Returning a Mavic 3 to vendor

[370Z2017]

Just purchased a Mavic 3 and found out it is a refurbished unit. The 5th character from the left is an S. It was advertised as new. I have activated this and purchased DJI refresh. I have searched the forum for the procedures but I seem to get lost when reading so many threads regarding the correct return procedures. Can anyone steer me in the right direction please? Thank you!

 

[msinger]

Can anyone steer me in the right direction please?

You should be able to contact your specific vendor and ask how to return your purchase.

 

[mavic3usa]

If you really like the drone and you got a good deal, I would figure out what you are willing to pay for a refurbished unit and then ask the seller to met that difference. For example a new drone costs about $2,000 and you believe a refurb in excellent condition goes for 85% then you might ask for $300. You would be surprised but often a refurb is *better* than a new drone and that might especially be true for the Mavic 3 where you could be getting new "old stock units since they went EOL awhile back.

For example, and this is strictly an example, and likely doesn't apply to you: When the Mavic 3 launched in Nov '21, it had GPS problems. If DJI ultimately found the problem and fixed it in software so all drones would work fine but quietly rolled in a new piece of hardware in Dec '22 (to make it even more reliable) that could be replaced on the refurb line, a NIB drone prior to then will have the old part A and the refurb will have part B. B is better than A. Oh and after 1 year of studying the returns, DJI could be finding out the antenna screw starts to work loose and 1% new drone buyer would have intermittent disconnect issues around month 11. On the refurb line, team members were asked to place locktite on screw C to fix this which is not in the new drone but only the refurbs. Will your new drone have a problem, most likely not. Again, these are hypothetical refurb > new.

But it shows why a *good* refurb line is sometimes better than NIB. Look at the drone you have now and decide if it's good enough for you. Even a new drone after 3 months is no better than a refurb so you really only get to enjoy it for a short period. I would take the ($300) but I realize some people love new and shiny things with stickers and zero history. For me, the reason to buy new is if you couldn't get DJI Care Refresh fully or a warranty and ultimately if you crash in a month or two, you'll be in the same boat anyway. I have a refurb Mavic 2 Zoom and even today, you couldn't tell it's a refurb. Negotiate.

 

[370Z2017]

Thank you for all the very positive and good advice. Do I need to unbind the drone/remove from my account? How do I transfer my DJI Care Refresh to another new drone?

 

[msinger]

The 5th character from the left is an S

Can you link the official DJI source where this is stated?

Everything I can find (for example) states "the fifth from last character will be S or R".

 

[GadgetGuy]

If you really like the drone and you got a good deal, I would figure out what you are willing to pay for a refurbished unit and then ask the seller to met that difference. For example a new drone costs about $2,000 and you believe a refurb in excellent condition goes for 85% then you might ask for $300. You would be surprised but often a refurb is *better* than a new drone and that might especially be true for the Mavic 3 where you could be getting new "old stock units since they went EOL awhile back.

For example, and this is strictly an example, and likely doesn't apply to you: When the Mavic 3 launched in Nov '21, it had GPS problems. If DJI ultimately found the problem and fixed it in software so all drones would work fine but quietly rolled in a new piece of hardware in Dec '22 (to make it even more reliable) that could be replaced on the refurb line, a NIB drone prior to then will have the old part A and the refurb will have part B. B is better than A. Oh and after 1 year of studying the returns, DJI could be finding out the antenna screw starts to work loose and 1% new drone buyer would have intermittent disconnect issues around month 11. On the refurb line, team members were asked to place locktite on screw C to fix this which is not in the new drone but only the refurbs. Will your new drone have a problem, most likely not. Again, these are hypothetical refurb > new.

But it shows why a *good* refurb line is sometimes better than NIB. Look at the drone you have now and decide if it's good enough for you. Even a new drone after 3 months is no better than a refurb so you really only get to enjoy it for a short period. I would take the ($300) but I realize some people love new and shiny things with stickers and zero history. For me, the reason to buy new is if you couldn't get DJI Care Refresh fully or a warranty and ultimately if you crash in a month or two, you'll be in the same boat anyway. I have a refurb Mavic 2 Zoom and even today, you couldn't tell it's a refurb. Negotiate.

This assumes that Refurb units are actually repaired units, rather than just new units in plain black boxes from the same assembly line as new retail boxed units with all accessories. I have been told they are the latter, rather than the former, by a DJI manager, during an escalated refurbishment replacement.

Nevertheless, I totally agree that the refurb is always a better deal, and often on the original pre-anti-rollback FW that offers more flexibility for those wanting to customize their flight experience. Refurbs offer the same DJI Care as new units, and are purchased at a significant discount. Hardest part is finding Refurb stock to purchase!

 

[370Z2017]

Can you link the official DJI source where this is stated?

Everything I can find (for example) states "the fifth from last character will be S or R".

Read it on this forum: WAGS1 8/21/22

 

[msinger]

Read it on this forum: WAGS1 8/21/22

I'm not sure what "WAGS1 8/21/22" means. Can you post the link?

 

[370Z2017]

Wags1 is forum member. He mentioned the DJI source in a thread on 8/21/22

 

[msinger]

Here is wags1's post:

No longer a virgin - Mini 2 in a tree

It only took a week but my new Mini 2 ended up in a tree last night. I was at a friends party taking some pics and doing some dronie videos of the group. It was a fairly tight yard with lots of trees, I thought I was being careful...LOL. First couple of dronies went fine but then I miss judged...

mavicpilots.com

His statement matches the official DJI statement I shared above:
"For all refurbished products, the fifth from last character will be "S"or "R"."

Why are you looking at the 5th character from the left? Or did you really mean the last?

 

[GadgetGuy]

His statement matches the official DJI statement I shared above:
"For all refurbished products, the fifth from last character will be "S"or "R"."

DJI's official statement holds true as 5th from last character on my Mavic 3 Refurb (with an S), but not on my Mavic 2 Pro Refurb, where no S or R appears anywhere in the serial number! So its absence is not necessarily dispositive, but its presence certainly is.

 

[370Z2017]

Here is wags1's post:

No longer a virgin - Mini 2 in a tree

It only took a week but my new Mini 2 ended up in a tree last night. I was at a friends party taking some pics and doing some dronie videos of the group. It was a fairly tight yard with lots of trees, I thought I was being careful...LOL. First couple of dronies went fine but then I miss judged...

mavicpilots.com

His statement matches the official DJI statement I shared above:
"For all refurbished products, the fifth from last character will be "S"or "R"."

Why are you looking at the 5th character from the left? Or did you really mean the last?

Yes I really meant the last. Thanks for the correction.

 

[mobilehomer]

You CANNOT transfer Care Refresh. You have seven days from the purchase of Care Refresh to request a refund. You need to open a case with DJI. It will not affect the drone purchase, just the CR. Then, buy again when you get the new drone.

 

[370Z2017]

You CANNOT transfer Care Refresh. You have seven days from the purchase of Care Refresh to request a refund. You need to open a case with DJI. It will not affect the drone purchase, just the CR. Then, buy again when you get the new drone.

This is great, thanks! I hope I can get this started in time!

 

[Felix le Chat]

Am I the only one wondering how many times the vendor has gotten away with buying heavily discounted refurbs then selling them on as new-in-box?

 

[370Z2017]

There are probably a lot of people experiencing this and just don't report it. Once someone receives one of these, there are a lot of tell tale things that jump right out at you.

 

[mavic3usa]

Just to keep it in context, the law talks about describing or labeling or otherwise making the buyer believe they are getting new goods when they are not. Sell the product but don't call it new. Has nothing to do with the price or the profit or the cost, etc. I don't think it is as widespread with reputable merchants but with other outlets....probably so.

Selling Refurbished as New

The federal truth-in-advertising law, administered by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, requires that refurbished and reconditioned items are properly labeled. This means that a seller cannot describe a returned or refurbished item as "new." Where a seller advertises a smartphone as new, for example, and in fact it has been used and refurbished, he could be facing criminal fraud charges, fines and jail time. More importantly, as a buyer you can file a lawsuit against the supplier for misrepresentation. If successful, you will be able to cancel the transaction and get your money back.

 

[370Z2017]

Thank you for the clarification. This seller advertised on Amazon. I should be refunded soon.

 

[GadgetGuy]

There are probably a lot of people experiencing this and just don't report it. Once someone receives one of these, there are a lot of tell tale things that jump right out at you.

Such as? If it is truly a DJI Refurbished drone, you will not be able to tell any difference. In most cases, they are, in fact, also brand new from the same manufacturing line, just relegated for replacement drones rather than retail box sales. It is cheaper for DJI to replace them with brand new units labelled Refurbished than to repair them!

 

[370Z2017]

Such as the DJI white box was not sealed in clear plastic. The white box had no picture of the Mavic 3 drone, all it said was DJI Mavic 3. There were white labels covering the the DJI manufacture bar code labels indicating this was a Mavic 3 and indicating on the label it was "NEW". There was no manufacter "tape" to be cut to open the white box. Inside the box the drone came enclosed with the pouch that a new drone would normally have, except you could tell that drone pouch was previously opened and reclosed. It did arrive with all the other components it should of had and they did not appear to be opened. I activated the drone and noticed that when the power was cut off the gimbal would not "center" and lock in place.. It would lock in place off to the left side. To conclude... If this was a new drone regulated for replacement drones, the serial number would not have indicated it was a refurbished drone by the 5th from the last character as being "S". The drone was advertised on Amazon by the seller as "NEW". It was not sold to me with a refurbished price.