Hey all, I did find a topic about this already but I'm still a little confused. I sent my Mavic Pro off for repair just before Christmas as I noticed I had a horizon tilt issue which DJI diagnosed to being a gimbal control module fault. The email I received implied that just the control module was being replaced and even went to the degree of listing it as such in the email, price of the board, fitting etc.

However, they have notified me the drone is on it's way back but the serial number listed for the aircraft is different. I'm wondering if this is indeed a new unit or the internals of mine in a different shell? I can't see any need to reshell the drone especially as it was immaculate. They also attached a picture of the control module which further lends weight to the fact that just replaced this unit.

My concern is I will now have a box which (assuming it does state the S/N) be different than the actual drone, plus my DJI Care Refresh is for the other S/N?
The numbers also seem very different but the serial number decoder site no longer works.

Original unit - 08QDE4T*****GZOne sent to me - 08QUE5P*****QH

I'm awaiting a response from them but thought I'd ask here too.

Thanks


Paul.

I’m sure the repair department is overwhelmed so what dji does is after diagnosing the problem they put your quad at the end of the que for repair, then box up refurbished mavic that was recently repaired and ship it back to you so you don’t have a long wait. ( this is pure speculation but it’s what other companies do)

That's their standard practice: DJI will invoice you for a repair, but I've yet to hear from even a single person who claimed to have received back the same Mavic they sent. As for Care Refresh, I believe it's supposed to be transferred automatically, but if not you'll need to contact them to have it changed to the new drone / serial number.

DroneFlying Posted at 2018-1-2 06:03
That's their standard practice: DJI will invoice you for a repair, but I've yet to hear from even a single person who claimed to have received back the same Mavic they sent. As for Care Refresh, I believe it's supposed to be transferred automatically, but if not you'll need to contact them to have it changed to the new drone / serial number.

Thanks, I'm not overly happy about not receiving the same unit back, but other than that I cannot fault the service I've had from them.

I received a brand new Mavic back from a fairly minor repair.

they typically replace in lieu of repair. easier and faster. they will take yours, repair it, test it and send it off to someone else in the future. Since there isn't an "R" at the end of the new SN, you might be getting a new Mavic, check it over when you get it. if it looks new and flies good, you are a luck bird. When I sent mine in I got a new one back with the same old broken props and scratched up battery. Go figure.

08QDE41 Should be April 1st, 2016, according to the decoding list I snagged off the internet a while ago. 08AQUE5P should be  May 25, 2017.

It seems they are shipping you a brand new Mavic. Refurb models tend to have an 'R' at the end of the serial. I wouldn't complain if thats the case.

Hi Paul, we are sorry for for the confusion caused, according to DJI After-Sales Policy, products and components presented for repair may be replaced by refurbished goods of the same type rather than being repaired. These refurbished goods have been tested and are similar to brand new goods in function and appearance.
Our repair team usually will send an email with the serial number of the drone you will receive before shipping out, if it is the same with the drone you receive, no worries.
DJI Care Refresh will be transferred by our facility, please check the status here: https://repair.dji.com/en/djicare/coverage
Please let me know if there is any further problem, thank you.

DJI Mindy Posted at 2018-1-2 19:53
Hi Paul, we are sorry for for the confusion caused, according to DJI After-Sales Policy, products and components presented for repair may be replaced by refurbished goods of the same type rather than being repaired. These refurbished goods have been tested and are similar to brand new goods in function and appearance.[view_image]
Our repair team usually will send an email with the serial number of the drone you will receive before shipping out, if it is the same with the drone you receive, no worries.
DJI Care Refresh will be transferred by our facility, please check the status here: https://repair.dji.com/en/djicare/coverage

Brand new aircraft, which exhibit problems right out of the box, should be replaced with brand new aircraft, not refurbished units.

There is no reason at all, that a customer should have to inherit someone else's problem when they get a refurbished aircraft - one which may have had many hours of abuse and is closer to failure than a new unit.

Jyunte Posted at 2018-1-2 23:45
Brand new aircraft, which exhibit problems right out of the box, should be replaced with brand new aircraft, not refurbished units.

There is no reason at all, that a customer should have to inherit someone else's problem when they get a refurbished aircraft - one which may have had many hours of abuse and is closer to failure than a new unit.

It all comes down to the dreade “fine print” every company does it, example for years AT&T sold “unlimited data plans” and after a certain amount of data is used they throttle your usage to the point where you can only call and text, how is this “unlimited”???

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2018-1-3 06:55
It all comes down to the dreade “fine print” every company does it, example for years AT&T sold “unlimited data plans” and after a certain amount of data is used they throttle your usage to the point where you can only call and text, how is this “unlimited”???

Correct... And they were sued, right? :-)

Companies should be transparent. If they're sending a refurbished unit, they should clearly state so, and give the purchaser the option of a refund instead. Had I recovered my lost drone and returned it to DJI, someone would have eventually received it in exchange.  It had over 235 miles on it. It flew great, but each and every part was 235+ miles closer to falling. Who here would choose that one, to replace their lightly used, but defective Mavic?

Jyunte Posted at 2018-1-3 07:47
Correct... And they were sued, right? :-)

Companies should be transparent. If they're sending a refurbished unit, they should clearly state so, and give the purchaser the option of a refund instead. Had I recovered my lost drone and returned it to DJI, someone would have eventually received it in exchange.  It had over 235 miles on it. It flew great, but each and every part was 235+ miles closer to falling. Who here would choose that one, to replace their lightly used, but defective Mavic?

I agree, it makes me nervous that while the unit they sent me may be repaired and meet all the testing requirements, it may have been treated like crap but its previous owner.

I'm really not happy (despite the fine print) that I'm not getting MY drone back, which had less than 10 hours of use out of it.

Peejay1977 Posted at 2018-1-3 08:00
I agree, it makes me nervous that while the unit they sent me may be repaired and meet all the testing requirements, it may have been treated like crap but its previous owner.

I'm really not happy (despite the fine print) that I'm not getting MY drone back, which had less than 10 hours of use out of it.

I had a compass issue with my first mavic, it had very few hours on it so after reading horror stories like yours, instead of sending it in to dji for repair I had a local repair shop fix it and shelled out $129 bucks rather then have happen to you happen to me. If you send in a drone for repair you should get the one you sent in, regardless of the “fine print”

same just happened to me... sent them my mavic pro cause.. (well i show you video link )
mine was made on december 2016 and they claimed to repair it (gimbal control board) but they sent me a refurbished unit which was made always in december 2016 and guess what?
i had the EXACT same problem.. look :


i requested dji assistance as the exact same problem is showing !

I sent my November 2016 mavic in for repair in September and i recieved a different unit back that in every way looked as new and unused as my original mavic did when I received it.
It does not have an R at the end of the serial number and if I am looking at the number correctly it was manufactured in April or May I think.


There also seems to be a number of versions of what is a refurbished unit serial number.

This is what I have read

Ends with an R
Ends with a -R
The tenth digit an R

So which one is correct .....  mine has an R as the tenth digit.

The mavic that were replaced under DJI Care Refresh program are mostly refurbished items.

Well it's arrived, the box isn't the same one I sent it in and it's ratty as hell and falling to bits which I'm not happy about. And the rear arms don't seem to snap out as properly like they used to do. Like it's a very well worn aircraft. It's not damaged or marked, but I am not very happy.

Peejay1977 Posted at 2018-1-4 06:52
Well it's arrived, the box isn't the same one I sent it in and it's ratty as hell and falling to bits which I'm not happy about. And the rear arms don't seem to snap out as properly like they used to do. Like it's a very well worn aircraft. It's not damaged or marked, but I am not very happy.

Your replacement is therefore NOT in accordance WITH DJI's own exchange policy, per post #9 by DJI Mindy, above... Which says the return will be in like new condition. Contact support, and get it replaced. Take photos and video of it. Document it well. Do not accept a piece of trash. Hold DJI's feet to the fire. If they want to force a refurbished unit on you, then it had better be what they advertise... In like new condition.

Peejay1977 Posted at 2018-1-4 06:52
Well it's arrived, the box isn't the same one I sent it in and it's ratty as hell and falling to bits which I'm not happy about. And the rear arms don't seem to snap out as properly like they used to do. Like it's a very well worn aircraft. It's not damaged or marked, but I am not very happy.

Hello Peejay, we are sorry to know the aircraft doesn't perform well as expecrted, may I have a short video about the rear arm? We will see if it is normal, thank you.

DJI Mindy Posted at 2018-1-6 01:16
Hello Peejay, we are sorry to know the aircraft doesn't perform well as expecrted, may I have a short video about the rear arm? We will see if it is normal, thank you.

Hi Mindy, it's hard to video, all four of the arms don't snap out into place with the same sort of "thud" that my one did, like a reassuring notch as they fold out. Also the gimble clamp doesn't "snap" into place in a solid way. It all seems to suggest that the drone I've received has had ALOT of use whereas mine didn't.

And unfortunately I have just been through the Compass and IMU calibrations and taken it for it's first flight, everything flies ok but, the horizon tilt problem is still there, in fact it's even worse on this unit. (See pic). Where do I go from here? I now have a drone which seems much "older" than the one I returned, the box is bashed up and falling to pieces and to cap it off, the Micro-USB to Lightning cable that was attached to the controller when I sent it back is missing and was not returned to me.



I'm really not very happy.


Paul.

Peejay1977 Posted at 2018-1-7 04:36
Hi Mindy, it's hard to video, all four of the arms don't snap out into place with the same sort of "thud" that my one did, like a reassuring notch as they fold out. Also the gimble clamp doesn't "snap" into place in a solid way. It all seems to suggest that the drone I've received has had ALOT of use whereas mine didn't.

And unfortunately I have just been through the Compass and IMU calibrations and taken it for it's first flight, everything flies ok but, the horizon tilt problem is still there, in fact it's even worse on this unit. (See pic). Where do I go from here? I now have a drone which seems much "older" than the one I returned, the box is bashed up and falling to pieces and to cap it off, the Micro-USB to Lightning cable that was attached to the controller when I sent it back is missing and was not returned to me.

Hi Paul, I'm sorry to read that the drone has other issues, it seems you haven't provide me the case number, please post here, I will feedback these issues to local repair team for attention, thank you.

DJI Mindy Posted at 2018-1-8 01:00
Hi Paul, I'm sorry to read that the drone has other issues, it seems you haven't provide me the case number, please post here, I will feedback these issues to local repair team for attention, thank you.

Thanks Mindy, the original case number I raised was - CAS-1300569-C8K7L1

DJI Mindy Posted at 2018-1-8 01:00
Hi Paul, I'm sorry to read that the drone has other issues, it seems you haven't provide me the case number, please post here, I will feedback these issues to local repair team for attention, thank you.

Hi Mindy sorry to bother you again but what do I do now? Do I raise another support case? I assume you asked for my previous one so you could help.

I agree that the returned Mavic under the Refresh plan should be in like new condition, at the minimum, everything should be in good working order. I would love to hear what's the final outcome about your case since I do have the Refresh too. Not that I intend to crash my Mavic anytime soon but you never know.

This is pi55 poor service from DJI. I don't like the repair/return policy in the slightest.

Personally I would hate to have a a drone sent in only to get a different model back.

Hope you get sorted to your satisfaction Peejay.

jcgoobee Posted at 2018-1-9 06:44
I agree that the returned Mavic under the Refresh plan should be in like new condition, at the minimum, everything should be in good working order. I would love to hear what's the final outcome about your case since I do have the Refresh too. Not that I intend to crash my Mavic anytime soon but you never know.

I don't think this particular repair falls under the terms of the Refresh as I haven't had to pay and it's a simple warranty repair, either way though I'm less than impressed haha

Bigga J Posted at 2018-1-9 06:50
This is pi55 poor service from DJI. I don't like the repair/return policy in the slightest.

Personally I would hate to have a a drone sent in only to get a different model back.

Thanks J, for me it's like handing the garage your nearly new car with 500miles on the clock, everything feels sharp, tight, solid etc and them repairing it and giving you back a car with 50,000miles on the clock, when you get in everything feels worn and sloppy.

Peejay1977 Posted at 2018-1-9 07:18
Thanks J, for me it's like handing the garage your nearly new car with 500miles on the clock, everything feels sharp, tight, solid etc and them repairing it and giving you back a car with 50,000miles on the clock, when you get in everything feels worn and sloppy.

Yep .... I totally agree and I struggle to understand why anyone else would not feel the same way as you and I if they received the service you have so far.

Bigga J Posted at 2018-1-9 07:57
Yep .... I totally agree and I struggle to understand why anyone else would not feel the same way as you and I if they received the service you have so far.

Yeah, I get that the T&C's state that it might be a refurb unit but as it also states it should be "like new" and while I cannot claim this unit appears to be damaged (other than the fact it exhibits the exact same issue I had with the first one) it certainly has all the hallmarks of a second hand worn unit.

To be fair to DJI, I'm still waiting for Mindy to comment before I go ahead and raise a second support case.

Peejay1977 Posted at 2018-1-9 08:00
Yeah, I get that the T&C's state that it might be a refurb unit but as it also states it should be "like new" and while I cannot claim this unit appears to be damaged (other than the fact it exhibits the exact same issue I had with the first one) it certainly has all the hallmarks of a second hand worn unit.

To be fair to DJI, I'm still waiting for Mindy to comment before I go ahead and raise a second support case.

Unfortunately there also often appears to be a problem with language as much of what is stated in threads is just not picked up on by those working for DJI on this forum ... either they chose to ignore comments or they just don't understand in the first place.

Peejay1977 Posted at 2018-1-9 07:17
I don't think this particular repair falls under the terms of the Refresh as I haven't had to pay and it's a simple warranty repair, either way though I'm less than impressed haha

I see. I thought you have purchased the Refresh program. So for repair service, I don't think they're obligated to ship back the original craft but to ship you one that is good working order instead.

jcgoobee Posted at 2018-1-9 08:53
I see. I thought you have purchased the Refresh program. So for repair service, I don't think they're obligated to ship back the original craft but to ship you one that is good working order instead.

I do have the Refresh but in this case it's just a warranty repair, I think me having the Refresh just means I get a priority turnaround.

I got my 2nd replacement Mavic Pro today (first replacement was defective). Its serial number begins 08QCE82, which means it should have been manufactured 2-AUG-2017.

At first, the Mavic Pro wasn't recognized by my computer. Three aircraft restarts later, and Windows finally saw the aircraft.
I used DJI Assistant 2 to update the firmware from .600, and to 4.1.000, which took four attempts:

• Failed at 32%
• Failed at 32%
• Failed at 45%
• Succeeded
  

It was raining all day today. I hope to test it out tomorrow.

I'm disappointed that I have not yet had a response from DJI Mindy, I guess I have no option but to raise another repair request but I'm wishing I'd never bothered buying this drone now. I looked at my flight logs and the original drone has under 4.5 hours of flight time so was pristine when I sent it back for repair, only to receive an old worn unit.

Peejay1977 Posted at 2018-1-9 23:56
I'm disappointed that I have not yet had a response from DJI Mindy, I guess I have no option but to raise another repair request but I'm wishing I'd never bothered buying this drone now. I looked at my flight logs and the original drone has under 4.5 hours of flight time so was pristine when I sent it back for repair, only to receive an old worn unit.

Paul, I'm so sorry for the late response, the case has been escalated to appropriate team to follow up, we will have someone to contact you very soon, we apologize again for the unpleasant experience, hope the issue will get sorted out soon.

DJI Mindy Posted at 2018-1-10 01:24
Paul, I'm so sorry for the late response, the case has been escalated to appropriate team to follow up, we will have someone to contact you very soon, we apologize again for the unpleasant experience, hope the issue will get sorted out soon.

Thank you Mindy, I will wait to hear

Peejay1977 Posted at 2018-1-7 04:36
Hi Mindy, it's hard to video, all four of the arms don't snap out into place with the same sort of "thud" that my one did, like a reassuring notch as they fold out. Also the gimble clamp doesn't "snap" into place in a solid way. It all seems to suggest that the drone I've received has had ALOT of use whereas mine didn't.

And unfortunately I have just been through the Compass and IMU calibrations and taken it for it's first flight, everything flies ok but, the horizon tilt problem is still there, in fact it's even worse on this unit. (See pic). Where do I go from here? I now have a drone which seems much "older" than the one I returned, the box is bashed up and falling to pieces and to cap it off, the Micro-USB to Lightning cable that was attached to the controller when I sent it back is missing and was not returned to me.

Before you send it back in for another repair I would simply adjust the Gimbal roll in settings to correct it if that is the only problem you are having, set the drone on a flat level surface facing something you know to be perfectly horizontal (IE: Window sill), fire up the drone facing the fixed horizontal and adjust the tilt of the Gimbal to match the horizontal plane. Or you can adjust it while flying.

QuadKid Posted at 2018-1-10 01:30
Before you send it back in for another repair I would simply adjust the Gimbal roll in settings to correct it if that is the only problem you are having, set the drone on a flat level surface facing something you know to be perfectly horizontal (IE: Window sill), fire up the drone facing the fixed horizontal and adjust the tilt of the Gimbal to match the horizontal plane. Or you can adjust it while flying.

I wasn't aware of a gimbal roll setting and DJI Support never suggested that to me either *facepalm*

It's odd though, that was my only issue yet they made no mention of this setting and also diagnosed it as having a gimbal control board fault. Very strange.

To be transparent and fair to DJI I have had an email requesting more information on my concerns.

I have relayed my feelings over how old and worn the drone feels, but they want picture of this, which isn't going to help, even a video wouldn't illustrate the issue.

They are also suggesting the unit may have been damaged in transit, which would explain the state of the box. But I am having trouble making them understand that the outer box was unmarked, it's the inner DJI branded box that was well surrounded in bubble packing that was damaged. This clearly left the repair facility in this state but I'm not convinced my efforts to make them understand are working *sigh*

Peejay1977 Posted at 2018-1-10 04:28
I wasn't aware of a gimbal roll setting and DJI Support never suggested that to me either *facepalm*

It's odd though, that was my only issue yet they made no mention of this setting and also diagnosed it as having a gimbal control board fault. Very strange.

Yup just go to your settings in the app ( upper right corner ) when open select the Remote Controller Icon, that is where the Gimbal calibration, Gimbal Roll is located.