Hi all
I am new to this forum so I hope this is the right place to ask this question.
I have owned a Mavic Pro Platinum for 12 months now during which time it has only flown for 6hrs 25mins in total.
Last week I crashed it and damaged the camera gimbal, so I sent it to DJI service for repair.
They assessed it as needing the below repairs. So I said yes go ahead and paid.
They have advised it is now being shipped back me but the serial number has changed?
So I rang to query this as it was only a minor repair on a Drone with very few hours on it, which this crash aside  I have looked after very carefully.
and I did not want someone else's repaired old clunker with who knows how many hours and previous damage in exchange for it.
I was told that the Drone I was being sent had not yet been registered and so I would need to do that when I got it, so I asked was it a brand new drone, in which case that would be fine.
Or was somebody else's Drone that had been Zero houred and repaired. To which I was told, yes it is an unregistered Drone. Not really what I asked.
What are other people's experiences here? Is the Drone I get likely to be knew, which I would accept, or someone else's drone  repaired and zerod off and sent back to me, in which case I will not accept that as a solution. It would be like sticking your own cared for car in for a repair and getting someone else's flogged out old hack back from the dealer, totally unacceptable.

Cheers John

Gimbal Axis Arm Module

Quantity: 1

Unit Price : 102.00

Amount : 102.00

Gimbal Vibration Damping Module

Quantity: 1

Unit Price : 3.00

Amount : 3.00

Platinum Right Rear Motor Arm

Quantity: 1

Unit Price : 33.00

Amount : 33.00

Hi John, thanks for reaching to DJI Forum, according to DJI policy, products and components presented for repair may be replaced by refurbished goods of the same type rather than being repaired. These refurbished goods have been tested and are similar to brand new goods in function and appearance. All the shipped products will be tested and evaluated, please don't worry.

What Mindy said...

Yeah that’s the theory but when I sent in my 5 month old Mavic 2 Pro in mint condition (excluding the n/s/r arm hanging off!) I got a shed back in return.

The gimbal had the gouges on it (mine didn’t even after the crash) the top body was worn and you could see a darker base layer as if it had been sanded down, and the whole drone just looked old & worn.

Worse still it had a barometer error that refused to go away and so I could never fly it.

I was advised to ‘refresh the firmware’ but of course that never worked.

I trusted my original drone to fly to the ends of the earth but since getting the shed back I lost confidence in both the product and the company.

I finally sent that back because my one year warranty/Care Refresh was up and after spending £2227 buying it in the first place (plus a further £109 on a case and £129 on a second battery plus an extra £99 on top of my Care Refresh) I ended up with another obviously used drone that I flew 10 times before it threw up a compass calibration error that can’t be reset so that will have to go back.

If only I could get my money back (minus the 5 months flying I have had in 14 months) I would do as I will not spend any more money on a DJI product ever again.

The irony is I have wanted a DJI drone since the original Phantom but the thing that put me off was reading of the appalling support from DJI when it came their own product.

This continued through all flavours of Phantom and Mavics but I finally bit the bullet and bought a Mavic 2 Pro but I really wish I hadn’t.

-=Glyn=-

DJI Mindy Posted at 2-21 03:30
Hi John, thanks for reaching to DJI Forum, according to DJI policy, products and components presented for repair may be replaced by refurbished goods of the same type rather than being repaired. These refurbished goods have been tested and are similar to brand new goods in function and appearance. All the shipped products will be tested and evaluated, please don't worry.

Hi

Thank you for your reply but this is unacceptable.

My hardly used drone with only 6hrs25min flight time, was sent to you for minor repairs and you quoted me $273.00 for the “Repair” not to replace it with a Drone of unknown provenance.

Your quote says “Right rear arm cracked. gimbal arm and vibration board deformed. Test will be performed after repair”. Note the word repair there.

Had the main unit been irreparable I could understand it being replaced, however it was not, there was only minor peripheral damage, so there is no plausible reason for you to send me someone else’s damaged and repaired drone.

What has happed here is I sent you my as new (aside from the minor damage), low hours drone, you then sent me a quote for repair, which I accepted and promptly paid you the full $273.00. You propose to then complete the repair to it and give it to someone else, whilst sending me a previous repair from someone else.
This is totally unacceptable business practice, and I will not sit by and allow it to pass. This was an expensive item that I have very carefully looked after and flown very little.

I require you to secure my drone immediately, (the one I sent you S/N  08QCFAHP124PF4 ) repair it as agreed in your quote and return it to me. I will NOT accept this refurbished drone as a replacement for mine. I will then return this drone you have sent me.

If you already repaired my drone and mailed it out to some lucky person then I require you to supply me with a replacement brand new drone in a sealed retail package (as this is the only way to know I’m am getting a new drone and not a refurbished one).

John

GlynH Posted at 2-21 10:50
Yeah that’s the theory but when I sent in my 5 month old Mavic 2 Pro in mint condition (excluding the n/s/r arm hanging off!) I got a shed back in return.

The gimbal had the gouges on it (mine didn’t even after the crash) the top body was worn and you could see a darker base layer as if it had been sanded down, and the whole drone just looked old & worn.

Thank you for your reply Glyn this is precisely what I was afraid of. See my reply above.

Cheers John

GlynH Posted at 2-21 10:50
Yeah that’s the theory but when I sent in my 5 month old Mavic 2 Pro in mint condition (excluding the n/s/r arm hanging off!) I got a shed back in return.

The gimbal had the gouges on it (mine didn’t even after the crash) the top body was worn and you could see a darker base layer as if it had been sanded down, and the whole drone just looked old & worn.

We are sincerely sorry for the inconvenience that had caused to you. May we know if you had tried refreshing the firmware? Please kindly try and keep us updated. If the issue persists, please send in the drone again, once you start a new case, please kindly let me know, I will note down the case and keep an eye on it.

DJI-892 Posted at 2-21 18:12
Hi

Thank you for your reply but this is unacceptable.

Hi John, we are sorry for any inconvenience caused. Please kindly understand that to ensure repair quality, DJI may update or replace the product module. If it is updated or replaced, the serial number may also change, but this will not affect the after-sales service. This was mentioned on the quotation email. But please don't worry, the performance of the drone can be assured.
I noticed that the drone has not been delivered, please kindly check the drone when you receive it, any issues, please keep us updated, I will do my best to help.

DJI Mindy Posted at 2-22 00:10
Hi John, we are sorry for any inconvenience caused. Please kindly understand that to ensure repair quality, DJI may update or replace the product module. If it is updated or replaced, the serial number may also change, but this will not affect the after-sales service. This was mentioned on the quotation email. But please don't worry, the performance of the drone can be assured.
I noticed that the drone has not been delivered, please kindly check the drone when you receive it, any issues, please keep us updated, I will do my best to help.

NO - this is rubbish if were unrepairable you would have said so. You said it was repairable and the repair was minor, and you quoted me for a repair and replacing a couple of minor components not replacement, of the entire drone

I have no intention of opening the package you sent as it does not contain the drone I sent  to you for repair.

I want my drone, the one I sent you, repaired as quoted and returned to me. I sent you my Hardly used Drone with very minor damage, in good faith to be repaired, not for you to  replace it with a second hand one. If you have as I suspect repaired mine now and sent it to someone else, I demand a brand new replacement. If however it is still in the workshop, which I hope it is, then I suggest you secure it, ASAP,  repair it and then return it to me, and I will return the one you have sent me.

It is not inconvenience it is deceptive practise,  and a scam.
What you have done is the same as if I dropped my car in for a service for which I then pay and the dealer gIves me some else’s car back because it was easier for him. It is illegal .
The rather annoying line you keep  quoting me saying “to ensure repair quality DJI may update or replace the module” it does not apply here and will not stand up in court.
There was absolutely NO REASON WHATSOEVER for a replacement to drone to be sent to me, when mine from your own quote was eminently repairable. Your email said it was to be repaired NOT replaced,
You are supposed to be a reputable major manufacturer, please start acting like one and rectify this error on your part now..

I am not interested in how many times you may have got away with this in the past, You  will not get away with this this time.

Oh the simple fact of updating the firmware - all 5 attempts before it finally completed - was more than enough for a refresh Mindy!

It boggles my mind that something as important as a firmware update is filled with so much grief as can be seen by the amount of posts when a new firmware is released and the amount of times I have to go through the procedure before it sticks.

One would have thought that not only should the process be reliable but there would be some kind of checksum to verify & validate that everything has been written successfully to the correct register and the user notified that it was 100% successful instead of going through the grief and heartache of a DJI software update.

I have been in IT for over 30 years and flashed thousands of devices (going back to the days of serial cables, terminals & command lines) but rarely have I experienced something so prone to failure as a DJI firmware update.

I already have a Case number to send back what will be my second faulty replacement to receive a third repaired device but I have no confidence in receiving a properly working device back after the fiasco thus far.

BTW the first replacement drone came back in a new, sealed box and I hoped it would be a new one but of course it wasn’t.

The second one was returned in the box I sent it away in but was a different drone.

You know if the price was right I would gladly pay a contribution towards a brand new drone despite my having Care Refresh and already having paid the excess just to finally get a drone in the same condition as my original one I sent in that actually works.

-=Glyn=-

DJI-892 Posted at 2-21 18:15
Thank you for your reply Glyn this is precisely what I was afraid of. See my reply above.

Cheers John

I know how you feel John.

If I had known how it would turn out for me I would have insisted on getting my original aircraft back because at least I knew it was much looked after.

And here’s the thing...I suspect that every drone repaired might be designated a new, unique serial number to further confuse the issue.

Just prior to return when shipping details have been established you are given the serial number of both drone & camera/gimbal.

Typing this last replacement into the serial number checker returned a ‘build date’ of only two months prior to it being shipped back to me. My hopes were high that I was finally getting a new drone in return.

Then I typed in the serial number of the worn & battered shed that I received the first time around only to find that was also coincidentally dated two months prior to being shipped to me.

How much of a coincidence is that? You would be hard pressed to inflict as much wear & tear to a drone in two months as that seen on the shed I received so I strongly suspect that the serial number is allocated when the drone is 'repaired' - I use the word repaired very loosely here...

It is standard practice in many repair places to keep a stock of already-repaired devices to help turn-around and keep ‘repair times’ down and I have to say that the first time around DJI were fast to ship the replacement to me and I believe credit should be given where credit is due.

I believe I was given the option the first time around whether to have mine repaired or a replacement sent for a speedier turn-around time and I elected for the replacement not for one minute thinking I would get a non-functioning, old, dirty, worn & damaged replacement back in return.

As I said elsewhere when it was returned it was in a brand new, factory sealed box and my hopes were high only to be dashed when I opened it and found the gimbal cover had not been fitted properly having come off in transit, the gimbal itself having damage on it and the top cover of the drone looking very much like an old, tired, worn out shell and having a poor appearance made worse by the fact that the firmware was two versions behind what was then current and having a hard barometer error that could not be user rectified showing maximum altitude reached while hovering at head height and landing.

Imagine if I had lost that drone and could not have recovered it? Without a drone to return my Care Refresh would very possibly have been null & void and my total investment wasted.

And now a second faulty drone...you just couldn’t make it up.

-=Glyn=-

I've returned 2 products to DJI for warranty repair and the replacements are great.  M2P because of a gimbal problem and DJI RE Goggles.  M2P looked brand new and obviously has a gimbal that works.  I missed out on filming w/ it in the summer because of the horrible gimbal tilt that I didn't know was a problem so I kept using the M2Z.

AntDX316 Posted at 2-23 03:27
I've returned 2 products to DJI for warranty repair and the replacements are great.  M2P because of a gimbal problem and DJI RE Goggles.  M2P looked brand new and obviously has a gimbal that works.  I missed out on filming w/ it in the summer because of the horrible gimbal tilt that I didn't know was a problem so I kept using the M2Z.

Hi
Thank you for your reply, and I do not doubt you. I shall see what I get from them, and if it comes back to me in the drone case I sent my broken one to them in, to prevent any damage in transit. It had better !

The point here is though.
I know my drone and it’s history and have looked after it, and DJI quoted me for a repair of my drone, there was no mention of replacement.
To then send me a refurbed drone of unknown provenance without consultation, after I had paid for the minor repairs to be made to mine is not on, and I will be seeking legal advice with regard to my consumer rights.

It would be interesting to know if anyone ever gets there own repaired drone back from DJI in Melbourne, or if in fact they repair nothing at all there and send everyone a refurbed replacement?

Tomorrow is a working day again and The Justice Department Office of fair trading will be open.
So we shall see

DJI-892 Posted at 2-21 18:12
Hi

Thank you for your reply but this is unacceptable.

I think you might find this is all entailed in your warranty regarding refurbished , and while I understand you might think you are getting some awful refurbished replacement you are entitled to get a refurbished as new drone, so this as new covers you from the fact if anything doesn’t measure up you are entitled to use your warranty, I can tell you having received two refurbs from dji over the years is they were perfect and without flaws, I can also tell you from being around here, it is very rare to read anything bad about refurbished drones either from a cosmetic technical or practical view.

So I would wait first to see what you receive before throwing the baby out with the bath water .

hallmark007 Posted at 2-23 05:49
I think you might find this is all entailed in your warranty regarding refurbished , and while I understand you might think you are getting some awful refurbished replacement you are entitled to get a refurbished as new drone, so this as new covers you from the fact if anything doesn’t measure up you are entitled to use your warranty, I can tell you having received two refurbs from dji over the years is they were perfect and without flaws, I can also tell you from being around here, it is very rare to read anything bad about refurbished drones either from a cosmetic technical or practical view.

So I would wait first to see what you receive before throwing the baby out with the bath water .

OK - I shall do.

As this was not a warranty job but a quoted and paid for repair, I still consider this to be a fundamentally deceptive practice. Had I know it was what they would do I would never have sent them my drone.
Cheers

hallmark007 Posted at 2-23 05:49
I think you might find this is all entailed in your warranty regarding refurbished , and while I understand you might think you are getting some awful refurbished replacement you are entitled to get a refurbished as new drone, so this as new covers you from the fact if anything doesn’t measure up you are entitled to use your warranty, I can tell you having received two refurbs from dji over the years is they were perfect and without flaws, I can also tell you from being around here, it is very rare to read anything bad about refurbished drones either from a cosmetic technical or practical view.

So I would wait first to see what you receive before throwing the baby out with the bath water .

I also believe however that you cannot sign away your rights under Australian consumer law nor can a retailer diminish these rights by inserting a a clause in their quote.
Cheers

DJI-892 Posted at 2-23 13:39
OK - I shall do.

As this was not a warranty job but a quoted and paid for repair, I still consider this to be a fundamentally deceptive practice. Had I know it was what they would do I would never have sent them my drone.

Look you still had to get it repaired or replaced, I don’t think you would get anyone else to replace or repair as well, you could also ask to have your drone returned as was .

But if it were me and I was in your position, I’d play smart if what you receive is not as new return it and request a new model or your craft returned.
Dji only repair in China and all repairs are basically complete refurbished drones, I’ve had 2 and they are basically new that’s all I can tell you and I still have and use them, but your not without options , I’m certain the can return your drone unfinished.

DJI-892 Posted at 2-23 13:46
I also believe however that you cannot sign away your rights under Australian consumer law nor can a retailer diminish these rights by inserting a a clause in their quote.
Cheers

I don’t know what Australia law is but in Europe and this includes companies like Apple are aloud send you refurbished if it’s as new IE tested as new looks like new and performs like new but they are not allowed call it new , but if you have law on your side and don’t mind the hassle go for it .

DJI-892 Posted at 2-23 13:46
I also believe however that you cannot sign away your rights under Australian consumer law nor can a retailer diminish these rights by inserting a a clause in their quote.
Cheers

DJI do not have a presence in Australia, so you can take them to court as much as you please and it won't do you any good. The people here who do the repairs are local companies, and are not owned by DJI.

DJI-892 Posted at 2-23 04:10
Hi
Thank you for your reply, and I do not doubt you. I shall see what I get from them, and if it comes back to me in the drone case I sent my broken one to them in, to prevent any damage in transit. It had better !

If you still have issues contact them again w/ your replacement and I'm sure they would deal with you.  I told them my exact findings in detail, and they knew what to do.

hallmark007 Posted at 2-23 13:47
Look you still had to get it repaired or replaced, I don’t think you would get anyone else to replace or repair as well, you could also ask to have your drone returned as was .

But if it were me and I was in your position, I’d play smart if what you receive is not as new return it and request a new model or your craft returned.

So if you are correct and DJI only ever repair in China and send out a replacement in every case,
Then the very fact they advertise they repair and then quote and charge you for that repair is fundamentally a lie.
Assuming you are correct,  then had they been truthful  with a shared of honesty, and said they do not repair your drone but will only send a refurb, then I would not have sent it to them in the first place.

DJI-892 Posted at 2-23 14:53
So if you are correct and DJI only ever repair in China and send out a replacement in every case,
Then the very fact they advertise they repair and then quote and charge you for that repair is fundamentally a lie.
Assuming you are correct,  then had they been truthful  with a shared of honesty, and said they do not repair your drone but will only send a refurb, then I would not have sent it to them in the first place.

Some of the repair companies in Australia do actually repair the aircraft, not all are returned to China, but it depends upon the level of the repair. So saying that they repair is truthful, they do. But not in every case. If the repair is out of the range of the work they do locally, they exchange the aircraft for a refurbished one. And BTW, you agree to this when you register the aircraft.

DJI-892 Posted at 2-23 14:53
So if you are correct and DJI only ever repair in China and send out a replacement in every case,
Then the very fact they advertise they repair and then quote and charge you for that repair is fundamentally a lie.
Assuming you are correct,  then had they been truthful  with a shared of honesty, and said they do not repair your drone but will only send a refurb, then I would not have sent it to them in the first place.

I suppose they are entitled to charge you for the damage you caused, I’m not sure what the law is in Australia but here in Europe refurb as new is allowed, I think your thinking is you’d like to get your own refurb back because that’s what it will be, I’m surprised that your making such a big thing about this when you hold the cards here, if you don’t like the refurb you don’t have to take it and you can opt for getting your drone back and having it repaired locally, but what dji are doing is ok and accepted in the rest of the world and only because it’s seen as a good or better service than what you think repairing your drone will get you, in fact I think almost everyone who has purchased or received a refurb would find it hard to tell between new and refurb.
I suppose for dji to have repair centers all over the world is not feasible just like many multinational companies, so this is the new way . But you have control it’s still very much up to you, but it’s not dishonest cheating or anything else, it’s just the new way of doing business.

Geebax Posted at 2-23 15:23
Some of the repair companies in Australia do actually repair the aircraft, not all are returned to China, but it depends upon the level of the repair. So saying that they repair is truthful, they do. But not in every case. If the repair is out of the range of the work they do locally, they exchange the aircraft for a refurbished one. And BTW, you agree to this when you register the aircraft.

You might agree to it under the warranty or care refresh. But this was neither, it was  a separate repair request and contract with them.
  There are loads of companies that advertise repairs and had I known what DJI were going to do to me I would have chosen one of them. I chose to send it to DJI as I believed I would get the highest quality repair from them.

hallmark007 Posted at 2-23 15:32
I suppose they are entitled to charge you for the damage you caused, I’m not sure what the law is in Australia but here in Europe refurb as new is allowed, I think your thinking is you’d like to get your own refurb back because that’s what it will be, I’m surprised that your making such a big thing about this when you hold the cards here, if you don’t like the refurb you don’t have to take it and you can opt for getting your drone back and having it repaired locally, but what dji are doing is ok and accepted in the rest of the world and only because it’s seen as a good or better service than what you think repairing your drone will get you, in fact I think almost everyone who has purchased or received a refurb would find it hard to tell between new and refurb.
I suppose for dji to have repair centers all over the world is not feasible just like many multinational companies, so this is the new way . But you have control it’s still very much up to you, but it’s not dishonest cheating or anything else, it’s just the new way of doing business.

Ahhhh, thank you.
DJI never told me  that if I am not happy with what they sent that I can get my own back for me to arrange repair. Had they added that simple line I would never have even raised this.
In light of what you have said, I shall see what they have sent me. However I do believe still that they should make it very clear before you even send it to them that you will get a refurb back and not your own, that to me is a simple courtesy, as it came as a surprise to me.

In all this I must say that the DJI have always been courteous in all their communications with me, but have not perhaps explained the process as clearly as you have.

Thank you once again for you  reply .

Hope to be back flying soon as I really do love my Mavic, it is a great Drone.

DJI-892 Posted at 2-23 16:04
Ahhhh, thank you.
DJI never told me  that if I am not happy with what they sent that I can get my own back for me to arrange repair. Had they added that simple line I would never have even raised this.
In light of what you have said, I shall see what they have sent me. However I do believe still that they should make it very clear before you even send it to them that you will get a refurb back and not your own, that to me is a simple courtesy, as it came as a surprise to me.

Look wait and see if there is anything wrong with it, make your demands then, if it were me and something was not right I would ask for a brand new replacement or money back and drone back, but wait first, hope it works out for you .

OK - I am not one to whinge but never compliment.

I received my replacement drone today in the padded case I sent the broken one over in, and the sure enough the new drone looks brand new.
I did a short low level test flight to check  the basic functions , and again all seems perfect. Alas the the wind here is 6MS today and gusting to who knows so I could not make a long flight or go very high yet.

So here we go as I eat humble pie and say DJI have looked after me well here and I need to control my pessimism  a lot better.
Apologies for my doom and gloom and everyone is trying to rip me off outlook.

DJI, you did well .   THANK YOU

DJI-892 Posted at 2-24 20:14
OK - I am not one to whinge but never compliment.

I received my replacement drone today in the padded case I sent the broken one over in, and the sure enough the new drone looks brand new.

We are very happy to know you have received the drone and everything works great, please feel free to come back to us any time if there is any problem, we will do our best to help. Enjoy flying.

DJI-892 Posted at 2-24 20:14
OK - I am not one to whinge but never compliment.

I received my replacement drone today in the padded case I sent the broken one over in, and the sure enough the new drone looks brand new.

It’s not about eating humble pie, it really should be about dji explaining as I did, what would take place, what you were likely to receive condition guarantee warranty etc, as I said in above posts the deal is good and worth waiting for, maybe if dji explains this to you first then your mind is more at ease.

Anyway enjoy good luck and fly safe .

GlynH Posted at 2-23 02:07
Oh the simple fact of updating the firmware - all 5 attempts before it finally completed - was more than enough for a refresh Mindy!

It boggles my mind that something as important as a firmware update is filled with so much grief as can be seen by the amount of posts when a new firmware is released and the amount of times I have to go through the procedure before it sticks.

Hi Glyn, may we verify whether you still have the problem with the drone? Did you send in again due to the compass calibration error?

There scavaging the returned smash pile from  totalled out drones and calling it repairs good to know