So apparently I plugged the cable into my remote controller the wrong way which damaged the charging port and now DJI Is charging me $75 to fix it. I understand there was some user error on my end but to be honest the USB port they use is shoddy at best. I’m sure we’ve all plugged a usb cable in the wrong way at some point but how often does that actually break the product? I am careful not to force anything so I know so I know for a fact I was I was being trying to be careful. I’ve purchases a magic air and a spark from DJI and quite frankly I feel like I’m being nickel and dimes here. This is not a great way to treat customers who paid a premium for your product. The controller is only a two months old. They also advised me to check the orientation but the USB port they use is completed rectangular which doesn’t help. Sorry to air my complaints here but Im curious if anyone else has had this issue with DJI controllers in he past.

I always put a small dot of nail polish (color is your choice) on the upside, or the face of the connector that faces up when correctly installed.

Flycaster Posted at 2018-3-23 10:08
I always put a small dot of nail polish (color is your choice) on the upside, or the face of the connector that faces up when correctly installed.

That is a smart DIY solution

USB in general is not the best designed port I know.
Only with the latest version I think they hit the sweet spot.

Flycaster Posted at 2018-3-23 10:08
I always put a small dot of nail polish (color is your choice) on the upside, or the face of the connector that faces up when correctly installed.

That's a good idea, thanks. I'll be doing that once I receive my RC back. I told DJI I wanted to dispute the charges. They said they would send me an email confirmation of this but of course I never received anything. Either way I'm sure I'll lose out and they'll milk theextra $75 out of me. It's a shame - I have never soured on a company so quickly. As if my RC breaking after minimal use wasn't frustrating enough now I have to pay for their shoddy craftsmanship. I won't be getting those Sparks for my dad and nephew this year like I had planned.

I have to agree its a pretty poor design.  What I cant understand is why they went for a rectangular socket with no obvious polarisation and then expect users to insert a polarised (micro USB) plug n the right way round.  

Agree with the nail polish bit. I used a correction pen to mark it.

I usually have to fiddle a bit to get the right orientation and have this nagging fear that I will break the port.

Flycaster Posted at 2018-3-23 10:08
I always put a small dot of nail polish (color is your choice) on the upside, or the face of the connector that faces up when correctly installed.

I do the same thing!  But with a white Sharpie.

zwt100 Posted at 2018-3-23 15:34
That's a good idea, thanks. I'll be doing that once I receive my RC back. I told DJI I wanted to dispute the charges. They said they would send me an email confirmation of this but of course I never received anything. Either way I'm sure I'll lose out and they'll milk theextra $75 out of me. It's a shame - I have never soured on a company so quickly. As if my RC breaking after minimal use wasn't frustrating enough now I have to pay for their shoddy craftsmanship. I won't be getting those Sparks for my dad and nephew this year like I had planned.

The will probably give you another RC and not the same one you sent.

When i unboxed my Mavic Air, i had a close look at the controller port, made note of the orientation of the cable plug as i unplugged it, and have since plugged it in using that orientation every time. Sure, it's a rectangular port, but you can also see the plastic part towards one side of the port in the controller; compare that to the male plug on the cable, and it's kinda obvious how it should go in.

Sorry if this sounds a little harsh, but i'd suck it up, pay the $75, and be more careful of it in future. Seems a little on-the-nose to write a company off when this is largely "user error"  *shrug*

I can’t wait for all electronics to go away from the MicroUSB port and go to the USB-C port.  I’ve commented on this before, but I think it’s odd that DJI stuck a USB-C port on the aircraft, but not on the controller.  

RocketChap Posted at 2018-3-23 15:51
I have to agree its a pretty poor design.  What I cant understand is why they went for a rectangular socket with no obvious polarisation and then expect users to insert a polarised (micro USB) plug n the right way round.

Can't agree more, simply a poor design! I can imagine if the consequence was the device catching fire and burning down a house rather than just the user suffering a broken remote, then I'm sure it will be considered 100% poor design and all the fingers will be pointing at DJI!

FWIW, I agree that the design could definitely be better. But it is what it is - ain’t no changing that! So do you think that if you take that into consideration, there should be some personal responsibility here? As in, you can’t change the design, so you take the time to study it, learn how it works, and then not force a Micro USB plug in the wrong way round?  

Yeah, I’m being a little cheeky here, but it’s not meant to be nasty - I sympathise; it does definitely suck breaking something expensive. I guess I just feel that laying the blame on DJI is a little misguided.

I understand how you feel, very sorry about it. Could you tell us your case number here? We'd like to check the current status and see whether we can help.

Face-AcheNZ Posted at 2018-3-23 18:45
When i unboxed my Mavic Air, i had a close look at the controller port, made note of the orientation of the cable plug as i unplugged it, and have since plugged it in using that orientation every time. Sure, it's a rectangular port, but you can also see the plastic part towards one side of the port in the controller; compare that to the male plug on the cable, and it's kinda obvious how it should go in.

Sorry if this sounds a little harsh, but i'd suck it up, pay the $75, and be more careful of it in future. Seems a little on-the-nose to write a company off when this is largely "user error"  *shrug*

Sorry, I disagree. Sure you can tell the orientation and obviously you want to be careful when plugging it in but this is still a common mistake that 99% of the time doesn't lead to a broken product.The port DJI used is extremely cheap, which is a shame because everything else is rock solid.  A quick google search and you'll see others have had this problem as well with the Spark. If you really think $75 is a reasonable price then I don't know what else to say.     Being charged that much to fix a broken pin is completely outrageous and this is the line of thinking that allows them to do so. Fixing my RC would cost them next to nothing, let's be real. I don't like when companies clearly gauge their customers so it gets me a little fired up.

zwt100 Posted at 2018-3-24 06:50
Sorry, I disagree. Sure you can tell the orientation and obviously you want to be careful when plugging it in but this is still a common mistake that 99% of the time doesn't lead to a broken product.The port DJI used is extremely cheap, which is a shame because everything else is rock solid.  A quick google search and you'll see others have had this problem as well with the Spark. If you really think $75 is a reasonable price then I don't know what else to say.     Being charged that much to fix a broken pin is completely outrageous and this is the line of thinking that allows them to do so. Fixing my RC would cost them next to nothing, let's be real. I don't like when companies clearly gauge their customers so it gets me a little fired up.

Yeah they’re all totally valid points you’ve made there, for sure.

Playing devils advicate though, it’s human nature for people to share bad experiences, so I’d surmise that the vast majority of owners are silently enjoying their product, with no charging port issues.

The $75 fee does seem high for what it is, but sounds like a “minimum charge” kind of thing. I don’t like it either, but it’s par for the course these days. I got a plotter/printer at work serviced the other day; $80 call-out fee, $195 an hour (minimum half-hour), + a print head replacement at $115 - was basically $300 for 10 minutes work. By all means, rage against that kind of thing - you might be able to get some kind of discount off the cost (I recall in another thread someone being offered a 20% discount for a repair).

But when it’s something you essentially have zero control over, I just can’t see any benefit in getting too upset about it. Getting that wound up about it is more detrimental to your own well-being.

Alternatively, just do what you are doing - express your displeasure to the company, and sent that message with your wallet by not buying their products any more.

Oh, and if it’s widely known the port is flimsy, wouldn’t that compel you to be extra careful with it? I still think there’s an element of personal responsibility here, but let’s not fall out over it! Agree to disagree, and remain friends

Good luck with it dude, hope you manage to get it sorted out without too much wallet-pain!

zwt100 Posted at 2018-3-24 06:50
Sorry, I disagree. Sure you can tell the orientation and obviously you want to be careful when plugging it in but this is still a common mistake that 99% of the time doesn't lead to a broken product.The port DJI used is extremely cheap, which is a shame because everything else is rock solid.  A quick google search and you'll see others have had this problem as well with the Spark. If you really think $75 is a reasonable price then I don't know what else to say.     Being charged that much to fix a broken pin is completely outrageous and this is the line of thinking that allows them to do so. Fixing my RC would cost them next to nothing, let's be real. I don't like when companies clearly gauge their customers so it gets me a little fired up.

Hi, we listen to all the feedback from customers and try hard to make progress in our products. I would recommend you provide us your case number for better assistance.

Face-AcheNZ Posted at 2018-3-24 13:46
Yeah they’re all totally valid points you’ve made there, for sure.

Playing devils advicate though, it’s human nature for people to share bad experiences, so I’d surmise that the vast majority of owners are silently enjoying their product, with no charging port issues.

Absolutely, we can  agree to disagree, no hard feelings at all. Unfortunately, I didn’t do a google search until after I had the issue. Lesson learned, Innoe know to treat DJI charging ports with extreme caution. Thankfully some helpful posters gave me a few pointers on how to avoid this in the future.Also just to be clear,  I’m totally okay with picking up some of the tab, that was never an issue. But the reality is the part is $9 and it’s a 15 minute fix at best. The $75 fee comes down to a manufacturer overcharging their customer simply because they can. I’m  aware how it works. But I went through DJI specifically because A) I like supporting the OEM directly, and B) I didn’t want to potentially void my warranty. Turns out that doesn’t matter anyway. Next time I’ll just take it to the local hobby shop and have it fixed for a fraction of the price. Anyway sorry for rambling again and thanks for your input. Maybe we disagree but I definitely appreciate it.

DJI Elektra Posted at 2018-3-24 19:08
Hi, we listen to all the feedback from customers and try hard to make progress in our products. I would recommend you provide us your case number for better assistance.

Hi Electra - I sent my case number to DJI Susan  in a private message. Any help would be appreciated.

zwt100 Posted at 2018-3-26 10:06
Hi Electra - I sent my case number to DJI Susan  in a private message. Any help would be appreciated.

Received with thanks! I've forwarded your case to the right team for review. They will check and contact you in the working time. Appreciate your patience.

DJI Susan Posted at 2018-3-26 19:20
Received with thanks! I've forwarded your case to the right team for review. They will check and contact you in the working time. Appreciate your patience.

Thanks for your help, Susan. I received a call this morning. Everyone involved was very helpful but of course I had to pay the tab as expected. I’m not really happy about that. I went through the manufacturer and feel like I got burned doing so. I could have had this fixed locally at a fraction of the price. Either way, thanks again. Other than DJI’s billing policy I’m happy with the quick response I received from the moderators and repair staff. Everyone was friendly and more than willing to assist.

zwt100 Posted at 2018-3-27 09:45
Thanks for your help, Susan. I received a call this morning. Everyone involved was very helpful but of course I had to pay the tab as expected. I’m not really happy about that. I went through the manufacturer and feel like I got burned doing so. I could have had this fixed locally at a fraction of the price. Either way, thanks again. Other than DJI’s billing policy I’m happy with the quick response I received from the moderators and repair staff. Everyone was friendly and more than willing to assist.

Understood how it feels. Hope your case will be resolved soon.

DJI Thor Posted at 2018-3-27 21:29
Understood how it feels. Hope your case will be resolved soon.

Think yourself lucky ! DJI quoted me £211 for "User Error" in damaging the pins on the port of my Mavic Pro Controller.I am extremely careful when inserting any cables into any ports - obviously not careful enough. Lesson learnt !

fans738ec23c Posted at 2018-4-5 07:03
Think yourself lucky ! DJI quoted me £211 for "User Error" in damaging the pins on the port of my Mavic Pro Controller.I am extremely careful when inserting any cables into any ports - obviously not careful enough. Lesson learnt !

I've checked your case, Remote Controller Main Controller Board needed to be replaced, but the payment was rejected, so we arrange return without repair. Sorry about this. Please let us know if there is anything we can help.

The issue here is a "DESIGN PROBLEM"...not a user problem. These micro USB ports are inherently unstable whether you plug the male probe in correctly or not. The "weight" of the charging cord pulls down on the cheaply-built port ( even when you plug it in "correctly," ) eventually causing it to loosen, making it almost impossible to get a "full charge" on the controller...forcing me to take a piece of duct tape attached to the charging-cable to "lift it" so it will charge the way it should without my jerry-rig way of fixing the problem. After paying nearly $2000 for a drone, extra batteries, props, ect...I should not have to worry about a charging port that will fail before long, causing me to have to spend even more money. We need to stop blaming "USERS" for this, and expect DJI to currect this design flaw. This company has built a superlative product, but they need to HEAR their customer's complaints until this issue is redesigned and taken care of. ...PERIOD !!

fans4bb8386a Posted at 12-18 07:36
The issue here is a "DESIGN PROBLEM"...not a user problem. These micro USB ports are inherently unstable whether you plug the male probe in correctly or not. The "weight" of the charging cord pulls down on the cheaply-built port ( even when you plug it in "correctly," ) eventually causing it to loosen, making it almost impossible to get a "full charge" on the controller...forcing me to take a piece of duct tape attached to the charging-cable to "lift it" so it will charge the way it should without my jerry-rig way of fixing the problem. After paying nearly $2000 for a drone, extra batteries, props, ect...I should not have to worry about a charging port that will fail before long, causing me to have to spend even more money. We need to stop blaming "USERS" for this, and expect DJI to currect this design flaw. This company has built a superlative product, but they need to HEAR their customer's complaints until this issue is redesigned and taken care of. ...PERIOD !!

We're so sorry for the unpleasant experience. May I know where is the RC now and have you sent it in? If yes, please kindly provide us with your case number, we'd like to check the exact status and see whether we can help.

The solution to this problem should not be put back on the customer, saying we haven't been careful enough with plugging the charging cable into the controller port. I've determined that the issue is a "faulty design" of the charging port, due to a weak solder joint/board, and because of this it works loose over repeated charging cycles. I can say this with certainty as I've bought three Mavic Two Pro's since 2018 and "all of them" have this issue to this day, they will not recharge the controller without my manipulating the angle of the male plugin to the female port. To make a word picture, I put the plug into the port, then have to "lift up on it" till I see the charging lights, but if I let go of it, immediately it stops charging. It didn't use to do this, its begun after many repeated charging cycles. This should be something that DJI does a recall on or a fix for it's customers, who spend mega-dollars for these drones.

fans4bb8386a Posted at 3-16 18:09
The solution to this problem should not be put back on the customer, saying we haven't been careful enough with plugging the charging cable into the controller port. I've determined that the issue is a "faulty design" of the charging port, due to a weak solder joint/board, and because of this it works loose over repeated charging cycles. I can say this with certainty as I've bought three Mavic Two Pro's since 2018 and "all of them" have this issue to this day, they will not recharge the controller without my manipulating the angle of the male plugin to the female port. To make a word picture, I put the plug into the port, then have to "lift up on it" till I see the charging lights, but if I let go of it, immediately it stops charging. It didn't use to do this, its begun after many repeated charging cycles. This should be something that DJI does a recall on or a fix for it's customers, who spend mega-dollars for these drones.

Hi there, we are sorry for the inconvenience. We will forward your feedback to the corresponding team for evaluation. You can also start a case through the link below and send the device back for further diagnosis. http://www.dji.com/support