I just wanted to share my recent experience with DJI Repair Service. A while back I had a little crash with my Mavic Mini which caused the gimbal to occasionally be tilted (roll axis). I was tempted to upgrade to a Mini 2 but since I didn't want to throw away an otherwise perfectly functional aircraft, I decided to contact DJI Repair and see what could be done.
A case was opened, got a UPS label, sent the drone in (from California to Texas) and in a few days I got a notification with a damage assessment and a proposed repair bill. It was reasonable ($35 for the part and $65 for labor) so I decided to go ahead. Couple more days and another email informed me that my Mini was repaired, it passed QA and was on its way back to me. Until this point, everything was perfect, the process was simple, instructions were clear.

The problems started when I opened the box... they didn't really repair my Mini, but rather sent me a replacement unit. Not an issue per se, but unfortunately the new aircraft had multiple issues:

1. Every time you turn it on, it resets its wireless settings  "to match local laws and regulations". I've seen this message a few times when I took my Mini to Europe and it had to switch from FCC mode to EU, but this one does it all the times, here in the US.
2. Random IMU calibration and barometer errors, with the aircraft just powered on and connected, resting on my desk (not  in flight). They flash for a second or so on the screen then they go away.
3. Limited range, I tested it where I always fly and could not go past 1500ft, whereas my old Mini in the  very same location would easily go over 4000ft on a bad day, and over  6500ft on a good day.
4. Worn USB port, the original cable plugs into this aircraft with  minimal friction, it does work for charging but when connected to my  Windows PC and DJI Assistant, it keeps resetting (losing the connection) just by touching the cable.

I contacted DJI Support right away, they opened a new case and I'm currently waiting for them to send me a shipping label. I will keep you posted on the progress.

  

[UPDATE 01/22/2023: case closed, see post 48 for a final update]  

Well, it sounds like they sent you back a lemon.  Do not try to make lemonade with that one.  Support will take care of you.  

Hello, there. We are sorry for your inconvenience. About your feedback, we will forward it to our designated teams.

DJI has an excellnet repair service and customer care. Short time ago I dealed with the service(EU) and all was amazing.
Now I have an other open case waitng for the results...

Be patient

I returned a battery that was confirmed on the forum to be under warranty,  in the case I included the battery serial number,  and in email with DJI they had images and the serial but when it arrived they tell me no warranty on it.   Why they couldn't tell me that before I sent it back is a mystery.

DAFlys Posted at 11-5 02:25
I returned a battery that was confirmed on the forum to be under warranty,  in the case I included the battery serial number,  and in email with DJI they had images and the serial but when it arrived they tell me no warranty on it.   Why they couldn't tell me that before I sent it back is a mystery.

That doesn't sound right, especially after it meets the stated DJI warranty.  I'd push for a re-consideration on this issue.  DJI should be better at standing by their warranties.  

DowntownRDB Posted at 11-5 06:34
That doesn't sound right, especially after it meets the stated DJI warranty.  I'd push for a re-consideration on this issue.  DJI should be better at standing by their warranties.

They have offered me a service repair for a new battery,.   at full price.  

DAFlys Posted at 11-5 02:25
I returned a battery that was confirmed on the forum to be under warranty,  in the case I included the battery serial number,  and in email with DJI they had images and the serial but when it arrived they tell me no warranty on it.   Why they couldn't tell me that before I sent it back is a mystery.

Hi, there.
We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.
We will check your case and keep you updated.
If there is anything else that we can help with, please let us know.
Thank you for your understanding.

DJI Natalia Posted at 11-5 23:47
Hi, there.
We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.
We will check your case and keep you updated.

Hi Natalia,

I had asked DJI Tony if he could arrange for the battery to be returned but I dont believe he's been online since,  if there's something you can do to ask them to return it that would be great.

https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... 069&pid=2897330

DAFlys Posted at 11-5 23:56
Hi Natalia,

I had asked DJI Tony if he could arrange for the battery to be returned but I dont believe he's been online since,  if there's something you can do to ask them to return it that would be great.

Thanks for the update, we will ask the team to do so.
And we will keep you updated about this issue.
Thank you for the soon reply again.

DJI Natalia Posted at 11-6 00:04
Thanks for the update, we will ask the team to do so.
And we will keep you updated about this issue.
Thank you for the soon reply again.

Thank you that would be great,  at least then I can return it to where it was purchased.

DAFlys Posted at 11-6 00:08
Thank you that would be great,  at least then I can return it to where it was purchased.

You are welcome, please wait for the update.
And if there is anything else that we can help with, please just let us know.
Thank you.

DAFlys Posted at 11-5 08:09
They have offered me a service repair for a new battery,.   at full price.

That's  a very bad business practice on DJI's part.  Sorry to hear they will not honor their written warranty.  

DowntownRDB Posted at 11-6 05:53
That's  a very bad business practice on DJI's part.  Sorry to hear they will not honor their written warranty.

Considering I asked multiple people to confirm the warranty before I shipped it we could have saved a lot of hassle if they had told me up front.

DAFlys Posted at 11-6 07:01
Considering I asked multiple people to confirm the warranty before I shipped it we could have saved a lot of hassle if they had told me up front.

It sure would have.  Now you just have to hope you get it back so you can deal with the company you bought it from.  Hopefully, they don't tell you to contact DJI for warranty support.  

DJI Wanda Posted at 11-4 20:12
Hello, there. We are sorry for your inconvenience. About your feedback, we will forward it to our designated teams.

I was not really providing "feedback", just venting a bit of frustration as that aircraft should have not passed QA. Moreover, DJI gave me a quote to repair MY aircraft: if they decide that it's more cost-effective (for them) to send a replacement unit, it must be NEW. Recycling old hardware is just wrong.
I hope this was a one-off, I sent the new aircraft back, let's see how DJI handles it.

120ccpm Posted at 11-6 19:00
I was not really providing "feedback", just venting a bit of frustration as that aircraft should have not passed QA. Moreover, DJI gave me a quote to repair MY aircraft: if they decide that it's more cost-effective (for them) to send a replacement unit, it must be NEW. Recycling old hardware is just wrong.
I hope this was a one-off, I sent the new aircraft back, let's see how DJI handles it.

We are sorry for any issues caused. The brand-new replacement can be issued when the drone is within 15 calendar days of receiving the product. When it comes to repairing, the unit may be replaced instead of repaired.
Apologize again for the inconvenience, we will keep an eye on the status of your case as well, Any further assistance is required at the moment, please feel free to let us know, we will do our best to help.

DJI Susan Posted at 11-6 19:25
We are sorry for any issues caused. The brand-new replacement can be issued when the drone is within 15 calendar days of receiving the product. When it comes to repairing, the unit may be replaced instead of repaired.
Apologize again for the inconvenience, we will keep an eye on the status of your case as well, Any further assistance is required at the moment, please feel free to let us know, we will do our best to help.

Susan, my point is very simple: I sent DJI my aircraft to repair the gimbal, I got a $100 quote  and I agreed to it. I expect back nothing more than that: my aircraft, repaired.
If DJI decides to deviate from this, it has to be mutually advantageous: a replacement aircraft with parts from the recycling bin is only to the benefit of DJI, it would be the equivalent of me paying $50 when we agreed on $100.
Anyways, let's not drag this any further, I am a big fan of DJI, I love my Mini (I'm still amazed by how much technology is packed into such a small device... it's the size of the battery of my old Phantom!) and your repair service usually gets positive comments here in the forum, so likely it was a one-off.

120ccpm Posted at 11-7 10:42
Susan, my point is very simple: I sent DJI my aircraft to repair the gimbal, I got a $100 quote  and I agreed to it. I expect back nothing more than that: my aircraft, repaired.
If DJI decides to deviate from this, it has to be mutually advantageous: a replacement aircraft with parts from the recycling bin is only to the benefit of DJI, it would be the equivalent of me paying $50 when we agreed on $100.
Anyways, let's not drag this any further, I am a big fan of DJI, I love my Mini (I'm still amazed by how much technology is packed into such a small device... it's the size of the battery of my old Phantom!) and your repair service usually gets positive comments here in the forum, so likely it was a one-off.

I understand your concerns, please rest assured that we will take good care of your case and the performance of the drone you receive will be assured as well.
Thank you for your kind understanding.

Dirty Bird Posted at 11-8 04:09
Despite owning many DJI products, I have only had to deal with their service recently.  First was for an in-warranty issue with my DJI RC which developed a fault.  I sent the controller back & received notice it had been repaired.  Instead I received what appears to be a new RC.  So far so good.

Immediately afterwards I had an incident with my Mavic 2 Pro resulting in minor damage (front right landing leg, rear right bottom cap).  This was out of warranty & I specifically requested the aircraft to be repaired.  Repair cost was a very reasonable $88 ($1 front landing leg, $22 rear arm, $65 labor).  I received notice it had been repaired & was on the way back.  Again I received a replacement unit.  Cosmetically it looks brand new, including all the stickers & protective film included when new.  I linked it to the controller, configured it, & gave her a brief test flight.  All good so far but I'll need to take her to Armistead for a range test before I am 100% certain all is well.  While I would have preferred to get my own bird back, the plus side is I was able to purchase DJI Care for the replacement, giving me a 2-year warranty on a 4-year old bird.  As long as she performs comparable to my original unit I am pleased with the service.  

Funny enough, I just got a call from DJI about the original case. I told them I had to send the aircraft back because it was malfunctioning, but I agree it's a nice touch from them to reach out.

And for the record, the replacement unit they sent me - like yours - was cosmetically new, stickers included. I cannot say anything about the internals, other than it was not working properly (that could happen with brand-new electronics, too). The USB port did not look new and it was not securely holding the connector, which leads me to believe it was refurbished.

DJI just received my (original) remote, and the new (malfunctioning) aircraft. Interestingly, in the notification I received via email, they listed these two components as:
"Mavic Mini Aircraft & Gimbal and Camera & Propellers (CE) (Non-Japanese Version)".
"Mavic Mini Remote Controller (FCC)"
It seems they mistakenly sent me a CE aircraft, rather than FCC. That explains the wireless setting reset message at startup. Not sure about the reduced range, as I thought CE remotes and aircrafts would be able to bump their power to FCC levels in the 5.8GHz band, if operated in US...

120ccpm Posted at 11-10 14:41
DJI just received my (original) remote, and the new (malfunctioning) aircraft. Interestingly, in the notification I received via email, they listed these two components as:
"Mavic Mini Aircraft & Gimbal and Camera & Propellers (CE) (Non-Japanese Version)".
"Mavic Mini Remote Controller (FCC)"

I've been following this thread, I'm glad to hear that it looks like they may have solved this. I hope you get your drone back in short order and it all works as it should.

The saga continues... got a replacement aircraft (this time it came in an original Mavic Mini box, plastic-wrapped, visually everything looks brand new), paired it to my remote, did a firmware update... and I got again the message about the wireless resetting to match local laws and regulations!
Everything else on the aircraft is perfect, camera and gimbal work properly, I did a long-distance test and got to 8000ft before I started to get signal warnings and delayed video feed. Yet, every single time the aircraft is powered ON, it resets the wireless connection. This happens even if you keep the remote and the mobile device powered on, with DJI Fly running: if you power OFF the aircraft then back ON, it immediately resets the connection.
I did everything I could think of (re-linked AC and RC, firmware refresh AC and RC, different mobile device and cable, logged out from DJI Fly, reinstalled DJI Fly) but it made no difference.
I'm in touch with DJI Support, I just downloaded the full log from the aircraft (almost 450MB... seems strange considering I only have a couple test flights on it) and made it available to them, let's see if they identify the root cause.
The first replacement unit they sent me had other issues and when they got it back, the email confirmation reported it as being a CE model, so I thought that was the reason for the wireless reset. But it happens again with this one, and the package I got it's clearly labelled as being an FCC aircraft. so I'm inclined to think the issue is elsewhere. On the other hand, I flew in this location dozens and dozens of times with the same remote and mobile device, and I've never seen that message. The "only" thing that changed is the aircraft.
Anyways, DJI has been excellent so far in terms of support, they shipped the new aircraft within 1 day from receiving the defective one, I reached out to them via chat a couple times and got someone within minutes, so I have nothing bad to say, they are trying to help. But I need this issue to be resolved as it's a bit annoying, and in any case it's an indication that something is not right.
I'll keep you guys posted...

Fly 1.8.0?

Yes, latest and greatest, 1.8.0 (715).

Do you have internet connection? The mini 3 Pro turns wifi off when it starts. You need to turn it back on before flying.

The mobile device does have Internet connection, both cellular and WiFi. Not sure how's that relevant, though: the "wireless reset" I'm talking about has nothing to do with WiFi on the mobile device (which is not needed to fly the Mini and could actually cause interference), it's the connection between aircraft and remote, which is a 5.8Ghz "enhanced WiFi", as DJI calls it.

FAA mandated RID uses wifi and Bluetooth. Ignore the warning if wifi is on and you can fly normally.

Nothing of what you said makes sense to me. I don't see any connection between FAA's Remote ID, WiFi and the issue I'm having with the wireless reset (which is not just a warning).

What do you mean by wireless reset? As in it wants to swtich to CE every time you cycle power?

Guorium Posted at 11-20 05:10
What do you mean by wireless reset? As in it wants to swtich to CE every time you cycle power?

Same message on DJI Fly and same behavior (RC loses connection to AC momentarily) but I cannot say if it’s truly switching mode and from/to what. And yes, it happens every time you power on the AC.
Yesterday I did a test 30 miles away from my house just to rule out anything specific to my location and it did it again, consistently:
  


Here is the Transmission screen on DJI Fly, after the wireless reset. Can't say if that's supposed to be FCC or CE mode, but range (see post #26) has been good, so I think it's FCC:

120ccpm Posted at 11-20 08:11
Same message on DJI Fly and same behavior (RC loses connection to AC momentarily) but I cannot say if it’s truly switching mode and from/to what. And yes, it happens every time you power on the AC.
Yesterday I did a test 30 miles away from my house just to rule out anything specific to my location and it did it again, consistently:
  

Yeah you can beat 500m by a lot on 5.8GHz wifi then you probably got FCC mode. A FCC model in a sealed box doing this is just bizzare. Curious to see what DJI come up with... Main while, do you have another phone to test with?

Tested on an iPad, exact same problem. I don't have access to a suitable Android device, but in any case I flew my original Mini with the very same remote, phone and battery and never had a problem. This is only happening with these replacement aircrafts that DJI sent me: the first one had other issues so I thought I got the occasional lemon, confident it would not happen again. But now we are at the second replacement, and I have to admit I'm quite puzzled...

Anyways, DJI Support asked me to open another repair request and send everything back to them. I asked them specifically if they had a chance to review the log, and they replied without really responding, so I'm not sure they did. I have just packaged everything, will take it to the UPS Store first thing tomorrow morning.

120ccpm Posted at 11-20 20:30
Tested on an iPad, exact same problem. I don't have access to a suitable Android device, but in any case I flew my original Mini with the very same remote, phone and battery and never had a problem. This is only happening with these replacement aircrafts that DJI sent me: the first one had other issues so I thought I got the occasional lemon, confident it would not happen again. But now we are at the second replacement, and I have to admit I'm quite puzzled...

Anyways, DJI Support asked me to open another repair request and send everything back to them. I asked them specifically if they had a chance to review the log, and they replied without really responding, so I'm not sure they did. I have just packaged everything, will take it to the UPS Store first thing tomorrow morning.

Hi, there.
We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.
We noticed you have sent us the log, we will ask the relevant team to pay attention to your case and keep you updated.
If there is anything else that we can do, please feel free to let us know as well.
Thank you.

DJI Natalia Posted at 11-27 04:14
Hi, there.
We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.
We noticed you have sent us the log, we will ask the relevant team to pay attention to your case and keep you updated.

Thank you, DJI Natalia. I sent aircraft, remote and battery to your repair center in Texas, scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. It would be best if they could get in touch with me and share their findings rather than blindly sending me another replacement unit. And if they determine that even this second aircraft was defective, I would ask them to test the new one with my remote and battery to make sure it works, before shipping it out.

120ccpm Posted at 11-27 10:15
Thank you, DJI Natalia. I sent aircraft, remote and battery to your repair center in Texas, scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. It would be best if they could get in touch with me and share their findings rather than blindly sending me another replacement unit. And if they determine that even this second aircraft was defective, I would ask them to test the new one with my remote and battery to make sure it works, before shipping it out.

Thanks for your reply as well.
We have asked them to check your needs. And we will also ask them to test your drone with your remote and battery before we sent your package.
Thank you again for your patience.

While at this point I'm not sure anyone cares about this repeated back-and-forth with DJI, I will continue to update this thread with the progress. Well, DJI got my drone and remote and they were able to reproduce the error right away (see image below, taken from the Repair Progress page for my case), with the technician pointing at a "malfunctioning Core Board Module (FCC)". I almost wished they had called me to tell me I did something wrong and there was an easy solution, instead it seems I'm just very lucky and got 2 defective aircrafts out of 2. I truly hope they test the 3rd replacement, before shipping it out...

120ccpm Posted at 11-29 23:41
While at this point I'm not sure anyone cares about this repeated back-and-forth with DJI, I will continue to update this thread with the progress. Well, DJI got my drone and remote and they were able to reproduce the error right away (see image below, taken from the Repair Progress page for my case), with the technician pointing at a "malfunctioning Core Board Module (FCC)". I almost wished they had called me to tell me I did something wrong and there was an easy solution, instead it seems I'm just very lucky and got 2 defective aircrafts out of 2. I truly hope they test the 3rd replacement, before shipping it out...

[view_image]

Hi, there.
We are sincerely sorry for the inconvenience caused.
And after checking, we noticed that we sent out your drone already, we hope you can have a nice experience with your drone.
If you meet any problems, please feel free to contact us. We will also forward your feedback to the relevant team.
Thank you for your understanding.

DJI Natalia Posted at 12-12 04:28
Hi, there.
We are sincerely sorry for the inconvenience caused.
And after checking, we noticed that we sent out your drone already, we hope you can have a nice experience with your drone.

Hi DJI Natalia,
Unfortunately the new replacement aircraft that I just received has exactly the same issue as the previous two (!!!), with the connection resetting every time the aircraft is turned on.
I'm pretty disappointed, to be honest. The technicians at the Repair Center diagnosed the issue as being caused by a malfunctioning Core Board Module, but with 3 out of 3 replacement aircrafts showing the exact symptoms, I'm really wondering if there is something wrong with the DJI Fly app or with the activation process. If it's really a hardware problem, then how in the world that aircraft passed QA, considering we told them several times to TEST IT before shipping it out???
Anyways, I will reach out privately as we need to find a solution to this, we cannot continue shipping Minis between California and Texas hoping that eventually one will work as it should...

120ccpm Posted at 12-12 08:36
Hi DJI Natalia,
Unfortunately the new replacement aircraft that I just received has exactly the same issue as the previous two (!!!), with the connection resetting every time the aircraft is turned on.
I'm pretty disappointed, to be honest. The technicians at the Repair Center diagnosed the issue as being caused by a malfunctioning Core Board Module, but with 3 out of 3 replacement aircrafts showing the exact symptoms, I'm really wondering if there is something wrong with the DJI Fly app or with the activation process. If it's really a hardware problem, then how in the world that aircraft passed QA, considering we told them several times to TEST IT before shipping it out???

Thank you very much for your update as well.
We noticed you have sent us a PM, we will check it and reply to you asap.
Thank you again for your understanding as well.