DOA of a DOA

[Nexus Dragoon]

Hey everyone,

I have a story to tell. It’s a rollercoaster of legendary customer service followed by some of the most bizarre bad luck I’ve ever seen.

Part 1: The Legendary Turnaround My brand-new Air 3S developed issues within the first two weeks of activation, making it technically a DOA. I sent it back to DJI, and I have to give them credit: they received it and immediately express-posted a full replacement the same day. I had the new unit in my hands the very next day. I was ready to post here and sing their praises... but then I opened the box.

Part 2: The "DOA of a DOA"I unsealed the replacement, started charging the batteries, and plugged in the controller. After a few minutes, the controller just stopped charging. I turned it on to see what was happening (it hadn't even finished the "Select Language" setup yet) and noticed the screen looked like it had severe water damage.

The weird part? There was no water anywhere. The box, the bag, and the unit were bone dry.

The Symptoms:

• Heat: Within minutes of just sitting there, the controller hit about 30°C. It felt unusually warm for a device that wasn't even registered or doing any processing yet.
• The "Blobs": As I tilt the controller left to right (at about a 45-degree angle), different blobs appear and disappear. There is a strange, speckled pattern across the entire screen.
• The Diagnosis: After doing some digging and consulting Gemini, it looks like screen delamination. It's possible a solvent (like isopropyl alcohol) or adhesive got trapped in the layers during assembly.

The Environment Factor: Interestingly, the blobs actually changed size and shape over a few hours. My theory is that the 55% humidity outside versus my dry, air-conditioned house caused the pressure or moisture levels to shift, making the delamination react in real-time. It’s like watching a science experiment inside my own RC.

The Result: So, I’m currently packing up a replacement for a replacement. It’s headed back to the post office in the morning. DJI knows the full story and is handling it, but I’m honestly floored that I managed to get two duds in a row!

I guess I really get to see whether DJI's customer service is as good as people say it is. Round one was a knockout win for them—let's see how they handle the "DOA of a DOA" sequel!

Has anyone ever seen an RC2 screen look like this out of the box? I’ve attached pictures of the speckled pattern and the shifting blobs. I'm curious if I've stumbled onto a bad batch or if I just have the worst luck on the forum right now.

 

[Cafguy]

I have seen this!!
Its a factory defect caused by the machine that attaches the cable to the controller screen. The machine "grabbed" it at the wrong spot or with too much pressure..The screen is shot and needs replacement. You shouldnt have a problem with DJI.
They know of this assembly "defect".

 

[Nexus Dragoon]

I have seen this!!
Its a factory defect caused by the machine that attaches the cable to the controller screen. The machine "grabbed" it at the wrong spot or with too much pressure..The screen is shot and needs replacement. You shouldnt have a problem with DJI.
They know of this assembly "defect".

Yeah hopefully they will replace it I didn't even get a chance to activate it yet. when I saw it it looked like something had been spilt on it but it actually turns on fine, so I figured even if something had been spilled on it it must have been long enough ago that it was now dry on the inside and didn't short out when I turned it on. Just in case i slipped a note in there for whatever technician looks at it that says "unit received as replacement for case *********** upon unboxing screen showed immediate signs of delamination/internal moisture unit has never been activated since the unit boots and functions this is a localized screen defect/seal failure not liquid Ingress." Since I don't actually have a printer because I never print anything it's handwritten. I hope my left handed gibberish handwriting won't confused them lol.

 

[Cafguy]

A friend got a brand new controller with the exact problem it was replaced without question when my friend inquired if the problem could have been caused by dropping or rough handling DJI explained that it occurred during assembly. So the controller can take a little abuse with no problems just dont throw it .lol.

 

[Nexus Dragoon]

A friend got a brand new controller with the exact problem it was replaced without question when my friend inquired if the problem could have been caused by dropping or rough handling DJI explained that it occurred during assembly. So the controller can take a little abuse with no problems just dont throw it .lol.

With my last one i got stuck in a storm that came out of nowhere and had to land the drone the controller got a bit of rain and so did the drone had absolutely no effect on it and wiped off. So there is a degree of Splash proofing, so I kind of knew there must have been more to it somehow. since I called them within an hour or two of actually receiving the package I don't think realistically there is any way they could refuse to replace it without looking really bad it's clearly DOA. I mean honestly what could they say I dumped it in water, and then magically dried it out, turned it on saw the damage and then called them all within a couple of hours. it would take days to dry that kind of mess out if it had happened that way. I guess it's just a bit of bad luck I was looking forward to flying at this weekend, but I'm going to have to change those plans to next weekend. I was going to try out some golden hour dual ISO Fusion.