My Year-Long Struggle with DJI Support’s Incompetence (and why this matters to you)

First, let me get this out of the way: DJI support is completely incompetent. All they know how to do is ask you (repeatedly) to send your drone in after which they will send you a new drone in the hopes that it will resolve whatever problem you are having. Their ability to think beyond that is nonexistent.

  
  

Also, the Mavic Pro is currently unacceptable as a platform for serious cinematography. I discovered this after taking my brand-new Mavic Pro Platinum on a trip to Iceland, where much of my footage was ruined due to the issue described in the thread referenced below. I was even chatting with DJI from Iceland about the issue from camp at night. Since then, I’ve spent over a year working with DJI Support trying to get them to fix a bug that afflicts ALL Mavic Pros equally.

  
  

First, I tried to convince them there was a problem. Then I had to demonstrate it via video. Then I had to explain it to them, again and again. Then I had to get help from other MP owners on the DJI forum to troubleshoot and identify the problem as being widespread (probably universal), so I could convince DJI support there was indeed a problem (apparently they never watched the video).

  
  

I’ve sent my drone(s) in 4 times, and they’ve returned to me brand new ones 2 times, all with exactly the same issue. They couldn’t be convinced that the odds of that being HW-related was miniscule, or that sending it in yet again was, well, going to produce a different outcome. The last three times I included detailed instructions on how to test fly the drone to insure that the issue was resolved prior to sending it back, but that was never done, even though one support rep ‘guaranteed’ me that she would personally oversee the repair to ensure that it was fixed this time. She didn’t. And it wasn’t.

  
  

I finally got them to elevate the issue to their R&D department, who did the test I recommended, and they finally acknowledged that there is indeed an issue with the drone (that isn’t HW-based). Actually, thanks to me and a multitude of other MP owners on the DJI forum who took the time to test their own drones under various configurations and confirm that they too exhibited the problem, we determined that the issue was SW related and most likely in the Go4 App that affects all Mavic Pros in the same way. You’ve all probably all experienced it, didn’t know it, or just thought that it was something you had done wrong. The issue disappears when using the Litchi app, according to one user who did the test. So there’s that. However, DJI still has not released an update to their app which would fix this issue for all Mavic Pro owners, nor have they indicated that one is coming.

  
  

You can read the thread and watch a video of the problem on the DJI forum here. Most people don’t even know they have the issue and think that it is just something they’re doing by mistake.  It isn’t. It’s a defect. And DJI now knows it.

  
  

I initially asked for a refund, but after the first two round trips to DJI support, and the first (of two) brand new drone replacements, they informed me that it was beyond their return policy window. So I then spent time troubleshooting the issue for them so perhaps they could fix it. I had to start over with someone new with every new contact with Support, explaining it all over again, and all they ever wanted was for me to ‘send it back in’. They didn’t even pretend to care beyond the same old template response they all sent me. Once they finally acknowledged that there was an issue, I waited several months for resolution. Nothing. Now this (likely) affects every Mavic Pro out there, but DJI appears uninterested in resolving the issue for us with a SW update. Why should they, the Mavic Pro 2 is now out. So, welcome to being screwed. It’s good to know this, DJI.

  
  

After nothing from DJI, and for my troubles, I asked that they either refund me my cost in a return, or apply that cost toward an trade-up to the Mavic 2 Pro (which we determined doesn’t exhibit the same behavior), offering to pay any additional retail costs associated with the exchange. I thought that was fair. They first denied it outright. Then they softened and offered me a new MP! Seriously. Then they offered me a $799 credit for the brand new MPP they just sent me to ‘fix’ my problem, and if I paid them an additional $700, they’d send me a Mavic 2 Pro. After explaining that I had spent over $1,500 on my MPP Fly More Combo, additional battery and props (which, btw, thanks to them are completely incompatible with the Mavic 2 Pro), they softened further and said that since I had the Fly More Kit, that they could offer me $625, versus the additional $700, for a Mavic 2 Pro. Yeah, $75.

  
  

If there are enough Mavic Pro owners interested, perhaps a class action lawsuit for collective damages, or replacement, would prompt DJI to take the time to debug their DJI Go4 App and fix it for everyone. Until that fix comes, I will not buy another DJI product.

  
  

Anybody interested in a brand new MPP FMC, extra battery, and props for sale?

  

holy hell... ya i know DJI was retarded but holy circle jerk..i dont own my mavic pro anymore, but i do have the box it came in still in my closet...really not sure why.   but i honestly avioded customer service owning the mavic pro..  i just did repairs myself when they were needed.

im always interested in buying, how much are you selling it for though?  gottaa be slightly akward age and refurb pricing and fact this is basically what..new/refub its self..  

I think they offered you a good deal there, even though you had problems with your MPP from the beginning, it sounds like you are truly looking for a pro drone, I also think you may not even been satisfied with a M2P, because you are not going to achieve perfection with this drone.

I can see from the thread that there were others with similar problems, not sure if they got sorted as it’s very seldom those who do return to tell and it’s also unusual that someone gives up without a satisfactory outcome here on this forum.

I have seen many many more excellent videos beautiful cinematic footage taken with MPP , now whether this was the drone or the photographer , I would say these are minimum 60% photographers 40% equipment and I think being kind to the equipment.

I think before you have a panic attack, you might be better cutting your losses and give up on the MPP.
I understand you had your problems over the last year but MPP are not as easy to shift as you think.
Is the offer combo for combo, if not then you will still have extra batteries to try make some money, if it is combo for combo, I think the offer is not to shabby .

Incidentally did you film using the Litchi app, it would have been nice to compare actual footage from dji go4 and litchi side by side.

every reason why i don't update especially now that my mavicpro is out dated

every reason why i don't update especially now that my mavicpro is out dated

every reason why i don't update especially now that my mavicpro is out dated

every reason why i don't update especially now that my mavicpro is out dated

Every reason why i don't update especially now that my mavicpro is out dated, Sorry to hear your situation

hallmark007 Posted at 3-12 17:35
I think they offered you a good deal there, even though you had problems with your MPP from the beginning, it sounds like you are truly looking for a pro drone, I also think you may not even been satisfied with a M2P, because you are not going to achieve perfection with this drone.

I can see from the thread that there were others with similar problems, not sure if they got sorted as it’s very seldom those who do return to tell and it’s also unusual that someone gives up without a satisfactory outcome here on this forum.

Good deal? No, I'm looking for a drone that does what it advertises. The MP/MPP has a fault as shown in my video that, unless the pilot is so uncoordinated that they can't do anything but fly and film in straight lines while NOT moving the gimbal at the same time. This is just not MY problem, unfortunately, which is wyy I'm pushing DJI to fix it (for everyone affected).

You might be OK with dropping $1,500 on a product to find it doesn't work upon receipt, then spend the next 12 months trying to get it fixed, sending it back 4 times, having it replaced twice to no avail, and then think that a credit of $799 is a good deal, but I'm not like that.

I have been able to get some beautiful cinematic footage taken with my MPP in Iceland, just that the end of every shot is ruined by this defect in the control SW. Makes it a little tougher to edit together as I imagined. I learned to 'work around it' halfway through the trip, but it really limited the potential of my shots. The drone is just a tool, but it needs to work. I knew when I bought it exactly what it was capable of, and had no grand illusions about the MPP, but did expect it to work. It fit the need. Period. Or so I had hoped.

And as far as I could tell from the email I received, it wasn't a combo for combo offer. It was combo for M2P. The FMK was not included.

I covered in detail what I did or didn't do/use in tests in other posts, including the one mentioned above, so I won't repeat it here. This post is not me 'panicing' because I'm way beyond that. It is about letting other people know they (may) have a problem, so hopefully they too will put pressure on DJI to spend a few hours to fix the program for everyone.

GrizzlyAK Posted at 3-12 18:37
Good deal? Yah, right. No, I'm looking for a drone that does what it advertises. The MP/MPP has a fault as shown in my video that, unless you are so uncoordinated that you can't do anything but fly and film in straight lines while NOT moving the gimbal at the same time, then you WILL be affected. This is just not MY problem.

You might be OK with dropping $1,500 on a product to find it doesn't work upon receipt, then spend the next 12 months trying to get it fixed, sending it back 4 times, having it replaced twice to no avail, and then think that a credit of $799 is 'a good deal', but not me. WTF?

Well good luck to you, but I’m not sure your going to get a better deal. Maybe there is a MPP there for you, I’m certain even looking at your early thread that they are not all showing this fault at least my Mavic Pro doesn’t show this .

hallmark007 Posted at 3-12 19:07
Well good luck to you, but I’m not sure your going to get a better deal. Maybe there is a MPP there for you, I’m certain even looking at your early thread that they are not all showing this fault at least my Mavic Pro doesn’t show this .

Are you using iOS or Android? Are you using Go4 or Litchi? Everyone who tested it using Go4 on iOS saw the same issue. So did the engineers I spoke to at DJI when they tested it themselves.

Hi GrizzlyAK, we are terribly sorry to read your unpleasant experience with our customer service, I managed to get your case number via your Forum account. Per the case, replacing it with an additional $625 or swapping it with a brand new Mavic Pro Platinum are the final offers we can provide. If you still don't agree, we will verify with the team again, please wait patiently, thank you.

GrizzlyAK Posted at 3-12 19:38
Are you using iOS or Android? Are you using Go4 or Litchi? Everyone who tested it using Go4 on iOS saw the same issue. So did the engineers I spoke to at DJI when they tested it themselves.

I use both android/iOS iPhone 7 now XR, Crystalsky , I have used litchi app to both do auto missions and general flying, it’s mission flying is pretty good but footage always needs stabilizing. Using Go4 I don’t have this problem, I have many niggly issues but I have the same thing with my cameras, I just shifted a GH5 having owned it for almost 2 years, it had from beginning to the end focus pumping issues which still have never been sorted out, but like me and most others it was something easy to work around.

I’m not a professional photographer far from it, if you are a pro maybe it’s a different matter.

But as I said no insurmountable problems with Mavic Pro and I owned it since it’s release .

hallmark007 Posted at 3-13 04:25
I use both android/iOS iPhone 7 now XR, Crystalsky , I have used litchi app to both do auto missions and general flying, it’s mission flying is pretty good but footage always needs stabilizing. Using Go4 I don’t have this problem, I have many niggly issues but I have the same thing with my cameras, I just shifted a GH5 having owned it for almost 2 years, it had from beginning to the end focus pumping issues which still have never been sorted out, but like me and most others it was something easy to work around.

I’m not a professional photographer far from it, if you are a pro maybe it’s a different matter.

Good to know, thanks for the information. It is helpful.

Cheers,
Shane

DJI Mindy Posted at 3-12 20:21
Hi GrizzlyAK, we are terribly sorry to read your unpleasant experience with our customer service, I managed to get your case number via your Forum account. Per the case, replacing it with an additional $625 or swapping it with a brand new Mavic Pro Platinum are the final offers we can provide. If you still don't agree, we will verify with the team again, please wait patiently, thank you.

Mindy, you have to understand, this has been a problem for me from day one, and I’ve been working patiently withDJI support for over a year now. I just want to be made whole. You’ve sent me two brand new drones and remotes, all with the same issue, and your engineers acknowledge that it is an issue that they experienced flying a Mavic themselves. I would be happy with a Mavic that did not do this, and I believe all it requires is a fix to the Go4 app or FW, but I waited for months for DJI to update the app, and I just don’t know if you guys are even working on it now that the M2P is out. That is why I offered to do a trade in for the M2P since it apparently doesn’t have the same issue. But the offer needs to be such that I’m not basically buying another drone to replace the one I already paid for. As stated, I’m willing to pay the difference in retail price between the equivalent equipment (ie, my Mavic Pro platinum FMC, for a M2P with FM kit. Based on my original retail that’s $350.

GrizzlyAK Posted at 3-13 14:16
Mindy, you have to understand, this has been a problem for me from day one, and I’ve been working patiently withDJI support for over a year now. I just want to be made whole. You’ve sent me two brand new drones and remotes, all with the same issue, and your engineers acknowledge that it is an issue that they experienced flying a Mavic themselves. I would be happy with a Mavic that did not do this, and I believe all it requires is a fix to the Go4 app or FW, but I waited for months for DJI to update the app, and I just don’t know if you guys are even working on it now that the M2P is out. That is why I offered to do a trade in for the M2P since it apparently doesn’t have the same issue. But the offer needs to be such that I’m not basically buying another drone to replace the one I already paid for. As stated, I’m willing to pay the difference in retail price between the equiveilent equipment (ie, Mavic Pro platinum FMC for a M2P with FM kit. Based on my original retail that’s $350.

Hey GrizzlyAK

Not saying it is right, but I would suggest paying difference and upgrading to M2P.  For reasons of cutting your losses involving wasted time, frustration, lost use, and moving forward (moving on).

Whatever path you take, best of luck!

PS: Thanks for fighting for rest of us who own Mavic Pro Platinums.

HedgeTrimmer Posted at 3-13 15:06
Hey GrizzlyAK

Not saying it is right, but I would suggest paying difference and upgrading to M2P.  For reasons of cutting your losses involving wasted time, frustration, lost use, and moving forward (moving on).

Hey, HedgeTrimmer, thanks for the support. I can’t figure out why DJI is haggling over $300 RETAIL value, which is probably no more than $100 cost. I bet they’ve already spent the cost of a M2P on man-hours alone just responding to my service requests and handling four returns. I’ve flown the new drone they sent me for about 5 minutes to confirm it doesn’t work. It’s not like I’ve been flying for a year and are asking them to give me a new drone. I’ve tried their resolution, four times. I just want it resolved. It’s a bit ridiculous from a business standpoint. Anybody above lower management would know this is a no-brainer. Perhaps Mindy will send this to the right person, finally. Sigh. It makes me want to go buy a goPro.

Cheers,
Shane

HereForTheBeer Posted at 3-12 16:46
holy hell... ya i know DJI was retarded but holy circle jerk..i dont own my mavic pro anymore, but i do have the box it came in still in my closet...really not sure why.   but i honestly avioded customer service owning the mavic pro..  i just did repairs myself when they were needed.

im always interested in buying, how much are you selling it for though?  gottaa be slightly akward age and refurb pricing and fact this is basically what..new/refub its self..

I’ve been sent two brand new MPPs, all of which did the same thing (because the problem isn't with the drone itself). I’ve flown the last one I got for 5 minutes to confirm. That’s all. It’s not refurb. All of my MPPs have sent more time in transit to DJI than in the air!  

GrizzlyAK Posted at 3-13 14:16
Mindy, you have to understand, this has been a problem for me from day one, and I’ve been working patiently withDJI support for over a year now. I just want to be made whole. You’ve sent me two brand new drones and remotes, all with the same issue, and your engineers acknowledge that it is an issue that they experienced flying a Mavic themselves. I would be happy with a Mavic that did not do this, and I believe all it requires is a fix to the Go4 app or FW, but I waited for months for DJI to update the app, and I just don’t know if you guys are even working on it now that the M2P is out. That is why I offered to do a trade in for the M2P since it apparently doesn’t have the same issue. But the offer needs to be such that I’m not basically buying another drone to replace the one I already paid for. As stated, I’m willing to pay the difference in retail price between the equivalent equipment (ie, my Mavic Pro platinum FMC, for a M2P with FM kit. Based on my original retail that’s $350.

I have verified with our engineers and the issue has been reproduced and they are working on it, I will keep you posted once there is any update.
For your previous experience with our customer service and your request, I have escalated to the management department for further verification, please wait patiently, thank you.