Hello,
I just purchased the inspire 1 last wednesday(7-8-15) and got 1 day shipping from b&h.  This is my first time working with drones so I was really excited to film with the Inspire 1 and I have only heard great things about it.

It shows up thursday (7-9-2015) and I immediately start to do my homework on rules & regulations.  I read all the manuals and watched every tutorial out there.  So after a day of studying, I decide to take it out and give it a test flight on friday (7-10-2015).

I'm in an open area, it's on gps mode, props are locked in place, I'm on beginner mode, firmware is up to date. Everything is going smooth!! I bring it off the ground and let it hover 5-6ft above the ground.  I mess around with the controls just so I can get a feel for what it's doing and how the controls work. So, I practice for about 5 minutes and bring it back down to the ground. (Wow! what a rush! This is awesome.) The first flight went very smooth and I was super excited.  I do the same thing about 3 times just so I truly understand the controls. Being super excited, I said ok this is the last one before the battery starts getting low.  I brought it up into the air, everything was going perfectly fine and all of a sudden a prop flew off and the inspire came crashing down and is completely totalled.

(7-11-2015) Saturday
Being incredibly disappointed and upset with my first drone experience, I try to contact dji just to find out the North American office is only open m-f.  I said let's try the "24/7" support.  I get in contact with someone using the online chat support and they told me they can't help me and that I need to contact the North American support.    ._.   classic.

Sorry for the long story but my question is, what do you think my options are for getting a new one or at least a refund? My guess is slim to none.

Has anyone had to go through dji's support? If so, how was the experience? From what I hear, it's not so fun. What do you guys think will happen?

Thanks for any help!!! I really appreciate it.

UPDATE (7-14-2015)

So I talked with B&H and they said that they'll be able to send me a new one!!!   My team and I have decided it is best to film every flight just in case this sort of thing happens again.  Thanks for all the quick responses everyone!

Get B&H to replace it.  Whilst I am UK based, I understand B&H CS is second to none.

Is this with the Quick Release Props or the Self-Tightening props?

You should get it replaced, it should not loose the props within just a handful of short flights. What version do you have?

Nevertheless, just saying. When you've had the drone for awhile and made many flights, regular checks must be done and several parts changed over time. But in your case, you've only had a handful of flights so those parts should not have been worn out yet.

I've have just flied with my Inspire for about 1 hour (bad weather for a prolonged time here...) So far no problems, but I'm a bit paranoid so I always do a check before flight of screws, IMU, compass and props.

Hope you get a replacement fast!

Which props did you have? The self tightening stock prop, or the upgraded props? Were you using prop locks on the screw on props ?  Try to be specific were they good and tight ?  What I cant understand is, It sounds like your first quad flight was on a 3000 dollar flying camera,  You need to get a hubsan h4 and learn to fly it.

justin.mah Posted at 2015-7-14 00:35
Is this with the Quick Release Props or the Self-Tightening props?

This was the quick release props

mtnmaddman Posted at 2015-7-14 02:04
Which props did you have? The self tightening stock prop, or the upgraded props? Were you using prop ...

It was on the quick release props and yup 3000$ lol

Rob W Posted at 2015-7-14 01:28
You should get it replaced, it should not loose the props within just a handful of short flights. Wh ...

It was the most recent version.  The 4 test flights I did was all in one sitting.  

matty Posted at 2015-7-14 02:45
It was the most recent version.  The 4 test flights I did was all in one sitting.

Were there any signs of broken plastic clips or the spring clips on top of the motor that should hold it on?

Sad to hear that M8 ;-(

Glen Posted at 2015-7-14 03:33
Were there any signs of broken plastic clips or the spring clips on top of the motor that should h ...

Nope everything working perfectly! And it's ok as long as DJI helps me out!

wattsnb@gmail.c Posted at 2015-7-14 00:15
Get B&H to replace it.  Whilst I am UK based, I understand B&H CS is second to none.

Do you think B&H will replace it? I have not tried to go through B&H yet. If they can that would be great!

I have been interested in the issue of props,  I have read lots of different things on the self tightening vs. upgraded  props,  I am going with the original screw on props with prop locks.  I ordered the prop locks today, My Inspire should be here this week, along with my prop locks and an extra battery.  Seems that people are having trouble being certain that the upgraded props are attached  properly. my observance .

matty Posted at 2015-7-14 04:09
Do you think B&H will replace it? I have not tried to go through B&H yet. If they can that would b ...

Certainly worth asking them.   From your description it certainly sounds like a manufacturing fault, especially since it flew normally for multiple test flights.

If not, DJI are quite good about taking responsibility if it isn't pilot error, and it's difficult to imagine what you could have done as a pilot to make a prop fly off!

Best of luck and keep us informed.

If I ever get one I'm going to have someone film me on the remote and someone else film the bird for the first 100 flights. This is crazy for $3500.

This seems unfair; in all likely hood these props weren't fitted properly and Dji are expected to bare responsibility and at the least derision on their own user forum.  The exact cause of a crash may often never be known so we may or may not be protected under warranty, it's a part of flying quad copters

daniel.frederik Posted at 2015-7-14 13:23
This seems unfair; in all likely hood these props weren't fitted properly and Dji are expected to ba ...

The props are user fitted.  If it wasn't installed properly, it's a user error.  Unless something in the prop itself was defective.  

Wouldn't self locking props with an additional locking nut/cone on top be the most bulletproof ?
I'm not sure I like the QC props...

Rob

In my opinion self tightening props with locks are the best.   QR props are Ok but there's room for people to be careless and damage them.

daniel.frederik Posted at 2015-7-14 13:51
In my opinion self tightening props with locks are the best.   QR props are Ok but there's room for  ...

I agree, everything I have read about the problems with the props coming off seems to point to operator error, which in turn could be construed as a design problem, They should be fool proof,  I will stick to the stock screw on props with prop locks. The quick release props certainely have the correct name.  Are you in that big of a hurry to crash.

mtnmaddman Posted at 2015-7-14 21:18
I agree, everything I have read about the problems with the props coming off seems to point to oper ...

I can say attest to this issue...I have QR props and experienced a fly off.  Luckily, it occurred right after the motors were armed (just after the automatic quick rev) and before I applied any up throttle.  I was stunned as I watched the prop go launching off the craft.  Like many I chaulked it up "User Error" and thought I hadn't properly secured the prop to the motor.  Since that fly off I have flown less than 8 more times, in total I have about 25 flights on my Inspire 1.  Well during my last pre-flight check (yes added additional step of testing props to ensure they are seated properly) I was able to unseat the prop with only a slight nudge in the opposite direction.  Again the first time during the check I thought I must not have installed it correctly (here we go again) but was surprised when I was able to repeat this.  I visually inspected the cam on that motor and I saw no signs of wear or breakage so I tried a new prop and it remained locked on.   The bad prop (again bird only has 25 flights) was no where near the 200 flight life DJI recommends and the other three props are rock solid.   Maybe this prop was a fluke,  the one bad prop with marginal tolerances so that it can't properly lock onto the cam.  Whatever caused this.....from now on I will always give my props a nudge after they've been seated (as part of my pre-flight) to ensure they're on to stay.

In order for a QR prop to fly off it or the mount needs to be worn / damaged or the prop not fitted properly. If its worn or damaged you should be able to show evidence and prove system failure. If neither parts are damaged then it likely wasn't fitted correctly. The thing I always look at when fitting is that the prop 'pops up' making a bigger gap between the prop and the motor and that it does not rotate in either direction.
Sorry to hear you had such a nasty start to your Inspire experience, hopefully you find a solution and get back in the air soon.

It seems unfair to assume Dji are to blame for your crash.  By choosing to fly drones the risk we take is that the cause of a crash may be unknown so we may not be able to fall back on warrenty protection. If you need this perhaps stick to remote control cars.

daniel.frederik Posted at 2015-7-15 02:26
It seems unfair to assume Dji are to blame for your crash.  By choosing to fly drones the risk we ta ...

Why not just, refrain from using QR props, whats the hurry, and what is wrong with the screw on props with locks,  Get a hubsan and learn to fly, forget the cars.