The DJI Care Refresh Express Experience (for me)

[Hooked on Drones]

I wanted to give back in a small way to this community and share my recent experiences with DJI shipping and Care Refresh. A little context. I live in St. Louis, MO USA – the middle part. All times are my local time. California is two hours behind Missouri. I'm a middle-aged dad who rides a motorcycle for fun, enjoys photography, and thought drones would be a fun extension of those. For me drones combines the enjoyment of photography with things that get up and go – with all the associated risk.

So, on to my experience.

I ordered my snazzy new Mini 2 with the DJI Care Refresh 2-Year Plan on Thursday, March 4* (DJI's documentation on this plan is sparse and inconsistent. The one blog post I found has not been updated to reflect updates such as flyaway coverage. The plan I purchased covers three replacement units within two years).

Four days later, on March 8th, I received a service agreement and shipping notice. The drone arrived on March 11th via FedEx (from Georgia). Seven days later. Not bad at all given the current state of the world.

I got the whole family up on March 12th at 6 AM to take the drone up in our back yard and catch the sunrise. We flew for about a half hour just getting the hang of things.

Then I crashed on Saturday, March 13th at 1:29 PM - 19 minutes into the flight. I cursed under my breath, laughed at myself, and was grateful that I bought the Care Refresh. Immediately went home and filed a claim. I was presented with the express option and took it. No need for inspection, quote, and payment. $49 up front for the first instance.

A few hours later (Saturday, March 13 at 5PM to be exact) I was sent a UPS label. Packaged up the drone (with gimbal cover and propellers - no battery or accessories) and slapped the UPS label on the box. Since it was late Saturday, the earliest I could get to a UPS store was Monday morning. Dropped the drone off promptly at 8:30 Monday morning - March 15th.

According to UPS, the sad little drone arrived at DJI's repair center in California Thursday, March 18th at 10:27 AM. DJI sent me at notice at Noon on the same day that they had received the item for replacement. At 2:25 PM DJI sent another email letting me know the replacement was on its way. UPS tracking number included. UPS sent another email at 6 PM saying it had departed the DJI facilities. Replacement arrived on Tuesday, March 23 at 11:50 AM. Eight days since I shipped off the Mini 2.

The replacement drone looks brand new. It came in retail drone-only box with all the little stickers. No accessories naturally, but all the cardboard bits and cutouts for the controller were present. No S or R in the serial number (as some have said that indicates a serviced or replacement drone).

I immediately plopped in a charged battery, paired with the controller and took it up for a flight to test controls. Everything appears to be working as intended.

Result: Success! Learned I'm an overconfident idiot. Happy with DJI's repair service. I recommend the Care Plus, even if you don't think you'll make a mistake. You will. We’re human.

Also, stay away from bird houses.

Now this is all my own experience. There are many factors in play. Geography, weather, time of day, UPS' capacity, how busy the DJI service center was that day, etc. Your time will be different, please don't take it out on the poor customer service person if things take a little longer. Contact DJI if you have issues. They are accessible all over the place (I've even seen them responding to folks on Reddit!). They're trying their best, and for someone like me, flying for fun, I had to keep reminding myself, it's not life or death.

* Oh, and if you order from DJI, don't skip the 5% coupon if you subscribe to their newsletter. It saved me $30 which helped cover part of the cost of the Care Refresh ($79)

Thanks for the information -- happy to hear you had a good experience with Care Refresh.

 

[SW_Drone_Guy]

What will you buy/replace it with?
just curious..

Almost certainly a Mavic Mini 2. I was very pleased with the Mini, but the Mini2 will be an improvement. YouTube is full of comparisons... The portability is the best thing about them, IMO. The video and image quality (of the Mini) are plenty good for my needs, so the Mini2 will be a step up - and I'm really looking forward to the Mini2's extended range... I'll be sure to buy the Care Refresh plan again.

 

[danjlaz]

Almost certainly a Mavic Mini 2. I was very pleased with the Mini, but the Mini2 will be an improvement. YouTube is full of comparisons... The portability is the best thing about them, IMO. The video and image quality (of the Mini) are plenty good for my needs, so the Mini2 will be a step up - and I'm really looking forward to the Mini2's extended range... I'll be sure to buy the Care Refresh plan again.

I am also curious, did you sell your replacement Mini mainly because it was "like new refurbished", or because you really want the Mini 2 and would have sold your original Mini anyways? How are you certain that the Mini they sent you is refurbished and not actually brand new?

I also sent my crashed Air 2S in for replacement earlier in the week, and I am really hoping they send me a brand new one and not a refurb, though obviously I will happily take the refurb if that is what I end up with.

 

[SW_Drone_Guy]

I am also curious, did you sell your replacement Mini mainly because it was "like new refurbished", or because you really want the Mini 2 and would have sold your original Mini anyways? How are you certain that the Mini they sent you is refurbished and not actually brand new?

I also sent my crashed Air 2S in for replacement earlier in the week, and I am really hoping they send me a brand new one and not a refurb, though obviously I will happily take the refurb if that is what I end up with.

The replacement I received looked brand new. It may have been a refurb, but if so, I couldn't tell it. I'd been wanting the Mini 2 for some time, but felt boxed in.
I didn't feel comfortable selling the old Mini because it had been thru too many crashes and was banged up some. I didn't want to sell it cheap, I'd rather keep it.
The last crash was unplanned, but when I saw the gimbal was broken, I knew I would have to send it in and get a replacement. That meant I could now sell it (the new/refurb Mini) with a clear conscience, even to a family member. I would not have sold the old Mini to anyone, but I happily sold the new/refurb with no apologies.

 

[danjlaz]

The replacement I received looked brand new. It may have been a refurb, but if so, I couldn't tell it. I'd been wanting the Mini 2 for some time, but felt boxed in.
I didn't feel comfortable selling the old Mini because it had been thru too many crashes and was banged up some. I didn't want to sell it cheap, I'd rather keep it.
The last crash was unplanned, but when I saw the gimbal was broken, I knew I would have to send it in and get a replacement. That meant I could now sell it (the new/refurb Mini) with a clear conscience, even to a family member. I would not have sold the old Mini to anyone, but I happily sold the new/refurb with no apologies.

Ah this makes sense. Thanks for the clarification. I am looking forward to getting my replacement and glad to hear they really are “like new”.

 

[kevbac]

This isn't about a Mavic but it is my experience with DJI's service.

I bought an Inspire 1 that is upgraded (mostly to v 2.0 Pro). It came with a broken X5 Camera/Gimbal. The price for a used/certified from a dealer with an excellent reputation was a $970 Canadian, plus taxes, shipping included. The previous owner had started to take it apart to repair it. I paid nearly $300 for a part for the Yaw motor, but a ribbon cable had been ripped out (apparently when the previous owner took it apart). There was no way to repair it without getting a whole new motor and those are not available as a separate part. Also, there's a small magnetic nut that needs to be marked because it needs to be re-attached in exactly the same position so that the gimbal can initialize itself and point in the right direction. PO had removed it without any marking and tossed it in a little baggie with all the other small parts.

I realized, as I started to move into the repair, that it wasn't going to be possible for me to complete.

I emailed DJI service. They set up a ticket for me and sent me a pre-paid shipping label. They said they would receive the gimbal, check if it was under warrantee, give me a repair estimate if it wasn't and pay to ship it back to me if I declined the estimate. So, since there was nothing to lose, I packed up the parts and sent them off. About a week later (I forget the exact dates, but it was reasonably quick), I got an email saying it had arrived in San Cerrito, CA. Later that day, I got another email saying that the technicians would be inspecting it shortly. Next day, another email - the technicians said that it was not a warrantee item, listed the parts that needed to be replaced and quoted $278 (US) as the cost off repair.

Of course I paid. Next day, another email, letting me know that they were sending a replacement and including the tracking number. About a week later I received a box with a LOT of bubble wrap and what looks like a brand new gimbal/camera. It even had a 8GB microSD card in it.

I just wish I had contacted DJI earlier! I would have saved $300, and I would have had the camera/gimbal more than 6 months ago.

I now have two X5 gimbals - remember the $970 one? Yeah I bought it. What next? Well, I just sent off an X3 from a wreck I bought - looks like I'll have two of those. Future plans are to convert one of the X3s to infrared (it just needs a different lens), and one of the X5s to full-spectrum and get some filters. I'll need to find a micro 4/3 lens that lets UV through.

I'm getting ready to put the wrecked Inspire 1 back together - I have all the parts, let's hope I have the skills.

Anyway - with or without Refresh - if you crash, get in touch with DJI. Repairs (or replacements) may be a lot less than you'd expect.

 

[Grazuncle]

This isn't about a Mavic but it is my experience with DJI's service.

I bought an Inspire 1 that is upgraded (mostly to v 2.0 Pro). It came with a broken X5 Camera/Gimbal. The price for a used/certified from a dealer with an excellent reputation was a $970 Canadian, plus taxes, shipping included. The previous owner had started to take it apart to repair it. I paid nearly $300 for a part for the Yaw motor, but a ribbon cable had been ripped out (apparently when the previous owner took it apart). There was no way to repair it without getting a whole new motor and those are not available as a separate part. Also, there's a small magnetic nut that needs to be marked because it needs to be re-attached in exactly the same position so that the gimbal can initialize itself and point in the right direction. PO had removed it without any marking and tossed it in a little baggie with all the other small parts.

I realized, as I started to move into the repair, that it wasn't going to be possible for me to complete.

I emailed DJI service. They set up a ticket for me and sent me a pre-paid shipping label. They said they would receive the gimbal, check if it was under warrantee, give me a repair estimate if it wasn't and pay to ship it back to me if I declined the estimate. So, since there was nothing to lose, I packed up the parts and sent them off. About a week later (I forget the exact dates, but it was reasonably quick), I got an email saying it had arrived in San Cerrito, CA. Later that day, I got another email saying that the technicians would be inspecting it shortly. Next day, another email - the technicians said that it was not a warrantee item, listed the parts that needed to be replaced and quoted $278 (US) as the cost off repair.

Of course I paid. Next day, another email, letting me know that they were sending a replacement and including the tracking number. About a week later I received a box with a LOT of bubble wrap and what looks like a brand new gimbal/camera. It even had a 8GB microSD card in it.

I just wish I had contacted DJI earlier! I would have saved $300, and I would have had the camera/gimbal more than 6 months ago.

I now have two X5 gimbals - remember the $970 one? Yeah I bought it. What next? Well, I just sent off an X3 from a wreck I bought - looks like I'll have two of those. Future plans are to convert one of the X3s to infrared (it just needs a different lens), and one of the X5s to full-spectrum and get some filters. I'll need to find a micro 4/3 lens that lets UV through.

I'm getting ready to put the wrecked Inspire 1 back together - I have all the parts, let's hope I have the skills.

Anyway - with or without Refresh - if you crash, get in touch with DJI. Repairs (or replacements) may be a lot less than you'd expect.

I'm glad you tried it out.. you get some surprises occasionally.

years ago when i was a budding photographer i saved up the pennies for a wide aperture zoom lens.. took a long time.

Less than a week later i had the camera on a tripod.. went a few steps to the subject i was going to take a photo of and a gust of wind took the whole thing over... Lend smashed on the mount and some bits on the floor. I just stood there stunned. After coming round i packed up the whole thing and went home... My thinking was, it is going to cost the price of the lens just to get it put back together. After a few days I thought.. I'll send it back for an estimate.

The estimate for whole thing including return postage was a fraction of my best guess.. They asked.. 'Shall we proceed?'

Less than a week later it was as if nothing had happened.

 

[DaveBonnot]

I wanted to give back in a small way to this community and share my recent experiences with DJI shipping and Care Refresh. A little context. I live in St. Louis, MO USA – the middle part. All times are my local time. California is two hours behind Missouri. I'm a middle-aged dad who rides a motorcycle for fun, enjoys photography, and thought drones would be a fun extension of those. For me drones combines the enjoyment of photography with things that get up and go – with all the associated risk.

So, on to my experience.

I ordered my snazzy new Mini 2 with the DJI Care Refresh 2-Year Plan on Thursday, March 4* (DJI's documentation on this plan is sparse and inconsistent. The one blog post I found has not been updated to reflect updates such as flyaway coverage. The plan I purchased covers three replacement units within two years).

Four days later, on March 8th, I received a service agreement and shipping notice. The drone arrived on March 11th via FedEx (from Georgia). Seven days later. Not bad at all given the current state of the world.

I got the whole family up on March 12th at 6 AM to take the drone up in our back yard and catch the sunrise. We flew for about a half hour just getting the hang of things.

Then I crashed on Saturday, March 13th at 1:29 PM - 19 minutes into the flight. I cursed under my breath, laughed at myself, and was grateful that I bought the Care Refresh. Immediately went home and filed a claim. I was presented with the express option and took it. No need for inspection, quote, and payment. $49 up front for the first instance.

A few hours later (Saturday, March 13 at 5PM to be exact) I was sent a UPS label. Packaged up the drone (with gimbal cover and propellers - no battery or accessories) and slapped the UPS label on the box. Since it was late Saturday, the earliest I could get to a UPS store was Monday morning. Dropped the drone off promptly at 8:30 Monday morning - March 15th.

According to UPS, the sad little drone arrived at DJI's repair center in California Thursday, March 18th at 10:27 AM. DJI sent me at notice at Noon on the same day that they had received the item for replacement. At 2:25 PM DJI sent another email letting me know the replacement was on its way. UPS tracking number included. UPS sent another email at 6 PM saying it had departed the DJI facilities. Replacement arrived on Tuesday, March 23 at 11:50 AM. Eight days since I shipped off the Mini 2.

The replacement drone looks brand new. It came in retail drone-only box with all the little stickers. No accessories naturally, but all the cardboard bits and cutouts for the controller were present. No S or R in the serial number (as some have said that indicates a serviced or replacement drone).

I immediately plopped in a charged battery, paired with the controller and took it up for a flight to test controls. Everything appears to be working as intended.

Result: Success! Learned I'm an overconfident idiot. Happy with DJI's repair service. I recommend the Care Plus, even if you don't think you'll make a mistake. You will. We’re human.

Also, stay away from bird houses.

Now this is all my own experience. There are many factors in play. Geography, weather, time of day, UPS' capacity, how busy the DJI service center was that day, etc. Your time will be different, please don't take it out on the poor customer service person if things take a little longer. Contact DJI if you have issues. They are accessible all over the place (I've even seen them responding to folks on Reddit!). They're trying their best, and for someone like me, flying for fun, I had to keep reminding myself, it's not life or death.

* Oh, and if you order from DJI, don't skip the 5% coupon if you subscribe to their newsletter. It saved me $30 which helped cover part of the cost of the Care Refresh ($79)

I had a very recent and very successful experience after flying my Mavic Air 2 into a sand dune at Moss Landing, California. A seagull decided my drone was a rival bird of some sort and started attacking it out over the water. My drone was about 100 yards out over the surf so I decided to put it in sports mode to get back over dry land as quickly as possible. I misjudged how long it takes to stop a drone going full blast. There was a big dune behind me. I shipped the body, gimbal and propellers back to Grapevine Texas, and in two weeks had a new-looking replacement. Still haven't flown it. Very simple with the Care Refresh. They even sent back the SD card I left in the drone along with the ND filter I'd also forgot to remove.

Dave