Strange attitude from DJI care refresh rep

[Mazdaman323lx]

I am sending my MA-2 back to DJI for care refresh as it spend 24 hours in the sea . However I contacted online support beforehand as in my opinion sending a salt water wet battery through the post is not a great idea . I can't dry the inside of the battery and god knows what kind of corrosion is happening internally and is likely a fire risk . DJI support - " Just dry it best you can and send it back , it'll be grand "
Thoughts ?

 

[Clintoops]

It really depends on the company that is shipping it back.
I would be honest with them so you won't be held responsible if something were to happen . Ask them if they will accept the battery. Let them talk to the receiving company if not

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Carriage of the battery is at the discretion of the carrier. Somewhere in the DJI literature I have seen mention of what to do if the carrier refuses to transport the battery. It might have been "show DJI a copy of the refusal" but whatever it was, I recollect that the conclusion was DJI would replace the battery if it was refused by the carrier and proof of the refusal was forwarded to DJI.
Unfortunately you'll have to do a bit of googling to find that as I can't remember where I saw it.

 

[old man mavic]

@Mazdaman323lx hi fellow flyer ,this post is not a joke ,just wanted to get that out of the way first
one of the safest ways to completely drain a lipo battery, so it is as flat as possible ,is to actually make a strong saline solution ,half fill a 2 gallon bucket add salt and stir it well to dissolve all the salt , then turn on the battery if it will let you ,it still works if not, but takes a little longer then drop the battery into the solution and you will see it start to bubble,leave it for at least 24 hours,or until the bubbles stop

 

[Deleted member 103366]

so is it probably well emptied already?

 

[1TenaciousG]

I am sending my MA-2 back to DJI for care refresh as it spend 24 hours in the sea . However I contacted online support beforehand as in my opinion sending a salt water wet battery through the post is not a great idea . I can't dry the inside of the battery and god knows what kind of corrosion is happening internally and is likely a fire risk . DJI support - " Just dry it best you can and send it back , it'll be grand "
Thoughts ?

As for the "attitude" portion, of this post, I'm guessing the "It'll be grand" remark, was the focus of your interest? If so, I'm pretty sure it was just a translation issue, and they were attempting to say "It'll be fine". I've recieved some colorful responses, in the past, that I'm sure were caused by their lack of solid English, rather than them being snarky. Lol.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

"It'll be grand" remark, was the focus of your interest?

Grand = colloquialism for "every thing will be alright" or "everything is ok" etc..
I am not sure if it is English English but I have certainly heard it used as such in Ireland, both North and South, and I think in Scotland. I use it myself but I do not remember where I learnt it.
If MazdaMan323lx's quote is verbatim I would suspect he was talking to a native speaker of English from the UK or Eire.
If Mazdaman323lx is Irish or British I would be surprised if there was confusion over its intended meaning, I think the question of attitude relates to the sending of the soaked battery.

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

Grand = colloquialism for "every thing will be alright" or "everything is ok" etc..
I am not sure if it is English English but I have certainly heard it used as such in Ireland, both North and South, and I think in Scotland. I use it myself but I do not remember where I learnt it.
If MazdaMan323lx's quote is verbatim I would suspect he was talking to a native speaker of English from the UK or Eire.
If Mazdaman323lx is Irish or British I would be surprised if there was confusion over its intended meaning, I think the question of attitude relates to the sending of the soaked battery.

Sorry folks my bad , let me clarify . He didn't say it'll be grand , ( Irish for it will be perfectly ok ) he said , and I quote
Me - Battery got submerged in water .
DJI - "Is there any physical deformation with the battery like a swollen one "
Me - "No"
DJI - "Alright make sure you dry it before sending it back to us"
He implied that once dry it would be ok / fine / grand


I only highlight this because if I try to order a new pristine battery from amazon or anywhere else in Europe I get "the seller doesn't ship to my location" . I am open to correction but I assume because its a lithium battery sellers are unwilling to post them abroad ?

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

As OMM replied, salt water is a well known method to make lipos safe for disposal, though it is argued that they are still not safe for normal disposal, rather the should still be disposed of to proper battery recycle points.

But there are as many posts online about salt water lipo neutralisation not being that effective, or safe.

Not sure about safe for travel as per the original post DJI response, but the strong salt solution is conductive and (is supposed to short the battery, and drain it of all power within a day or two.

Most of the stuff found online re this is for soft pack lipos used in FPV drones, model cars, boats, airplanes etc.
The hard casings in the DJI batteries may make it take longer for this to work, they are made quite a lot more watertight than soft packs.

I would follow the advice above, advise (seek advice from) the potential carrier you have a discharged lipo battery to ship, is it ok, what do you need to do if they will take it, etc.

If it needs safe disposal later (if not sent) take it to a battery recycle place.
I've taken quite a few small laptop type batteries, along with many vehicle batteries etc to recycle centres over the years.
Just a safer option overall, and if anything can be reused from lithium to plastic, it just makes one feel a little better that this will happen.

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

As OMM replied, salt water is a well known method to make lipos safe for disposal, though it is argued that they are still not safe for normal disposal, rather the should still be disposed of to proper battery recycle points.

But there are as many posts online about salt water lipo neutralisation not being that effective, or safe.

Not sure about safe for travel as per the original post DJI response, but the strong salt solution is conductive and (is supposed to short the battery, and drain it of all power within a day or two.

Most of the stuff found online re this is for soft pack lipos used in FPV drones, model cars, boats, airplanes etc.
The hard casings in the DJI batteries may make it take longer for this to work, they are made quite a lot more watertight than soft packs.

I would follow the advice above, advise (seek advice from) the potential carrier you have a discharged lipo battery to ship, is it ok, what do you need to do if they will take it, etc.

If it needs safe disposal later (if not sent) take it to a battery recycle place.
I've taken quite a few small laptop type batteries, along with many vehicle batteries etc to recycle centres over the years.
Just a safer option overall, and if anything can be reused from lithium to plastic, it just makes one feel a little better that this will happen.

Thanks for that . I was worried about posting something that could potentially catch fire . I have it in rice all day , I'll see what DHL say tomorrow about shipping it.

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

@Mazdaman323lx hi fellow flyer ,this post is not a joke ,just wanted to get that out of the way first
one of the safest ways to completely drain a lipo battery, so it is as flat as possible ,is to actually make a strong saline solution ,half fill a 2 gallon bucket add salt and stir it well to dissolve all the salt , then turn on the battery if it will let you ,it still works if not, but takes a little longer then drop the battery into the solution and you will see it start to bubble,leave it for at least 24 hours,or until the bubbles stop

Thank you Sir , learned something new today

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Rice is apparently a www myth.
For a drone loose rice/anything is BAD idea, dust and crushed grains get everywhere

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

Rice is apparently a www myth.
For a drone loose rice/anything is BAD idea, dust and crushed grains get everywhere

It's in one of my wife's nylon stockings lol , just the battery mind you , she's not a big girl . Jurys out on the rice thing but surrounded by rice in hot press for a few hours can hurt . Can't think of anything else

 

[old man mavic]

@Mazdaman323lx ,i am a little confused why DJI have asked specifically for the battery to be returned is it part of the care refresh deal that the battery has to be returned with the drone ,i ask because i have heard of care refresh being used by people, where the drone has fallen from the sky ,and the battery has ejected from the drone causing the crash, or as a result of the impact and either been lost or destroyed in the process

 

[Deleted member 103366]

It's in one of my wife's nylon stockings lol , ju

I hope you had permission lol

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

@Mazdaman323lx ,i am a little confused why DJI have asked specifically for the battery to be returned is it part of the care refresh deal that the battery has to be returned with the drone ,i ask because i have heard of care refresh being used by people, where the drone has fallen from the sky ,and the battery has ejected from the drone causing the crash, or as a result of the impact and either been lost or destroyed in the process

Its was part of the express refresh - online process , the application requested the drone serial number AND the battery serial number . It stated if the battery was part of the claim it was to be returned unless it was swollen or seriously damaged , and if so , photographic proof of the damaged battery had to be sent to DJI for review . Wonder if they can disable a battery that was claimed for but not returned via its serial number ?

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

I hope you had permission lol

What do you think ?

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Well...... lol

 

[LoudThunder]

Carriage of the battery is at the discretion of the carrier. Somewhere in the DJI literature I have seen mention of what to do if the carrier refuses to transport the battery. It might have been "show DJI a copy of the refusal" but whatever it was, I recollect that the conclusion was DJI would replace the battery if it was refused by the carrier and proof of the refusal was forwarded to DJI.
Unfortunately you'll have to do a bit of googling to find that as I can't remember where I saw it.

The information I think you are referring to is in the DJI Care Refresh Policy, paragraph 4… Pay particular attention to the "second indent" in the NOTE of subparagraph 2)…

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Copied from the DJI Care Refresh Policy -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-

4. Coverage Parts

1) Covered Parts List: aircraft × 1, gimbal × 1, camera × 1, propellers (pair) × 2, and battery × 1 .

2) If you apply for the replacement service for accidental damage to your product, please send back the DJI product parts mentioned in the covered parts list above [see the annotation below]. Then, DJI will provide you with the corresponding replacement products. If you apply for the flyaway replacement service, there is no need to send back any parts. DJI will provide you with the corresponding replacement products after completing the replacement service process.

Note:

- If your battery is functioning normally, you can choose whether or not to send it back: If the battery is sent back, DJI will provide you with a battery as part of this accidental damage replacement service; if the battery is not sent back, a replacement battery will not be provided.

- If your battery cannot be shipped out or is rejected by the courier due to severe damage, please contact DJI to provide proof of damaged battery in form of photos or videos, a replacement battery will be provided after photo/video verification.

3) The replacement units are new or equivalent to new in performance and reliability as the same model of your original DJI product.

4) Parts not mentioned in the covered parts list are not covered by the replacement service, so there is no need to send them back.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Copied from the DJI Care Refresh Policy -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-

DJI uses UPS to ship. When you receive you Return Shipping Label, it will be for UPS and when you receive your replacement, it will come by UPS…

So, if you are concerned about shipping your battery, here is the UPS Battery Shipping instructions web site…

How To Ship Batteries | UPS - United States

Hope this information helps and Good Luck…