I need some advice.

Here's the timeline of events:

12/13/14 - Placed order with DJI for a dual controller Inspire 1
1/23/15 - Order is delivered
2/9/15 - RMA unit (one of the carbon fiber arms was damaged in transit to a shoot) - I had to pay for shipping
3/16/15 - Unit delivered back to me "repaired" - the camera will not power on.  I have tested with a different camera from another Inspire owner and it works fine.  Contacted DJI to find out about an advanced RMA of just the camera.  I'm informed that they don't offer that service and that I'll have to resend my entire Inspire back to them for the 5 week RMA process.  I inform the tech that I have tried a different camera and it works fine so there is no reason to send the entire unit in.  I offer to give my credit card to hold the replacement value of the camera... this doesn't work.  I ask if a local dealer (that has 2 Inspires in stock) can sub one of their cameras for mine or if there's any way that DJI can help the process through them and get the same no.  I ask to speak with a supervisor and am disconnected.  DJI has yet to contact me back and I have sent several support tickets in to try to get an RMA.

This is absolutely and utterly ridiculous... any one from DJI want to respond to me on this forum?  

I've had similar issues with 2 bad camera units/inspire plus a bricked remote in my first 4-5 weeks.  I find talking to the tech guys to be about 1% better than a help page on the internet. I had run and checked all the logical things so they didn't have much to add.   Ask to speak with supervisor for some extra help and you get a flat rejection.  That's not how tech support usually works. Canned answer seems to be "send it in for repair, that will be 5-6 weeks".

After numerous calls on my two issues with no camera working and the bricked remote firmware upgrade debacle,  and being on the internet including this forum, I"m guessing they have electrical contact issues that somehow may also throw off their firmware in the remote and give false indicators as to what is wrong.  Of course, the camera's maybe getting shorted or bricked too, who knows.

As to your issue, it may be the contacts which are on both the camera and the housing unit it plugs into.  The housing unit is listed as a $30 part. If I keep mine, I will probably buy that as a spare and try to figure out a way to make sure the contacts stay pristine.

If you haven't sent it back, instead of 5-6 weeks, you might try the housing. Did you try your camera in the Inspire that you borrowed the other camera from?  That might tell you if the camera is fried or has bad contacts.

I don't know who, but I saw something earlier today about a U.S. dealer getting a bunch of parts in for sale, so it my be possible to find the base for the camera/gimbal.  The replacement camera/gimbal is $550.  Maybe buy that and sell the old unit  when you get the other replaced if that is what's bad.  Beats 5-6 weeks and $50-100 in shipping. There will be a market for used parts, that I am sure of.

If you read their warranty repair document, if you have the same problem twice, you can get a refund on your unit.  Language is vague, but I would assume that would be a refund for the Inspire and all the extra batteries and chargers you may have bought with the Inspire.  

Tough decision.  Good Luck.  Let us know how this works out.

I have just replaced the small pc board containing the spring contacts on the mounting plate, as a couple of the contacts got bent. not sure how, maybe by the two plastic locator pins in the protective cap that attaches to the mounting yolk/bayonet assy.

I had straightened the contacts out and it worked ok, but didn't like the way it was. The part came from Europe somewhere, but I have since received a complete spare mounting assy (plate, rubbers, bayonet etc complete with contacts and plastic protective cap) as a spare.

Spare contact part came from RCGeeks ,  complete mount assy came from intelligentUAS