see it do a flyaway as some have, too busy with the reconnect on the remote and waiting for it to come back, searched all night till it went dark and 4hrs the following day, simply not within 150m radius of where Find my drone said it should have been.

"Thanks for your patience.
For your claimed case CAS-??????-W?????, we have already finished the analysis, and the result is as follows:

1. The aircraft worked at GPS mode and responded to RC command well;

2. t=2:28, h=102 m, d=106 m, the aircraft flew forward after the pilot pushed pitch stick forward. The record ended suddenly.

With the record ended without any sign of abnormality, we could not verify what happened afterwards.

We truly appreciate your support for DJI, and especially applied for a 30% off coupon for aircraft without charger and remote:"

Absolutely disgraceful support.
Comments please.

Go ahead and fly an inferior product. I don't see how this is dji's fault in any way. Chances are it was operator error and not the drone. Go ahead and feel free to boycott Dji and fly some other junk! Maybe a yuneek typhoon or solo 3dr? I'll bet money you'll regret leaving Dji products behind. The fact is you don't know what happened either and just want to blame Dji.

 

[Maddogcrusader]

As namja has pointed out, companies like DJI will take responsibility where it is clear they or their products are at fault. There are even cases where there's no proof, and DJI has still offered compensation to the customer.

The law isn't just there to protect consumers - it's there to protect companies too. If DJI can prove beyond reasonable doubt that the aircraft, controller or app wasn't at fault, they are under no obligation to offer you anything - no matter what evidence you think supports your story.

Often, people who have made stupid mistakes adopt a particular stance when discussing their case, or chiming in on others' cases as if that lends some sort of credence to their own (like Maddogcrusader). Angry people with a broken drone often throw around phrases like "the customer is always right" and "I'm innocent until proven guilty".

Well; no. Only a fool believes "the customer is always right" is applicable in this context (it's not, at all), and DJI is innocent until proven guilty in situations like this.

Flawless - Greek Mythology I see. Anyways I was not adding credence to my own issue. If you read between the lines and look at all of the flyaway that DJI has had I would tend to look at it as being a software issue - same with Toyota - how many people were killed and injured and people on forums such as this said oh it was driver error it can't be Toyotas problem until Toyota was taken to task and had to look at the problem and admitted it was their issue. I look at the flyaway here and people are getting critical codes that causes the user to lose control of the aircraft. instead of berating people try lending some positive support - it has been proven that it will make you feel better too.

 

[TerryJ]

There are lots of things that can interfere with the GPS signals, especially since the GPS signals are pretty weak. Obstructions, solar flares, someone using a GPS jammer nearby, etc.

Solar weather, kp index, solar flares, etc, etc.....

 

[Buzz In California]

Any other ideas on what could kill it completely, mid flight...I mean, besides the obvious...aliens...

As soon as the president get the wall built, the problem of aliens capturing and killing our drones will be solved

 

[Brojon]

I own a Phantom 4P. I was concerned about losing the drone, so I purchased a Mavic to use as a recovery drone so if I lose my Phantom in a tree, I can send out the Mavic to locate the Pahntom; I am now thinking about purchasing an Inspire, to send out to fine the Mavic if that gets lost attempting to find the Phantom.

LOL - and your wife *bought* that story??!!
Maybe I'll have to try that out myself...

 

[Brojon]

Yes ... I agree and stand corrected! I was just hoping for more info to have some sort of conclusion. Patience is definitely my shortcoming ... at 80 I don't have a lot of time left.

Pshaw! We have a WWII vet here in town that smokes cigars and drinks whiskey. He just had his 111th birthday. Think big my friend!

 

[Scarab69]

Could have been a power line on a hill if there was an elevation change. Altitude above ground would be nice. Forget about that sometimes.

 

[bowens44]

I don't believe any Mavic owner that says they never flew beyond visual range..

Really? I haven't. Freaks me out to lose sight of it for even a second.

 

[cderoche]

Really? I haven't. Freaks me out to lose sight of it for even a second.

OK I'll believe you, but no one else all right!