Im beginning to think DJI Smart Controllers are non existent

[MAJMattMason]

Love my SC. Got it as soon as they were available, sold my original and have never looked back. No comparison, MUCH, MUCH better than the original.

 

[dirktwa]

You can buy mine for $3000. I promise I will not cancel.

 

[gnirtS]

This is getting similar to the crazy supply issues they had with mavic 1.
From my logs now its been 7 weeks since i first looked and signed up to stock notification and neither they nor any supplier has any clue when things will be shipped.

 

[paulatkin73]

This is getting similar to the crazy supply issues they had with mavic 1.
From my logs now its been 7 weeks since i first looked and signed up to stock notification and neither they nor any supplier has any clue when things will be shipped.

So I sent link to amazon 2 posts above. It is almost always in stock there. What is the issue?

 

[Michael Miranda]

Nobody has had stock in Europe for at least 5 weeks that i can find and nobody knows when there'll be any more stock when asked.

Im bored of not being able to see where im flying or photographing due to the sun and really really want one!

I was in spain the for all of July an the Dji Dealer in Sevilla had them in stock

 

[msinger]

So I sent link to amazon 2 posts above. It is almost always in stock there. What is the issue?

He doesn't live in the US and doesn't want to pay extra to have the Smart Controller imported.

 

[gnirtS]

So I sent link to amazon 2 posts above. It is almost always in stock there. What is the issue?

The issue is (i) thats amazon USA not any of the european sites that (ii) with import duty and takes makes it $250+ more expensive than the RRP.
(iii) as its from outside europe the warranty is different and/or invalid.

Thats a cost of $939usd roughly. The standard RRP in europe is about $700.

Its not european stock so the post still stands - the things just arent available at all in europe and nobody has a clue when.

 

[DDS]

so, that does not show in stock from your side?

Amazon.com: DJI Smart Controller: Gateway

Buy DJI Smart Controller: Quadcopters & Multirotors - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

.co.uk for those across the pond i see 1 seller on amazon

1200 GBP? or $1450 usd out of china?

Price gouging is an understatement

 

[paulatkin73]

.co.uk for those across the pond i see 1 seller on amazon

1200 GBP? or $1450 usd out of china?

Price gouging is an understatement

this is very odd, to say the least. amazon is a global entity, odd that its us domestic stock does differ so much from european/global stock, but, go figure.

 

[gnirtS]

this is very odd, to say the least. amazon is a global entity, odd that its us domestic stock does differ so much from european/global stock, but, go figure.

They include import duty and taxes by default to post to outside the home country so the price being shown from the US stock is inclusive of the import duty and 20% sales tax in europe.
That said the base price in the US is also less than europe for anything electronic.
IIRC online sales in the US are exempt from local vat/sales tax too whereas in europe its not.

 

[Johnthemann]

Well with several bad experiences trying to buy a Smart Controller, Michael from Fly High USA has come to the rescue. It arrived late last week only 2 days after ordering. I could not be happier..I was flying with an Ipad/mavmount and while it was pretty nice it was a very clunky setup and nearly impossible to see without yet another add on screen. The new controller is perfect..I can see it in the brightest light, it's small yet has a nice heavy feel. If you need one skip Jeff Bezos and Amazon and give Michael a call..he will hook you up.

 

[gnirtS]

If you need one skip Jeff Bezos and Amazon and give Michael a call..he will hook you up.

That doesnt help those of us that want one that don't like in America.

 

[msinger]

this is very odd, to say the least. amazon is a global entity, odd that its us domestic stock does differ so much from european/global stock, but, go figure.

It's because most of the sellers are 3rd party sellers and many of them only ship within the US.

 

[FromPriusToJeep]

forget the sc buy the epson bt-300 and you will never think about the sc

I'm sorry but I'll have to disagree. I had one for a few weeks, from Amazon, and returned it. It may be where I live. I'm in central Texas and the sun is BRIGHT during the day.

For me, it was either I couldn't see the app display or I couldn't see my drone. I had to use the sun shades and neither gave me a middle-ground view.

I was so disappointed to have to return it. But, another thing that made me do it was Epson shipping me an open-box unit. The plastic mount that holds it to the controller was also broken. I used that as my reason to return it. But I did test for a few weeks to see if I wanted a replacement or refunded. Ended up getting a refund.

I'm not blaming the BT-300, as I've seen enough reviews to indicate that some like it a lot. Even one done in downtown Austin. But I think that was probably a pretty cloudy day by comparison to what I was working with. I suspect they are probably very good for less bright environments than Austin.

Oh, another thing. Why in the world are they running such an old version of Android? That concerned me as well.

Oh well. I'll be keeping an eye out for similar products, as I think the idea is very worthy.

 

[paulatkin73]

It's because most of the sellers are 3rd party sellers and many of them only ship within the US.

right, i did not think of that. it is indeed the truth. plus, probably, amazon does not have anything remotely comparable to the system of usa hubs there in europe...
i get now 90% of anything i need via amazon prime delivered overnight - it`s nothing short of amazing, really. no idea how do they manage to do that and how much stock they need to keep in hubs.

 

[gnirtS]

Amazon coverage is just as good in europe as the states. Nobody is far from an Amazon depot, next day is everywhere, same day is common.
The issue isnt amazon - its DJI themselves dont seem to have any stock to supplier either themselves, amazon or any other sellers and havent for approaching 2 months now.

 

[24^]

I have a similar sense of frustration to Johnthemann about the difficulty of getting a Smart Controller.

I ordered and fully paid for one from an authorized DJI dealer -- wellbots.com -- in April, when the price was still $649. I already owned a Mavic 2 Pro with the standard controller.

After several communications about increasing delays in delivery (I agreed to keep waiting), wellbots unilaterally canceled my order today, indicating that they'd never get any and that DJI had stopped making them.

Too bad, right? I'd been counting on not having to pay the now-higher cost. At least I got the $649 back.

This evening, I contacted DJI directly. Here's what happened:

+ + +

Livechat with “Patrick” at DJI, 5:00 pm CDT on 05-Aug-2019:

Thank you for contacting DJI Pre-sales Customer Support. This is Patrick. How may I help you today?
Hello there.

Hello. Is DJI discontinuing the “Smart Controller"? I ordered one from one of DJI's authorized dealers in April and fully paid for it. Shortly afterward, they said there'd be a delay in delivery because the item was out of stock.

Today, they said they would never get any and refunded my money.

They indicated that DJI was not making them anymore. Is this true?​

Kindly stay on the line while I am checking it on my resources.

Ok​

Thank you.

17:01

We really do apologize for the delayed on the delivery of your order. However we do experienced globally high demand and unveilling for the item DJI Smart Controller, which disrupted our normal shipping schedule. And we do experience some shortage on the prior warehouse where your order was assigned since we do received high volume of orders. But our logistics team are now fixing these shortcomings in order for us to supply all of the stocks for the orders of our customer like.

17:03

Interesting. Does that only apply for purchases made directly from DJI? The dealer definitely indicated that they would *never* get any.​

17:05

We do really apologies for the shortage of stock.

Apologies but we haven't receive any details on when will be the product will be back in stock. I would suggest for you to submit an in stock reminder and we will notify you via email upon product availability.

Is the Smart Controller still being made?

[ed: removed screenshot of DJI button for In Stock Reminder.]​

I see the "in stock reminder." But that does not answer my question: is the Smart Controller still being made?
​

DJI still producing smart controller.

17:08

Thank you.​

17:10

You're most welcome. It's my pleasure to assist you.

17:11

I am not unhappy with *you*, but DJI is doing a bad job of communicating between Manufacturing and Sales Support. They should be able to give you a very good idea of when items will actually be in stock for delivery!

​

We do really apologies about that.

But please be advised that DJI still producing the DJI Smart Controller, but we don't have the information when it will be replenished on the market.

Apologies are good. Effective communication is better. Support should tell that to Manufacturing.​

17:14

Thank you for your kind understanding.

17:16

Of course. It is unfair that you have to bear the burden of unhappy customers, while Manufacturing and Senior Management get to hide.​

17:17


We also hope that the DJI Smart Controller will be available soon as possible on the market. In order for a customer like you to have ease to use their drone.

17:18

Again, thank you. I recommend that you send a copy of this livechat to your superiors, for them to discuss with more senior Management.​

17:19


I will tell this on my supervisor. Thank you for suggestion. Appreciate it. We hope that we improve more on our end.

I do, too. Best wishes and good luck for better days.​

Appreciate it Sir! Have a wonderful day!

Thank you for contacting DJI Pre-sales Customer Support. Please contact us again if you have any questions.

+ + +

So. Lost the benefit of my bargain, but at least I got a long wait! /s

Question for djidroneservice: Do you still have any more at the forum price mentioned in your Tuesday 10:25 AM post? I'm interested.

Thanks.

 

[CelticShadows]

I got my controller as part of the Mavic 2 package through Wex Photographic a few weeks back, tried Amazon but they're shipping EU versions in the UK and DJI refused to do a DJI Refresh for the model so had to send it back as Amazon wouldn't play ball and send me a UK variant.

Search | Wex Photo Video

Wex Photo Video search results.

www.wexphotovideo.com

Stock availability varies a lot so it's worth contacting them or monitoring the situation. If you have a Calumet near by then it's worth popping by as they're part of the same group.

 

[gnirtS]

Im on Wex and everyone elses stock alerts. None of them know if/when they'll get more.
What seems to be the case is all the smart controllers are being bundled with mavics and not available standalone at all and havent been for months.
No european suppliers on Amazon or elsewhere for them.

 

[Johnthemann]

Continuing Smart Controller saga. So prior to receiving my controller from "Fly HIgh" I had ordered one from Best Buy online..it was supposed to come in 2 days and 8 days later no sign of it. After waiting for 45 minutes online to speak to a customer service person, they verified that it had not been shipped, so I cancelled the order, received a case number and received a credit on my paypal account for the purchase. I thought this was the end of the transaction..well on Monday of this week I received notice from the post office that a package from Best Buy was left on my front door step..when I got home sure enough there it was. I have since tried to call BB three times for a return shipping label and after being on hold for more than 15 minutes each time I start a conversation with the rep and then placed back on hold only to be disconnected each time...GRRR.. A month ago I was looking all over the web for a SC now I have two of them. I think Im just going to do a return to sender on the latest delivery.