It unfortunately seems impossible to keep this thread on topic. So I changed the title... Bye!

I'm starting to wonder...

Based on all the posts depicting flyaways, crashes , bricking and other horrors, it may seem so. Still, I can't believe that the quality control at DJIs factory is so bad that their products turn out to be so unreliable and unpredictable!

I myself must admit that I've had no problems so far. I always upgrade when there's a new version of the firmware available. There's never been any problems upgrading the AC, RC or the battery. And no problems when flying afterwards. I changed to the new quick release propellers and they work exactly as described. Easy to put on and take off and securily fastened to the motors.

So, I am getting a little tired of seeing all the "threads of doom" in this forum. Not that I don't sympathise with those who are unlucky, but what are the reasons for posting? Are they looking for sympathy, advice on how to fix their problems or just plain angry at DJI and wanting to spread the word and warn others? And whenever someone posts something positive, the doomsday predictions are not far away.

Again, I don't think that the negative threads is showing the whole picture. I am convinced that there are a majority out there who are very happy with their Inspire 1s but they tend to disappear in favor of those few that are having serious problems. And there must be a lot of those problems that are a result of unnecessary modifications, attempts to exceed the limits of speed, height and distance, even if they won't admit it.

Let's hope that the aura of negativity will subside in time and change into an atmosphere of constructive advice and exciting stories!

And please, no predictions of doom in this thread. There are enough threads that takes care of that!

Your observation is on target.  Most users are just like you and have had no issues.  There is actually a thread here that supports the notion.  For the most part users do not post positive experiences on forums.  We try and assist those that have issues or refer them to DJI for service and replacement.  It really is a small percentage of users.  It just appears to be more because of the nature of the forum and these users tend to be more vocal than most.

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2015-6-1 00:33
Your observation is on target.  Most users are just like you and have had no issues.  There is actua ...

I have not had any bad experiences with my Inspire and if you check my website and facebook pages you can see that I stay very busy using it in all kinds of situations.  I filmed the entire Desert Storm Boat Parade in 25-30 mph winds over water and she was steady as a rock. www.facebook.com/aerialpeek and www.aerialpeek.com  

Unfortunatly if you do have a problem DJI stinks at customer service ( excluding you Ed you seem to save the day for a lot of folks ) Repair times are long and repair parts for the end user are few.  Couple that with the fact they rolled out the phantom 3 with all its bells and whistles before addressing all issues  with the Inspire was really a big slap in the face to all of us.  So with the lack of customer service  to ease the pain felt by those with issues and the poorly thought out Release of the Phantom 3 the only place to let out the frustration is the forum. That will only change when the company culture changes towards it customers.

dennis@aerialpe Posted at 2015-6-1 01:02
I have not had any bad experiences with my Inspire and if you check my website and facebook pages  ...

When we move to our new facility in LA that will take care of the backlogs.  I cannot apologize enough to our users.  The current repair times are not acceptable.  We know that.  Guys are working overtime to try and make it better but they are making little headway.  It will take more space and employees to make an impact.

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2015-6-1 01:06
When we move to our new facility in LA that will take care of the backlogs.  I cannot apologize en ...

The other thing that would REALLY help is more than one center.  Having to ship NY -> LA even with decent turnaround time is still awful.  Minimally there should be one on each coast.  Better would be allowing the dealer network with repair facilities to do repairs (I continue to say - imagine if your CAR had to go back to the manufacturer if something went wrong with it).

With that said, so far we have had zero issues with ours.

PeteGould Posted at 2015-6-1 01:58
The other thing that would REALLY help is more than one center.  Having to ship NY -> LA even with ...

Pete, I don't think that will happen.  We did the Phantom repair centers and that was not a good experience for DJI.  That is why we removed the warranty prepare services from those dealers.  I am not sure if the dealer network is willing to invest the dollars to train techs and the equipment to make the repairs.  My guess is that they are not.  It is not an insignificant investment.

I used to run a TV repair shop back in the 1970s  and that was a significant investment in training, Time and Resources...Yet there were dozens of these type of repair shops. Many with excellent techs...If they can make a buck at it they will come...

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2015-6-1 02:43
Pete, I don't think that will happen.  We did the Phantom repair centers and that was not a good e ...

What is unfortunate is that we made the purchasing decision to get the Inspire based on a repair center within driving distance and would have made an entirely different decision otherwise.  I doubt we are alone, so I would imagine the result is a significant amount of customer resentment.  DJI made a business decision, but I'm sure they are not willing to pick up the cost of bidirectional next day air shipping when service is needed - so it's the customer who takes it on the chin unless they're in the greater LA area within a radius that makes ground shipping a next-day service.

I still don't know the MTBF or recommended replacement interval for Inspire motors or ESCs - certainly there is one because the alternative is to fly them until they fail in flight.  So every [undisclosed interval] we need to box up the aircraft and ship it to the opposite coast instead of dropping it off an hour's drive away, and either pay a whopping shipping fee or add about two and a half weeks to the repair time.

Not your fault, of course.  Just not very good business.

I do appreciate your serving as an information conduit.  I know that is at best a thankless job sometimes.  So: thank you.  

PeteGould Posted at 2015-6-1 05:00
What is unfortunate is that we made the purchasing decision to get the Inspire based on a repair ce ...

You should not have made your purchasing decision based on Phantom repair stations.  They were never and would never become Inspire repair stations because of lack of parts and the proper tools to prepare the Inspire.  The Phantoms are easy compared to the Inspire.  

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2015-6-1 07:36
You should not have made your purchasing decision based on Phantom repair stations.  They were nev ...

Nobody knew that back in November when we placed the order - including the dealer which made a big deal about purchasing from an authorized dealer with its own repair facilities, for all the reasons I've mentioned.

PeteGould Posted at 2015-6-1 07:43
Nobody knew that back in November when we placed the order - including the dealer which made a big ...

Pete, talking about me?
My reseller doesn't even have an actual address.

PeteGould Posted at 2015-6-1 07:43
Nobody knew that back in November when we placed the order - including the dealer which made a big ...

Pete, I am sorry about your experience.  Dealers will say a lot to make a sale.  Some of which they can back up, some they cannot, some they have no idea what they are talking about.  Unfortunately it happens.  

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2015-6-1 09:24
Pete, I am sorry about your experience.  Dealers will say a lot to make a sale.  Some of which the ...

True.  What made this resonate was that it made SENSE.  There was already a repair network at the time, so the idea of incorporating an additional model was perfectly logical.  And of course on the video side we are very accustomed to regional repair centers whether the manufacturer is Sony, Panasonic, etc.  I would never have even considered the possibility that a $1B+ manufacturer of a relatively large and relatively heavy item touted as suited to professional use wouldn't do the same thing.  Never would have occurred to me.

But I'm really not writing to bemoan my personal situation.  I'm really trying to suggest what these things do to customer perception and attitude.  For the cultural reasons we've previously discussed I don't think DJI has considered that impact.  They really need to.

PeteGould Posted at 2015-6-1 09:51
True.  What made this resonate was that it made SENSE.  There was already a repair network at the  ...

I followed this thread, and have to agree with you Pete.  Also, reading what you guys go through in the U.S., make me rather dispondent about us on the other side of the globe...

Hey Graham,

An Australian based repair centre is being opened this month in Melbourne.

Farnk666 Posted at 2015-6-1 16:26
Hey Graham,

An Australian based repair centre is being opened this month in Melbourne.

It would be nice to have one in the UK.

peter.psilver Posted at 2015-6-1 18:28
It would be nice to have one in the UK.

No doubt - but consider that the distance between the UK and Germany (650 - 700 miles or so) is still a lot closer than between New York and Los Angeles (more than 2,700 miles).  I don't know what delays are imposed at the borders; here it's just the insanely long physical distance.

I agree but going to a different country (but still in the EU though)

I've not had any of these issues. My bird has been rock solid. In addition, I have to say, the first day I received my Inspire I had an issue updating the firmware, because I was a newbie and not and issue with the hardware. I did a chat on the weekend of the Chinese New Year and was walked through a solution. I am one to believe it is either luck of the draw getting a bad bird or some sort of user error (tinkering, not being patient, whatever).

dshanesmith Posted at 2015-6-2 00:00
I've not had any of these issues. My bird has been rock solid. In addition, I have to say, the first ...

I'm in the same place as you.  All of the concerns I am expressing have to do with others' experiences and in anticipation of having routine scheduled service done.  Personally I haven't had a single problem with firmware upgrades, loss of control (except once for about five seconds) or flyaways.  The one problem we DO have is with the limited number of video channels now that the ones DJI was using illegally have been eliminated.  This primarily affects the separate controller that a dedicated camera operator would use.  But in terms of aircraft performance it has been pretty close to perfect.

PeteGould Posted at 2015-6-2 00:05
I'm in the same place as you.  All of the concerns I am expressing have to do with others' experie ...

Agree, I have noticed the less than stellar video reception. Prior to that one update, I would lose RC control before I would lose video reception. Actually flew a bit with my TB47 and it seemed to perform better than previous flights after this latest update. I've said to my friends that this UAV is as close as it would come if Apple were to build one.

Welcome to the new "Repair Centre Thread"!!!

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2015-6-1 09:24
Pete, I am sorry about your experience.  Dealers will say a lot to make a sale.  Some of which the ...

Its a very hard situation for all of us, personally its a headache to ship the inspire with a turnaround time of almost 8 weeks, the situation is that if you need the inspire to run your business yo will have to buy two birds, so when one goes to repair center use the other one, its not right...