What would you do?

FLDave · Jan 18, 2023

Dunegolfer said:
It was bought from a well-known dealer here in California. Definitely not stolen. It was shipped directly from DJI in Cerritos, California. Appreciate your response! Thanks! That was some of the information I was wanting to know, if they can deactivate the drone, rendering it totally useless. (Other then sale of parts)

If it is reported and verified as stolen DJI can disable the activation BEFORE it is activated. The only way to know this is is to activate it. In the case of my Spark I don't think the re-seller even knew that they were dealing with stolen property at the time.

offtheback · Jan 18, 2023

Dunegolfer said:
FLDave, Correct! It was bought by a certified DJI seller & repair company. The Mavic 3 Fly More Bundle is a drone that goes for just under $3,000 compared to the Mini 3 Pro w/ add on Fly More Bundle which goes for under $1,400. i have not opened the Mavic 3. It’s still new in the box unopened. Plastic still on it!

The only thing I’m asking is, “what would you do?” Morally, I wanted to return this. I wouldn’t want to see anyone lose their job over it. But given the hassles I’ve had with both DJI and the seller, who has been unresponsive I want to gauge everyone’s opinion what they would do.

Keep it.It's your compensation for the poor experience.

moldorf · Jan 18, 2023

you can't force the vendor to come to your home and take it back. Sounds like you have doen everything you can

and you ordered about a $1100 item and got a $3000 item...which means the vendor got paid nearly $2000 less than what they sent out. It's almost comical that nobody at the company want to correct the mistake

at this point, if I were you, I might actually try to activate the Mavic 3 at DJI. Maybe even see if you can apply for care refresh, if you want it.

as someone who owns both a Mini 3 and a Mavic 3 I'd say you kind of have the best of both worlds. The Mini 3 is a much more unobtrusive drone if you're flying anywhere near people. it's also very light is you are hiking anywhere. I wouldn't be so hasty to dismiss the Mini 3 as a "toy". Go to the photos and videos section here and you'll see lots of pretty amazing media created by a Mini 3

but as somebody already mentioned....save every bit of correspondence with the vendor

hiflyer201 · Jan 19, 2023

Somethings very wrong here. DJI doesn't have horrible service. There could be a communication problem when first contacting them, but after that they make every effort to make sure the customer is satisfied. Amazon is the gold mark for purchase and return. A couple of clicks and you are on your way to the UPS store with the unwrapped return item for a 5 second transaction. I wish you would give us the name of the business you dealt with. Others would be forewarned.
As far as repair. It sounds like you took the drone to the repair service. Am I correct in assuming that? DJI Itemizes the needed repair and then, at least in my case, has always sent back a new drone. I have never held any type of after purchase insurance. DJI wants the logs which would prove in nearly all cases if the drone had been in water.
Hats off to you for being honest!

moldorf · Jan 19, 2023

hiflyer201 said:
Somethings very wrong here. DJI doesn't have horrible service. There could be a communication problem when first contacting them, but after that they make every effort to make sure the customer is satisfied. Amazon is the gold mark for purchase and return. A couple of clicks and you are on your way to the UPS store with the unwrapped return item for a 5 second transaction. I wish you would give us the name of the business you dealt with. Others would be forewarned.
As far as repair. It sounds like you took the drone to the repair service. Am I correct in assuming that? DJI Itemizes the needed repair and then, at least in my case, has always sent back a new drone. I have never held any type of after purchase insurance. DJI wants the logs which would prove in nearly all cases if the drone had been in water.
Hats off to you for being honest!

he didn't buy from DJI; it was another certified vendor

Deleted member 162835 · Jan 19, 2023

I listened to a podcast where a person discussed how they purchased some coffee pods and in the mail came a full Expresso machine. Long story short, the seller was running a credit card scam where they pocketed the buyers money and used stolen cards to buy what the buyer ordered (or in most cases much much more) and drop shipped the goods to the buyer. The catch was the packing slip that came with the item listed the stolen card owners details instead of the buyers. If you have a clean packing slip you should be good.

jephoto · Jan 21, 2023

SethB said:
You’ve been honest. I think the seller has made clear that the transaction is done. I think you’ve made it clear that your relationship with the seller is done. I don’t think you owe them anything. They made a mistake, they don’t want it corrected. Time to move on!

My opinion is that you just need to decide if you’re keeping or selling on each drone.

Yup. You did your part. They didn't follow through. The drone is yours. Keep it (bonus) or sell it and buy your Mini. I'd say you got a bargain...

smashse · Jan 21, 2023

Does the packing slip say Mini? Or does it say Mavic 3?

I concur with everyone else. You ordered a drone, paid for it, and received a drone. You informed them of a mistake, but you have now been out the $1400 for 4 months, unable to use the money. They are putting you out by not returning it. I am not a lawyer, but I think if you have a decent communication history logged, I think the law would be on your side after 120 days. What if you ordered the drone because you had an event or job you needed it for? Now your out the drone and the money until they decide to respond? It needs to be reasonable.

I know if it were mine, I'd be opening it around the 3 month mark and using it. Especially since if push came to shove, I'd rather have a Mavic 3, and worst case is they come back and demand you pay for the M3. I'd force them to make a concession on the price, say $500 off on it since it was their mistake and it was no longer a reasonable amount of time. But like I said, I think the law would make any lawsuit against you very hard and costly, and it would be easier to give a discount and let you keep it.

Since DJI can't force a retailer to sell for a certain price, and you paid them money, I don't think DJI would deactivate it. It wasn't stolen, there was no retail fraud here. DJI can set minimum advertised pricing, but they can't actually set the price, otherwise that is price fixing and illegal. If company wants to lose money, DJI can't stop them legally.

Dpixtion · Jan 21, 2023

If you co reacted them, it was not a DJI retailer. And you told them about the error in your favor.. my thought is the person sold you stolen goods and once it’s been moved, they don’t care, they have some money for something that cost them little..

FLDave · Jan 21, 2023

@Dunegolfer Did you ever get the Mavic 3 drone activated? When you eventually opened the box was it indeed new?

Dunegolfer · Jan 21, 2023

smashse said:
Does the packing slip say Mini? Or does it say Mavic 3?

I concur with everyone else. You ordered a drone, paid for it, and received a drone. You informed them of a mistake, but you have now been out the $1400 for 4 months, unable to use the money. They are putting you out by not returning it. I am not a lawyer, but I think if you have a decent communication history logged, I think the law would be on your side after 120 days. What if you ordered the drone because you had an event or job you needed it for? Now your out the drone and the money until they decide to respond? It needs to be reasonable.

I know if it were mine, I'd be opening it around the 3 month mark and using it. Especially since if push came to shove, I'd rather have a Mavic 3, and worst case is they come back and demand you pay for the M3. I'd force them to make a concession on the price, say $500 off on it since it was their mistake and it was no longer a reasonable amount of time. But like I said, I think the law would make any lawsuit against you very hard and costly, and it would be easier to give a discount and let you keep it.

Since DJI can't force a retailer to sell for a certain price, and you paid them money, I don't think DJI would deactivate it. It wasn't stolen, there was no retail fraud here. DJI can set minimum advertised pricing, but they can't actually set the price, otherwise that is price fixing and illegal. If company wants to lose money, DJI can't stop them legally.

To be clear, I ordered, bought and paid for a Mini 3 Pro Fly More bundled combo. DJI doesn’t package this in one box, they do it in two. Just the drone and one battery and controller in one box and then the case, (2)extra batteries, three battery charger and accessories in a completely separate box.

When they sent the order, to my surprise along with single box Mini 3 Pro was the Mavic 3 complete Fly More Bundle Which comes in one box. Whomever packaged it from DJI (from where it was shipped) obviously and inadvertently thought they were putting in the Mini 3 Pro Fly More Bundle.

When I informed the seller, they had DJI send me the correct box, which I got, but never sent the return information for the Mavic 3. I’ve asked them numerous times and they have never responded.

The Mavic 3 box, I have never opened. Its a brand new, direct from DJI, Mavic 3 Fly More Bundle drone, sold by one of their longtime distributors who I’ve bought three drones from and used to do great repair work, but seem to have regressed as the market for professional drones has increased.

FWIW, I recalibrated on my Mini 3 Pro, both the gimbal and the EMU. It’s working fine and taking great images and video. I use this for work purposes. I will stand by my thoughts on DJI Customer Service. They’re horrible!

WilliamDaugherty · Jan 21, 2023

I've had great experiences with >25 drones from DJI. I currently have four that are in constant use. I keep Care Refresh on everything for as long as possible, but most repairs are done via warranty. I simply can't fault them for anything that I've experienced. NOTE: I DO NOT consider retailers a part of the DJI equation. Resellers are not distributors.

So if I could recap: you paid for and (eventually) received a Mini 3 Pro and a separate Fly More kit for the M3Pro. Done. You have no claim in that regard. Additionally, you received a Mavic 3 Fly More Combo that you attempted to return but have never opened. You may feel you have been inconvenienced, but to the tune of $3k? That's a lot of inconvenience. That said, I would probably inform the reseller that they can either 1) pay for the storage and handling fee, or 2) simply allow you to keep the Mavic 3 for your troubles. Their response (or lack thereof) will give you cover legally. I personally would not simply assume ownership without some sort of declaration to the reseller.

It probably wouldn't hurt to contact DJI customer service and ask them about the specific unit. If you've communicated with DJI directly, the reseller can't claim you were deceptive in any way, and you would know for sure the status of the unit in question, i.e., is it stolen/refurbed/etc.

I personally am very risk-averse. Anything that could potentially expose me to criminal charges is of zero interest to me. That said, you will have to decide for yourself. I think my suggestions might mitigate the risk significantly.

Coskier · Jan 27, 2023

You have all the documentation that you tried to do the right thing. I'd activate it and see if they reject the activation. If not, it's a done deal. I'd say you have gone above and beyond to make the situation right.