Hello all,

I would like to get your feedback regarding DJI's repair service.

I sent my Spark for service after it keeps telling that the following error message "no battery connection". The spark crashed and was submerged in a pool of water for 5-7 minutes. The sensors are normal just no battery connection. DJI wants $550 for repair; I called them and asked for a breakdown of the repairs but they could not provide one. So I tim them the repair cost didn't make sense it is cheaper to buy a new one.
Has anyone experienced a similar story where they don't give you any work details and just gives you a cost to take or leave?

Thank you for your time.

You are kidding, aren't you? I assume you didn't buy DJI care with your Spark, you crashed it and drowned it in water. And now you complain about repair costs? You must be kidding...

Wachtberger Posted at 2017-9-11 13:45
You are kidding, aren't you? I assume you didn't buy DJI care with your Spark, you crashed it and drowned it in water. And now you complain about repair costs? You must be kidding...

How can you charge more for repair than buying new retail and not give a repair breakdown?

Wachtberger Posted at 2017-9-11 13:45
You are kidding, aren't you? I assume you didn't buy DJI care with your Spark, you crashed it and drowned it in water. And now you complain about repair costs? You must be kidding...

Even if that was the case it shouldn't cost more to repair than buying a new one. Doesn't make economical sense unless they are saying this is too hard we will quote you something ridiculous so it is easier for us for you to buy a new one.

I had DJI Refresh care. My Spark chopped its way upwards through a tree, until it mangled a rotor and crashed onto the street. One motor was clearly mangled and grinding, and one arm was cracked and hanging on. Quoted repair cost for me was around $98, for a new motor and body (and probably a few other things). I was surprised how reasonable the repair cost was. My only gripe is the glacial slowness. Expect about a month to get your baby back.

I had DJI Refresh care. My Spark chopped its way upwards through a tree, until it mangled a rotor and crashed onto the street. One motor was clearly mangled and grinding, and one arm was cracked and hanging on. Quoted repair cost for me was around $98, for a new motor and body (and probably a few other things). I was surprised how reasonable the repair cost was. My only gripe is the glacial slowness. Expect about a month to get your baby back. If DJI wants more to fix than it costs to buy, I would just buy a new one (and get the service plan this time). My two cents.

larrymull Posted at 2017-9-11 13:58
Even if that was the case it shouldn't cost more to repair than buying a new one. Doesn't make economical sense unless they are saying this is too hard we will quote you something ridiculous so it is easier for us for you to buy a new one.

Just for the fact they couldn't give me a repair cost breakdown tells me either:
- they are trying to gouge me
- they didn't even take a look at it

It's my understanding that water damage is not repairable.

HomePoint Posted at 2017-9-11 14:25
It's my understanding that water damage is not repairable.

Exactly, for the repair cost he will get a brand new one from DJI most likely. And there is labour involved which has a cost too.

Why even bother having me send it back since I told them exactly the circumstances of the crash?
That's really unproductive

I don't understand this case at all.  My understanding of DJI Care Refresh is that it includes up to two replacements within a year of purchase.  Additionally, "pilot error" is covered by this warranty.  Maybe we can have the DJI Moderators to look at the circumstances of this case.

That just seems crazy.  I have both a P3S and a Spark and have unfortunately crashed both.  The Phantom repair was $112 and the Spark repair was $168.  Both repairs were structural - to the fuselage and the engines.  My guess is that since your Spark was submerged, all the electronics had to be replaced, hence the cost.  You're better off buying a new one!

fans552e670b Posted at 2017-9-11 14:00
I had DJI Refresh care. My Spark chopped its way upwards through a tree, until it mangled a rotor and crashed onto the street. One motor was clearly mangled and grinding, and one arm was cracked and hanging on. Quoted repair cost for me was around $98, for a new motor and body (and probably a few other things). I was surprised how reasonable the repair cost was. My only gripe is the glacial slowness. Expect about a month to get your baby back.

I just got my repaired Spark back today.  Two weeks door to door.  Not bad.

I am sorry for this, could you please provide me with your case number so I can check more details about this? Thank you.

Usually when the aircraft lands in water, it is not something that is repairable. Ultimately, it may be repairing the aircraft from scratch.

fans552e670b Posted at 2017-9-11 14:00
I had DJI Refresh care. My Spark chopped its way upwards through a tree, until it mangled a rotor and crashed onto the street. One motor was clearly mangled and grinding, and one arm was cracked and hanging on. Quoted repair cost for me was around $98, for a new motor and body (and probably a few other things). I was surprised how reasonable the repair cost was. My only gripe is the glacial slowness. Expect about a month to get your baby back.

Thanks for your support of the DJI Care and your feedback about the turnaround time, I'll forward to the proper department to improve and keep moving to offer a better service.

I had one repaired for $107, a frame, rotor, gimbal and new blades (not bad), bought DJI Care on the other $49 (estimated cost was $168) for cover, body, gimbal, new camera and a new battery plus new set of blade....

So far pretty good experience with DJI Repair Service, fast and details invoice

DJI Thor Posted at 2017-9-11 18:09
Thanks for your support of the DJI Care and your feedback about the turnaround time, I'll forward to the proper department to improve and keep moving to offer a better service.

Nice touch Thor

Thank you all for your participation in this thread. From what I can gather, as soon as you hear "water damage", people seems to quickly say it is dead.
I let the drone dry up before turning it on. It turns on and pairs up with the remote correctly. The only error message is "battery error"; compass, IMU, ESC status and vision sensors indicate "normal", flight mode is "GPS".

I called tech support to ask for the repair cost breakdown to justitfy to $550, but they couldn't give me a breakdown. This is why I think the technician didn't even inspecting the drone.

fans34970935 Posted at 2017-9-11 19:26
Thank you all for your participation in this thread. From what I can gather, as soon as you hear "water damage", people seems to quickly say it is dead.
I let the drone dry up before turning it on. It turns on and pairs up with the remote correctly. The only error message is "battery error"; compass, IMU, ESC status and vision sensors indicate "normal", flight mode is "GPS".

Hi there, thanks for getting back. I had received your PM and checked your case. Here's what I found: the drone needs to be covered for a whole because of water damage, and as you can see in the invoice, except the price for the whole Spark, there is also an extra price for an extra battery, so you that is why you got the invoice of $545. Please kindly note that we won't repair the water damaged drone because there may be a potential threat to the safety of flight. I had also informed the proper team to take care of your case soon. Please wait patiently and thanks for your kind understanding.

Wachtberger Posted at 2017-9-11 13:45
You are kidding, aren't you? I assume you didn't buy DJI care with your Spark, you crashed it and drowned it in water. And now you complain about repair costs? You must be kidding...

thumbs down for such a stupid comment.

DronerX Posted at 2017-9-11 17:45
I just got my repaired Spark back today.  Two weeks door to door.  Not bad.

Mine took almost exactly a week to get from NJ to CA. Guessing it went via the Oregon Trail or the Pony Express. Return shipping will take 4 days, and it is arriving tomorrow. Two weeks is reasonable, 3 weeks on the edge, 4 weeks is painful. The day I shipped mine back, I already saw the need for a backup device. If and when Spark refurbs get sold by DJI, I will be first in line.

HomePoint Posted at 2017-9-11 14:25
It's my understanding that water damage is not repairable.

Not all water damage is unrepairable...there is always moisture at heights above 200 meters in the sky...
May be in your case, the drone remained submerged for a long time....

fans552e670b Posted at 2017-9-11 14:00
I had DJI Refresh care. My Spark chopped its way upwards through a tree, until it mangled a rotor and crashed onto the street. One motor was clearly mangled and grinding, and one arm was cracked and hanging on. Quoted repair cost for me was around $98, for a new motor and body (and probably a few other things). I was surprised how reasonable the repair cost was. My only gripe is the glacial slowness. Expect about a month to get your baby back.

I had a seriously cracked wing on the rear side. I noticed this while take off. It simply doesn't stay stable. Fixed it with superglue( Locktite 495) . It is running smoothly until now. Completed nearly 3 KM distance.
Just 10$ repair cost....

sibu Posted at 2017-9-12 04:38
I had a seriously cracked wing on the rear side. I noticed this while take off. It simply doesn't stay stable. Fixed it with superglue( Locktite 495) . It is running smoothly until now. Completed nearly 3 KM distance.
Just 10$ repair cost....

My repair cost for a broken frame, along with a motor, new props and a new top shield was under a $100 (if I did not have DJI Refresh). I was surprised how reasonable this was. Would I risk $500 to save $90? No way, lol. Guessing the repair for just a new frame would have been even less than that. I guess it depends on your risk aversion. I figure that even the most minute differences in weight and balance have to have some effect on the flight.

fans552e670b Posted at 2017-9-12 04:41
My repair cost for a broken frame, along with a motor, new props and a new top shield was under a $100 (if I did not have DJI Refresh). I was surprised how reasonable this was. Would I risk $500 to save $90? No way, lol. Guessing the repair for just a new frame would have been even less than that. I guess it depends on your risk aversion. I figure that even the most minute differences in weight and balance have to have some effect on the flight.

Yes my friend,,,I do like and take a lot of risks...There is nothing else to do in life at that moment when the DJI SPARK is roaring in the sky...))

Wachtberger Posted at 2017-9-11 13:45
You are kidding, aren't you? I assume you didn't buy DJI care with your Spark, you crashed it and drowned it in water. And now you complain about repair costs? You must be kidding...

My thoughts exactly

fans34970935 Posted at 2017-9-11 14:02
Just for the fact they couldn't give me a repair cost breakdown tells me either:
- they are trying to gouge me
- they didn't even take a look at it

Hi, I'm a little confused where in one posting you say the repair cost of it falling into a pool is over $500 to fix but in a different post you say crashed your spark through the trees and it cost you $98 via DJI Care program.  Which story is correct?  Did you actually crash it twice?  Sorry for the confusion.

SeanGillian Posted at 2017-9-11 18:55
I had one repaired for $107, a frame, rotor, gimbal and new blades (not bad), bought DJI Care on the other $49 (estimated cost was $168) for cover, body, gimbal, new camera and a new battery plus new set of blade....

So far pretty good experience with DJI Repair Service, fast and details invoice

Glad to hear that you had amazing experience with DJI Repair Service.  

DJI Thor Posted at 2017-9-11 21:37
Hi there, thanks for getting back. I had received your PM and checked your case. Here's what I found: the drone needs to be covered for a whole because of water damage, and as you can see in the invoice, except the price for the whole Spark, there is also an extra price for an extra battery, so you that is why you got the invoice of $545. Please kindly note that we won't repair the water damaged drone because there may be a potential threat to the safety of flight. I had also informed the proper team to take care of your case soon. Please wait patiently and thanks for your kind understanding.

That would me more sense in why the cost of repair is so high.  They are saying that you need a new spark plus an extra battery.  That is why I bought the DJI Care plan .. you should too going forward.

I am so confused.  I've read through the posts twice and I still don't get what happened.  Hypothetically:  If through pilot error I end up submerging my drone, and if I'm able to recover my drone, and if I have purchased DJI Care Refresh, does DJI Care Refresh not cover this situation because of water damage?  I may have to read through the details again.  I did read through it once, but some things just don't stick the first (or second) time.  What I thought I knew was that DJI Care Refresh covered pilot error, and that landing in water was a subset of pilot error.  Maybe it is in the exclusions.

Sparky_17 Posted at 2017-9-12 05:05
Hi, I'm a little confused where in one posting you say the repair cost of it falling into a pool is over $500 to fix but in a different post you say crashed your spark through the trees and it cost you $98 via DJI Care program.  Which story is correct?  Did you actually crash it twice?  Sorry for the confusion.

Mine was a close encounter with a tree during a RTH function. No water. Just tree + pavement.

sibu Posted at 2017-9-12 04:58
Yes my friend,,,I do like and take a lot of risks...There is nothing else to do in life at that moment when the DJI SPARK is roaring in the sky...))

Getting mine back tomorrow. Hoping my lesson was painful enough to teach me to be way more cautious. Anxious to be aloft again!

Charles Adams Posted at 2017-9-12 05:28
I am so confused.  I've read through the posts twice and I still don't get what happened.  Hypothetically:  If through pilot error I end up submerging my drone, and if I'm able to recover my drone, and if I have purchased DJI Care Refresh, does DJI Care Refresh not cover this situation because of water damage?  I may have to read through the details again.  I did read through it once, but some things just don't stick the first (or second) time.  What I thought I knew was that DJI Care Refresh covered pilot error, and that landing in water was a subset of pilot error.  Maybe it is in the exclusions.

Two different
Fans:

#1: fans34970935 No care refresh, methinks, water damage

#2: fans552e670b care refresh repair

S-e-ven Posted at 2017-9-12 06:37
Two different
Fans:

Thanks.  That explains it.  Soooo many fans

Sparky_17 Posted at 2017-9-12 05:05
Hi, I'm a little confused where in one posting you say the repair cost of it falling into a pool is over $500 to fix but in a different post you say crashed your spark through the trees and it cost you $98 via DJI Care program.  Which story is correct?  Did you actually crash it twice?  Sorry for the confusion.

different users. My drone landed in water after I lost sight of it and do not have DJi Care, I recognize the pilot error. I'm questioning DJi technical team ethics and whether really diagnosed my drone before sending out a quote.

Sparky_17 Posted at 2017-9-12 05:16
That would me more sense in why the cost of repair is so high.  They are saying that you need a new spark plus an extra battery.  That is why I bought the DJI Care plan .. you should too going forward.

Doesn't make sense why I need an extra battery? $500 is the cost of a spark with a battery. Only 1 battery landed in water, why make me buy an extra battery when I already have 2 extra ones.

Charles Adams Posted at 2017-9-12 05:28
I am so confused.  I've read through the posts twice and I still don't get what happened.  Hypothetically:  If through pilot error I end up submerging my drone, and if I'm able to recover my drone, and if I have purchased DJI Care Refresh, does DJI Care Refresh not cover this situation because of water damage?  I may have to read through the details again.  I did read through it once, but some things just don't stick the first (or second) time.  What I thought I knew was that DJI Care Refresh covered pilot error, and that landing in water was a subset of pilot error.  Maybe it is in the exclusions.

As I said earlier. Different users.

Battle-Cat Posted at 2017-9-12 07:24
As I said earlier. Different users.

Yep, thanks.  This does make it all "fit" now.

DJI Thor Posted at 2017-9-11 21:37
Hi there, thanks for getting back. I had received your PM and checked your case. Here's what I found: the drone needs to be covered for a whole because of water damage, and as you can see in the invoice, except the price for the whole Spark, there is also an extra price for an extra battery, so you that is why you got the invoice of $545. Please kindly note that we won't repair the water damaged drone because there may be a potential threat to the safety of flight. I had also informed the proper team to take care of your case soon. Please wait patiently and thanks for your kind understanding.

So are you saying, they never bothered opening the drone to inspect it?
Why an extra battery? I already have 2 extras. $500 will give me a new drone + 1 battery. Doesn't make sense?