Manich Posted at 9-18 02:44
Thank you Wanda
A case has been submitted, with the following case number:

You are most welcome.
We have taken notes on your case and passed to our related teams.
If you have any questions, please feel free to talk.

FYI:
You can check the service status of your device here:
https://repair.dji.com/device/search?re=us&lang=en

DJI Wanda Posted at 9-18 01:19
Hi, you can try to submit a repair case now.
Also, there is another thing I noticed.
I checked your SN and found you purchased DJI Care Refresh and DJI Care Refresh Plus for the device.

DJI Wanda Posted at 9-18 03:12
You are most welcome.
We have taken notes on your case and passed to our related teams.
If you have any questions, please feel free to talk.

Hello again Wanda
Well, what can I say?
Im not sure whether youve viewed the videos I uploaded to my site and Im beginning to doubt the service centre staff have either.......and why do I say this?
Lets begin with the videos on my site. The arm is clearly seen to be loose, yet still unfolded and folded, albeit with extended play on the arm itself. But guess what the key point in those videos was.......? The arm was still attached to the axis/body of the drone and capable of its full range of movement on unfolding and folding.
As you can see from the image attached, which is the image supplied by the service centre, the arm is detached from the body. It certainly wasnt like that in any of the videos, it didnt leave my hands in that condition, nor did it happen during transit as it was packaged in its original box which allows for no movement at all of any part of the drone or its arms.
So, in the first instance, I can only conclude that it has been pulled free during the unfolding at the service centre, or its been deliberately pulled free of its mount, namely the axis.
Thats the first instance.
My second bone of contention here is that this has likely been faulty from the outset, and as Ive stated previously, has deteriorated over the time Ive had the drone, to the point where it locked up some 2 months or so ago, albeit this seemed to have corrected itself to some degree at the time. Since then however, as again Ive previously stated, this has then gradually deteriorated further to the point shown in the 3 videos on my site.......but in none of those videos is the arm shown to be broken free from the body.
This is down to a long term issue/fault which has been gradually degrading over time, and should be covered under warranty. Its not down to misuse or impact as can be seen upon inspection of the drone body...its almost immaculate, albeit for what I believe to be a small dead fly splattered on one of the arms.
Nor is it a case of my improper unfolding or folding of the arm. This is the the 3rd or even 4th replacement Ive had, and believe me, I know how to open and close the arms, and I always take care when doing so. I dont even let them snap shut against the body because I know that can impact upon the axis itself. Ive previously had Mavics, which have a more complicated arm system, and never had a problem with any of them. Like I said, I know how to unfold and fold arms.
As pointed out to you earlier in this thread, I have an extended warranty and, if this is the case, why am I expected to either use my last Care Refresh or pay a similar amount for a repair? This is a fault with the drone, or rather a part of it, and not my use or misuse of it.

The way I see it is this. The service centre havent been given details of the gradual degradation Ive outlined, nor been directed to the videos and are treating this as a standard crash/repair case rather than a warranty on a defect, or, in the case of the 'severed' arm, an attempt to elevate the severity of the fault to such a degree that it appears as a case of being broken/damaged rather than worn as was the case.
Id like some feedback on this because believe me, I am far from happy, especially with what is clearly intentional damage to the arm.
I cant deny Ive had my doubts about DJIs service and customer support, but that was biased due to previous events with other manufacturers, but I can honestly say despite those doubts Ive found no reason for complaint with DJIs.......at least until now. Like I said, and can be seen, the arm was still attached to the body of the drone in the videos and was placed into its box immediately after they were shot. So explain to me how its 'miraculously' snapped itself off on its way to the service centre?
I await your reply....
Thank you
Mke

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 9-18 03:50

Hi Bumble
If you remember the videos, which are still up if you wish to refresh your memory, the arm was still attached to the drone and functioned normally, albeit with excessive play.....
well if you look at my post of a few moments ago, youll see a pic from the service centre showing it completely seperated from the body.
Amazing eh? Its gone from excessive play to broken by the time it arrived.
Believe me, Im far from happy cos that appears quite deliberate......
The plot thickens.....if you have a look at my new post, youll see its not even my drone theyve sent me a photo of. Look at the feet.....mine have two slight smudges. The one theyve uploaded, the feet are filthy, meaning its been sat around their workshop for quite some time. I think theyre trying to pull a fast one, a nice little con job.

Manich Posted at 9-26 05:04
[view_image]
Hello again Wanda
Well, what can I say?

Wow....this isnt even my drone!!! What the hell is going on here???!!!

Manich Posted at 9-26 05:37
[view_image]

Wow....this isnt even my drone!!!

Removed by Manich - Double post

Manich Posted at 9-26 05:37
[view_image]

Wow....this isnt even my drone!!! What the hell is going on here???!!!

Have they said what they intend to do or want you to do?  Do you have a photo, taken whilst the drone was in your possesion, that was taken from the same point of view as the photo with the orange/brown work top and that is equally clear?
If so can you post it please?

DJI Wanda Posted at 9-18 01:19
Hi, you can try to submit a repair case now.
Also, there is another thing I noticed.
I checked your SN and found you purchased DJI Care Refresh and DJI Care Refresh Plus for the device.

What is this DJI Care Refresh Plus ?

Can it be added if the 1 year DJI Care Refresh is in play ?

Or must it be added after the 1 year DJI Care Refresh is gone ?

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 9-26 06:34
Have they said what they intend to do or want you to do?

They gave me the option of exchanging the drone under the Care Refresh or pay £64 for a repair.......lm doing neither. This is a fault, not a crash or misuse. Wouldnt be so bad, but the fact theyve sent me a pic of a broken arm of another drone is just insulting and lm pretty angry right now. To think l was considering selling this along with a laptop to buy the Mini 4 Pro.......l doubt l'll be doing that now. Not after this. Theyve ignored the fact its under an extended warranty, ignored the fact this isnt a crash or misuse, and even tried to con money from me by sending a pic of a completely different drone. Im thinking me and DJI are going to be parting ways, regardless of how good and tempting the M4P may be.

Manich Posted at 9-26 06:47
They gave me the option of exchanging the drone under the Care Refresh or pay £64 for a repair.......lm doing neither. This is a fault, not a crash or misuse. Wouldnt be so bad, but the fact theyve sent me a pic of a broken arm of another drone is just insulting and lm pretty angry right now. To think l was considering selling this along with a laptop to buy the Mini 4 Pro.......l doubt l'll be doing that now. Not after this. Theyve ignored the fact its under an extended warranty, ignored the fact this isnt a crash or misuse, and even tried to con money from me by sending a pic of a completely different drone. Im thinking me and DJI are going to be parting ways, regardless of how good and tempting the M4P may be.

Do you have a photo, taken whilst the drone was in your possesion, that was taken from the same point of view as the photo with the orange/brown work top and that is equally clear?
If so can you post it please?

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 9-26 06:52
Do you have a photo, taken whilst the drone was in your possesion, that was taken from the same point of view as the photo with the orange/brown work top and that is equally clear?
If so can you post it please?

Theres photos on my website, and also posted a few hours ago on this thread. The photo of the underside is a frame from the bottom video on my site. It shows the feet on my drone, which are clean, compared to the feet in their pic, which are filthy.
Also, the arm in the videos and pics on my site are still in position and rotating, unlike the one in their pic which is clearly broken out of place.
Thats all l have.

In that case, did they send you any other images of the drone?

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 9-26 07:14
In that case, did they send you any other images of the drone?

Nope, just that one showing the arm hanging off.

Have they said what is wrong? E.g.
the shell has broken,
the screws have pulled out of the shell or come undone,
the pivot mechanism has failed,
the pivot base plate has broken etc
?

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 9-26 08:36
Have they said what is wrong? E.g.
the shell has broken,
the screws have pulled out of the shell or come undone,

Nope. Nothing. Just a photo of another drone with the arm pulled out if the aperture in the body. I say 'another' drone because thats NOT my drone. Have you seen the pics in the thread that lve posted?

Manich Posted at 9-26 08:49
Nope. Nothing. Just a photo of another drone with the arm pulled out if the aperture in the body. I say 'another' drone because thats NOT my drone. Have you seen the pics in the thread that lve posted?

Yes I have seen, saved and enlarged all the photos in this thread and your pages.
Why do you think I would have asked about other photos?
You be surprised what phone photos can capture if given the chance, usage marks, scratches, damages, differing screwhead alignments etc. etc..
For instance, there are two marks on the FL arm in your photos that are not evident in the DJI photo but I can't be certain if they rubbed off or are invisible because of the angle of DJI's photo etc. etc. etc..


The only absolutely clear differences,  that I have noticed, between your images and DJI's image are the dirt on the feet and you yourself offer a possible explanation for that in post #44 i.e.
"The one they've uploaded, the feet are filthy, meaning its been sat around their workshop for quite some time. "

If you see something else please highlight it.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 9-26 09:22
Yes I have seen, saved and enlarged all the photos in this thread and your pages.
Why do you think I would have asked about other photos?

The only other thing is the fact that the arm in their photo is hanging right out if its mounting and in the videos l shot, mine clearly isnt, otherwise it wouldnt have operated as it did during folding and unfolding.

Manich Posted at 9-26 09:34
The only other thing is the fact that the arm in their photo is hanging right out if its mounting and in the videos l shot, mine clearly isnt, otherwise it wouldnt have operated as it did during folding and unfolding.

And again you yourself offer a possible explanation for that in post #33
"I can only conclude that it has been pulled free during the unfolding at the service centre, or its been deliberately pulled free of its mount, "

but I think you failed to consider that whatever has now seemingly completely failed did completely fail in the routine opening of the arm without any ham fisted or malicious assistance.

The summary of this is, sorry but I see nothing that conclusively shows that the drone in DJI's photo is not your drone.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 9-26 09:42
And again you yourself offer a possible explanation for that in post #33
"I can only conclude that it has been pulled free during the unfolding at the service centre, or its been deliberately pulled free of its mount, "

I get what youre saying but theres a few points to consider. Firstly, Wanda said she had passed details of the issue aling. If this were the case, they would have been more careful in how they handled it. Had the info been passed in, then they likewise could have read the details and watched the videos on my site.....
But the bigger issue here is the fact that that isnt my drone. Ive had it since April, and most of my landings are low hand catches, rarely touching the ground, and otherwise kept in a camera bag, not sutting around my home. I look after all my gear, being an ex photographer.
In the video, the feet have a slight smudge on each foot, barely noticable.
In their photo, the feet are covered with black grime. It was delivered yesterday, and only inspected today......no way at all it could have accumulated that much grime on the feet between opening the package and inspecting it. We are talking minutes, 15 minutes at most.

Manich Posted at 9-26 09:54
I get what youre saying but theres a few points to consider. Firstly, Wanda said she had passed details of the issue aling. If this were the case, they would have been more careful in how they handled it. Had the info been passed in, then they likewise could have read the details and watched the videos on my site.....
But the bigger issue here is the fact that that isnt my drone. Ive had it since April, and most of my landings are low hand catches, rarely touching the ground, and otherwise kept in a camera bag, not sutting around my home. I look after all my gear, being an ex photographer.
In the video, the feet have a slight smudge on each foot, barely noticable.

Oh well, we will have to disagree because I see nothing that conclusively shows that the drone in DJI's photo is not your drone.

If you look at the work top's surface, it is grimy in places.
Though I doubt there's a need for "clean room" standards I was somewhat surprised at that.
Ditto those label remnants.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 9-26 10:05
Oh well, we will have to disagree because I see nothing that conclusively shows that the drone in DJI's photo is not your drone.

If you look at the work top's surface, it is grimy in places.

Well then we will have to disagree l guess. Im not looking for anyone to take my side in this. Ive had nothing but problems since l bought this drone, and even the replacements have had issues......so much for quality assurance.
As yet, lve heard nothing from Wanda or DJI leading on from my posts. Im getting tired of this now. A friend has suggested l just push for a full refund and either move back to an older model, or just change my brand. As it stands at this time, the lack of response from DJI is just adding to my frustration with this drone as well.
As for the condition of the work area, lm standing by what l said.....theres no way it would accumulate that much grime on the feet in so short a time. If it were that bad, the drone would be covered in smudges, but it isnt. That drone has been standing and moved  around that workshop for months at least, if  not longer.

Manich Posted at 9-26 10:32
Well then we will have to disagree l guess. Im not looking for anyone to take my side in this. Ive had nothing but problems since l bought this drone, and even the replacements have had issues......so much for quality assurance.
As yet, lve heard nothing from Wanda or DJI leading on from my posts. Im getting tired of this now. A friend has suggested l just push for a full refund and either move back to an older model, or just change my brand. As it stands at this time, the lack of response from DJI is just adding to my frustration with this drone as well.
As for the condition of the work area, lm standing by what l said.....theres no way it would accumulate that much grime on the feet in so short a time. If it were that bad, the drone would be covered in smudges, but it isnt. That drone has been standing and moved  around that workshop for months at least, if  not longer.

ok, good luck.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 9-26 11:47
ok, good luck.

Like Ive said, Im not the only person to have had this problem....
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=292576

Id be interested in knowing the outcome of his case.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 9-26 11:47
ok, good luck.

The DJI service centre also claims I have no warranty, but as can be seen in Wandas post at
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... =297136&pid=3132575
I do. The warranty is extended into the second year along with the DJI Care Refresh + which I purchased.

I also didnt scroll far enough down on my email, but they did actually list the 'alleged' damage on the quotation they sent to me.

Remark: NO WARRANTY: Physical damage. No liquid damage. Aircraft Frame damaged. Small parts included free of charge. After repair/replacement, faulty unit or parts will not be returned.


I do have a warranty, as mentioned above and in Wandas post, and they claim theres damage to the aircraft frame.....well considering the engineers almost pulled the arm off, yeah, Id say there is now.

I see the following in the two pictures: one, probably the original drone has quite clean and intact rubber covers

And the picture from DJI service has worn and damaged rubber covers, so no dirt but scuffed rubber

under which already gray plastic can be seen ...

Space Dream Posted at 9-26 15:50
I see the following in the two pictures: one, probably the original drone has quite clean and intact rubber covers

And the picture from DJI service has worn and damaged rubber covers, so no dirt but scuffed rubber

No. I can see your thinking, but the rubber is not dark or black.....its only a fraction different from the body colour. Look online.

Space Dream Posted at 9-26 15:50
I see the following in the two pictures: one, probably the original drone has quite clean and intact rubber covers

And the picture from DJI service has worn and damaged rubber covers, so no dirt but scuffed rubber

Looking at this again, based on your line of thinking, it could be a case of the grey rubber of the feet being worn, showing darker plastic beneath.....I cant really tell as the image isnt that clear.

Manich Posted at 9-27 00:13
Looking at this again, based on your line of thinking, it could be a case of the grey rubber of the feet being worn, showing darker plastic beneath.....I cant really tell as the image isnt that clear.

I looked at it on a MacBook Air and also used a magnifying glass, so I can actually see it quite clearly

Anyway, both pictures don't look like it's the same drone - Ask for a new and better picture ...

Space Dream Posted at 9-27 00:37
I looked at it on a MacBook Air and also used a magnifying glass, so I can actually see it quite clearly

Anyway, both pictures don't look like it's the same drone - Ask for a new and better picture ...

Im dropping you a link to the video I uploaded to my website. It shows the operation of the arm throughout, albeit with excessive play, but it clearly shows the arm attached to the drone, and also the feet are seen on several occasions and they are clearly not those in the photo they sent to me of my supposed broken arm.
The feet are seen at 1.00, and 3.05 onwards.

https://missingfingers.co.uk/vids/VID_20230908_143841

Manich Posted at 9-27 00:47
Im dropping you a link to the video I uploaded to my website. It shows the operation of the arm throughout, albeit with excessive play, but it clearly shows the arm attached to the drone, and also the feet are seen on several occasions and they are clearly not those in the photo they sent to me of my supposed broken arm.
The feet are seen at 1.00, and 3.05 onwards.

Yes I have seen this video before and as i said the DJI pic looks different

Ask for another better & sharper pic and also a top pic with your ID #

Space Dream Posted at 9-27 01:11
Yes I have seen this video before and as i said the DJI pic looks different

Ive spoke with  DJI support on chat. Theyre looking in to it and will update me later. Theyre going to ask for additional pics as well.
Theres also one other small detail which l can identify my drone with, but lm keeping  that to myself for now.
I also removed the flyer ID sticker as well.....
It will be interesting to see the service centres response to this. How will they explain the fact its not a photo of my drone, or the fact my arm was in place and functioning, and not broken from its mounting point?
Cant wait to see how they explain these points.

Space Dream Posted at 9-26 06:46
What is this DJI Care Refresh Plus ?

Can it be added if the 1 year DJI Care Refresh is in play ?

Hello, there. DJI Care Refresh + was withdrawn on 11:00 July 13, 2023 (GMT+08:00).
DJI Care Refresh + is a service plan that offers you the chance to renew your Care Refresh by extending its coverage for one more year as well as providing one more opportunity to replace your DJI product within 12 months. Furthermore, the warranty period of your product will be extended by at least 12 months. And a free repair service will be provided if your product has a manufacturing defect.

Current Renew Conditions for DJI Care Refresh (1 -Year Plan), only if meeting all the criteria
      · DJI Care Refresh is purchased and one of the following criteria is met:  
          -DJI Care Refresh (1-Year Plan) has already been purchased.  
          -DJI Care Refresh (2-Year Plan) has already been purchased.  
          -DJI Care Refresh (1-Year Plan) and DJI Care Refresh + have been purchased.   
          -DJI Care Refresh (1-Year Plan) has been purchased and the 1-Year Plan is renewed.  
      · DJI Care Refresh (1-Year Plan) purchased has not yet expired or expired within 15 days.

Manich Posted at 9-26 05:04
[view_image]
Hello again Wanda
Well, what can I say?

Sorry for the late response. We will forward it to our service center.

DJI Wanda Posted at 9-27 05:18
Sorry for the late response. We will forward it to our service center.

Thank you Wanda.

Manich Posted at 9-27 05:32
Thank you Wanda.

No worries. I am communicating with our service center.

Update
After my pointing out that the arm of my M3P was still attached and able to go through the motions (with excessive play) a video was shared with me from the repair centre that showed the arm attached and operating. This obviously contradicted the photo they provided initially which showed the arm detached from the the Axis mount, but yeah, whatever.
That aside, I was able to find 2 videos that showed the same issue I had with the front left arm in which excess play had become increasingly worse. I presented these to DJI who, after a brief chat with managers, decided to repair the drone free of charge. That was the good news.
There was even better news to come. Rather than just repairing the drone, they actually sent me a completely new replacement, which was a welcome surprise to say the least. After 2 flights with this one, it seems to have no issues and Ive not encountered any lens fogging, something that has plagued me in the past on several occasions. Thats not to say it is not going to be an issue in the future as the weather is pretty mild right now, so theres no high air temperatures or humidity to contend with when taking the drne out. Time will tell.

So once again, thank you DJI for coming to the right conclusion with this. Its much appreciated. ........ and I wont dwell on the fact I was told the arm was detached, when a later video showed it wasnt. We'll just sweep that beneath the carpet

Now to the future. Ive been watching the reviews of the new Mini 4 Pro....and oh my God, I want one. 360 OA, dual ISO up to 60fps, 100fps slow motion, AR home point, return to home route and shadow landing, LED landing light, improved image processing, night mode, circular Active Track............and Waypoints. Ohhhh boy. Waypoints. Other than implementing a manual aperture, I think this is about as good as it gets in a drone this size.
So, my plan is to sell the M3P in a month or two, get some money together and buy the M4P. Thats the plan. Having several health issues which affect my normal mobility, the drone is what gets me out and about. I cant walk far at all and in a sense it allows me to extend my abilkity to see more, while also exercising my creativity. I started a business last year offering Drone services such as aerial photo and video. It isnt labour intensive and seemed like a good idea at the time. So far, Ive had........wait for it, one job, lol. I dont have money for advertising and the one job I got was pure luck, a small development of 10 apartments with 10 flights at key stages over a year. Its still ongoing, though its now near completion.
The waypoints feature is ideal for this type of venture, with the ability to store a waypoint route and refly the same route over any given period and edit the final video to incorporate the many stages leading to the structures completion. Thats not possible with the M3P. The 360 OA is also a great feature as sideways flight has always been an issue with the M3P and although Ive flown sideways, as we all do, its always been in clear unobstructed places. Again, 360 OA will allow me greater scope for flying in more built up and obstructed areas.

Ideally, Id like to be one of DJIs product testers, but then again wouldnt we all eh? Aint never gunna happen though, sadly.

Manich Posted at 10-7 05:19
Update
After my pointing out that the arm of my M3P was still attached and able to go through the motions (with excessive play) a video was shared with me from the repair centre that showed the arm attached and operating. This obviously contradicted the photo they provided initially which showed the arm detached from the the Axis mount, but yeah, whatever.
That aside, I was able to find 2 videos that showed the same issue I had with the front left arm in which excess play had become increasingly worse. I presented these to DJI who, after a brief chat with managers, decided to repair the drone free of charge. That was the good news.

Very good news that you get another fresh Mini 3 Pro

Space Dream Posted at 10-7 05:39
Very good news that you get another fresh Mini 3 Pro

Yeah, that was a bonus. That said, having the largest chunk of the drone market, I reckon their production costs are so low that its cheaper for them to just send out a new drone than pay someone to repair it. That would make sense

Manich Posted at 10-7 05:19
Update
After my pointing out that the arm of my M3P was still attached and able to go through the motions (with excessive play) a video was shared with me from the repair centre that showed the arm attached and operating. This obviously contradicted the photo they provided initially which showed the arm detached from the the Axis mount, but yeah, whatever.
That aside, I was able to find 2 videos that showed the same issue I had with the front left arm in which excess play had become increasingly worse. I presented these to DJI who, after a brief chat with managers, decided to repair the drone free of charge. That was the good news.

Good news but before taking the plunge on a Mini 4 Pro, have you kept an eye on the 120m hard ceiling rule pending in the EU?
Yes I know we are no longer in the EU.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 10-7 08:27
Good news but before taking the plunge on a Mini 4 Pro, have you kept an eye on the 120m hard ceiling rule pending in the EU?
Yes I know we are no longer in the EU.

Yeah, Im aware of it and keeping an eye on it. The CAA are like the FAA in the US. They put everything out for consultation, looking for input and views, but then completely ignore what pilots tell them and do what they want.
In my opinion, there needs to be less restrictions on drones like the Mini series, especially with all the safety features and live video feed......but like I say, they never listen.
As the old saying goes, rules were meant to be broken. If they impose unnecessary or unwarranted regulations and restrictions, it will just push people more towards breaking them. The whole point of flying a drone is to reach places and obtain views you cant get from the ground, and with so many people investing large amounts of money to build up their kit, I doubt theyll allow themselves to be restricted.