Is care refresh worth the piece of mind?

[Daytona500]

Considering US have line of sight rules for flying, I doubt if it will be pused to any limits. Only consideration is if it were to fail when at 100-400 ft, or even 50 ft for that matter. If it drops, it'll probably shatter.
How often has that happened to anyone?? Who knows.
How long have you have you had your drones & hours on them?

happened to me twice with in 4 months

 

[MS Coast]

Thanks.
Yeah, I have Horned Owls, Ravens, hawks & eagles where i live. I heard they get territorial & could attack a drone.

You're far more likely to fly the drone into a tree than have it attacked by birds. And that's not a negative comment about your piloting skills; it applies to most of us.

 

[pinballwiz86]

Overly simplistic.

Depends on the risk you want to take with your drone. Failures and accidents do occur to experienced, well-seasoned pilots too.

I've been flying drones going back to the release of the Phantom 4, and purchased care refresh for it, and every DJI drone I've purchased since. I've used it on more than half of them.

It's because for me, interesting missions usually involve much more risk than flying around at 200ft filming landscapes. Not slagging on that use, I do too some times. But most of my flying involves much higher crash risk, like flying around in a forest, or following a creek @ 5-10ft above it, for a few examples.

That’s your opinion. You’re welcome to it. I’ve been flying quads since 2008. Insurance is for newbs and that’s fine.

 

[NightFlightAlright]

So my question is, does care refresh cover if your drone is stuck in a tree too high to recover?

 

[NightFlightAlright]

You're far more likely to fly the drone into a tree than have it attacked by birds. And that's not a negative comment about your piloting skills; it applies to most of us.

I landed in a tree my first week with the Mini 2.... I've also encountered near-miss birds, though no bird strike yet...

 

[Droning on and on...]

That’s your opinion. You’re welcome to it. I’ve been flying quads since 2008. Insurance is for newbs and that’s fine.

We're all entitled to an opinion, no worries.

Perhaps you could articulate yours without the swipe at experienced pilots who disagree with you.

Insurance is for anyone who, in their judgement, find it economically advantageous given their risk profile. Which only they can judge, and it's not only noobs.

 

[mobilehomer]

That’s your opinion. You’re welcome to it. I’ve been flying quads since 2008. Insurance is for newbs and that’s fine.

Question: do you drive your car without coverage?

 

[msinger]

do you drive your car without coverage?

Driving without car insurance is illegal almost everywhere though. Maybe that's why so many people buy it?

 

[MS Coast]

Question: do you drive your car without coverage?

The important feature, and significant cost component, of automobile insurance is liability coverage. Liability insurance is required by law to operate a vehicle in the US, except for remote areas of Alaska.

You loss with respect to property is limited to the value of the vehicle or drone. Potential liability losses are much, much greater.

DJI Care Refresh offers no liability coverage, merely property loss coverage. And that comes with a fee in addition to the initial cost.

If your flying style, risk taking, and proficiency are high, it's perfectly reasonable to go without Care Refresh. DJI is betting on a large number of people buying Care Refresh who will never use it. If you're confident that you're one of those folks carrying the cost for the folks who will make claims, keep your money and assume the risk yourself.

 

[mavic3usa]

Like most people, I've experienced drone crashes that felt devastating and to some extent, plans like DJI Care Refresh are meant to take the bite out of that devastation. When it comes to drones, I am risk adverse which is why I always get the 2-year plan (where available) not only because it is relatively inexpensive but also because I feel alot better when I am flying and I am covered for loss. The good news for me comes with the ease to complete the repair and the quick replacement and not having to determine the extent of the damage to make a decision to claim or fix it myself. The bad news is I know I'll probably never need to use it and even when I'm covered, my ability to fly more freely or take more chances hasn't materialize as I expected; I still worry about flying in high winds, I still worry when I fly long distances, and I still worry about a sudden failure leading to a crash. Ultimately, the benefits that put me over the top are the extended warranty (as a reward for no claims) and the flyaway coverage for those times when you cannot recover your drone (underwater, stuck in a tree, lost in the forest, etc).

 

[Droning on and on...]

Driving without car insurance is illegal almost everywhere though. Maybe that's why so many people buy it?

Some.

However, it is my opinion that most buy it because accidents do happen. To almost everyone at some point in their driving experience.

 

[Droning on and on...]

DJI is betting on a large number of people buying Care Refresh who will never use it.

So am I.

If you're confident that you're one of those folks carrying the cost for the folks who will make claims, keep your money and assume the risk yourself.

See comment above

I've used it twice with my Avata.

And it was not because of any noob lack of skill.

However, judging the value of insurance based on a financial return is completely misunderstanding what insurance products are offering, and what the word means.

If you never make a claim, it's wrong to analyze this and conclude you received nothing of value in exchange for the premium.

Of course you did. You got a promise – that you judged would be kept. That has a lot of value.

 

[slozukimc]

Some.

However, it is my opinion that most buy it because accidents do happen. To almost everyone at some point in their driving experience.

It is nice that you have that much faith in people. I think most anymore would say “It won’t happen to me” and not buy auto insurance if it weren’t a law.

 

[Droning on and on...]

When it comes to drones, I am risk adverse which is why I always get the 2-year plan (where available) not only because it is relatively inexpensive but also because I feel alot better when I am flying and I am covered for loss.

This made me mention that I fly much more the way I want to with CR than I would without it. I take more risks and have a lot more fun.

I don't crash, and then use CR, for every drone. I'm not what I would characterize as "reckless". But I do take chances and go places I otherwise might not if I knew I was looking at total replacement cost should something go wrong.

 

[Droning on and on...]

It is nice that you have that much faith in people. I think most anymore would say “It won’t happen to me” and not buy auto insurance if it weren’t a law.

How, then, do you explain the fact that the vast majority of people carried collision insurance on most cars before it was required by law?

I'm old enough to remember when it wasn't. Even then most cars were insured.

A car is among the most indispensable tools we use in contemporary society. A drone is not. People insure their cars because they need them, not because they're required to by law. Collision coverage is not required, yet most fully-owned vehicles are insured for collision coverage.

 

[mavic3usa]

How, then, do you explain the fact that the vast majority of people carried collision insurance on most cars before it was required by law?

I'm old enough to remember when it wasn't. Even then most cars were insured.

A car is among the most indispensable tools we use in contemporary society. A drone is not. People insure their cars because they need them, not because they're required to by law. Collision coverage is not required, yet most fully-owned vehicles are insured for collision coverage.

Most people have loans on their car and usually the lienholder requires full-coverage. I am not a fan of government-mandated auto insurance but here we are.

 

[slozukimc]

How, then, do you explain the fact that the vast majority of people carried collision insurance on most cars before it was required by law?

I'm old enough to remember when it wasn't. Even then most cars were insured.

A car is among the most indispensable tools we use in contemporary society. A drone is not. People insure their cars because they need them, not because they're required to by law. Collision coverage is not required, yet most fully-owned vehicles are insured for collision coverage.

That may be your experience. I can tell you from living in Alabama in the late 80’s where there was no insurance required at all that virtually no one bought insurance. Not even basic liability. They weren’t spending money on insurance when they could put away the money and replace the car. Problem was no one saved up the money. . I personally know many people that drive cars that aren’t worth putting collision insurance on. My wife is one of them with her 03 Prius. The cost is too much and they won’t pay what it would cost to replace it so why buy it?

 

[sbunting]

Let me echo what I've read here thus far, i.e. you self-insure or you insure. Either costs you something and you need to decide what's best for you.

Let me add something, though, that I haven't seen said, which is this. I figure that most folks crash one in their early days of learning to fly. I certainly did and that lesson, better put lessons, live with me every time I fly henceforth. Plus, you are a member of this forum and you learn vicariously from other's misfortunes.

So starting out, personally, I think it a good thing to have the DJI coverage. As you become a more seasoned flier, you may want to revisit the issue and decide if it is worth continuing. If you sell your drone, the coverage, if still in effect, usually conveys with the sale. As I recall, the 2 year plan does and the 1 year plan does not, but you may wish to check. So that can be a selling point too, if you plan to upgrade often. Again, we all have different viewpoints and experience levels. You are you. There's no right or wrong way to go.

 

[mswlogo]

That may be your experience. I can tell you from living in Alabama in the late 80’s where there was no insurance required at all that virtually no one bought insurance. Not even basic liability. They weren’t spending money on insurance when they could put away the money and replace the car. Problem was no one saved up the money. . I personally know many people that drive cars that aren’t worth putting collision insurance on. My wife is one of them with her 03 Prius. The cost is too much and they won’t pay what it would cost to replace it so why buy it?

Putting collision on an old car is a completely different question. I’ve dropped collision on old cars too. Makes perfect sense. Would you buy care refresh on a 10 year old drone? I don’t think many would.

I think care refresh lets me fly a little more relaxed. Not constantly worrying if something could go wrong.

 

[slozukimc]

Putting collision on an old car is a completely different question. I’ve dropped collision on old cars too. Makes perfect sense. Would you buy care refresh on a 10 year old drone? I don’t think many would.

I think care refresh lets me fly a little more relaxed. Not constantly worrying if something could go wrong.

Honestly, If the cost was fair the option to put care refresh on an older model is very tempting to me. I would feel a lot more comfortable knowing that if something goes wrong and my M100 and Zenmuse XT end up where I don’t want them I could get them repaired or replaced.