Pulling the trigger on a drone

Mile_high · Dec 15, 2020

I'm looking to buy a Mavic Air 2. Is there any benefit to buying directly from DJI over, Amazon or Best Buy?

TruGreen · Dec 15, 2020

free shipping and no tax ( at least it used to be tax free... now it varies from state to state). with a 1% credit given to you it the form of future DJI purchase. so spend a grand on DJI site get 10 in store credit to be used on next purchase

JackL · Dec 15, 2020

Get the AIR2 flymore package!! Thank me later.

Mile_high · Dec 15, 2020

JackL said:
Get the AIR2 flymore package!! Thank me later.

Oh I had planned on that, I'll thank you now.

maelstrom · Dec 15, 2020

Mile_high said:
Is there any benefit to buying directly from DJI over, Amazon or Best Buy?

You will almost certainly have better return options with Amazon if the drone is DOA.

Delenot · Dec 15, 2020

I went with Best Buy for my Mini, and purchased the Best Buy extended warranty. 4 months out I had a water landing. The drone seemed to work fine after it dried out but I know after that it was a time bomb. So, I exchanged it with the warranty. What the CSR at the store did was had me pay out the pro rated portion on the warranty I had used (4 months) and restarted the warranty from the exchange date. So for about $30 (guessing) I had a brand new drone and a full warranty upon exchange. He told me just make sure you have a least part of the drone with you or the warranty can't help you, so no fly aways. I double checked this with a second store and was confirmed that this is their policy. To me this is awesome and well worth the extra cost! Check it out before you buy, might be well your time.

DanMan32 · Dec 15, 2020

Wow, they will cover claim due to pilot error? That's pretty good!

Mile_high · Dec 15, 2020

Delenot said:
I went with Best Buy for my Mini, and purchased the Best Buy extended warranty. 4 months out I had a water landing. The drone seemed to work fine after it dried out but I know after that it was a time bomb. So, I exchanged it with the warranty. What the CSR at the store did was had me pay out the pro rated portion on the warranty I had used (4 months) and restarted the warranty from the exchange date. So for about $30 (guessing) I had a brand new drone and a full warranty upon exchange. He told me just make sure you have a least part of the drone with you or the warranty can't help you, so no fly aways. I double checked this with a second store and was confirmed that this is their policy. To me this is awesome and well worth the extra cost! Check it out before you buy, might be well your time.

Thanks, that sounds a lot better than the DJI refresh program.

THE CYBORG · Dec 15, 2020

Mile_high said:
Thanks, that sounds a lot better than the DJI refresh program.

Drone insurance is also a better buy than DJI refresh

msinger · Dec 16, 2020

Mile_high said:
Is there any benefit to buying directly from DJI over, Amazon or Best Buy?

If you want the drone today, get it from Best Buy.

If you like accessories, Amazon usually has packages that include various 3rd party accessories. Also, it's a convenient place to buy.

If you buy from DJI, the purchase will be tax free and you'll get a 1% credit back for use on a future purchase in the DJI Store. See more details here.

FWIW, I own many DJI drones and never had to return one due to it being DOA on arrival.

Starz · Dec 16, 2020

Best Buy. Easier to deal with just because it’s local.

fullbore · Dec 16, 2020

If getting it from DJI, big wait time difference between DJI China vs DJI outlet in US. I got MA2 with SC from US DJI outlet and received it in 2 days. Best Buy did not carry MA2 with SC.

Delenot · Dec 16, 2020

It surprised the heck out of me too. That's why I called a second store to confirm the warranty claim was handled correctly and not just rushed out the door by a new guy. But yes, it covers piolet error. Just be sure to have a part of the drone for the claim. The only thing both stores told me about refusal to cover is of you have a completely missing drone. And I was iffy about getting the plan when I bought the drone. SO glad I did!

Delenot · Dec 16, 2020

Secondary note about the coverage. When I had the water landing the ONLY part replaced was the damaged part, just the drone AND the battery itself. The SD card was fine so I didn't think to ask about it at the time. They did not replace the entire system. So a simple pairing and I was good too go.

DanMan32 · Dec 16, 2020

How did they do that? Steal the AC from another package? If so it wouldn't have mattered to them if they exchanged the entire setup or only affected parts.

tkshaffer70 · Dec 16, 2020

I found the gift promotion worthy of going through DJI. I wanted another SD card anyway, and with discounts it basically gives you the fly more combo price but adds free refresh, 128gb sd card and a scarf to help you survive hypothermia. A no-brainer.

Delenot · Dec 16, 2020

DanMan32 said:
How did they do that? Steal the AC from another package? If so it wouldn't have mattered to them if they exchanged the entire setup or only affected parts.

I'm not certain. Perhaps the warranty only covers the defective portion. But that's exactly what the guy did. He pulled a new package from inventory and swapped out the damaged part.

TruGreen · Dec 16, 2020

Delenot said:
I'm not certain. Perhaps the warranty only covers the defective portion. But that's exactly what the guy did. He pulled a new package from inventory and swapped out the damaged part.

theyll just send the defective unit back to the company for refund

DanMan32 · Dec 16, 2020

Right, so then they could just as easily take all of what he had and given him a new one, then send his package out for credit.

A.O. · Dec 17, 2020

tkshaffer70 said:
I found the gift promotion worthy of going through DJI. I wanted another SD card anyway, and with discounts it basically gives you the fly more combo price but adds free refresh, 128gb sd card and a scarf to help you survive hypothermia. A no-brainer.

Until you get that scarf caught in the props, then it might really be a no brainer.. ?