One momentary lapse in concentration resulted in a totalled gimbal mount, including the gimbal. (Camera in one piece; thank goodness for soft grass.) I digress.... Like many hobbyists out there, I'm grounded with no word from DJI as to when spare parts will be available. Countless hobby shops advertise a long list of required spare parts, but everything's on 'back order', 'pre order', 'out of stock' (like there was ever stock in the first place.) DJI are shooting themselves in the foot with this non-commitment to spare parts. They're as vague as anything. Isn't it time for all of this to stop? Perhaps quit making new Inspire 1s and start making spare parts. For some people this saga has been going on for months. I found a way around the prop shortage by using MayTech brand and that has proven very successful, but now we're talking about proprietary parts. This is beyond ridiculous!

With a new product you expect some delay in some of the parts like maybe airframes, etc.... but for items like Propellers and the fragile filters.... it is super frustrating to be grounded because of these common needs.

One momentary lapse in concentration resulted in a totalled gimbal mount, including the gimbal.

Exactly the same here. After 30+ flights, I screwed up and caught the camera/gimbal on an Everest snowbank. Shipped the camera/gimbal unit off to Torrance CA today and was told 3-4 weeks turnaround.
No parts available in DJI systems. Here's what I want; A complete new camera and gimbal assembly shipped ASAP pre-paid by me. I remember seeing a teaser for a pistol grip type device for the camera/gimbal assembly and would use the second on that unit if/when it is released. But, I want to FLY soon.
We all bought into a new technology and product and there are some drawbacks to being an early adopter. The 30+ flights justify the risk I took with what I've been able to capture thus far. Not quite for an entire second unit mind you, but a second camera assembly, send it to me ASAP.
Ah, better dust off my patience hat and go fly my RC birds (no cameras), to get back up there. I did, by the way, test fly without the camera w/ no problems

There's a crashed inspire on ebay for parts

misticsea@yahoo Posted at 2015-3-10 22:01
There's a crashed inspire on ebay for parts

The fact that over 70 people have placed bids on this item for over $600 indicates the how stupid this whole situation is. I put it up there with placing bids on a bag of air blown by a celebrity.

could have been a swimmer too. No thanks.

My dealer is even having a hard time getting May Tech props....I understand there are no props anywhere in the world.  Can DJI give us an idea when will parts become available.  Otherwise they will create a huge aftermarket for parts and they wont be part of it.

I have sent my gimbal and camera set to DJI for repair. I'm wondering. If there are no parts available in the world, how will mine be repaired? Glue?

PJ Australian Posted at 2015-3-13 14:41
I have sent my gimbal and camera set to DJI for repair. I'm wondering. If there are no parts availab ...

The repairers have the parts, they just can't make enough to feed the world supply of resellers.

They should, however, at least crank up the Props machine and make an extra 20,000 so we can get our hands on them!   

I was informed today that theirs no spare parts in Australia for the Inspire 1 and told to look at the states or Europe if I was desperate .:@

I love the Inspire but to be honest if I knew all this earlier and how unique and unattainable the parts I would likely have had second thoughts.

I too have had down time and have resorted to cannibalizing another UAV pilots irreparable Inspire he had for sale.

Yes, Australia appears to be in the midst of a spare parts El Nino.

jimhare Posted at 2015-3-13 14:50
The repairers have the parts, they just can't make enough to feed the world supply of resellers.

...

I really doubt that. Before sending the gimbal I asked them if they could repair the gimbal mount (while they were at it.) No, that would have to be replaced and they don't replace parts, so how they repair anything is beyond anyone's guess.

I'm going to try repairing that part myself.

It is beyond comprehension what DJI are doing right now. There is no logic here. A lesser company would've gone out of business.

I never abandon investments, so I'm hoping that this one has a happy return!

PJ Australian Posted at 2015-3-14 07:44
I really doubt that. Before sending the gimbal I asked them if they could repair the gimbal mount  ...

What do you mean?  People are having their Inspires repaired and returned all the time, broken arms, smashed cases, all kinds of things.

Not sure exactly what your saying here, there are no parts anywhere and no one has had  their Inspire repaired using new bits?
Don't get me wrong, I'm 100% on your side and agree the lack of parts is unacceptable.

Like I said, Jim, they will only repair, not replace, unless it's joined to the whole unit. You can't for example buy a spare motor or gimbal mount on its own.

You have to be reourceful in times like this. Since DJI won't repair the gimbal mount, I repaired it myself. I inserted two steel rods where it cracked by heating them until they melted into the plastic. Then I filled it with strong glue. Reassembled the mount and we're ready to go (as soon as the gimbal & camera kit are 'repaired' by DJI.)

repairing

This whole experience is just too weird for me. I've never bought a product and found myself having to salvage parts. It's just too stupid!

You have to be resourceful in times like this.

PJ, I have exactly the identical break in the gimbal arm and in the mounting plate! You lead in the repair is one I will follow since I have received zip from DJI requests. Rather than ship the AC back, I will wait for the gimbal unit and hope that there may be some DJI management shakeups that alleviate the parts and details abyss.
I have not been able to find a picture/detail of the screw and/or bushing that goes on the middle mounting hole. Any info would be great, and good luck.
Jay

Comming soon!

Inspire 1 smashed due technical and supply spare parts  "problems'

Any of you fellow aussies have a spare landing absorber - my boss had a go over the weekend and despite my better judgement guess what happened !!!

I have access to a unit in NZ that has been crashed and will see if that can be offered as a sacrificial lamb. Ebay serves a great void however as a community and despite the obvious demand perhaps we can be civil ??

11 days since the LA repair facility received my camera/gimbal. I finally called today and they still can't acknowledge recipt and give an estimate of 4-5 weeks for repair. Missed an ebay Inspire 1 partial listing and now scouring for any possible camera/gimbal anywhere.
I also responded to two guys who were packing theirs in until perfected hoping to get a camera for sale.
This is not good... I'm even looking for another AC since the repair timeline is so bad.
Anote to DJI; Gee, do you think any of your products are on my "wishlist"? Serviceability is PART of a Product.

Update on camera gimbal. The turnaround in repairs from sending the part to DJI China and back to Australia was two weeks. DJI paid for the courier postage.

Is there anyone worth contacting at DJI for spare parts?

I've got a customers Inspire 1 which needs 2 motors and 2 speed controllers and I CANNOT even get a response from our distributor when inquiring about these parts.

To say that the "complete lack of spare parts" situation is absurd is incorrect, because I laugh at absurdity, this is infuriating :@:@

There are a whole slew of spare parts available. This entire thread and another one about being unable to replace a broken camera are wholly inaccurate at the present time.

Please refer to http://www.helipal.com/djinsp-40 ... nd-camera-unit.html

Every spare asked for in this thread and more is available for purchase.

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2015-4-21 07:52
There are a whole slew of spare parts available. This entire thread and another one about being unab ...

Nope, I don't want to contradict you, but I have to - the two parts I'm seeking, Motors - which are listed as maintenance parts by DJI themselves, as well as speed controllers - actually the most likely electronic part to need replacing aren't listed still...

Who'd like to join me in an orchestrated campaign on DJI's facebook page? I want to basically embarrassing them into actually supplying necessary parts...

This farce has gone on long enough

ruckusman Posted at 2015-4-21 09:00
Nope, I don't want to contradict you, but I have to - the two parts I'm seeking, Motors - which ar ...

E800 motors and their associated ESCs and props have been available for months now , even from the DJI store, and they are the same ones used in the Inspire 1. Go order them.

DJI does not make this public knowledge on their products page because opening up the arms voids warranty.

The situation reflects a need for the tech company to balance what it should offer as 'user replaceable' vs. 'experts only'.

If you have an Apple phone or pad, you'll know that if a component fails, the Apple Store folks will simply replace the machine if its under warranty. If you want to preserve data, don't want the hassle of having to reinstall custom settings, files etc, you have the option of going to specialist repair centres who can do component level replacements - but at the expense of paying for the service and voiding your warranty.

Although some posters are angry etc, they should stop to consider that DJI is a very rational business. They haven't got things perfect but they should not be faulted for not trying and continually improving.

Hi Mike,

I believe that there may be a difference in the mounting system as mentioned in this forum discussion-
E800 compatible with the DJI Inspire?

Has anyone been able to install an E800 motor without modification on to an Inspire1?

Cheers

Has anyone installed an E800 ESC as a replacement in an Inspire 1?

The motors aren't replacements because of the mounting points on the Inspire being non-standard.

As for DJI being a rational business model, that's just untrue.
One example refutes that - sending back an Inspire 1 from Australia for routine repairs such as motor &/or ESC replacement will take between 6-8 weeks. That's 6-8 weeks waiting to have 2 hours of work done.

The Apple analogy just is not applicable, in fact it's a counterpoint, Apple replace defective products, DJI by contrast makes it's customers wait for weeks and months whilst they repair defective products.

Seems there's an abundance of people both willing and more importantly keen to argue for being made to wait for excessive times to have repairs done and being exploited as just another revenue stream in the process.

In my view- for those willing to accept that atrocious level of customer service as acceptable is their choice, attempting to tell others that it is in fact acceptable customer service is just nonsense.

This is madness. The Inspire is being touted as a Semi-Pro machine. There are some here that depend on the machine for an income (I know there are also hobbyists too). They have to do better or come up with an alternative strategy than the one they have for repairs. Its just too long.

DJI: What are your plans to remedy this situation?

"DJI: What are your plans to remedy this situation?"

Sound of crickets.....

PeteGould Posted at 2015-4-21 21:43
"DJI: What are your plans to remedy this situation?"

Sound of crickets.....

Tumbleweed........

Yes, I've come to realise they don't answer the difficult questions.

lethbrp Posted at 2015-4-21 15:52
This is madness. The Inspire is being touted as a Semi-Pro machine. There are some here that depend  ...

The success of DJI as a company $500m sales last year suggests it is doing something right. As someone who was just as frustrated as some the present posters when I could not get spares for a H3-2D Phantom 1 gimbal 2 years back, I've learned to be a little more patient. If the company is as atrocious as many would suggest, it would soon go belly up and that's the end of it. You are a free agent and are not obliged to give them further custom. I'm not supporting bad behaviour but will say that they have improved over time.

I had a faulty remote controller and in February 2015 when production was just ramping up, I got a replacement within 10 days. I will say that the culture of this company seems to be one where they give priority to repairs for 'lemons' rather than 'accidents'.

It remains that their equipment is very competitively priced and that is what is attracting many new customers - more than they probably predicted.

For pro users - it makes sense to get a spare bird. Many professionals 'whose livelihoods depend on it' do just that.

I'm all for asking for improvements in service but whiny complaints are usually ignored and if you were running a business, you'd do just that.

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2015-4-22 13:00
The success of DJI as a company $500m sales last year suggests it is doing something right. As some ...

Actually, I think you'll find these aren't whiny complaints and in my business I don't consider any customer to be whiny. If there is a problem, I would do my best to sort it out. Your reputation is what is of value. I think if you want to see an example of poor service then you only need to look at the shortage of props.

I'm actually glad to see some serious competition enter into this space. They won't need to do much to attract business away. The benchmark is pretty low.

However, I'm glad you had your issues addressed in what you would consider adequate time.

lethbrp Posted at 2015-4-22 15:33
Actually, I think you'll find these aren't whiny complaints and in my business I don't consider an ...

Sorry, I was referring to another poster.

As for props, get the 1345S ones, there are tons of them on the market (the new quick release ones with clips) you need to get both the props and the clips. $10 a pair of props, $4 for a pair of clips...

As for complaints, different cultures at play here. You can't deny that DJI pricing is reasonable for the tech they are offering. 3DR's Solo probably has better service support  but their pricing / features for the total package is not competitive with the Phantom 3. Lets see who does better at the end of the day.

No worries.

Yes, I've purchased the new props, very nice. Though the issue here was the delay in getting props (even the old ones) out to those customers that had broken their supply in the early days. From my recollection, props were never readily available as spares since the lunch until quite recently.

Its going to be interesting to see how many P3 customer will start bemoaning the fact that they can't add waypoint functionality to the Phantom like the could on the P2, they will have to wait for a third party to develop it using the SDK

PJ Australian Posted at 2015-3-13 14:41
I have sent my gimbal and camera set to DJI for repair. I'm wondering. If there are no parts availab ...

I had a  similar situation with my Inspire 1  which crashed on it's very first flight and destroyed the camera/ gamble. It was sent to DJI repair in Torrance CA. On an RMA # and  was returned to me in three weeks later with the brand-new camera/ gimbal. It was covered under warranty and my only cost was
shipping it to the Torrance repair facility.

skyvideoct Posted at 2015-3-24 03:48
11 days since the LA repair facility received my camera/gimbal. I finally called today and they stil ...

Hang in there it took almost  three weeks for the repair facility to acknowledge they have received my inspire  and another two weeks before they send it back to be fixed.  My fix required replacing the camera gimbal after a crash into a concrete curb  on my very first flight.  You will get an email telling you that you're inspire has been received and is in line for repair.  If the repair is not covered by the warranty you'll get an invoice for what it's going to cost to repair.

Why is it I cannot get a hold of a live representative for a 3000$ piece of equiptment?!!! This is insane, I've sent an email April 22 and I keep getting automated messages. CSRs for online support, and keep getting told to contact this 818 number that keeps stating that they are closed or calling outside business hours.. I just wanted to get my inspire repaired if that's so much to ask for?!!!!

Can anyone confirm the replacement (Free) props and quick connection mounts are being sent out to the dealers (UK) as i emailed the dealer a month ago and they confirmed they would be sending out the replacements mid April, no sign of them yet and when i email for an update i get no reply (6 emails in total) but when i use a different email and ask to buy a S900 they answer straight away. (Funny that eh?)

might have to name and shame if they don't provide an update regardless if they have them or not. Just a reply would be nice.