DJI Support

Ryan Jenkins · Mar 21, 2017

First a question, then a rant:
Does anyone know how to file a complaint with DJI? Not sure it would do any good, but I need to let my frustrations be known for my own good.

Now for the rant:
In Feb I was flying the Mavic at dusk and clipped a branch. My stupid mistake. Luckily I purchased DJI Refresh. I filed an online refresh case, attached my receipt for both the drone and the DJI Refresh. I then shipped the Mavic 2 day air to the California location because I needed the unit back as soon as possible. I called DJI and left them my tracking number and even went through the chat feature to make sure they actually had my unit. It arrived at DJI on Feb 22nd. A week later I had not received any emails confirming it's arrival so I contacted customer service through chat. They stated the unit had not arrived. Even after me giving them the persons name who signed for it they said there was no record of the unit there. I called customer service and spoke to someone. After a big fight they finally admitted they had misplaced the unit and would look for it. The next day I received an email confirming the receipt of the unit.
Over another week passed and I received an email with an invoice for $400. I chatted and they stated they had no record of it being a refresh case. I fought with them and finally had to call. After a long conversation with the service rep again they admitted they then found my case and said I would get another email with the refresh invoice in it.
4 days later I finally get a refresh invoice for the $79. I pay it immediately through PayPal and prepare to wait the alloted 4 days. 6 days later nothing. I chat with customer service to no avail. Then call. They then claim they have no units to send me and I will have to wait at least a week more and hopefully there will be a unit on the next shipment for them to send me.
I talk to DJI customer support a couple of times over the next 5 days to try and get some sort of traction on getting a unit and nothing. It's just up in the air. I may get a unit in the next shipment, I may not.
In the mean time I have lost multiple job opportunities with the Mavic and I have a job upcoming on Friday that now I know I will miss.
Why in the world did I buy DjI Refresh to send in my Mavic for a replacement and then wait over a month for a new one? This has been the worst customer service experience I have ever had and it is pushed me to move away from DJI and buy a product from a company with a better service record.
Ok. Rant over. If anyone has had any luck turning in a complaint and getting something more than an email thanking you for your concern, that would be great!

msinger · Mar 21, 2017

I guess hindsight is 20/20, but why don't you buy a spare Mavic for a backup in case something like this happens again? That's what I'd do if my business depended on it.

ElGuapo · Mar 21, 2017

You are not the only with stories like this. For cases like this you should have a backup drone. Does not have to be a Mavic can be Phantom 3 Pro or a P4.

I fly for recreational purposes, and have a backup drone. I am just about to send my Mavic for warranty work. We will see how it goes, may not see mine back probably in a month. But not going anywhere (not going on any trips soon) so I will flying the P4 Pro..

Ryan Jenkins · Mar 21, 2017

Unfortunately I don't have the money saved up yet for a backup. This is my secondary job. Hopefully in the future I will be buying a second one for situations like this. But when you pay money for a refresh warranty you would think it includes replacement in a reasonable time frame.

Flawless · Mar 21, 2017

kona said:
Refresh would have made a huge difference! You would have just had your replacement mailed to you.

Ryan Jenkins said:
Luckily I purchased DJI Refresh. I filed an online refresh case, attached my receipt for both the drone and the DJI Refresh.

Ryan Jenkins said:
I chatted and they stated they had no record of it being a refresh case. I fought with them and finally had to call. After a long conversation with the service rep again they admitted they then found my case and said I would get another email with the refresh invoice in it.
4 days later I finally get a refresh invoice for the $79. I pay it immediately through PayPal and prepare to wait the alloted 4 days. 6 days later nothing

AlanTheBeast · Mar 21, 2017

Ryan Jenkins said:
First a question, then a rant:
Does anyone know how to file a complaint with DJI? Not sure it would do any good, but I need to let my frustrations be known for my own good.

Now for the rant:
In Feb I was flying the Mavic at dusk and clipped a branch. My stupid mistake. Luckily I purchased DJI Refresh. I filed an online refresh case, attached my receipt for both the drone and the DJI Refresh. I then shipped the Mavic 2 day air to the California location because I needed the unit back as soon as possible. I called DJI and left them my tracking number and even went through the chat feature to make sure they actually had my unit. It arrived at DJI on Feb 22nd. A week later I had not received any emails confirming it's arrival so I contacted customer service through chat. They stated the unit had not arrived. Even after me giving them the persons name who signed for it they said there was no record of the unit there. I called customer service and spoke to someone. After a big fight they finally admitted they had misplaced the unit and would look for it. The next day I received an email confirming the receipt of the unit.
Over another week passed and I received an email with an invoice for $400. I chatted and they stated they had no record of it being a refresh case. I fought with them and finally had to call. After a long conversation with the service rep again they admitted they then found my case and said I would get another email with the refresh invoice in it.
4 days later I finally get a refresh invoice for the $79. I pay it immediately through PayPal and prepare to wait the alloted 4 days. 6 days later nothing. I chat with customer service to no avail. Then call. They then claim they have no units to send me and I will have to wait at least a week more and hopefully there will be a unit on the next shipment for them to send me.
I talk to DJI customer support a couple of times over the next 5 days to try and get some sort of traction on getting a unit and nothing. It's just up in the air. I may get a unit in the next shipment, I may not.
In the mean time I have lost multiple job opportunities with the Mavic and I have a job upcoming on Friday that now I know I will miss.
Why in the world did I buy DjI Refresh to send in my Mavic for a replacement and then wait over a month for a new one? This has been the worst customer service experience I have ever had and it is pushed me to move away from DJI and buy a product from a company with a better service record.
Ok. Rant over. If anyone has had any luck turning in a complaint and getting something more than an email thanking you for your concern, that would be great!

As someone else noted you're not being very professional if you're relying on a sole machine to book jobs and revenue. Photographers routinely bring 2 or 3 bodies, several lenses, 2 or more speedlights, and all sorts of other backup to all shoots.

Having a single MP and DJI as your service backup is not going to go far in your business model. (Are you the same guy who wanted to shoot various Mardi Gras things?)

As I read the above I don't see you getting an RMA number from them. It would look like "CAS-123456-P9E6W1"
and they send you a form to fill with the RMA, the DJI Care Refresh number and so on. If so, that may have caused delays and confusion.

To be sure DJI are not winning hearts and minds with their CS.

Ryan Jenkins · Mar 21, 2017

Thank you Alan for your overview of my business practices. As I said previously this is just a side job for me and I do not have the financial means available to purchase a secondary unit. I will tend to my business set up at this time.
No, I am not the one who wanted to fly over Marci gras. I am a responsible part 107 license holder than has set up a business entity to provide video and editing services for people in my area. So again, let's hold back from the punches and have a discussion about DJI's service.
Yes, I received the electronic RMA from DJI. I did everything as it was supposed to be done. The issue was not with my end. They are the ones who lost my drone initially. Then neglected to handle it as a refresh case. Then took 4 days to turn it into a refresh case. Then took over a week to update the case to being analyzed. Then after 7 more days have yet to give me an update as to when I can expect my drone.

kona · Mar 21, 2017

Sorry "Flawless", I posted in the wrong thread, wanting to respond to this guy who had a similar backing up crash incident and claims Refresh wouldn't have made a difference: Repair experience with DJI (not so good)

"Ryan Jenkins", I'm sorry about your experience and it upsets me too, since this is exactly why I bought refresh. Makes me consider buying a temporary replacement drone from Amazon and returning it if this ever happens to me...

Ryan Jenkins · Mar 21, 2017

Thank you Kona. I searched for "DJI Support" and didn't see any threads specifically aimed at this subject.

TGV401 · Mar 21, 2017

Not Super impressed with them at all... had a non working front LED and it took 4 weeks. They need to model TRAXXAS out of Texas with their trucks, cars, boats and quads.

AlanTheBeast · Mar 21, 2017

Ryan Jenkins said:
Thank you Alan for your overview of my business practices. As I said previously this is just a side job for me and I do not have the financial means available to purchase a secondary unit. I will tend to my business set up at this time.
No, I am not the one who wanted to fly over Marci gras. I am a responsible part 107 license holder than has set up a business entity to provide video and editing services for people in my area. So again, let's hold back from the punches and have a discussion about DJI's service.
Yes, I received the electronic RMA from DJI. I did everything as it was supposed to be done. The issue was not with my end. They are the ones who lost my drone initially. Then neglected to handle it as a refresh case. Then took 4 days to turn it into a refresh case. Then took over a week to update the case to being analyzed. Then after 7 more days have yet to give me an update as to when I can expect my drone.

DJI's less than stellar CS is well known. You're not at fault, DJI is. OTOH your business plan was set up with single-point-of-failure risk and the dice came up against you.

Don't be all prissily pissed at me for my observations. That's all they are. That the inconvenient truth is that you have a photography sideline business with a sole camera is certainly not my fault. Nor DJI's, frankly. (And your comments are **** near copies of the Mardi Gras guy who had a "mishap" the week before his 2 or 3 booked MG shoots...)

I was on a flight down south last year and the B-737 had some issue meaning it could not fly. The airline had a spare (A-310). So there was a 3 hour delay (drag in a flight crew, get the a/c ready, etc.). They didn't say go home and wait for Boeing to fix the airplane. They apologized, gave us meal vouchers and got us to destination a bit late. Had a great time too.

If it's any consolation it took 16 days to get my MP from here (Montreal) to DJI (Carson, CA) due to their somewhat less than ambitious CS and parsimonious UPS ground shipping label. I hope to see my MP in mid April. Hopefully with its orange skin on and not replaced with a "new" drone.

To punish DJI I ordered a DJI Phantom 4 Pro. Arrives here tomorrow if FedEx is to be believed. (They're pretty good on promises, at least). Back in the air this week. Tomorrow is ******* cold though.

Ryan Jenkins · Mar 29, 2017

Haha! To add fuel to the fire, I received a customer service survey from DJI. I left my comments, but when I choose to submit I get a message in Chinese that says "operation failed".
I am simply stunned at the piss poor support from DJI. Seems like they are only interested in getting units sold (not shipped out because we saw what happened with the Mavic originally). This is a great way to ruin a company and it spells doom for DJI in the long term. The only way the circumvent the negative exposure is to put out a new drone overt two months.

Red_Raven · Mar 29, 2017

AlanTheBeast · Mar 29, 2017

Ryan Jenkins said:
Haha! To add fuel to the fire, I received a customer service survey from DJI. I left my comments, but when I choose to submit I get a message in Chinese that says "operation failed".
I am simply stunned at the piss poor support from DJI. Seems like they are only interested in getting units sold (not shipped out because we saw what happened with the Mavic originally). This is a great way to ruin a company and it spells doom for DJI in the long term. The only way the circumvent the negative exposure is to put out a new drone overt two months.

I have little fear that DJI will be ruined. In the recent month they've gone to very low delivery times on the MP and some opine that units built after the Xmas rush are showing far fewer defects. My own MP finally got "looked at" yesterday and I received a 0 charge invoice (warranty repair) which they say will take up to 4 days. So should have it back in 2 weeks.

In the meantime I'm still flying the other drone.

SamBGb · Mar 29, 2017

wow really, I read this forum quite a bit and only decided to post a couple of threads in the last few days but I would honestly recommend people to post with extreme caution here as members can often be quite critical or quick with snarky responses. I don't mind people speaking the truth but this guy simply posts a thread about issues he has had with DJI support and all of a sudden his business practices are under scrutiny. I am sure like we all have he will learn from his mistakes and should his bank balance allow he will perhaps look at getting a second drone, these are expensive items like many have pointed so its not always possible to have a 2nd or 3rd backup (even if this is being used to generate revenue).

Back to the point about your DJI experience, based on what what the original OP posted, this level of customer service for the price of the product is simply "crap" and sorry to use such a crude word but it is what it is. I myself have sent a drone back for repair and it was delivered today (not received as it does say waiting to be received), so I will be sure to post my experience good or bad (not many people post about the good experiences) in the next couple of weeks. Facts are the guy had a signature for the drone delivery (proof of delivery) and as soon as DJI received that they should have started a search to find the item (doesn't say how much time passed between these events). Not sure what the issue was with it being a refresh case or not because he did have refresh, is refresh not recorded against the serial number so should DJI not have noticed this had Refresh attached and perhaps asked the customer do you want to deal with this under refresh. I know you have to select Refresh on the repair form but it should be easy to match up Refresh and the case at a later date should you decide to.

If this case was converted to a Refresh case like they said then the priority element of that should have kicked in and the replacement of the unit sent as quickly as possible (although as quickly as possible may actually be the case if there is a massive backlog).

I am not here to judge his business practices or anything else for that matter, I read that he has had bad customer service from DJI, a company that we all pay good money too and the really do need to get their act together within these types of complaints.

Ryan Jenkins · Mar 29, 2017

Thank you SamBGb. Yes, I was very surprised how quickly I was to be judged based off a few paragraphs seeing as no one knows me, my situation, or my real business practices.
On the Refresh case situation;
I clearly marked the case as Refresh on the online form, attached my Refresh invoice to the case, and placed a copy of the RMI info and Refresh invoice in the box with the Mavic. So there would have been no mistaking it being a Refresh case.
Unfortunately there have been many complaints about their service practices, but there is no viable way to express our concerns to DJI.
It seems to be a crap shoot on whether you receive a good experience or bad.

SamBGb · Mar 29, 2017

Ryan Jenkins said:
Thank you SamBGb. Yes, I was very surprised how quickly I was to be judged based off a few paragraphs seeing as no one knows me, my situation, or my real business practices.
On the Refresh case situation;
I clearly marked the case as Refresh on the online form, attached my Refresh invoice to the case, and placed a copy of the RMI info and Refresh invoice in the box with the Mavic. So there would have been no mistaking it being a Refresh case.
Unfortunately there have been many complaints about their service practices, but there is no viable way to express our concerns to DJI.
It seems to be a crap shoot on whether you receive a good experience or bad.

Yes, I suppose giving them all the information you did there should have been no question about it being a refresh case then. I know with success businesses can go through teething problems and growing pains and I do believe thats likely whats happening to DJI, the problem for me is I see little evidence of improvement or showing signs of improvement. It does seem like it is somewhat of a lottery if you receive good support from the offset. Some of the information is conflicting take for example sending your drone in, on the repair form it says send the Drone and Controller for analysis yet on the DJI Refresh e-mail it says "DO NOT return the remote controller. You will be required to undertake any fees incurred from returning the remote controller."