...ity product.

Friday, bought a Phantom 4 pro, second battery, car charger, filters and 2 128 gig cards. I honestly thought I would be shooting footage this weekend.
Foolish me.

Saturday started the setup process (read manual, charge batteries, update firmware.... oooops) Ended up wasting 4 hours trying to figure out why the copter flashed yellow and the RC had an intermittent screen.

Took it back to to point of purchase, they exchanged. Came home. Setup and I have the one blinking white led/no charge condition. After reading through these and other forums realized I had made a huge mistake in trusting that DJI was a product I should spend money on.

Tomorrow, everything is returned for a full refund and I won't bother pursuing aerial photography.

How did DJI get buzz as a quality product? My experience indicates it is anything but.

Way to turn away sales DJI.
Kevin

I wish there was a way to tell new buyers NOT to update software/firmware before they go flying. The aircraft is complicated enough without going through all that crap.

I agree, it is very sparse on new user support. I am in video production and have never had this kind of trouble with new gear out of the gate. I cannot trust this companies gear now and I have lost my appetite to pursue aerial. I love to shoot but have developed a nerve condition where my hands tremor. I thought this might be a way to stay in the game.

Very disappointing.

Signing off... briefest DJI customer in history (maybe)

splinetime Posted at 2018-4-22 19:33
I agree, it is very sparse on new user support. I am in video production and have never had this kind of trouble with new gear out of the gate. I cannot trust this companies gear now and I have lost my appetite to pursue aerial. I love to shoot but have developed a nerve condition where my hands tremor. I thought this might be a way to stay in the game.

Very disappointing.

Very sorry to hear of this. My experience with DJI has been quite the opposite. I have a P3 Standard am very happy with it. And honestly the reason I went for the P3 was fewer technical bells and whistles to go wrong.

I would encourage you to get DJI support involved before giving up.

Well, since you are not looking for any assistance, I guess we can dispense with that effort...

That noted, to all new users besides taking to heart Geebax's advice above YOU CANNOT take reading all the woe’s me and I'm screwed postings you find here, or anywhere for that matter, as total gospel and certainly not as a true indication as to how well, or not, DJI products do.  The problem is usually due to those with troubles and difficulties will come here and post their issues, while those having worry or problem free efforts will never come here to post good or bad.  Most importantly, about 8 to 9 times out of 10 those problems were due to their own actions or lack of action.  I can say with solid certainty that the P4P is a great piece of technology and a joy to fly, it is advanced and quite capable; it's too bad the OP will never know this.

Absolutely nothing can replace reading the manual twice if not three times before starting out.  As noted this is not a toy, it may seem like it, but it's not, it is a sophisticated device that needs some strong baseline knowledge about its operations to set it up and fly it.  There is no such thing as operating these birds straight out of the box safely and flawlessly, there are just too many variables and procedures the operator must be knowledgeable of and follow for that to happen.  YES, nearly everyone here will admit that the manuals are poorly written in places and could be much better than they are and on-line assistance is challenging to find, as well as the language barrier with customer service can be a source of frustration.  However, if you are persistent and patient you can receive the help you need and learn what you must to make for a safe and smooth flying experience.  Most of the experts here are here to help and can assist you in many ways if you are willing to work with them.
Adios Amigo, safe travels!

Genghis9 Posted at 2018-4-22 20:21
Well, since you are not looking for any assistance, I guess we can dispense with that effort...
That noted, to all new users besides taking to heart Geebax's advice above YOU CANNOT take reading all the woe’s me and I'm screwed postings you find here, or anywhere for that matter, as total gospel and certainly not as a true indication as to how well, or not, DJI products do.  The problem is usually due to those with troubles and difficulties will come here and post their issues, while those having worry or problem free efforts will never come here to post good or bad.  Most importantly, about 8 to 9 times out of 10 those problems were due to their own actions or lack of action.  I can say with solid certainty that the P4P is a great piece of technology and a joy to fly, it is advanced and quite capable; it's too bad the OP will never know this.
Absolutely nothing can replace reading the manual twice if not three times before starting out.  As noted this is not a toy, it may seem like it, but it's not, it is a sophisticated device that needs some strong baseline knowledge about its operations to set it up and fly it.  There is no such thing as operating these birds straight out of the box safely and flawlessly, there are just too many variables and procedures the operator must be knowledgeable of and follow for that to happen.  YES, nearly everyone here will admit that the manuals are poorly written in places and could be much better than they are and on-line assistance is challenging to find, as well as the language barrier with customer service can be a source of frustration.  However, if you are persistent and patient you can receive the help you need and learn what you must to make for a safe and smooth flying experience.  Most of the experts here are here to help and can assist you in many ways if you are willing to work with them.

Well if you dont know you are doing youre going to have trouble..sometimes in this hobby it is a learning process.

Well i for one have nothing but admiration for dji products and their service centre here in oz.
I love my p4p.
Yes some are having issues but remember this is cutting edge technology that we are playing with.

How did DJI get buzz as a quality product?
By making the best ready-to-fly drones you can buy.
Nothing else comps close to matching the performance or features.
That's why they have a better than 70% market share and all the other makers have only a small slice of the pie.
I've had 6 now and nothing but perfect performance.

Why 2 x 128 Gb cards ?  One is one too many.

Kevin, we're sorry to read your post. Please believe that DJI would love to provide more chances and amazing experiences for more people to explore the world with our products. If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to contact our support from here: https://www.dji.com/support
We still hope that you would have a nice trip with DJI product.

Any new RC pilot should RTFM long before making acquisition of a trusty aircraft.

A basic understating can go a long way, in learning how to operate your aircraft, efficiently.


Sorry that your experience wasn't all that you expected.  Better luck next time.



RedHotPoker

Too bad you have had this experience.
It took me some time to get it all figured out.
Lots of variables here and things that can go wrong.

Usually, when you post your question here, there are some skilled users that are more than willing to help and get you airborne asap.

Does the most complicated and technical item I own have some problems? Sure. Was there a need to digest a bunch of information before operating it? Sure. Are there countless posts indicating DJI products have some issues? Sure.

There’s something many current DJI owners know about purchasing a new DJI product that all new customers ‘should’ know. When you open a box and take out the thing you just purchased, you have to create a DJI account and ‘activate’ that product online. You get one of these in that products lifetime. If you buy it from retail or a reseller, and you don’t have to activate it... you’re getting someone else’s return. So you took the product you dropped $1500+ on, back to the store and you got a product someone else took back to the store... and the cycle continues. Returns don’t disappear. They get repackaged, shrink wrapped and placed back out for sale. Mainly by people who know nothing about the product.

Just my 2cents...

Jeff

It probably wouldn't have taken much at all to sort out. After a few initial checks and bits to set up they work well.

It may have been that the RC needed firmware update, perhaps a simple relink of RC to aircraft, activation of aircraft etc.

It is really sad he gave up so easily. My condition no longer allows me to camera, the drone does, so I can assure him his medical problem can be overcome by using a drone to carry on shooting. Perhaps he may think twice and try it again.

Don't give up so easy! I've read everything and watched many videos and video tutorials from the beginning and keep flying and shooting. Remember... every day is new experience to look from different angle.

I think this is still a hobby for hobbyists.  

I have three Phantoms, all three run like a top.  Still - I wouldn't mind gettin' me a Mavic some day...

Thanks for all; the replies. It's nice to see the positive impressions,
Jeff: I had read the instructions and the forums before purchase. I followed the instructions and the notes of caution I found (don't charge both RC and battery at once, full charge before updates aircraft first, etc...) This was definitely down to a firmware update issue.

So when I got the second unit and the RC is exhibiting the "charge" issue (also read up on this) that has been discussed previously, i was negatively impressed. I purchased at micro center, They are new units. First one activated before firmware notice and update before it gronked. Additional forum discussions of the long turn around times for service response also were a factor. Not down with purchasing and then having to engage in a protracted service period before I even use it.

I have a long history with tech, starting in 1974. I have sold and serviced electronic music gear, wired recording studios and engineered recording sessions, worked as location camera for production trucks, moved up to TD inside, film and video production, etc. I now do post productions and vfx.... When I went into the aerial idea I had done as much research as I could. including speaking with commercial drone pilots.

My point, I have a long history with tech (successful). While I recognize that there can be co-incident one offs that happen, that this is a new field to me and the nature of drones are different from my tech experience. But, having two out of the (new) box fails leaves me with a bad taste and a distrust of the brand.

Sincerly,
Kevin L

embayweather Posted at 2018-4-23 04:06
It is really sad he gave up so easily. My condition no longer allows me to camera, the drone does, so I can assure him his medical problem can be overcome by using a drone to carry on shooting. Perhaps he may think twice and try it again.

Yes, an auto accident damaged nerves in neck and hand.... truly a bummer. Sorry to hear there is a fellow alternate shooter need. Fly happy!

RedHotPoker I did read the manual and forums and alternate info sites.For a few months before purchase  I then read the manual again, before doing anything This is hardware and firmware issues out of the box.
Twice!

It is advisable to not update right out of the box.  It is delivered tested and should be working perfectly.  Many people make this mistake.

Updates should not grok a device this easily.

Genghis9 Posted at 2018-4-22 20:21
Well, since you are not looking for any assistance, I guess we can dispense with that effort...
That noted, to all new users besides taking to heart Geebax's advice above YOU CANNOT take reading all the woe’s me and I'm screwed postings you find here, or anywhere for that matter, as total gospel and certainly not as a true indication as to how well, or not, DJI products do.  The problem is usually due to those with troubles and difficulties will come here and post their issues, while those having worry or problem free efforts will never come here to post good or bad.  Most importantly, about 8 to 9 times out of 10 those problems were due to their own actions or lack of action.  I can say with solid certainty that the P4P is a great piece of technology and a joy to fly, it is advanced and quite capable; it's too bad the OP will never know this.
Absolutely nothing can replace reading the manual twice if not three times before starting out.  As noted this is not a toy, it may seem like it, but it's not, it is a sophisticated device that needs some strong baseline knowledge about its operations to set it up and fly it.  There is no such thing as operating these birds straight out of the box safely and flawlessly, there are just too many variables and procedures the operator must be knowledgeable of and follow for that to happen.  YES, nearly everyone here will admit that the manuals are poorly written in places and could be much better than they are and on-line assistance is challenging to find, as well as the language barrier with customer service can be a source of frustration.  However, if you are persistent and patient you can receive the help you need and learn what you must to make for a safe and smooth flying experience.  Most of the experts here are here to help and can assist you in many ways if you are willing to work with them.

I agree 100%.  I read the manual, but I still have to go to it from time to time to refresh my memory.  I did so just last night.  My sister is Hell bent on buying a used P3S from my cousin.  I  know his P3, and it is a good one.  My cousin is worried that my sister is not going to have a good experience with her first Drone.  He asked me to go up there this coming weekend and train her, which I will do.  I went back to the manual because I had forgotten how to relink the RC to the Drone.  Just could not remember the procedure.  I have a printed copy of the manual and have made notes in pencil all through it.   I have been flying the P3S and the P3Pro for more than two years now, and have never had a problem I could not fix by going back to the manual.  That is except for the time when I flew the P3 Pro into the top of a tree, and the uncontrolled vertical tumbling decent to the Asphalt necessitated a trip to the DJI repair facility in south California.  I could not have been more satified with their service.

what is the message obstacle sensing will be disabled when aircraft is landing fly with caution ?

Kevin,

You are wise to be cautious.

DJI is incapable of writing good manuals. The one that came with my first phantome 3 Adv explained how to shut the motors off after landing. I did this and the craft promptly jumped into a nearby lake.
Took them far too long to change the manual.

Their phone support is a joke.

When you return your craft, it may take months to come back, they may have fixed one item and created a few new issues. Lately, it will likely not even be the same craft you sent in that you receive back.

You are right, firmware updates should not cause so many problems.

They assume everyone goes out and buys the latest, fastest apple ipad. Each new release of software places greater demands on the tablet. Older tablets provide a pixelated view of what the camera is looking at.

There are several "fanboys" on this forum that defend DJI. Several will chime in after I post this.

Be wary. Be very wary of this company.

And save your money til they get things sorted, if they do.

splinetime Posted at 2018-4-23 05:11
Thanks for all; the replies. It's nice to see the positive impressions,
Jeff: I had read the instructions and the forums before purchase. I followed the instructions and the notes of caution I found (don't charge both RC and battery at once, full charge before updates aircraft first, etc...) This was definitely down to a firmware update issue.

Your explanations as to what happened or what went wrong don’t sound like you know anything about tech.

splinetime Posted at 2018-4-23 05:34
RedHotPoker I did read the manual and forums and alternate info sites.For a few months before purchase  I then read the manual again, before doing anything This is hardware and firmware issues out of the box.
Twice!

Do you have a local hobby shop, licensed to carry DJI products?
If yes, take your drone in, for a simple evaluation and setup.

It doesn't sound like anything serious is wrong, but something basic that needs to be tweaked.

Glad that you are proactive, in that you RTFM, before the adventure began. That's important.
It's likely a simple omission in procedure being missed along the way..

RedHotPoker

That sounds messed up.

PowerBand1 Posted at 2018-4-22 21:31
Well if you dont know you are doing youre going to have trouble..sometimes in this hobby it is a learning process.

Agreed, the key is a learning process...no one stop shop, ready to go from the start...

Hey splinetime,
your mistake was: You were too impatient.
I had some update issues out of the box with my first drone, a P3S.
Where you constantly need to go back and forth between home wifi and drone wifi.

I remember having said:
If it's not gonna work on the next try, I gonna return this thing.
But then it worked - and seeing this thing going up in the air and waiting for me to push it around -
that made up for all the trouble!

You need to experience that moment and then you stop cursing about DJI.
I promise, it works!

Jeff Millard Posted at 2018-4-23 01:02
Does the most complicated and technical item I own have some problems? Sure. Was there a need to digest a bunch of information before operating it? Sure. Are there countless posts indicating DJI products have some issues? Sure.

There’s something many current DJI owners know about purchasing a new DJI product that all new customers ‘should’ know. When you open a box and take out the thing you just purchased, you have to create a DJI account and ‘activate’ that product online. You get one of these in that products lifetime. If you buy it from retail or a reseller, and you don’t have to activate it... you’re getting someone else’s return. So you took the product you dropped $1500+ on, back to the store and you got a product someone else took back to the store... and the cycle continues. Returns don’t disappear. They get repackaged, shrink wrapped and placed back out for sale. Mainly by people who know nothing about the product.

Excellent point!

It takes patience. There is a learning curve, that must be negotiated.

Nothing good in life comes easy.  Yes, it can be uncomfortable getting there...



RedHotPoker

fans55ae5496 Posted at 2018-4-23 09:40
Kevin,

You are wise to be cautious.

Me chiming in...sooooo are you TROLLING this forum?  
Cause I'm gonna assume you have no other reason for being here since you seem to have sworn off this product, correct?
Therefore, if that is the case, then feel free to leave any time as you may think you are helping but you are not.  Many more of us have not had your experience, and I'm sorry you did, but we can't help that, yet we are willing to help others if they want it.  
You don't seem to want anything but to cry and whine, and again that is not helpful...

Genghis9 Posted at 2018-4-23 11:23
Me chiming in...sooooo are you TROLLING this forum?  
Cause I'm gonna assume you have no other reason for being here since you seem to have sworn off this product, correct?
Therefore, if that is the case, then feel free to leave any time as you may think you are helping but you are not.  Many more of us have not had your experience, and I'm sorry you did, but we can't help that, yet we are willing to help others if they want it.  

Good response, Genghis.   No matter how hard DJI tries, they will never be able to make a Boob Proof drone.  

ALABAMA Posted at 2018-4-23 12:46
Good response, Genghis.   No matter how hard DJI tries, they will never be able to make a Boob Proof drone.

Brevity is the wit of the sole...well said!

Genghis9 Posted at 2018-4-23 11:23
Me chiming in...sooooo are you TROLLING this forum?  
Cause I'm gonna assume you have no other reason for being here since you seem to have sworn off this product, correct?
Therefore, if that is the case, then feel free to leave any time as you may think you are helping but you are not.  Many more of us have not had your experience, and I'm sorry you did, but we can't help that, yet we are willing to help others if they want it.  

Also, an excellent point.

Jeff

Hey bama & genghis9... not trolling.
Took back the drone that wouldn't charge, battery tested defective. They exchanged. I stayed at the store for 3.5 hours charging batteries on the new one, setup was quick and straight forward, this one worked.
No the store didn't help me, just let me use counter space.The first one had a bad ground. Second one had a fully depleted battery. The RC was up to date on thisone, the 1st defective RC was 2 cycles back.
This one went at smooth as would be expected.
1-I researched for several months beforehand, assumed the complaints were just statistically more prominent.
2-Read the manual cover to cover. Twice
3-Checked forums.
4-To the comment about tech experience, you are welcome to your opinion. Trying bypassing a broken firewire connection on a mountain side using paperclips and epoxy, then talk to me about tech ability. I realized going in that this was a different beast than I had directly dealt with before, but:
a) Firmware/software need to be (and can be) much more robust on a piece of gear like this.
b) the need for clear versioning on the sides of sales boxes, so store can rotate stock properly (the depleted battery issue) would be useful.
5-As for patience, I have it in boat loads. What I don't have is tolerance for out of the box defects, especially more than once.
6-fans55ae5496 "roger that"

Thank you to the helpful ones
I'll pass on the bashing

PS regarding the comment on tech ability/experience/competence:


Carry on  
Kevin L

splinetime Posted at 2018-4-23 14:16
Hey bama & genghis9... not trolling.
Took back the drone that wouldn't charge, battery tested defective. They exchanged. I stayed at the store for 3.5 hours charging batteries on the new one, setup was quick and straight forward, this one worked.
No the store didn't help me, just let me use counter space.The first one had a bad ground. Second one had a fully depleted battery. The RC was up to date on thisone, the 1st defective RC was 2 cycles back.

Safe flying and happy moments!

splinetime Posted at 2018-4-23 14:16
Hey bama & genghis9... not trolling.
Took back the drone that wouldn't charge, battery tested defective. They exchanged. I stayed at the store for 3.5 hours charging batteries on the new one, setup was quick and straight forward, this one worked.
No the store didn't help me, just let me use counter space.The first one had a bad ground. Second one had a fully depleted battery. The RC was up to date on thisone, the 1st defective RC was 2 cycles back.

Mr L
I'm very happy to see you stuck with it, and I sincerely hope you have a more enjoyable experience from this point forward.  I believe you will.
One point of clarification, your implication about trolling was not about you but the other poster who seemed to have given up on DJI but was still here spreading hate and discontent.  While I can appreciate anyone's frustration and even anger about such things, this forum is not here for those to troll and whine about their problems.  Rather, it is here to help and learn and share all things about droning and DJI drones and accessories.  Lastly, I think you'll find that most can put up with the occasional whine or complaint as long as it is coming with some solutions or insights that are helpful or they are genuinely asking for help and are willing to work with whom ever to get said help.  
As I pointed out before, there are far more happy drone owners out there then the few, or many, you read about here.  As Bama put it, no one, including DJI, has made a completely boob proof drone, but compared to a few years ago they've come a long way.  
I wish you all the joy and fun of flying and photography you will have, and if and when a problem might come your way there are many here willing to try to assist.  Also, the mods here seem to genuinely try and please their DJI customers, and can be very useful in running interference for you or finding out info, use them if you must they are willing to help.
Take care, God Bless, and Fly Safe

splinetime Posted at 2018-4-23 14:16
Hey bama & genghis9... not trolling.
Took back the drone that wouldn't charge, battery tested defective. They exchanged. I stayed at the store for 3.5 hours charging batteries on the new one, setup was quick and straight forward, this one worked.
No the store didn't help me, just let me use counter space.The first one had a bad ground. Second one had a fully depleted battery. The RC was up to date on thisone, the 1st defective RC was 2 cycles back.

No prob here...... was replying to post#24.   Good luck to ya!

Thank you.

Just finished my first line of sight, square, circular and gps column.
Now I'm watching more tutorials