tl;dr version: All three batteries that came with a brand new (NOT refurb) Mavic Pro Fly More Combo defective out of the box

Thought I would post my experience and opinion here after having recently (2 days ago) received delivery of a brand new Mavic Pro Fly More Combo.

I ordered the kit through a reputable Australian retailer (Australian Geographic) as they had the entire deal for $1498.99 AUD (free delivery) and was super excited to hear the knock on my door with the package only four days after ordering.

So I unboxed, read the quick start instructions and proceeded to install the DJI Go 4 app on my phone as preliminary steps and ready to move onto the business side of things (noting that I had watched a ton of videos prior to arrival, am a Bachelor of IT graduate and abide by the rules of RTFM).

I have now been left with a major sour taste in my mouth due to the fact that not just one, but all three of the batteries which came with this purchase are defective.

I spoke with a DJI online Chat support rep who asked that I send a video of the problem which I immediately proceeded to do and he is the person who has told me the batteries are defective ... this is because on the standalone charger they all have the LED 1 blink 16 times -> then no light -> rinse and repeat issue which is now known to be a sign that you're up for having to get replacement working batteries (same also occurs via the car charger which I ran as a test).

Furthermore, whether a single or multiple batteries are placed onto the charging hub, it seems to go through the process of trying to identify which battery has the highest charge in the case of multiple batteries being connected to it, but in any case it ends up displaying the solid red LED indicating fault. I am sure it is not the Power Adapter itself as I was able to charge the remote control with it via one of the USB ports and I will assume that it is not a problem with the hub because it displays LED's and the battery/s won't charge via the standalone adapter anyway.

So that's where I'm at:

• 3 non working batteries (one on the drone itself and 2 in the combo) straight out of the box
• A charged remote control that makes a lovely beepy sound as I power it on
• A drone that I cannot update the firmare on if required because I have not a single working battery
• A frown on my face because I haven't even been able to get the thing updated where required and off the ground
  

This is not a single bad batch issue either as the lovely lady from the Australian Geographic store has indicated to me over the phone that just recently at another store location there were two more of these kits sold with the exact same problem and instances at other store locations where the purchaser is going through the same. Unfortunately, in the same two cases occuring at the same other store, the batteries have been returned ... however the clients are still awaiting receieval of the replacement batteries after two and a half weeks ... so it seems like I am in for the long haul here.

After speaking with my store Manager contact again this morning, she has been asked to send photos of the serial numbers of all batteries so I have taken a heap of photos to send to her.

At her end, she has had to do the same because in attempting to find me 3 working batteries via two other kits she has in store she has now found that all 6 of these batteries are also defective.

Opinion: I think that the Quality control process at DJI seriously needs to be revamped in relation to providing customers with working products when they are paying good sums of money for them.

Don't get me wrong here, I understand that there are correct storage procedures etc etc and that these batteries have likely gone stale sitting in the box due to their shipping date (whether on the drone or in the Fly More kit) - however, the fact remains that there have been problems with these so called "Intelligtent" batteries right from the start it seems ... to the point where it is very likely going to be a hit and miss affair to get three working batteries in a combo ... and/or a working replacement staright out of the box because comments are rife that this also repeatedly keeps on happening to multiple people I.e., get a battery that doesn't work -> jump through hoops to send it back -> get a replacement -> unbox it and it doesn't work! What the heck!

I could keep going here but suffice to say I am super unhappy and disappointed with what I have received ATM and am very worried that when the time might finally come that I might get replacement batteries that I will need to go through this whole process again at a later date for whatever reason (I.e., faulty battery/faulty replacement battery/faulty battery after x amount of charges/battery firmware failure/etc) ... at this point I am seriously considering asking for a full refund and giving up on the idea of my maiden drone flight on my very first drone purchase.

I don't know what else to say really and sort of don't know what sort of response I'll get here if any because I don't think I've even asked a question to speak of ... but in the interem it makes me feel slightly better to have expressed my concerns and opinion on what I thought was going to be an easy, fun and fulfilling experience which thus far it has obviously not turned out to be.

Apologies for the rant I guess.

Could the batteries be in hibernation mode, below is a snip from the battery safety guide which can be found HERE

Aardvark Posted at 5-9 07:39
Could the batteries be in hibernation mode, below is a snip from the battery safety guide which can be found HERE[Image]

It's not an issue of a light staying on. Wish it were that easy in this case but it's not.

I left the batteries longer than 5 minutes then... with zero LED activity plugged them to the standalone charger & car charger and hub... and every time the same results as described previously regardless of if I leave connected to the standalone charger for 2-3 hours (suggested by chat) or 12-24 hours as I have seen suggested elsewhere.

Anyways... I have been advised by the Australian Geographic store that I purchased from to return the entire combo tomorrow and on Monday, my unit as well as the other 2 units still in that store and also found to have 3 faulty batteries each will be shipped back to DJI in Victoria (Aus) with replacement units to be supplied to myself (and the store) I believe.

This will not be charged to me with cost if any absorbed by the store or DJI.

I only hope I get an entire working Combo in a reasonable time frame and that it stays working so I can end this ordeal.

AustFlight Posted at 5-9 08:33
It's not an issue of a light staying on. Wish it were that easy in this case but it's not.

I left the batteries longer than 5 minutes then... with zero LED activity plugged them to the standalone charger & car charger and hub... and every time the same results as described previously regardless of if I leave connected to the standalone charger for 2-3 hours (suggested by chat) or 12-24 hours as I have seen suggested elsewhere.

It does sound like a dodgy or very old batch of units. Presumably you'd also be entitled to a full refund if you wished. But if its a good deal then a working exchange may not be bad, the Mavic Pro is a good working machine.

I'd just exchange it

Hang in there with it, it's a nice machine to fly once you obtain freshly manufactured batteries.

My Mavic Pro is about 2 years old now and still operating with the original batteries. Even when not flying I check the packs every month and if less than 2 green LED's illuminate they go on the charger. I also realise that every charge/discharge cycle shortens the life a little but for a few times a year I can live with that.

I suspect that if the retailer has them in stock for a long time, maybe  9 months or more the batteries eventually self discharge beyond the point of recovery. They are not shipped fully charged in the first place.

It would be interesting if you can discover when your batteries were manufactured.

I hope that you obtain a satisfactory result and thank goodness for our Australian retail laws

Aardvark Posted at 5-9 11:03
It does sound like a dodgy or very old batch of units. Presumably you'd also be entitled to a full refund if you wished. But if its a good deal then a working exchange may not be bad, the Mavic Pro is a good working machine.

No problem getting a full refund as Aus Geo have been nothing but helpful. I believe they would continue to assist/support me in whatever direction I chose to go (I know I get a 12 month warranty through them for a start).

At this point I have returned the combo and have been told that I will receive an entirely new combo in about a week.

The straw that broke the camels back so to speak... because of the detailed information I provided to the store I am dealing with in relation to how these batteries need to be handled, I have been informed that all Mavic Pro units held in all Aus Geo stores will be getting returned to what I believe to be the major supplier/distributor of DJI (and other brand drone) products within Australia due to their failure to inform Aus Geo as an entity that maintenance procedures need to be carried out for long standing shelf stock so as to ensure that this battery discharge and inability to recover them issue does not inconvenience the purchasing customer.

... and apologies for double posting in a thread I started myself but...

I really do hope I get a fully working shipment this time around and that I have the same luck with an enjoyable and long lasting kit as a whole as one of you mentioned (noting that I am aware that I will need to be part of that through following correct procedure and maintenance guidelines).

My excitement is growing once again and I have read all of your comments thus far and thank you for them.

I do have a question on a slightly unrelated topic if someone would be so kind ... if all goes well and I get a full working kit... I did not bother to purchase the addon DJI Care Refresh Card at time of purchasing the combo... who here would recommend Care refresh? What is/are your reason/s if your recommendation is of an affirmative nature? Am I able to purchase DJI Care after the initial purchase of the Mavic Pro Fly More Combo or did I need to purchase this addon at the same time as the combo purchase?

Cheers

I too had a slightly similar issue when I got my Mavic 13 months ago.

One of the batteries in the fly more combo was dead on arrival. I called DJI and they shipped a replacement and sent a shipping label to send the bad one back. No charge for any of this.

I recommend getting DJI care if you can afford it.

I had a failure of the gimbal mount with less than 90 minutes of flight time and DJI would not warranty the error because it happened after my warranty period expired. (I live in an area that  is not legal to fly - a crazy number of airports around my area - so I have to travel to other parts to fly and that does not happen often.)

I had to pay a couple hundred dollars to get the Mavic "repaired" which means I just got a refurbished unit back, which was also defective, but DJI decided to warranty that one.

I did purchase DJI care after I got the first replacement back to avoid another several hundred dollar "repair" since I get to fly so infrequently.

RayZorFist Posted at 5-12 04:20
I too had a slightly similar issue when I got my Mavic 13 months ago.

One of the batteries in the fly more combo was dead on arrival. I called DJI and they shipped a replacement and sent a shipping label to send the bad one back. No charge for any of this.

Thanks for the response.

I'm still a bit confused bout how "care" works.

I am noting that I can purchase Care Refresh card /code either through Australian Geographic or the DJI website but do I get a care period for free with a new purchase and if so how long does it last before I would need to purchase Care Refresh?

Just that i am looking at Refresh as the operative word which would imply that a default Care period would at some point expire hence requiring the purchase of Care Refresh.

Can someone please shed a little more light on this subject for me?

Cheers

Thanks for sharing this. I have the exact same problem, but compounded because I have moved from the USA where it was purchased from B&H Photo (respectable) to the UK. It was stored for 5 months, and now upon opening all three batteries are DOA. The controller charges fine, I've installed the app, but the drone cannot power on. Of the three batteries, two of them have green LED indicators that blink when plugged in but cannot charge. The third has no light whatsoever.

I am expecting a long battle with DJI and it's extremely frustrating. They would win a lot of customers if they simplified this process, as it's very well described by dozens of people through this forum, and on youtube. They are betting that people will just spend more money on new DJI products, rather than the hassle of customer service. FFS DJI!

Just had exact same issue brand new mavic pro platinum. On arrival battery usless doing the 16 flash scenario. Got a friend to bring 1 of his batterys had to wait a few days as he lives a fair way off.puts his battery in update all the firmware and the camera doesnt work wtf. Very disappointed with dji this seems far to common so many people getting faulty products especially when its new.have wasted 2 days and many phone calls to dji support. Now i have to return too seller for a refund  think i will stick with my phantom 3 se. Never had any issues with it. This really putting me off don't  know if i will give it another chance