My Year-Long Struggle with DJI Support’s Incompetence (and why this matters to you)

[GrizzlyAK]

My Year-Long Struggle with DJI Support’s Incompetence (and why this matters to you)


First, let me get this out of the way: DJI support is completely incompetent. All they know how to do is ask you (repeatedly) to send your drone in after which they will send you a new drone in the hopes that it will resolve whatever problem you are having. Their ability to think beyond that is nonexistent.

Also, the Mavic Pro is currently unacceptable as a platform for serious cinematography. I discovered this after taking my brand-new Mavic Pro Platinum on a trip to Iceland, where much of my footage was ruined due to the issue described in the thread referenced below. I was even chatting with DJI from Iceland about the issue from camp at night. Since then, I’ve spent over a year working with DJI Support trying to get them to fix a bug that afflicts ALL Mavic Pros equally.

First, I tried to convince them there was a problem. Then I had to demonstrate it via video. Then I had to explain it to them, again and again. Then I had to get help from other MP owners on the DJI forum to troubleshoot and identify the problem as being widespread (probably universal), so I could convince DJI support there was indeed a problem (apparently they never watched the video).

I’ve sent my drone(s) in 4 times, and they’ve returned to me brand new ones 2 times, all with exactly the same issue. They couldn’t be convinced that the odds of that being HW-related was miniscule, or that sending it in yet again was, well, going to produce a different outcome. The last three times I included detailed instructions on how to test fly the drone to insure that the issue was resolved prior to sending it back, but that was never done, even though one support rep ‘guaranteed’ me that she would personally oversee the repair to ensure that it was fixed this time. She didn’t. And it wasn’t.

I finally got them to elevate the issue to their R&D department, who did the test I recommended, and they finally acknowledged that there is indeed an issue with the drone (that isn’t HW-based). Actually, thanks to me and a multitude of other MP owners on the DJI forum who took the time to test their own drones under various configurations and confirm that they too exhibited the problem, we determined that the issue was SW related and most likely in the Go4 App that affects all Mavic Pros in the same way. You’ve all probably all experienced it, didn’t know it, or just thought that it was something you had done wrong. The issue disappears when using the Litchi app, according to one user who did the test. So there’s that. However, DJI still has not released an update to their app which would fix this issue for all Mavic Pro owners, nor have they indicated that one is coming.

You can read the thread and watch a video of the problem on the DJI forum here, as well as other posts my me on this forum. Most people don’t even know they have the issue and think that it is just something they’re doing by mistake. It isn’t. It’s a defect. And DJI now knows it.

I initially asked for a refund, but after the first two round trips to DJI support, and the first (of two) brand new drone replacements, they informed me that it was beyond their return policy window. So I then spent time troubleshooting the issue for them so perhaps they could fix it. I had to start over with someone new with every new contact with Support, explaining it all over again, and all they ever wanted was for me to ‘send it back in’. They didn’t even pretend to care beyond the same old template response they all sent me. Once they finally acknowledged that there was an issue, I waited several months for resolution. Nothing. Now this (likely) affects every Mavic Pro out there, but DJI appears uninterested in resolving the issue for us with a SW update. Why should they, the Mavic Pro 2 is now out. So, welcome to being screwed. It’s good to know this, DJI.

After nothing from DJI, and for my troubles, I asked that they either refund me my cost in a return, or apply that cost toward an trade-up to the Mavic 2 Pro (which we determined doesn’t exhibit the same behavior), offering to pay any additional retail costs associated with the exchange. I thought that was fair. They first denied it outright. Then they softened and offered me a new MP! Seriously. Then they offered me a $799 credit for the brand new MPP they just sent me to ‘fix’ my problem, and if I paid them an additional $700, they’d send me a Mavic 2 Pro. After explaining that I had spent over $1,500 on my MPP Fly More Combo, additional battery and props (which, btw, thanks to them are completely incompatible with the Mavic 2 Pro), they softened further and said that since I had the Fly More Kit, that they could offer me $625, versus the additional $700, for a Mavic 2 Pro. Yeah, $75.

If there are enough Mavic Pro owners interested, perhaps a class action lawsuit for collective damages, or replacement, would prompt DJI to take the time to debug their DJI Go4 App and fix it for everyone. Until that fix comes, I will not buy another DJI product.

Anybody interested in a brand new MPP FMC, extra battery, and props for sale?

 

[Mr. Salty]

I'm sorry, but who thinks a sub-$1,000 consumer drone with a micro 2/3 sensor is a platform for serious cinematography?

 

[naiku]

I'm sorry, but who thinks a sub-$1,000 consumer drone with a micro 2/3 sensor is a platform for serious cinematography?

While the issues the OP is having and not getting any resolution stinks, this was my first thought when reading the above. It's not designed for serious cinematography, don't think it was ever marketed as such either.

I do feel for you OP, I have been having a support merry go round with Google since October, still no resolution and as far as I can tell, no one has any clue how to resolve it. So, I definitely understand how maddening it can be.

 

[GrizzlyAK]

I'm sorry, but who thinks a sub-$1,000 consumer drone with a micro 2/3 sensor is a platform for serious cinematography?

There's always at least one...

Movies have been made using an iPhone, handheld, so... yeah, just because you can't use a sub-$1,000 consumer drone with a micro 2/3 sensor to do serious cinematography, doesn't mean it's not possible. I've taken spectacular footage with the MPP, but the defect (assuming you even watched the video) severely limits what can be done (unless, of course, one is so uncoordinated that they can't fly, film, turn, and control the gimbal all at the same time, smoothly). If you are that coordinated, however, you WILL be bitten by this defect, and your footage around that point will be useless. This applies to all MP/MPPs using the DJI Go4 App. It doesn't not, however, affect the M2P. So, it is a SW issue in the App that could, and should, be fixed.

Yeah, I knew exactly what the MPP was capable of when I purchased it, and I also knew it's limitations. But the drone fit the needs perfectly, in terms of size, portability, functionality, etc. So, a 'pro' drone (whatever THAT is) would have been too big, too expensive, too heavy, too difficult to fly effectively, and just a stupid decision.

What you should be asking, instead of being snarky, is, why did DJI just not spend a few hours and fix the bug in support of thousands of MP/MPP owners around the world? But that is not near as 'snarky'.

 

[charliesRig]

OP might your expectation for Mavic pro 1 exceeded its ability.?
.
DJI Is not the First Technology company to come out with a widget ( #1) and Then few month later
come out with another Upgraded widget(#2) While scaling back support on (#1).

and when widget (#3) comes out
Hopefuly There will be a Group of enthusiest that have a common Mind set and want to keep (#1)
flying and it will happen.!

and #4 and #5 will come out ..... and yes it will be expensive But they are going to make
The (#1) seem Very anceint .......
And if #4 & #5 does not....
Consumers wont buy it......... and DJI will go under.
..........................................................................and we will just keep flying our modded Widget #1
.
Personaly I'm keep my widget (#1) and will Purchase widget #2 and will sell my #2 when #4 comes out
.

 

[GrizzlyAK]

OP might your expectation for Mavic pro 1 exceeded its ability.?
.
DJI Is not the First Technology company to come out with a widget ( #1) and Then few month later
come out with another Upgraded widget(#2) While scaling back support on (#1).

and when widget (#3) comes out
Hopefuly There will be a Group of enthusiest that have a common Mind set and want to keep (#1)
flying and it will happen.!

and #4 and #5 will come out ..... and yes it will be expensive But they are going to make
The (#1) seem Very anceint .......
And if #4 & #5 does not....
Consumers wont buy it......... and DJI will go under.
..........................................................................and we will just keep flying our modded Widget #1
.
Personaly I'm keep my widget (#1) and will Purchase widget #2 and will sell my #2 when #4 comes out
.

I think if you had read my post, watched the video, and reviewed the lengthy thread over at DJI's forum, you probably wouldn't be asking me that question, but... there it is.

 

[dirkclod]

Easy there tiger I have read all your post and will resort to this if you continue on as you are
.

This forum is not intended to be a mechanism for people to vent frustrations about manufacturers, distributors or sales from private parties. Please settle your differences with the seller, manufacturer and distributors through other means but not through our community.

 

[charliesRig]

and yes I watch the video and Thats not normal we have other issues Like "Drunkin horizon"
and " intermitten skips" while filming but nothing like seen in your vid were you rotate your craft and it has Pauses Each mavic you recieved did this .?
.
Mavic Pro Platinum Owners - can you replicate this behavior?
.
.

 

[GrizzlyAK]

and yes I watch the video and Thats not normal we have other issues Like "Drunkin horizon"
and " intermitten skips" while filming but nothing like seen in your vid were you rotate your craft and it has Pauses Each mavic you recieved did this .?
.
Mavic Pro Platinum Owners - can you replicate this behavior?
.
.

Yes, and so did the Mavics of multiple other users, in fact, every user who took the time to test it over on my thread on the DJI forum. We're the ones who actually identified it as a SW problem, since all DJI did was send me brand new drones with exactly the same issue. I even sent a detailed description of how to test the drone before they sent it back 'fixed', which they never did. Not until this was elevated to their R&D department (above support), did someone actually test fly their own Mavic and admit that they saw it and that it was indeed a SW/FW issue.

We did find in that testing by others that the MP did not exhibit this behavior with the Litchi app (so there is one solution). Also, there was one person who said they didn't notice it when using Go4 on Android (I'm using iPhone). Another confirmed that it does not happen on the M2P.

It's more than just rotating. In my case, I was flying up a canyon while shooting down, and as I came up out of it, I tilted the gimbal upward toward the horizon while turning/yawing. If you are yawing at all when you release the gimbal tilt control, the drone will hesitate, and you will see a visible 'jump' in your footage, one you can't fix in post. The video is exaggerated for effect, but it occurs no matter how 'softly' you release the tilt control.

 

[GrizzlyAK]

Easy there tiger I have read all your post and will resort to this if you continue on as you are
.

Grr... Sorry, dirkclod, it's been a long year. I'm not surprised, unfortunately. I've posted on this forum before and there seems to be a lot of generally unhelpful people trolling the ranks just waiting to jerk people's chains. And that's too bad. I have little tolerance for it, and I frequent many, many forums on a variety of topics. Most are very professional and people bend over backward to help and welcome information about the products they own.

My OP was not a vent, but a description of ineffective resolution by DJI of a problem affecting (very likely all) Mavic Pro owners (and I do believe that is what this forum is about, given its title). I can drop in about 40 email conversations from the last 12 months or so that I summarized above it that would be more acceptable. Do whatever you have to do.

Cheers,
Griz

 

[charliesRig]

I have spun my mavic pro while video-ing and it doesnot Behave like that
But My camera was not orintated like yours and don't fly that close to a cement pad like in you vid
I'll have to try this see if i can't reproduce this effect
.
.....cR
.
.

 

[Dragonfly]

It might have that fault but jeezzz man, stop crying over spilt milk and learn to 1) slow down your Yaw. Yawning the Mavic at that speed does nothing for any video. 2) learn to release the wheel slowly under your finger instead of letting it release under spring pressure and you won't have a problem and far better smoother video. Anyone who let's their sticks go under spring pressure or thumb wheels go under spring pressure, in my book hasn't learnt to fly.
Probably why not many experience this problem / fault.

 

[GrizzlyAK]

I have spun my mavic pro while video-ing and it doesnot Behave like that
But My camera was not orintated like yours and don't fly that close to a cement pad like in you vid
I'll have to try this see if i can't reproduce this effect
.
.....cR
.
.

Please note that the video was done for demostration purposes, in order to best illustrate how the drone would hesitate whenever the gimbal tilt control was released WHILE you were also yawing. This will occur no matter what else the drone is doing at whatever altitude. You can fly it full speed forward, and if you release the gimbal tilt control (say you are tilting up from it pointing straight down, for example) WHILE you are yawing (turning in either direction, then you will see the image jump, and it will be reflected in any video you are capturing. It is the interaction between the ending of the gimbal tilt control and the Yaw control. It doesn't really matter what else is happening at whatever altitude, speed, or direction. Hovering the craft as shown in my video was the easiest way to illustrate the issue and record it on video. It is also a good way to test. In the DJI forum post, I wrote detailed instructions (4 easy steps) how to test this yourself. Let me know what you find. Are you using iOS or Android? Go4 App or Litchi? That makes a difference.

 

[charliesRig]

Android Nexus 7 Latest firmware 40.500 Go4ap updated 02-19 mavic BOD 02-17
....cR
.
To replicate, all you have to do is the following:


(1) Hover the craft

(2) Yaw in either direction continuously

(3) As you yaw, activate and release (let it jump back to center under spring tension) the gimbal tilt control periodically.

(4) Whenever you release the gimbal tilt control, the yaw motion will ‘hesitate’ and the resulting video image will ‘jump’ (this ruins any cinematic footage where you are turning and tilting up or down, and you end the tilt while still turning - at least it has on two drones that I've had in my possession).

My aircraft firmware is v01.04.0300 (with RC, batts, and Go4app at consistent level).

.
.

 

[GrizzlyAK]

It might have that fault but jeezzz man, stop crying over spilt milk and learn to 1) slow down your Yaw. Yawning the Mavic at that speed does nothing for any video. 2) learn to release the wheel slowly under your finger instead of letting it release under spring pressure and you won't have a problem and far better smoother video. Anyone who let's their sticks go under spring pressure or thumb wheels go under spring pressure, in my book hasn't learnt to fly.
Probably why not many experience this problem / fault.

Wow, seriously? You really think I'm that stupid? I'm a physicist and spent a career as a systems and SW engineer, and have even developed control SW for underwater autonomous vehicles. I'm also a pilot. So I know a little about how to fly a drone and using control systems. As explained (multiple times here and elsewhere), the video footage is shown exaggerated for effect. It really doesn't matter how slowly you release the gimbal tilt while yawing, you will get a jump in your video as the drone hesitates for an instant (unless you are using Android or Litchi, which apparently are immune). I've explored this myself in various flight configurations, and even though the hesitation might be slightly less than shown in the video, it is a quite visible jump in your footage. Could it be that you haven't experienced the fault because you don't do coordinated flight trajectories?

 

[GrizzlyAK]

Android Nexus 7 Latest firmware 40.500 Go4ap updated 02-19 mavic BOD 02-17
....cR
.
To replicate, all you have to do is the following:


(1) Hover the craft

(2) Yaw in either direction continuously

(3) As you yaw, activate and release (let it jump back to center under spring tension) the gimbal tilt control periodically.

(4) Whenever you release the gimbal tilt control, the yaw motion will ‘hesitate’ and the resulting video image will ‘jump’ (this ruins any cinematic footage where you are turning and tilting up or down, and you end the tilt while still turning - at least it has on two drones that I've had in my possession).

My aircraft firmware is v01.04.0300 (with RC, batts, and Go4app at consistent level).

.
.

ANDROID. So far, no one with an Android device has experienced this issue to my knowledge. Lucky you. If you have an iPad or iPhone laying around, give it a go and report back. Cheers, and thanks for playing!

 

[tcope]

If there are enough Mavic Pro owners interested, perhaps a class action lawsuit for collective damages, or replacement, would prompt DJI to take the time to debug their DJI Go4 App and fix it for everyone. Until that fix comes, I will not buy another DJI product.

Yawn on the "class action suit" thing. If you feel that you have a case, simply file in small claims court for your money back and call it a day.

 

[GrizzlyAK]

Yawn on the "class action suit" thing. If you feel that you have a case, simply file in small claims court for your money back and call it a day.

What's the point of that comment, tcope? Just curious why you felt the need to share it with such disdain. What is it with people on this forum?

 

[GrizzlyAK]

This forum is a serious waste of time. See ya. Good luck.

 

[Grumpy D]

This forum is a serious waste of time. See ya. Good luck.

It can be at times. I just waisted a lot of time reading this crap.