Don't buy Mavic from B&H Photo

[Mavic626]

Sorry, I just have to vent...

I have ordered things from B&H photo in the past and have never had a problem. I recently ordered a Mavic with DJI Refresh and the order was shipped. Unfortunately the gimbal clamp was not secured and it fails to calibrate sometimes. I contacted B&H about returning it for a replacement (I have never even flown it). They sent me this message in response:

"I am sorry to hear about the issues you are having with your product. As per our agreement with our supplier, returns and technical support are handled by our distributor for DJI items, Gradus Group, who is standing by to promptly assist you."

I am not sure if they are drop shipping it from them or not, but I really dont want to go through another company again and re explain everything. In addition they never sent the DJI Refresh code.

If you are buying from B&H, it may behoove you to try a different website that will stand behind their product. I was actually surprised of their response as I have had great service with them before. Now I just want to return everything and take my business somewhere else.

Any ideas/input? I checked their return policy and it doesn't exclude the drones from being returned, although it says the Refresh is non returnable (but I have not received the code yet)

Thanks

 

[halley]

I buy cameras from them. I don't buy refrigerators from them. For a drone, I can see how it might seem somewhat closer to their marketplace, but it really isn't their thing for a couple reasons. Given the way DJI has direct consumer channels (and Canon and Nikon don't), it is better to deal with DJI directly than to go through a middle-man who is not well-versed in the intricacies of drone products.

 

[Gtcuppels]

B&H is a very significant player in the Drone world. They have given you great advice send it back to DJI and get it over with

 

[anticipate]

B&H used to handle these issues directly.. so this is a new DJI policy. I noticed this with Apple too.. Apple couldn't actually cancel a Mavic order... only DJI's distributor could. (It was handled, but I've never seen that before). DJI has some odd new policies in effect for the Mavic. I don't think it applies to any of their other drones.

 

[Pushpak]

Sorry, I just have to vent...

I have ordered things from B&H photo in the past and have never had a problem. I recently ordered a Mavic with DJI Refresh and the order was shipped. Unfortunately the gimbal clamp was not secured and it fails to calibrate sometimes. I contacted B&H about returning it for a replacement (I have never even flown it). They sent me this message in response:

"I am sorry to hear about the issues you are having with your product. As per our agreement with our supplier, returns and technical support are handled by our distributor for DJI items, Gradus Group, who is standing by to promptly assist you."

I am not sure if they are drop shipping it from them or not, but I really dont want to go through another company again and re explain everything. In addition they never sent the DJI Refresh code.

If you are buying from B&H, it may behoove you to try a different website that will stand behind their product. I was actually surprised of their response as I have had great service with them before. Now I just want to return everything and take my business somewhere else.

Any ideas/input? I checked their return policy and it doesn't exclude the drones from being returned, although it says the Refresh is non returnable (but I have not received the code yet)

Thanks

Since it is DOA, B&H have to either replace it with a new one or fully refund you. DOA claims usually have to be done within 2 weeks, and this not only apply to DJI drones, but to all consumer electronic products.

 

[Mavic626]

Thanks for the advice, I was shocked that they really didn't want to help me and just brushed me off by telling me to contact another company. All I wanted was to get a new replacement, the mavic has never been flown before, I could see that happening if I flew it and crashed it but this is brand new.

Now, I just want a full refund and I will buy one locally at the drone store near me and pay the extra in tax for the peace of mind. I was just disappointed how they handled it, because it is such a hassle explaining my situation to someone else, now I am at the mercy of another company for the return.

I think I may have gotten a customer service rep stationed in another country as they really didn't listen to my concerns. They just continued to repeat that I needed to contact a different site. Maybe if I call them during regular business hours they may be able to help me more.

I just wanted to give some people a heads up if you order from them. It has been such a bad experience, as I will most likely have to wait a few weeks before this situation gets fixed.

Thanks again for listening, I just needed someone to vent to

 

[Oyibo VFX]

Because you have not used it, your DJI Refresh is not active. It has to be activated within 48 hours AFTER activating the drone

 

[henryp]

Thanks for the advice, I was shocked that they really didn't want to help me and just brushed me off by telling me to contact another company. All I wanted was to get a new replacement, the mavic has never been flown before, I could see that happening if I flew it and crashed it but this is brand new.

Thank you for your order and this feedback. We regret your dissatisfaction. The issue is not whether we wanted to assist you. Of course we want to assist you. The issue is that DJI requires this process. We do not have any other option. The people you were advised to contact are experienced in these matters and are well-equipped to help resolve this for you.

I think I may have gotten a customer service rep stationed in another country

We do not have any employees stationed in any country other than New York.

 

[Robbyg]

Shocked! Thanks for the info, I have bought loads of Camera gear on B&H and I know they take customer service very seriously. The fact that B&H has no say in this matter speaks volumes to the power DJI is leveraging against the distributors.
I would imagine that B&H did not get into this kind of arrangement without protesting, maybe thats why they did not get any stock of Mavics when other smaller companies did. I guess after months of getting calls asking "Do you have any Mavic's" they probably relented to DJI's demands.

I think this confirms why Amazon was the last to get supplied. There is no way DJI can dictate anything to Amazon, so rather than lose the ability to decide on how a return is handled, they decided not to supply Amazon until the sales completely flattened out.

DJI had better hope that another company does not come out with a Mavic killer. I suspect that any company that makes one will be welcomed by a very helpful group of large retailers

Rob

 

[dv8ed]

I've recommended B&H to many people on different forums and FB because of their no hassle return/exchange but going to think twice now.

 

[JoeyBones]

B&H is one of the few places I feel 100% confident buying from without doing too much shopping around. It's where I bought my Mavic from. But ironically, I bought from them specifically because of their excellent return policy and customer service.

I'd be irked by this too, but it sounds like DJI is to blame more so than B&H.

 

[Mavic626]

OK so I called the Gratas Group and I was able to get a hold of them today. They rep was very nice and helpful, he stated that I need to send in the Mavic to them and they will inspect it and troubleshoot it.

After that they will contact B&H and give them the go ahead to either replace or refund the purchase. The only bummer is it will take a week to ship there (Ground) and most likely be another week or two before I get my new one.

The rep on the phone assured me that he would not send the same unit back to me if it checks out ok on his end. He did state that the gimbal did sound defective and that is the most common problem they are seeing with the Mavic.

I just wanted to give people a heads up so they do not go though what I have to. I have always had great experiences with B&H, but after this experience I think I will just go somewhere else. It would be like if I went to Costco and tried to return something and they said, "we have new rules, you have to return this to the manufacture"

Thanks everyone for listening, it will get worked out in the end. I was just very frustrated and I have yet to have a first flight on the mavic. With the wait I feel like I am giving up the Mavic for Lent lol!

 

[Red_Raven]

I've bought alot of slr equipment at b&h through the years with 100% satisfaction. So it was really a no brainer to order my mavic from them. And again they haven't failed to deliver. Everything promised is delivered, with really fast and good service. I had mavic around the globe in 3 days from order.

I'm sure this will be sorted in the best possible way from their behalf, never heard anything other about them.

But on the other hand, God help you dealing with dji. Maaan I can't wait for noticeable manufacturer that will make the masses switch, that's when / how well say thanks for nothing and crappy customer service.

 

[triumphrider]

I've had no issues with B&H, bought some Mavic accessories from them. No tax, in Cali, can't argue with that.
Considering they were good enough to respond to you on this thread I would say that's pretty good customer service.

 

[JJM]

Amazon shipped me a replacement before I shipped the defective mavic back. No referral to DJI for a dead gimbal, just a "****, we're sorry, here's another one"

 

[KiterTodd]

Agreed. DOA should go back for replacement. You shouldn't have to deal with the manufacturer.

There's of course no way to prove that the clamp was off to B&H, unless maybe you took a picture of it during unpacking, while all the other plastic strips were still on and such. In any case, in this case the customer is always right. Unless you're a shyster! Are you a shyster?

 

[henryp]

I have ordered things from B&H photo in the past and have never had a problem. I recently ordered a Mavic with DJI Refresh and the order was shipped. Unfortunately the gimbal clamp was not secured and it fails to calibrate sometimes. I contacted B&H about returning it for a replacement (I have never even flown it).

Please email henryp at bhphoto dot com with the original B&H order number. TIA

 

[JJM]

Don't wanna rub it in but just got my replacement delivered from Amazon for my DOA mavic that I still have sitting on my desk. Just some information for those to compare vendors. Hope you get it sorted out. ::thumbsup::

 

[kbulla16]

I bought my Fly More package and several accessories from B&H and got it all the next day in perfect shape. And frankly, I ordered it from there because no one else had one in stock at the time. Assuming your order arrived in factory packaging, B&H did nothing to cause it, and they are simply following procedure. Hope you get taken care of, but it seems like a bash post for no reason.

 

[SteveNunez]

I doubt Best Buy is going to give that kind of response.....you can simply return a doa Mavic Pro back to Best Buy without this hassel......food for thought on future purchases.