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Gaslit by the company I love
321 6 1-14 07:54
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TheFunTeacher
lvl.2
Flight distance : 20653 ft
Thailand
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Although I'm very new to posting threads, it's only because I never had to post about a DJI product until I started to get interested in drones. My other DJI products have been very reliable and haven't needed service in any way.

Tonight, I just purchased the [color=var(--wd-entities-title-color)]DJI Flip Fly More Combo (DJI RC 2) within 10 minutes of its release. This is the second drone combo I've purchased in 2 months with the Neo being the first. Actually, I bought the Flip to replace the Neo which had a flyaway 3 weeks ago when the Neo started flying backwards mid-flight without control input. The Neo eventually flew backward quite some way while descending (from an altitude of only 1.5 meters) into a pond across the street.

While the documentation recorded through the Fly app showed that the flyaway was not due to pilot error during that particular flight, the final assessment was that I had a very minor collision with a tree limb earlier that morning and that the flyaway was my fault for not taking the drone to a service center despite recallibrating and having a few successful flights until the flyaway.

I had no hard feelings, accepted blame and eventually replaced the Neo with the Flip since no discount to replace the Neo was offered in the weeks following the report. Disclaimer: Customer service was extremely polite and generous with their time and they occasonally sent messages stating they were negotiating a discount. I am grateful for their service.

The only reason my feeling of satisfaction has changed is because I've been binge watching reviews and first-look videos for the Flip during which many influencers are naturally comparing the Flip to the Neo.... and I've been reminded now about the reasons that I bought the Neo as a beginner drone. It was absolutely marketed as a durable drone which would survive minor collisions. In fact, almost every review had some form of this claim; often showing collisions that made my collision at a couple of meters and half-throttle look like just a rough landing.

I'll continue to purchase DJI products and I'm actively awaiting availability of the Flip ND filters and compatibility with goggles, but I have to be honest that having been told that I must take drones to a service center (several hours by train) after any collision despite almost all of the marketing suggesting otherwise plants the first seeds of distrust for a company that I've enthusiastically purchased cameras and gimbals from for years.
1-14 07:54
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DJI Diana
Administrator
Flight distance : 2408 ft

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Hi there,

We’re sorry to hear about the issues you’ve experienced with your aircraft. If your aircraft has suffered from a collision, recommend that users send back the device, as it may have sustained structural damage or damage to internal electronic components, resulting in potential safety risks and affecting the product’s performance.

Regarding your repair case, could you please provide the reference ID, such as the ticket number or case number (CAS), so we can investigate this further for you?
1-14 14:13
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fichek
Core User of DJI
Flight distance : 1378789 ft
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Croatia
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I'm sorry about your experience. DJI really ruined their reputation with Neo and I can assure you they're usually much better at this stuff. Hopefully Flip has fixed all of Neo's issues. Good luck!
1-14 19:20
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TheFunTeacher
lvl.2
Flight distance : 20653 ft
Thailand
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DJI Diana Posted at 1-14 14:13
Hi there,

We’re sorry to hear about the issues you’ve experienced with your aircraft. If your aircraft has suffered from a collision, recommend that users send back the device, as it may have sustained structural damage or damage to internal electronic components, resulting in potential safety risks and affecting the product’s performance.

Good afternoon. My case number was CAS-19753518-S9V1K4

This was the feedback:

"we have finished the analysis, and the result is as follows:

1. The aircraft worked under GPS mode;
2. Flight Time T=01:03, Relative Height H=0m, Distance to Home Point D=19.7m,  the pilot pushed the pitch stick forward, the aircraft flew forward and crashed with obstacles;
3. The incident coordinate: 13.6889742, 101.0670441, the DJI Neo aircraft does not have an obstacle avoidance system and it cannot sense or avoid obstacles.
4. The collision occurred on 2024-12-15 13:27:42 UTC+8. The aircraft didn't fly away in this flight. But after the crash, the performance and stability of the aircraft cannot be guaranteed anymore. The pilot flew it again on 2024-12-15 13:29:12  UTC+8 and the aircraft flew away.

According to the analysis, the incident was caused by the pilot's misoperation. Please pay attention to the flight environment."

If you look at the control inputs and the Neo's response at the 13:27 incident, you can see that the Neo was already acting up in a minor way and this is what drove it into the limbs. As you can see, I tested it's responsiveness directly in front of me which lead to the sudden flight backward at 13:29 while I was checking to see why it was responding in this manner.

In any case, it wasn't until watching all of the Flip/Neo comparison videos that I realized a major part of the marketing through influencers was that this is a beginner drone because of its durability and safety. Almost every in-flight review video I watched had a crash, so why is DJI telling me that I'm at fault for not immediately going to a service center? I'm sure fewer people would have bought the Neo if these review videos ended abruptly with the vlogger going to a service center.

I have my DJI Flip Fly More Combo (DJI RC 2) in front of me now, so clearly I am a loyal consumer who continues to support DJI products. My Ronin 4, Osmo Pocket 3 and Mic Mini are all great, functional products that work seamlessly with each other. But I wonder why gaslighting me to leave me with a controller and 3 batteries and a charger that can only be used with Neo was DJI's go-to response. I would have happily bought another Neo at discount.
1-15 18:56
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TheFunTeacher
lvl.2
Flight distance : 20653 ft
Thailand
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DJI Diana Posted at 1-14 14:13
Hi there,

We’re sorry to hear about the issues you’ve experienced with your aircraft. If your aircraft has suffered from a collision, recommend that users send back the device, as it may have sustained structural damage or damage to internal electronic components, resulting in potential safety risks and affecting the product’s performance.

I was very surprised to find that I have video of this flyaway when I bought a new model drone and updated the DJI fly app. This video was waiting in the cache. Until now, I had only the satellite log which I have now superimposed over the crash video so that viewers can see my input on the controls leading to the sudden backward flight into a pond.

I suspect that DJI also had access to this when they stated "the incident was caused by the pilot's misoperation. Please pay attention to the flight environment"

At a very safe throttle and mindful of obstacles, you be the judge if I did anything to cause the flyaway.

https://youtu.be/2Rgfyp_gk5w
1-16 04:50
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iasatan
lvl.2
Flight distance : 15633 ft
Germany
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At the end you made it to descend, not ascend. As far as I know, people complain about crashes only in low altitude, and you made it into even lower. May that would have been able to avoid the accident, but I think I would have done the same. Its better to hit the water than to hit a person
1-16 05:17
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TheFunTeacher
lvl.2
Flight distance : 20653 ft
Thailand
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iasatan Posted at 1-16 05:17
At the end you made it to descend, not ascend. As far as I know, people complain about crashes only in low altitude, and you made it into even lower. May that would have been able to avoid the accident, but I think I would have done the same. Its better to hit the water than to hit a person

Yes... hitting a person was my biggest worry. Regarding the descent, you can see from the knob input that I didn't descend at all throughout the flight. At 0:48 when the hill is being approached the knob shows that I ascend, but the drone does not respond.

But I agree with you so much. I am so lucky that nobody was crossing that footpath between the grassy area and the pond. In the end, I'm glad the pond swallowed it because my fear at the moment was that it was just going to keep going into the parking lot on the other side. I'm grateful that it didn't end with harm to a human being.
1-16 05:34
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