I bought both mavic platinum flymore combo (£1499) and DJI refresh (insurance against accidental damage- £140).

First of all what DJI aren't telling people is that they are firstly a sales team, and in no way a customer service or support team 2nd.. This is cleverly disguised with their apparent offer of online support.. do not be fooled folks.. Its a sales team 100% of the time.

I'd now like to address a fundamental loophole / design flaw in their drones, which works to their advantage in making more money from their customers. Firstly the mavic (despite bold claims ) will not fly very well at all in anything other than a light wind (and even then, a wind warning will appear). I tried a flight one day to my horror , when upon taking the drone to 50 metres it got caught in a draft (and seriously this is how I'd at worst, describe it) . The drone just drifted away and out of view, despite applying return to home.. and even sport mode at full throttle. Eventually it lost connection and landed on 13% battery in a field out of view.. and was never recovered. The motors failed to tackle the environment it found itself in. What most people on planet earth know is that aside from maybe in a desert, wind can be undetectable , and almost impossible to avoid completely at altitude. Ask any pilot.

Heres the loophole. The controller conveniently has built into it various safety features and warning messages (such as
'High wind fly with caution') . However , in the uk ive never had a single day without these messages appearing. As i say, ive felt a light wind (at worst) every time. No one would be silly enough to fly something so expensive thinking it may never return . Most days are never without a gentle breeze in most countries I know. So , whilst you may think DJI have filled this drone with a fail safe flying system, these safety messages are actually hard to keep clear of, and are what DJI then use as evidence to void your warranty and not insure your item! Not only this, but if the drone ever does become lost , or unflyable in any way (including all fly aways) . All their motor data is secretly used AGAINST YOU, aimed to bamboozle you that actually , nothing is ever attributed to them as "their fault" or "their responsibility" as a manufaturer. For example how irresponsible is it to advertise 4km range bearing in mind what I'm outlining? Despite this, and endless customer service emails back and forth from even the most disgruntled customers, they are ruthlessly dis interested in anything other than charging nearly full price for a replacement product! This , despite having paid for insurance, means YOU are simply NOT COVERED  !!!!!

The progress of every flight gets recorded and uploaded to their support team , which is then used to disprove your insurance claim, ultimately clearing them of any responsibility for any loss or damage.

Dont get me wrong , The concept and design of the drone is very technologically advanced , but everything else that follows, they've completely dis regarded in favour of making a profit. DJI simply have switched off to everything a good reputable business requires in its organisation. NEVER EVER expect to be covered by them , and dont even waste your money with dji care. Buy with caution, and fly with even more , because youll never see your drone again if its lost (yes , no matter how good a pilot you think you are, please remember what you've read here) .. you can definately expect NO genuine  care or support from DJI.

when upon taking the drone to 50 metres it got caught in a draft (and seriously this is how I'd at worst, describe it)

Out of curiosity, how were you able to tell what the wind conditions were 50 metres above the ground at that time?

And would you mind uploading the log (TXT file from your mobile device) from the ill-fated flight to PhantomHelp using these instructions and posting a link to it here so that we can see for outselves what happened?

DroneFlying Posted at 2018-1-18 09:46
when upon taking the drone to 50 metres it got caught in a draft (and seriously this is how I'd at worst, describe it)

Out of curiosity, how were you able to tell what the wind conditions were 50 metres above the ground at that time?

I also have to ask this question, as it's just not possible.  I know the wind warnings happen a lot, especially on the Mavic, but you can still never ignore them.

if you re read my post, it said on the controller practically all of the time .. 'fly with caution' despite a gentle breeze on the ground.. the wind reports back from DJI says the drone deviated to the left by 7km p/hour.. oh whoopie .. thats hardly a high wind fly with caution situation. The drone should not even be allowed to take off if dji knows it can't handle wind. Then to advertise a 4km range ... Id challenge anyone to fly 4km without wind.

dannyseward Posted at 2018-1-18 09:55
if you re read my post, it said on the controller practically all of the time .. 'fly with caution' despite a gentle breeze on the ground.. the wind reports back from DJI says the drone deviated to the left by 7km p/hour.. oh whoopie .. thats hardly a high wind fly with caution situation. The drone should not even be allowed to take off if dji knows it can't handle wind. Then to advertise a 4km range ... Id challenge anyone to fly 4km without wind.

DJI says the drone deviated to the left by 7km p/hour.. oh whoopie .. thats hardly a high wind

That doesn't indicate the wind was 7 kph: it means that the wind was about 7 kph higher than what the Mavic was able to handle. It tries to hold its position but can't if the wind is too strong.

I'm fully aware the mavic could not handle the wind. I'm also fully aware of it's limitations (at my expense). I'd be interested to hear from anyone who's dealt with dji care. There are countless terrible reviews online !  

dannyseward Posted at 2018-1-18 10:07
I'm fully aware the mavic could not handle the wind. I'm also fully aware of it's limitations (at my expense). I'd be interested to hear from anyone who's dealt with dji care. There are countless terrible reviews online !

DJI Care Refresh ("DJI Care" is something different) isn't relevant here since, by your own account, the drone was "never recovered". It's only applicable for crashes where you're able to return the drone to DJI for a replacement.

ah yes . .it all sounds fantastically convenient insurance to me. it's just a shame they are not regulated by the FSA.

dannyseward Posted at 2018-1-18 10:14
ah yes . .it all sounds fanatically convenient insurance to me. it's just a shame they are not regulated by the FSA.

it's just a shame they are not regulated by the FSA.

The Food Standards Agency? How would that have helped?

you were doing so well..

dannyseward Posted at 2018-1-18 10:17
you were doing so well..

I'm (genuinely) sorry that you lost your Mavic, but I'm afraid that like other people who flew with too much wind and too little experience that you're likely to be out of luck.

If you really believe this wasn't your fault then post the log from your flight so that we can see for ourselves what happened. Otherwise this thread is just an exercise in venting that's understandable given your loss, but that is also mostly pointless.

thanks. my friend it's never pointles, i am inexperienced yes , and maybe other people with my experience (or even a little more whove not grasped what I'm talking about fully) , or those who haven't yet purchased dji care (pah) can maybe avoid making the painful mistakes ive made. Freedom of speech is allowed.. but lets see.. especially having forked out a fortune (including useless protection bumping up my expenditure). Look the smart guy here is sat on a beach somewhere counting his empire . I'm just trying to educate a few more of us " small guys " who only wanted a bit of fun with their hard earned cash.. those people may one day encounter dealing with DJI , and their
" customer friendly " care team. It isnt how any company would have to behave here in uk and That's a fact.  That's all. You're entitled to love dji. I just hope if anyone loses their drone they just might think of this post .. in hindsight, a little differently.

Now I remembered why I visit this forum daily.

Sadly Im currently in the same situation and I have to handle with DJI support...

The Mavic was brand new and I manged it to hover and cruise with it a bit in beginner mode it for 2-3 min.
after that I tried to update its firmware as it was recommended in the app.
The Update process failed serveral times. I decided to let the drone in its case and try tomorrow again.

On the next day I started it and entered the flight view. The drone told me that everything is up to date. so I tried to let it hover again
It was an Indoor flight (that worked perfectly the day before) The Mode on the remote switched several times ATTI MODE_BEGINNER MODE_GPS_READY TO GO
The drone launched and rises but it wont stopped rising. tried to force it to land before it hits the celing but it drifted off and crashed an obstacle.
Result : Gimbal Plate broke off.

Alright I thought with DJI Care refresh it would be no deal. WRONG

OPened a crash case. on Saturday.
Monday I received an Email with "you re not qualified for a shippment label - only dji care refresh user deserve a shippment label"
Thursday No Answer to my Email.. Tried to call the german support but this number isnt reachable, Tried to access the chat - Chat is currently unaviable ...  "insert angry emoticon here"  After serveral tries I reached the chat-  "OH we are so sorry there is something going wrong. We will send the label to you imediantly"
Wednesday - still no label... reached the chat " Oh we are sorry .... "
Thursday - still no label... reached the chat " We will send the lable imediantly" "please send it UPS will pick up at 5pm - Still no Label- I decided to pay on my own.

Monday - Your drone arrived
Thursday - Crash Report
No warranty case. The craft has crashed. Damaged parts: right front motor arm, gimbal vibration damping module and camera flexible flat cable. Dear customer, you have purchased DJI Care Refresh. If you want to replace your aircraft under DJI Care Refresh, click "Payment Links". After the payment is confirmed, DJI will send a replacement aircraft to you. If you want to repair the aircraft, the cost of repair will be € 74.79 (VAT excluded) according to DJI's damage assessment. Please contact DJI Support and get your repair quotation.

So its no warranty case. without any analysis. without checking why the firmware errors occured. without checking why the live video is super buggy.
I totally dont pay 99€ and rip 1/2 refreshed, if the repair would cost about 90€ tax incl.
So I asked for data analysis becuase of the firmware errors.

Wednesday -  New Repair Quotation came in. I should updload all data. payed the 90€ repair fee in order that they should repay it if its an warrenty case. (crash caused by software error)

Thursday -  Data analysis is in process..




Well I cant say that DJI has good support.

As i say.. DJI support use all the data on the controller display to void warranty. In reality, you'd have to be either psychic,or the inventor of the technology to avoid activating all the display warnings.  People are supposed to be insured whilst having fun ,  not trying to complete a game with a set of booby traps built into an un- insured device. In reality due to the amount of display warnings preventing valid insurance, you are probably only ever truly covered 2% of your flying time.. that's if the "real" dji care team all wake up from their
" commission targets reached" side of bed that morning.  

Oracle Miata Posted at 2018-1-18 09:54
I also have to ask this question, as it's just not possible.  I know the wind warnings happen a lot, especially on the Mavic, but you can still never ignore them.

Yes you can.  Been there, done it, more than once.

dannyseward Posted at 2018-1-18 09:55
if you re read my post, it said on the controller practically all of the time .. 'fly with caution' despite a gentle breeze on the ground.. the wind reports back from DJI says the drone deviated to the left by 7km p/hour.. oh whoopie .. thats hardly a high wind fly with caution situation. The drone should not even be allowed to take off if dji knows it can't handle wind. Then to advertise a 4km range ... Id challenge anyone to fly 4km without wind.

Four miles round trip with 40% battery remaining.  No problem.  Light breeze.  Remember, claims are made about range under ideal conditions.  You are the pilot and are required to make decisions about suitability of conditions to fly.

Yes, DJI Care Refresh does require return of the failed aircraft to DJI for evaluation.  That's why flying over water makes it less likely you'll be able to make a claim.  DJI has no insurance for complete loss of aircraft.  For that, you need to talk to your insurance agent to see what they have to offer.

Remember too, the range of the communication between Mavic and controller is considerably less under CE regulations (UK), where the power is reduced from what the FCC allows in the U.S. controlled areas.

dannyseward Posted at 2018-1-18 09:55
if you re read my post, it said on the controller practically all of the time .. 'fly with caution' despite a gentle breeze on the ground.. the wind reports back from DJI says the drone deviated to the left by 7km p/hour.. oh whoopie .. thats hardly a high wind fly with caution situation. The drone should not even be allowed to take off if dji knows it can't handle wind. Then to advertise a 4km range ... Id challenge anyone to fly 4km without wind.

The wind warning is set to 6 m/sec and the higher on to 9 m/sec. If the drift was 7 km/h the wind has been 12 - 13 m/sec. Just follow advice in post #2 and post your log.

I hear you on some of that. However here in the UK if we take insurance out , for example on a car (tad more expensive than a drone) , if we have it taken from us (or stolen)  ... and even yes, if we accidentally loose a car or cause an accident , our insurance company wouldn't then refuse a claim until we had it returned to them !  Are people seriously not grasping what is going on with DJI wanting returned "damaged" products before validating the insurance ? Then charging for the refurbished unit .. on top of the insurance.. and also voiding claims left right and centre based on display messages they created on the unit. I'm so proud to be British. Thats all I can say.

Difference between having your car stolen and losing it. Post your logs, maybe someone here can tell you where to look.

I'm not interested in posting the very data I'm accusing dji of using to void warranty!!!! If dji can bother implementing warning signs not to fly..  it can also bother making the mavic unable to take off when warning signs appear.. however you'd then find all flights were grounded! Why? because unless youre on the moon , you have wind especially at altitude. i wouldnt be suprised if the next update says "warning, birds".

People with the "post your data" nonsense  are all falling into the trap and can't even see it !

dannyseward Posted at 2018-1-18 12:09
I'm not interested in posting the very data I'm accusing dji of using to void warranty!!!! If dji can bother implementing warning signs not to fly.. maybw it can bother making the mavic NOT take off when warning signs appear. and then you'd find all flights grounded!

People with the "post your data" nonsense  are all falling into the trap and can't even see it !

People with the "post your data" nonsense  are all falling into the trap and can't even see it !

That is SO stupid. They have actually helped several people recover from problems.

it is actually not so stupid it's very clever of DJI.. hahaha several people really?. oh.. what a fantastic turn around. listen mate I've not read one good review online about dji care except ... wait for it... on dji.com forum. I actually feel I'm speaking to dji staff now !

People with the "post your data" nonsense  are all falling into the trap and can't even see it !

I'm not falling into any trap... I know where my Mavic is!

tick tock..  tick tock...

dannyseward Posted at 2018-1-18 12:16
it is actually not so stupid it's very clever of DJI.. hahaha several people really?. oh.. what a fantastic turn around. listen mate I've not read one good review online about dji care except ... wait for it... on dji.com forum. I actually feel I'm speaking to dji staff now !

... and I believe you don't want to recover your Mavic, cause THAT is what these nice guys maybe can help you do. Peace.

The more I read these horror stories the more I am glad I took out insurance through State Farm. $70 a year full replacement value no questions asked no-brainer.

they cant. I have an airdata account I've seen all the stats, last known GPS location . Been there done that ..  there's no way of finding it without connection to the controller.

dannyseward Posted at 2018-1-18 12:09
I'm not interested in posting the very data I'm accusing dji of using to void warranty!!!! If dji can bother implementing warning signs not to fly.. maybw it can bother making the mavic NOT take off when warning signs appear. and then you'd find all flights grounded!

People with the "post your data" nonsense  are all falling into the trap and can't even see it !

After reading this post most of what Dji support tell you might be right. You seam to have something to hide in your flight log which you don't want other to see. If you don't want answers then don't ask questions.

Nothing to hide. the wind took my craft what else are you going to tell me exactly? it went for dinner at the Ritz? My argument isn't about wind conditions (even though on the ground there was hardly any) it is that the mavic shouldn't even be allowed to take off in wind let alone struggle..  and then be un insured. why would I purposely fly in gale force winds ?? I'm hiding nothing. I have no right to ask you to post your private details so give up asking me !  

dannyseward Posted at 2018-1-18 12:40
Nothing to hide. the wind took my craft what else are you going to tell me exactly? it went for dinner at the Ritz? My argument isn't about wind conditions (even though on the ground there was hardly any) it is that the mavic shouldn't even be allowed to take off in wind let alone struggle..  and then be ininsured. why would I purposely fly in gale force winds ?? I'm hiding nothing. I have no right to ask you to post your private details so give up asking me !

"DJI don't care"... you know what - I don't either after reading all your $x@.;}!
Over and out.

FlyDK Posted at 2018-1-18 12:49
"DJI don't care"... you know what - I don't either after reading all your $x@.;}!
Over and out.

ok . choose another post to reply to maybe? tara

dannyseward Posted at 2018-1-18 11:59
I hear you on some of that. However here in the UK if we take insurance out , for example on a car (tad more expensive than a drone) , if we have it taken from us (or stolen)  ... even if we accidentally cause an accident , our insurance company wouldn't then void a claim unless we had it returned to them !!!  Are people seriously not grasping what is going on with DJI wanting returned "damaged" products before validating the insurance ? Then have the audacity to then  charge for the refurbished unit .. on top of the insurance.. and void claims left right and centre based on display messages they created on the unit. It is a con. and a scam if ever I heard one. I'm so proud to be British. Thats all I can say.

What the hell are you on about? What has the car accident reference got to do with it? If you have an accident your insurers won’t replace a vehicle that’s mysteriously vanished off the face of the earth.

Even if it had been stolen the insurance company wouldn’t replace it without convincing themselves you had taken every precaution and if found it you’d be in the doo doo.

It’s perfectly reasonable for DJI to expect the unit back despite its condition. If they didn’t people would be mysteriously “losing” drones left right and centre.

As for the wind conditions I’ve flown my Mavic numerous times here in England without any wind warning and even when I did I had to be pretty high and it did not affect the overall flight of the drone. All aircraft have a point where they cannot safely fly, but commercial air craft have the means to use technology to gauge the safety of taking off. With a consumer drone DJI can only do so much to safe guard you, you have to decide and be cautious as to whether it’s too windy to fly. It’s a tiny craft with small motors, of course it’s going to be affect by wind. I’ve flown in 12mph winds and although challenging it didn’t stop me, but it was evident that it was too windy and I eventually brought the craft home.

Stop being a baby and blaming others for your mistakes.

Peejay1977 Posted at 2018-1-18 12:56
What the hell are you on about? What has the car accident reference got to do with it? If you have an accident your insurers won’t replace a vehicle that’s mysteriously vanished off the face of the earth.

Even if it had been stolen the insurance company wouldn’t replace it without convincing themselves you had taken every precaution and if found it you’d be in the doo doo.

These arguments are of course all valid until YOU loose YOURS..  which of course.. by the sounds of things , you'll just never do.  Id love to have a copy of your transcript with DJi care if that happens. Happy flying!!!!

dannyseward Posted at 2018-1-18 11:59
I hear you on some of that. However here in the UK if we take insurance out , for example on a car (tad more expensive than a drone) , if we have it taken from us (or stolen)  ... even if we accidentally cause an accident , our insurance company wouldn't then void a claim unless we had it returned to them !!!  Are people seriously not grasping what is going on with DJI wanting returned "damaged" products before validating the insurance ? Then have the audacity to then  charge for the refurbished unit .. on top of the insurance.. and void claims left right and centre based on display messages they created on the unit. It is a con. and a scam if ever I heard one. I'm so proud to be British. Thats all I can say.

I think your car insurance example enforces DJI's stance.

I'm sure if you told them your car was gone and you wanted a replacement, they're not going to just replace it. They need more information. I'm sure police reports will be involved. But just calling them and saying it's gone and expecting a replacement car? I don't think so. Unfortunately in the instance of the drone going missing, there isn't much recourse.

And damage to your car? The insurance company isn't going to write you a check without taking a look at the car. Seems DJI is doing the same thing here.

CycleParadise Posted at 2018-1-18 13:09
I think your car insurance example enforces DJI's stance.

I'm sure if you told them your car was gone and you wanted a replacement, they're not going to just replace it. They need more information. I'm sure police reports will be involved. But just calling them and saying it's gone and expecting a replacement car? I don't think so. Unfortunately in the instance of the drone going missing, there isn't much recourse.

Did anyone take out DJi care yet ? I'm still shocked no one is thanking me for saving them another 140 pounds. secretly, somewhere ... this may be registering.. even if one person sees through their truly crappy insurance and customer care.. then I'm happy

danielJifan Posted at 2018-1-18 13:06
These arguments are of course all valid until YOU loose YOURS..  which of course.. by the sounds of things , you'll just never do.  Id love to have a copy of your transcript with DJi care if that happens. Happy flying!!!!

You are mind bendingly delusioned. If I lose my drone and I can’t recover it to send back, I will be very annoyed, but not st DJI, because I know what was and wasn’t covered before I took it out. There’s a lovely YouTube video of a Scottish guy recovering his Mavic from a lake and returning it to DJI who for a small fee replaced it with a new one.

The Refresh is pretty clear about what it covers, shame you didn’t read it.

did you mean delusional ? Im not  wearing a superman top with  a helmet on.  

danielJifan Posted at 2018-1-18 13:24
did you mean delusional ? Im not  wearing a superman top with  a helmet on.

Yes I did, autocorrect however seems to disagree. And your spelling and grammer in your earlier posts leaves a lot to be desired so let’s not behave like children. And my choice of profile pic is not relevant here. People are trying to help you and you’re seemingly wanting to just blame someone else for your failings.

The drone has no way to know what the wind speed is above the ground so I cannot see why you would think DJI are responsible for this.

You said you cannot recover the drone without a connection to the controller which is not true, you said it landed in a field out of sight which means you either saw it or you know that because of the logs state that. Have you checked the last recorded gps location?

I don’t understand your aversion to posting the logs of your flight. What if we were able to pinpoint the last known location? Wouldn’t that be worth knowing?

I cannot fathom your logic that DJI should replace your drone without having the unit returned.

I get that you’re miffed, I would be too, but you clearly didn’t check the T&C’s before you paid for thfor Refresh. I did, and almost didn’t bother as I planned to fly mine over beaches and areas where it would be near impossible to recover, but I opted for it anyway for peace of mind.

dannyseward Posted at 2018-1-18 12:25
they cant. I have an airdata account I've seen all the stats, last known GPS location . Been there done that ..  there's no way of finding it without connection to the controller.

Just my last replay. If you have Airdata just download the .CSV file of that flight and look at the data.
Then you understand why we use Phantomhelp com You can see how the drone was drifting and in how much power it had to use to fight the wind and if or how it was responding to your commands.
Good luck with your Mavic.