Dear DJI,

I understand that your overall intentions are good. I had the opportunity to log quite a few hours with my Inspire 2 prior to the latest firmware update, and so I know for a fact that your technology is *excellent* -- or at least has the potential to be. But this latest firmware update has completely disabled our aircraft, and has turned (what I would have called) a great investment into a complete waste of money.

We made our DJI purcahse on June 1, 2017. When we received our aircraft, all systems were unbelievably impressive. You have no idea how this technology had completely blown me away. I was ecstatic. Within 2 weeks, a freak accident took out our gimbal camera, but the aircraft remained extremely reliable and its performance was unscathed. We could achieve distances of more than 2 kilometers, and VERY rarely had issues with RC signal or video feed.

After updating to the most recent firmware (for Inspire 2, RC and X4S) and a recent version of DJI GO 4 app back towards the end of July, we have had nothing but a total disaster. I have nothing good to say about the Inspire 2 right now.

Here's the issues we get on a regular basis:
- Aircraft control and video feed completely unreliable past ~30-40m
- Video feed constantly going out, leaving a black/green visual for our cinematographer (once every 45-60s) and is completely unusable for an aerial camera
- Flight range decreased from >2km (we haven't tried for further) to less than 500m (this is completely unacceptable)
- Constant disconnections from remote control (we have two RCs and both have the same issue)
- All iOS devices overheating and maxing out CPU (this may have been happening before, but it was transparent then; and now it's affecting everything)

Prior to this, I had not a single complaint about the product.

It is utterly unfair what has happened to our Inspire 2, as well as to at least a few handful of other DJI owners. From posts on DJI forums as well as other forums, it seems that the latest firmware updates have also significantly affected certain models in the entire Phantom series (possibly excluding any models that do not support Lightbridge), Inspire 1 and Inspire 2. Looks like the Mavic escaped this disaster, but that doesn't make it acceptable. (I believe I've seen some similar issues for Spark owners, but not sure.)

How can I go about getting a complete refund for 100% of all of my Inspire 2 DJI equipment (Inspire 2, extra RC, X4S camera, DJI Care Refersh for both Inspire 2 and X4S, 2 extra batteries, 2 sets of extra propellers, ND4+ND8 filters for X4S, and $298 worth of repair charges -- which we thought DJI Care Refresh would cover) plus an extra 20% credit on top of that for "looking on the bright side" of our falsly-advertised product towards a more reliable DJI aircraft? We have important events coming up, and I'm sick of embarrassing myself with this piece of junk.

And we are ABSOLUTELY NOT sending our aircraft in again for repairs. That was a total disaster. You guys lost our X4S camera the first time we had sent it in. The second time we sent our eqiupment in, it came back and couldn't even fly with the remote that we had sent in with the aircraft for the repair. You're going to have to come up with some other way of satisfying us as a client of yours. But it is completely impractical at this point for us to waste time dealing with the repair facility again.

Combined with the firmware update and an issue with our X4S camera getting lost at the repair facility, we have not been able to have one single proper flight for nearly 10 weeks. We have already had to cancel multiple events that we specifically purchased this equipment for. We have essentially given you $4923 (plus $298 for a repair) without anything back in return.

I just can't grasp the idea that you had earned our business and turned our investment into a worthless piece of junk using a firmware update. And, not only has your engineering department been completely silent on this matter, but they have also refused to give us the option of reverting to a previously working firmware. That is completely unacceptable.

Please let me know how to receive my refund and extra credits towards a WORKING product. I get it, we made the mistake of giving you our money -- so you'll get to keep it. BUT I WANT SOMETHING THAT IS NOT A PIECE OF GARBAGE! It is extremely important! As of today, we are now missing two more scheduled events that our Inspire 2 was to be taking video.

I'm sure there are quite a few others who feel the exact same way that I do.
~Laz Peterson

I guess I should clarify ... We chose not to update our Inspire 2 to v1.1.0010 firmware (that was released on June 26) until nearly the end of July. But we did it because after receiving our aircraft back from the repair facility, it would not fly at all.

I also purchased a Inspire 1 v2.0 second week of July, after a few disagreements with DJI Customer Service in regards to shipping - I got my product and loved every minute of flying it. Shortly there after a software update came out which lead me to need constant issues with my iPad, problems with video feed and some other issues. While I want to enjoy this product, I find myself nervous when on a job site with clients because I would hate for them to look at me like I'm a joke due to poor equipment performance.

Been having the same issues! Can't get out of the beginner mode.

If this was a American Company it more then likely would already have a class action law suit filed against it , As DJI still seems not to give us new firmware or Roll back to a working copy of the older firmware .

I love my DJI product but your  concern will fall  deaf ears. They will say e mail us and we will get right on it but NOTHING  will happen . This is at the senior  level and NOT the forum Represenatives for DJI.  I just think being a Chinese company they dont understand taking care of the customer .

donnie

Thank you Donnie , waiting for you to get involved with this disappointing firmware screw up !

I guess you still have the inspire 1

Been grounded now for almost over a month now

I hope everyone now learns the lesson. Don't update FW until it is all clear by the earlier adopters,especially when your living depends on it. It is my hobby yet I don't want all this hassle either so I have chosen not to update for I1 anymore.

Paraviz, we are so sorry for the unpleasant experience with our products, the thread has been transferred to our engineers for checking.
Our R&D engineers are working on locating the problem of range of Inspire 2 you encountered. We would love to solve the problem right now but we need to locate the reason firstly. And it is not that easy because we also need tremendous test. As for your suggestion of rolling back to previous firmware, I will forward to our engineers again.
But sorry that the refund cannot be done at present because it is been a long time since you own it and it obeys our refund policy which you can check more details here: http://www.dji.com/service/policy
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and trouble caused recently, we will try our best to get it addressed, your patience and understanding will be highly appreciated.

This was posted in the Inspire 1 forum but the original post references the Inspire 2. Are you having all of these issues with the Inspire 2?

DJI Mindy ,

I still can't understand why the Engineers at R & D can't upload an Earlier version of the inspire 2 firmware until they can figure out what's going on with the current firmware .  At Least we could use our inspires 2 drones .  I don't think that's an unreasonable request !

DJI Mindy ,

Why did DJI take away our ability to atleast rollback the firmware , looks a little suspect or fishy . There are 334 closed cases on the better business bureau in California with New Cases or Claims  being reported all very
Negative reviews about DJI products ... Service and support is the answer here !

Again, this is teh exact same issues as lots of us are having. Why do we not have an update yet or at least a rollback yet Mindy?

LevitatedMedia Posted at 2017-8-19 14:00
I also purchased a Inspire 1 v2.0 second week of July, after a few disagreements with DJI Customer Service in regards to shipping - I got my product and loved every minute of flying it. Shortly there after a software update came out which lead me to need constant issues with my iPad, problems with video feed and some other issues. While I want to enjoy this product, I find myself nervous when on a job site with clients because I would hate for them to look at me like I'm a joke due to poor equipment performance.

Yea, we had scheduled to be on site at a manufacturing facility tomorrow morning with the Inspire 2 for documenting some work we did, but I can't trust the safety at this point. It's really a bummer.

DJI Mindy Posted at 2017-8-21 03:47
Paraviz, we are so sorry for the unpleasant experience with our products, the thread has been transferred to our engineers for checking.
Our R&D engineers are working on locating the problem of range of Inspire 2 you encountered. We would love to solve the problem right now but we need to locate the reason firstly. And it is not that easy because we also need tremendous test. As for your suggestion of rolling back to previous firmware, I will forward to our engineers again.
But sorry that the refund cannot be done at present because it is been a long time since you own it and it obeys our refund policy which you can check more details here: http://www.dji.com/service/policy

Thank you for your response, Mindy. I understand regarding the refund policy.

It would just be so wonderful to have a working DJI Inspire 2, instead of a gimmick that I am even a little hesitant to show to friends.

For the engineers -- and I'm sure others with this issue will confirm -- everything was great until the June 26, 2017 firmware update. Our symptoms primarily include losing video and/or RC signal on a fairly regular basis, maximum distances being cut to a fraction of what it used to be, overheating mobile device, video feed going green/black and then resetting ... It's not even possible to use this device for cinematography anymore.

I would hope that the engineers could trace their steps back. The firmware prior to the June firmware worked perfectly. I guess this could be either the aircraft or remote firmware, or a combination of both.

But regardless, I'm not the only person that would appreciate having a properly functioning Inspire 2. And some people are definitely losing business because of this ...

Something must be done immediately.

Cobra44Magnum Posted at 2017-8-21 04:20
This was posted in the Inspire 1 forum but the original post references the Inspire 2. Are you having all of these issues with the Inspire 2?

Ohh, whoops. Yea I accidentally posted this in the wrong forum ... However, I have also found Inspire 1 posts about the same issues. As well as Phantom owners complaining of the same thing.

But yes, my apologies on that ... Should be under Inspire 2.

DJI Mindy Posted at 2017-8-21 03:47
Paraviz, we are so sorry for the unpleasant experience with our products, the thread has been transferred to our engineers for checking.
Our R&D engineers are working on locating the problem of range of Inspire 2 you encountered. We would love to solve the problem right now but we need to locate the reason firstly. And it is not that easy because we also need tremendous test. As for your suggestion of rolling back to previous firmware, I will forward to our engineers again.
But sorry that the refund cannot be done at present because it is been a long time since you own it and it obeys our refund policy which you can check more details here: http://www.dji.com/service/policy

Mindy, I called to DJI support today to ask if there was a way to downgrade firmware. I was told that by connecting to DJI Assistant on computer, the "Restore Factory Defaults" option would restore the default firmware that was shipped.

That is not true.

Why was I told this?

That's all DJI does , to get you off the phone
Credit to Donnie Frank

Today, I wasted an entire day at the job site due to the updated firmware.  I totally understand what you feel. I don't even want to recall what I've gone through with the service center.

Same issues with my I2, options to roll back the firmware would be great for this type of issue that slips by beta.  hope this wasn't intentional.  If it is true DJI limited our range intentionally. I read on posts users said dealers confirmed this lowering power and making the range worse than even my home built drones of many many years ago. If it weren’t, I would hope the mods would have removed the users posting, so now I'm left believing it is. I hope it was a bug and it will be fixed.

  

Just imagine taking your Corvette, Porsche or Ferrari to the dealer, then it only goes 55MPH or 62km top speed, and they say we're looking into it. That would be what others are saying but it just can't be with Mavics flying further in the hands of amateurs

  

A youttube video here with some relevant info.

Interesting Video,  Has anyone rolled back using this procedure ?

DTK Posted at 2017-8-22 02:46
A youttube video here with some relevant info.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTpYaBQ6scE

I see ...

Well hopefully this thread doesn't get deleted! Ha ha ...

I have seen some old(er) threads for other DJI aircraft that no longer exist.

nazar404.yahoo Posted at 2017-8-22 03:20
Interesting Video,  Has anyone rolled back using this procedure ?

Go for it -- could it really get any worse???

I heard there is some sort of release today! I f so I'm going for it, and crossing my fingers. Sure wish we see a FW release note posted by a mod so I keep looking.

No release note posted , I have seen go 4 update not firmware

paraviz02 Posted at 2017-8-21 12:58
Mindy, I called to DJI support today to ask if there was a way to downgrade firmware. I was told that by connecting to DJI Assistant on computer, the "Restore Factory Defaults" option would restore the default firmware that was shipped.

That is not true.

I haven't plugged in my I2 in a while into the computer.  When I first did it, it looked like it had a repository for previous versions of the firmware.  Is this no longer the case?  I am out of town away from my I2, or else I would plug it in to check.  

nazar404.yahoo Posted at 2017-8-22 14:42
No release note posted , I have seen go 4 update not firmware

Yea, I haven't yet updated to 4.1.7. The release notes for that did not say anything about Inspire 2. Only notes on Spark.

It would be excellent if they could explicitly say "This fixes the iOS overheating, horribly glitchy video, and the overall terrible experience that many users are having."

Flytcam_Shaun Posted at 2017-8-22 22:21
I haven't plugged in my I2 in a while into the computer.  When I first did it, it looked like it had a repository for previous versions of the firmware.  Is this no longer the case?  I am out of town away from my I2, or else I would plug it in to check.

Yea, they removed all those and changed the policy so we are stuck at whatever recent version we have upgraded to. It's a bit of a bummer.

Maybe a class action lawsuit would be in order, my inspire 2 is a weed killer .... wasted my money also on the Refresh Care ... maybe send it back for a replacement .

anybody think its not so much a firmware issue but more of go 4 app issue it could make some sense couldnt it?

nazar404.yahoo Posted at 2017-8-23 07:58
Maybe a class action lawsuit would be in order, my inspire 2 is a weed killer .... wasted my money also on the Refresh Care ... maybe send it back for a replacement .

Something needs to happen, that's for sure.

It isn't appropriate for us to invest in a product like this and then be strung along without a serious issue being addressed or even acknowledged. I mean there really is no question that the recent updates have caused these problems.

I am really having trouble with the fact that DJI engineers are not officially acknowledging this.

EagleEyeUAV Posted at 2017-8-23 08:35
anybody think its not so much a firmware issue but more of go 4 app issue it could make some sense couldnt it?

It's really hard to tell.

I mean the simple fact is: there is most definitely an issue with the latest updates. DJI still, even until right now, refuses to acknowledge that there is legitimately something that they have done with either the firmware or the app that is seriously affecting the performance of their product.

At this point, I'm at a loss for what to do.

EagleEyeUAV Posted at 2017-8-23 08:35
anybody think its not so much a firmware issue but more of go 4 app issue it could make some sense couldnt it?

So far after the Go 4 update, all my issues have gone away.  Still planning on doing more testing, but so far so good.  Day before yesterday I tried flying with the old Go 4 app version.  Almost immediately I got the CPU warning and my video was crap.  The very next day under the same conditions just with the new update, I flew 2 missions with zero warnings and smooth video.  The only thing I can say that I noticed was that once the resolution of the video briefly dropped from 720p to what looked like 480p but it kept running smoothly and only did that for maybe 4-5 seconds.

Blackwood Posted at 2017-8-23 10:22
So far after the Go 4 update, all my issues have gone away.  Still planning on doing more testing, but so far so good.  Day before yesterday I tried flying with the old Go 4 app version.  Almost immediately I got the CPU warning and my video was crap.  The very next day under the same conditions just with the new update, I flew 2 missions with zero warnings and smooth video.  The only thing I can say that I noticed was that once the resolution of the video briefly dropped from 720p to what looked like 480p but it kept running smoothly and only did that for maybe 4-5 seconds.

That's great news. You're getting me closer and closer to trying it out every single post. Ha ha ha

Not to say I need any guinea pigs to try it out before me, but I'm scared to death about updates right now. Thanks for your input!

Blackwood Posted at 2017-8-23 10:22
So far after the Go 4 update, all my issues have gone away.  Still planning on doing more testing, but so far so good.  Day before yesterday I tried flying with the old Go 4 app version.  Almost immediately I got the CPU warning and my video was crap.  The very next day under the same conditions just with the new update, I flew 2 missions with zero warnings and smooth video.  The only thing I can say that I noticed was that once the resolution of the video briefly dropped from 720p to what looked like 480p but it kept running smoothly and only did that for maybe 4-5 seconds.

Ohhh, how about distance? What is your range looking like at this time with the new app 4.1.7?

For us, we aren't really able to fly more than ~300m before the RC and HD start losing connection on a regular basis. Prior to the latest updates (minus the 4.1.7 since we haven't installed yet), we were able to easily achieve 1.2km before any disconnects or video quality issues.

Blackwood,

How far were wil  able to fly from your point of departure without any issues or strong interference warning or caution appearing on your display .

I will try my inspire 2 later today , will keep my fingers crossed !!

nazar404.yahoo Posted at 2017-8-23 10:41
Blackwood,

How far were wil  able to fly from your point of departure without any issues or strong interference warning or caution appearing on your display .

Yea, best of luck to you on that flight!

Not saying I would actually do this, but I'd probably dance around in circles if my Inspire 2 worked normally again.

Sorry guys, but I hate to report that after further testing just now.  The choppy video and CPU warnings have returned.

Blackwood Posted at 2017-8-23 11:09
Sorry guys, but I hate to report that after further testing just now.  The choppy video and CPU warnings have returned.

Aaaaaannnnd ... <facepalm>.