I suffered a catastrophic aircraft loss of my Mavic Air 2 aircraft last weekend, due entirely to operator error. I don't want to get into details, but for a split second there, I'd really wished I'd taken up remote-controlled submarines as a hobby.
It is a total loss (one which, I will note, had nothing to do delivering beers). The aircraft was unrecoverable without risking more equipment and the possible drowning of one or more people – and not even the family members who most deserve it.
But that's not my point here. My point here is that I's like to share the experience I had with DJI when I asked about buying a replacement from them. I'm not mad about how it turned out, but I was a little surprised and disappointed. And others might benefit from knowing what to expect.
After a few rounds of emails over a few days, DJI sent me an invoice for a new aircraft: $554, plus $7 shipping. This is the aircraft with nothing else except the gimbal camera, which was nice of them to throw in, I guess, especially since it's attached.
Presumably, they'd also throw in the gimbal cover (which is the only part of the old aircraft I still have – hmmm... perhaps I should have sent that in for a DJI Care Refresh claim: "It's all that remains of the aircraft.")
So, to get that replacement aircraft in the air, I would need to spend $115 to replace the battery, and some propellers ($20 or so). That totals $689 (not including the shipping).
A spanking-new retail-package Mavic Air 2 is $799 – just $110 less – which includes another remote, the battery charger, an extra pair of propellers, all the connecting cables, and a few other things – the value of which is hard to say exactly, but certainly more than $110.
DJI was basically asking me to pay more for the aircraft than I did when I bought it the first time (as part of the larger package). I inquired about whether there was any discount to be had, and was told no, no discount was immediately available, but that my request could be forwarded off to another office for consideration.
On top of that, it was going to take 5-7 days for DJI to process the order, not including shipping (and not including any time it might take to be given a discount). That was a killer for me.
So I decided to go for the new retail package. It can't hurt to have another charger, and I'd be really mad if I killed my controller somehow in the next few months and had to shell out $160 for a new one. And there's enough value in the other stuff, I think.
It would have been nice if DJI had taken a little mercy on me and given me a bit of a break on the aircraft. Do I deserve such a thing? No. And they're in the business of selling drones, not discounting them. But it would have been nice – it kind of feels like they set a high price on this because they suspect I'm a captive customer, which I totally am. (And in the end, I really stuck it to them by paying even more money for the full retail package.)
Side note: I've seen lots of talk about State Farm covering drones, and I have State Farm, and indeed my coverage specifically does cover hobbyist aircraft. But there's a $2,000 deductible, which means I would have had to crash my $557 drone into my car and set it on fire in order to have any sort of insurance claim.
Anyway! Just wanted to lay this out for people so they'll know what to expect from DJI if they require a similar replacement.
I'll put this in a free-standing post so not everyone has to read through all this but: I now have 2 spare micro-USB remote cables and 2 spare USB-C remote cables. If anyone would like one and is willing to send me a self-addressed stamped envelope, please message me and I'll be happy to get that going. And if anyone has smashed their remote controller and would like a loaner that I would recall only if I smashed my own remote, please feel free to get in touch.
It is a total loss (one which, I will note, had nothing to do delivering beers). The aircraft was unrecoverable without risking more equipment and the possible drowning of one or more people – and not even the family members who most deserve it.
But that's not my point here. My point here is that I's like to share the experience I had with DJI when I asked about buying a replacement from them. I'm not mad about how it turned out, but I was a little surprised and disappointed. And others might benefit from knowing what to expect.
After a few rounds of emails over a few days, DJI sent me an invoice for a new aircraft: $554, plus $7 shipping. This is the aircraft with nothing else except the gimbal camera, which was nice of them to throw in, I guess, especially since it's attached.
Presumably, they'd also throw in the gimbal cover (which is the only part of the old aircraft I still have – hmmm... perhaps I should have sent that in for a DJI Care Refresh claim: "It's all that remains of the aircraft.")
So, to get that replacement aircraft in the air, I would need to spend $115 to replace the battery, and some propellers ($20 or so). That totals $689 (not including the shipping).
A spanking-new retail-package Mavic Air 2 is $799 – just $110 less – which includes another remote, the battery charger, an extra pair of propellers, all the connecting cables, and a few other things – the value of which is hard to say exactly, but certainly more than $110.
DJI was basically asking me to pay more for the aircraft than I did when I bought it the first time (as part of the larger package). I inquired about whether there was any discount to be had, and was told no, no discount was immediately available, but that my request could be forwarded off to another office for consideration.
On top of that, it was going to take 5-7 days for DJI to process the order, not including shipping (and not including any time it might take to be given a discount). That was a killer for me.
So I decided to go for the new retail package. It can't hurt to have another charger, and I'd be really mad if I killed my controller somehow in the next few months and had to shell out $160 for a new one. And there's enough value in the other stuff, I think.
It would have been nice if DJI had taken a little mercy on me and given me a bit of a break on the aircraft. Do I deserve such a thing? No. And they're in the business of selling drones, not discounting them. But it would have been nice – it kind of feels like they set a high price on this because they suspect I'm a captive customer, which I totally am. (And in the end, I really stuck it to them by paying even more money for the full retail package.)
Side note: I've seen lots of talk about State Farm covering drones, and I have State Farm, and indeed my coverage specifically does cover hobbyist aircraft. But there's a $2,000 deductible, which means I would have had to crash my $557 drone into my car and set it on fire in order to have any sort of insurance claim.
Anyway! Just wanted to lay this out for people so they'll know what to expect from DJI if they require a similar replacement.
I'll put this in a free-standing post so not everyone has to read through all this but: I now have 2 spare micro-USB remote cables and 2 spare USB-C remote cables. If anyone would like one and is willing to send me a self-addressed stamped envelope, please message me and I'll be happy to get that going. And if anyone has smashed their remote controller and would like a loaner that I would recall only if I smashed my own remote, please feel free to get in touch.
Last edited:
