This is more of a story about using the TradeUp offer so I could used the proceeds to purchase an Air 2 for my grandson.   (He's been flying my Spark and want to 'move up'!)  And, after all, it's the holiday season and I wanted to get him a really special gift.

So, mid-NOVEMBER I took advantage of the offer where DJI would up their offer by an extra 20%.  I signed up on the 20th, got the Alpine Pro loaded up and sent FedEx (using the DJI supplied label).  I tracked the parcel from Wisconsin to California over the next week.  FedEx "tried" delivery on the 27th but cancelled because there was "no one available" to sign for the delivery.  They were successful on the 30th.  DJI provides a tracking link to follow your trade in ( I was told ) once it's in their system.

As of December 7th, the status still showed "Submitted" with no indication that it had been received.  I sent an email to the address provided and got an automated reply that they were really busy, and if the parcel was received by the 27th, the wait would be 7-10 days... Now... this angered me because the promotion says they's send an offer confirmation and -if accepted- I'd receive a $$ credit within 5 days.  They again referred me to the tracking site.

As of December 14th, the status was still "Submitted' and it was over 10 business days.  Further, I had signed up for the 5% discount on the purchase of a MA2 on the 23rd, again thinking that I was going to use it for the holiday gift.   I again inquired and got the same reply, except THIS time the waiting period was increased to 10-15 days !!!!

As of today, December 24th we're at the 19th business day and still nothing.  The only correspondence I've received is the notice that the 5% coupon "has expired".  I complained to Support and -as expected- certificates cannot be extended, for any reason, and I cannot request a second one, even though I'm offered one everytime I sign in to the website!

Please post if you've tried to take advantage of this 20%+ trade up program and what you're experience has been.  In addition, if you submitted on, or around the same date as me, have you heard anything yet?  I'm just trying to get an idea if my parcel has ever even been checked IN (or completely lost).  FWIW, I've made another inquiry and am waiting a reply.

PS-  Obviously my grandson is only getting a picture of an Air 2 under the holiday tree.  Maybe I should have gone with a baseball glove :-)

cannot comment specifically on the process but as with most trade-in deals especially ones that contain expiration dates, you have to plan accordingly because the limits will be pushed.  especially during a pandemic, you have to expect for the worse (you're lucky the undelivered package didn't end up in the pile).  i almost never plan on "using the proceeds" because nothing is reliable and the process is not setup that way so it probably won't work out that way.   i probably would have made my purchase using my own money and if they don't come thru, take appropriate action.

a true trade-in program:
1.you add the trade-in details to your new order and they process the new order and ship after they receive and evaluate your trade-in, or
2.you add the trade-in details to your new order and they ship on good faith and make adjustments to your transaction (credit card) later.

The Saint Posted at 12-24 12:11
cannot comment specifically on the process but as with most trade-in deals especially ones that contain expiration dates, you have to plan accordingly because the limits will be pushed.  especially during a pandemic, you have to expect for the worse (you're lucky the undelivered package didn't end up in the pile).  i almost never plan on "using the proceeds" because nothing is reliable and the process is not setup that way so it probably won't work out that way.   i probably would have made my purchase using my own money and if they don't come thru, take appropriate action.

a true trade-in program:

I appreciate your comments.  I'll only share that my expectations were based on 1-having used the offer in years past, which went as promised' 2-their statement of turn-around that kept getting modified, 3- my concern that I've never even received a confirmation that the parcel was in the processing cue. :-)  

Over the decades I've sold used equipment to B&H PhotoVideo in NewYork, and Adorama as well and their process is flawless, usually completed within days of receipt.  As always I expect the worst and hope for the best.  I don't think a promise of 3 - 5 - 7 - 10 - 15 business days is unreasonable, however a business should establish the expectation and stick to it.  

Hi, I did not go as far as you but I was going to trade my husbands Spark, he doesn’t use anymore.
I started the process and they were offering $120 for a Spark fly more kit, complete with original box and all accessories.
The batteries have 14 charges on each.
The offer seemed way low and I did check their price on a refurbished Spark fly more package, good margin for them.
I passed and will just keep for playing around.

Lisa3 Posted at 12-24 12:35
Hi, I did not go as far as you but I was going to trade my husbands Spark, he doesn’t use anymore.
I started the process and they were offering $120 for a Spark fly more kit, complete with original box and all accessories.
The batteries have 14 charges on each.

Thanks for your reply.  You touched on some of the things I considered.

My 'initial' valuing wasn't as much as I'd get in a private sale, but I wasn't up for all the negotiations, shipping ( UPS/USPS/FedEX for an 8# parcel was close to $50 ).  Ebay and PayPal fees eat up an additional 3-7%.  So, with the additional 20%, and the additional 5% coupon (!) on a purchase made it more plausible!

And you can see how that's working out !!!  Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

I have sent in my MPP,  did get a delivery confirmation, and through thr Trade Up Team I did receive word about the longer time, also Natalia in the Forum checked for me as well.  Still waiting.

Hi WebParrot, I have sent you a PM, please check it, thanks.

DJI Natalia Posted at 12-24 22:33
Hi WebParrot, I have sent you a PM, please check it, thanks.

Got it... THANK you for looking in to this.  Arrived last night...  there is a Santa :-)

I got both the delivery notification and offer within 5 minutes of each other and around the time that Santa arrived !  Coincidence ?

I was disappointed in two ways.  They lowered the offer by "ironically" nearly the same amount as the 20% incentive ( Probably more coincidental ) and I ended up losing the 5% purchase coupon by 22 hours.

Super Mod Natalia DID also send me a PM offering assistance, so it's nice to see she's still watching out for me.

WebParrot Posted at 12-25 04:50
Got it... THANK you for looking in to this.  Arrived last night...  there is a Santa :-)

You're most welcome. Glad to know that your issue has been resolved. Happy Christmas!

I sent a package late November that included 4 drones, under the then-current promotion.  DJI received the package a few days later and after a couple emails inquiring about updates, and checking online status, nothing (still just shows ''submitted'').  I know things are busy and delayed, but the status has shown "submitted" since day-1 and I'm nearing week 5 on this shortly.  Not sure who (else) to contact.  Thanks,

I’m always amazed how we are led to believe automation is designed to help consumers. Automation has sense, but no common sense, common sense is only available in some humans. And when automation fails or breaks down its then we need the intervention of humans with common sense, but dji have excluded this type of human with common sense and understanding from marketing and sales protocols.
They are not the only company who operates such an anti customer protocol, but in this instance the only one that matters.
When such ignorance is bestowed on customers we need a human to first accept the failings of both the system and the Robot like staff now employed to act as enhancement to automation.
It’s a miserable thing dji have done to you and the real pity is their ignorance will fail to pu this right.Natalia may have somewhat saved the day "But"
“Shame on them”

I am a novice trader and invest in both securities and cryptocurrency. I buy cryptocurrency using a special service https://j2tx.com/ , where there is a simple payment by credit card. I recommend it to you. Good luck)