Why am I reading about lots of people having lots of problems with Mavic drones?

[Bellerophon]

Ha! We're all pretty defensive about our Mavics. As others have said, no issues with any Mavics of mine. They are amazing flying cameras.

 

[Eddy_B]

I've made almost 400 flights with my Mavic Pro and only ever had one issue and that was after an app update, but even then it landed fine. (Calibrated the compass twice in all that time btw, never an issue.) I love my Mavic

 

[geckotrap]

If you only observed people in doctor's waiting rooms, you'd be asking: Why are they all sick?
The forum is a drone doctor's waiting room.
I could come here and write a post about how I flew three batteries, took some nice pix and went home with my drone, just like every other time.
But it wouldn't be a very interesting post.

Exactly! Same as when you get a suspicious pain. Google it, and you start to believe it's fatal! Only people with problems complain!! Everyone else, is out having fun!

 

[EagleFlyFree]

I had a parrot Bebop 2 and lost connection with it and watched it drift off into the lake. Fortunately I had replacement insurance on it, I was able to retrieve it, and got a refurbished one.
Flying it seemed like a crapshoot. There were lots of issues with it and I was actually happy when somebody stole it out of my car.
So it seems like the mavic 2 zoom corrects all the issues I didn't like about the parrot Bebop 2. However reading this forum people are having all sorts of problems with them.
I am very reluctant to spend $1,300 and continue to endure frustration. Sometimes I think it's a Chinese Communist plot to drive Western capitalists crazy!
I would really like to own a drone, but is anybody actually working to making these things simple and reliable, or are they just more interested in adding moree bells and whistles?

Lots of problem coming from : people buying new models straight away, without waiting for good firmware
People who don't know how to fly and loose them on far away trees
Sometimes it happens that new firmware had issues (I had one myself, reported here)

Honestly I would say most of the cases it's people not upgrading the firmware and flying badly, although sometimes it's DJI support which really lacks.

By my experience switch from parrot to Mavic pro was like going from a Fiat 500 to a Ferrari!
Stick to the Pro models and you will tell

 

[hoggdoc]

I had a parrot Bebop 2 and lost connection with it and watched it drift off into the lake. Fortunately I had replacement insurance on it, I was able to retrieve it, and got a refurbished one.
Flying it seemed like a crapshoot. There were lots of issues with it and I was actually happy when somebody stole it out of my car.
So it seems like the mavic 2 zoom corrects all the issues I didn't like about the parrot Bebop 2. However reading this forum people are having all sorts of problems with them.
I am very reluctant to spend $1,300 and continue to endure frustration. Sometimes I think it's a Chinese Communist plot to drive Western capitalists crazy!
I would really like to own a drone, but is anybody actually working to making these things simple and reliable, or are they just more interested in adding moree bells and whistles?

Save you money and find something else to do with your time. It won't be long before you won't be able to find a place to fly them anyways. Anyone want to buy a Mavic Pro?

 

[vanderzyde0]

part of my frustration with the parrot Bebop 2 was that the instructions provided with the Drone were very inadequate. I am a 64 year old guy who likes using 4 by 5 view cameras and processing my own film and making my own prints with enlargers in my own dark room. So yeah I'm an analog guy.
However the capabilities that a drone will give me is very seductive, and just as there are many upsides with a beautiful woman, sometimes the frustration just may not be worth it.
Since I have a year or so playing with the parrot Bebop 2 and enduring those frustrations maybe I am beginning to understand the thought processes of drone Developers.
Are the DJI instructions detailed enough and explanatory so as they cover everything and don't assume you know all about drone technology. believe it or not when I was dealing with my parrot Bebop 2 I was confused about the difference of rebooting and downloading upgrades. They never explained it in their instructions. It wasn't made clear until I found out about it on YouTube.

YouTube is your friend- almost nothing comes with “instructions” like in the old says. I am old enough to remember the good old instruction manual but now forums, YouTube and good old experimentation is the “manual”

 

[hoggdoc]

part of my frustration with the parrot Bebop 2 was that the instructions provided with the Drone were very inadequate. I am a 64 year old guy who likes using 4 by 5 view cameras and processing my own film and making my own prints with enlargers in my own dark room. So yeah I'm an analog guy.
However the capabilities that a drone will give me is very seductive, and just as there are many upsides with a beautiful woman, sometimes the frustration just may not be worth it.
Since I have a year or so playing with the parrot Bebop 2 and enduring those frustrations maybe I am beginning to understand the thought processes of drone Developers.
Are the DJI instructions detailed enough and explanatory so as they cover everything and don't assume you know all about drone technology. believe it or not when I was dealing with my parrot Bebop 2 I was confused about the difference of rebooting and downloading upgrades. They never explained it in their instructions. It wasn't made clear until I found out about it on YouTube.

The answer is NO. If you don't research via Youtube and other on-line sources you'll be lost. The Mavic is far more complex than the Parrot so it really needs your attention. I have been building and Flying multirotors ( I refuse to call them drones) since well before DJI even released their first ready built multi rotor. Over time everything has become much more complex and to me much less fun. The last three times I attempted to fly my Mavic I couldn't because of the remote area I was in, no cell service. I still haven't figured why that would keep me from flying but it did.

Now this $1400.00 piece of technology sets on my shelf depreciating every day. Buying it was one of the worse decisions have have made in recent years.

 

[hoggdoc]

OK, if I get an apple phone, Do I need to be connected to a cell tower?
Which generation of apple phone is required for the Mavic 2 Zoom?

My personal experience says yes you need cell tower connection to fly Mavics. I'm not sure why accept without it you have no access to maps.

 

[bartjes]

Be aware that a (modern) drone is fully packed with sensitive sensors & electronics. Any magnetic interference may cause a compass problem. A damaged prop may cause vibrations, picked up by the accellerometer, compromizing (smooth) flight, etc.
What you read on this forum can be classified as pilot error, sensor interference, electronics failure, mechanical failure, software (incompatibility) issues.
A pilot of a airplane performs a checklist before each flight. Aircraft get an overhaul every so many flights. A mavic is supposed to just fly after unfolding & put in a charged battery in the hands of a person with any amount of flying skill and experience.

 

[sar104]

The answer is NO. If you don't research via Youtube and other on-line sources you'll be lost. The Mavic is far more complex than the Parrot so it really needs your attention. I have been building and Flying multirotors ( I refuse to call them drones) since well before DJI even released their first ready built multi rotor. Over time everything has become much more complex and to me much less fun. The last three times I attempted to fly my Mavic I couldn't because of the remote area I was in, no cell service. I still haven't figured why that would keep me from flying but it did.

Now this $1400.00 piece of technology sets on my shelf depreciating every day. Buying it was one of the worse decisions have have made in recent years.

So you are recommending Youtube for research, but you have been unable to figure out how to fly a Mavic without cell service?

 

[Spider]

Curious to know how you damaged the motherboard.

I damaged the usb outlet on the drone which of course is attached to the motherboard. Damage completely thru my own lack of knowledge and not taking time to learn.

 

[Bellerophon]

The answer is NO. If you don't research via Youtube and other on-line sources you'll be lost. The Mavic is far more complex than the Parrot so it really needs your attention. I have been building and Flying multirotors ( I refuse to call them drones) since well before DJI even released their first ready built multi rotor. Over time everything has become much more complex and to me much less fun. The last three times I attempted to fly my Mavic I couldn't because of the remote area I was in, no cell service. I still haven't figured why that would keep me from flying but it did.

Now this $1400.00 piece of technology sets on my shelf depreciating every day. Buying it was one of the worse decisions have have made in recent years.

I'm not sure what your issue is, but I can say that I fly my Mavic 2 Zoom in areas without cell service all the time.

 

[Jonathan Barton]

I had a parrot Bebop 2 and lost connection with it and watched it drift off into the lake. Fortunately I had replacement insurance on it, I was able to retrieve it, and got a refurbished one.
Flying it seemed like a crapshoot. There were lots of issues with it and I was actually happy when somebody stole it out of my car.
So it seems like the mavic 2 zoom corrects all the issues I didn't like about the parrot Bebop 2. However reading this forum people are having all sorts of problems with them.
I am very reluctant to spend $1,300 and continue to endure frustration. Sometimes I think it's a Chinese Communist plot to drive Western capitalists crazy!
I would really like to own a drone, but is anybody actually working to making these things simple and reliable, or are they just more interested in adding moree bells and whistles?

Like you I am a 70 year old keen photographer and have had bad experience with drones. I swore I would never buy another. But I bit the bullet and bought the Mavic 2 zoom last month, and it is greatly improved over the Phantom that I lost due to a fly away about four years ago. I need to use an ipad due to failing eyesight, but as long as I am careful and plan the photo/video shoot before going out, so far not a single problem. Go for it, its fun

 

[dsmith76]

I had a parrot Bebop 2 and lost connection with it and watched it drift off into the lake. Fortunately I had replacement insurance on it, I was able to retrieve it, and got a refurbished one.
Flying it seemed like a crapshoot. There were lots of issues with it and I was actually happy when somebody stole it out of my car.
So it seems like the mavic 2 zoom corrects all the issues I didn't like about the parrot Bebop 2. However reading this forum people are having all sorts of problems with them.
I am very reluctant to spend $1,300 and continue to endure frustration. Sometimes I think it's a Chinese Communist plot to drive Western capitalists crazy!
I would really like to own a drone, but is anybody actually working to making these things simple and reliable, or are they just more interested in adding moree bells and whistles?

I have the Phantom 4 Pro, which is fantastic, however, after getting the Mavic2 Pro the P4 Pro is collecting dust. The MP2 is quieter, smoother, and footage is phenomenal. Worth every dollar.

 

[MaruSkipper]

I think the DJI Go4 software is pretty disorganized and desperately needs to be redone. The hardware engineers are brilliant. The product is amazing - not perfect but mighty good. The customer service still sucks, but they're working on it. DJI sells more drones than anyone else so it stands to reason that you will hear a lot more complaints about them. So far, there is no competition as for as price/performance/value.

 

[tfrank48]

If you only observed people in doctor's waiting rooms, you'd be asking: Why are they all sick?
The forum is a drone doctor's waiting room.
I could come here and write a post about how I flew three batteries, took some nice pix and went home with my drone, just like every other time.
But it wouldn't be a very interesting post.

Agreed ... as well as for many products out there.
On the plus side of these posts, there’s a ton of
helpful info to be learned about the products/drones.
Personally, I have learned plenty from this and the Phantom
forums ... (complaint departments) justified or not.
Fly on !!

 

[DanMan32]

HOVER 2
THATS THE ONE

Stop shouting, we can read you just fine.

 

[MaruSkipper]

Find a YouTube channel that is reliable that you can trust. Ask others which ones they find trustworthy. You can get some bad advice out there, but most of it is excellent, well researched how-to information. Drone Valley is one that I find very informative but there are lots of others too. I have found the DJI official videos to be a little too "rah rah, ain't we great"
and not enough useful advice.

 

[noosaguy]

Like you I am a 70 year old keen photographer and have had bad experience with drones.

Let's have an age competition... I'm 73!

 

[Jonno]

NO.
Like most high-tech devices, the manual does a pretty poor job of explaining everything you need to know in layman's terms. Not to mention the fact that most of it has to be translated/interpreted into your language, which is never ideal. Not to mention the fact that there are regular software and firmware updates that keep multiple aspects of your drone ownership in constant flux.

YouTube is your friend. In addition to the fact that videos are usually easier to swallow and understand than reading text in a size 4 font, there are enough videos on almost every aspect of all mavic versions to keep you busy for months. Some YouTubers are better than others, of course, but after watching a bunch, you'll begin to find a few video producers who do a pretty decent job most of the time, and learn to hone in on those first.

Read the manual, but if you really want to understand your mavic and keep it in one piece, watch YouTube videos and read all the crash stories and explanations in this forum. As others have said, keep in mind that most of what you read here is negative by default. Almost no one takes the time to post, "My Mavic is working perfectly".

There have been several polls in the past on this site to show that over 95% of the members are totally satisfied with their mavic, would buy one again, and have never had a crash that wasn't pilot error.

I've logged over 350+ flights over the past 2 years on 2 different mavics, and zero surprises from either one. The weakest link in my drone setup is the dummy holding the sticks.

Hope this helps. Happy flying!

P.S.
Both my mavics have always worked perfectly. Just don't forget to add oil to the RC regularly.

Totally agree. The main problem is the guy holding the RC!