Its a good listen with Randy Braun, Director of Product Experience for DJI. It seems like they are listening to us and making changes. Love their Inspire 1


http://videosbyandy.com/dji-x5/

That was a fairly useless puff piece - Randy didn't know a lot about the product for someone who is on the inside of the forbidden city.
Sadly, Randy seems to have little idea as to the 'experience' many here have had with the product.
5 weeks for a repair - how many here have had a turnaround that quick?
What you do hear are responses where DJI emails back directing the owner NOT to enquire until at least 8 weeks have passed.

I wonder what he would have to say about the list of unresolved issues with the Inspire? Sadly not asked.

Maybe we need to get Randy online here so he can get a bit of direct feedback - we can give Dave, Autumn and the others a rest.

Farnk666 Posted at 2015-9-13 21:17
That was a fairly useless puff piece - Randy didn't know a lot about the product for someone who is  ...

Farnk, Randy has been flying the X5 and X5R for sometime now.  You understand that specs change between the beta models and introduction right.  I would also give Randy a break, he is first and foremost a photographer.  He knows a lot about all our products but he is not a technical expert.  I could never do what he does nor could he do my job.  

Farnk666 Posted at 2015-9-13 21:17
That was a fairly useless puff piece - Randy didn't know a lot about the product for someone who is  ...

I will agree with you that I could use a break.
Last few days have been kind of rough.

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2015-9-14 15:04
Farnk, Randy has been flying the X5 and X5R for sometime now.  You understand that specs change be ...

So just to clarify my understanding, a person with the title of "Director of Product Experience" is not expected to know detail of company products, nor the performance of the supporting arm of the organisation.

If so, that's fine. Who does have the accountability? Can we get them to communicate with us directly?

As customers we are asked to have patience and empathy with the DJI representatives who appear here, yet when asked for definitive answers the response is that they don't know or are not allowed to respond to our queries.

At the same time, no transparency is there as to the mysterious persons who actually DO have the authority and accountability to comment on or set direction for the product.

The negativity you and your colleagues experience here is a direct consequence of the opaque and constrained strategy that DJI has taken with it's customer base. I've been in tech support and managed support and engineering teams before and I do understand the stress that a seemingly endless wave of complaints causes. Many of those organisations are not here any more, largely due to a failure to evolve their internal cultures and meet customer demand rather than dictate terms to the customer.

Despite the criticism, there is empathy and support for the position that the DJI reps are in and thanks for the support they provide. What creates further friction and grinds down both sides of the equation is the endless marketing speak, and condescending responses that tend to appear when there is no answer that DJI will let be known to a genuine question.

The list of outstanding issues remains, yet we do not see any communication - why is that? Can't we be trusted in being informed when a fix will be coming for tilted x3 horizon, or slave video feed breakup?

As a case in point - You quickly came to a judgement with no information and insinuated in public that my own aspirations for the Inspire were inappropriate and foolhardy when I pressed the point about the recent waypoints implementation. Did you even consider taking a minute to ask me what it was about the implementation that wasn't being met and seek to offer a suggestion re alternatives?

No. you just spewed forth the standard line that the lawyers gave you then got irritated when I was not happy with that answer.

At the end of the day this is about trust, commitment and support. As customers we have done this by committing our dollars and learning appropriate and skilled use of your products. Many of us (me included) have recommended your products to others by word of mouth and via social media, et al.
I don't understand why DJI does not also see an obligation to follow suit, deliver to it's commitments and actively support the user community.

DJI-Dave Posted at 2015-9-14 16:29
I will agree with you, that I could use a break.
Last few days have been kind of rough.

Unfortunately the pacific ocean is in the way Dave, otherwise there would be beer heading your way!

DJI-Dave Posted at 2015-9-14 16:29
I will agree with you, that I could use a break.
Last few days have been kind of rough.

Sorry for your pain Dave, big bag of concrete coming your way. Direct your pain at the folk at DJI who have steered the ship as they please.

As for the customer experience, I have now had my Inspire for a total of 8 weeks in 7 months and it is still rooted!

All I get now is customer service follow ups re "how would you rate your experience" To piss me off even more, the last 3 emails are all in Chinese.

Sorry but you will not get any hugs from me at the moment. It is a bloody joke. Case is now with consumer affairs. As per Farnk's outline, what hope does the poor old end user of DJI products have if the bloke at the top is struggling with the details. Time to take some more pain killers.

Hey Wolf - might need to translate your descriptive term for the Inspire's current status.
They might think that you mean it's firmly attached to the ground!

DJI-Dave Posted at 2015-9-14 02:29
I will agree with you, that I could use a break.
Last few days have been kind of rough.

Dave any word on the X5 getting a better compression than 4K at 60/mbs?

Biggest complaint from clients were the oversharpned/mushy looking footage.

Farnk666 Posted at 2015-9-14 18:59
Hey Wolf - might need to translate your descriptive term for the Inspire's current status.
They migh ...

Good point Farnk, it is easy to lose the meaning in the translation sometimes. Thanks for the heads up.

To DJI and all forum readers, apologies for the poor use of terminology. To clarify the the state of my  beloved Inspire.....my Inspire is still F@#*ed....... AKA .......NO  WORKY

Why only talk about the new cameras. anything unter 100 Mbps is poor for 4K anyway, also the X3 should get a upgraded codec.

One reason for the 60 Mbps could be that the Inspire is delivered with cheap Lexar SD cards which cannot write more then 10 MB/s what is the reason they are U1 and not U3 tough written 633x on them but thats ONLY for read. You will notice on Lexar site is no word about the write speed   After I explicitely asked for this they said 10-20 MB/s which just means 10 is guaranteed and if you are happy yours maybe a little faster due to production divergences.  

My Inspire 1 has worked very well (since Feb 2015) for the most part but I continue to experience episodes of signal loss between the camera and the app on my iPhone 6 and iPad 2. I’ve never had a situation where I’ve actually lost control of the craft but before I seriously consider spending the kind of money (read that risk a total of over $10,000) necessary to upgrade to the X5 system I would have to have much more confidence in DJI’s commitment to understanding and publicly disseminating the source of the issues being described by members of this forum than I currently do.
While input from members of the forum is valuable I notice that DJ representatives do not address most of the issues directly. I attribute many of the issues to pilot error and the complexity of the I1 as well as newness of the I1 and I accept the risk (read that the cost of the I1, 6 batteries and two controllers) up to a point but before I invest further I would need to see more direct input from DJI. I believe that only by understanding the causes of the failures that Inspire 1 owners are experiencing can we avoid experiencing these failures in the future.
Member’s accounts of contacts with DJI’s on line help service and repair are not encouraging.

I thought of something I just want to say. Just to get it out there. I would really hate to think that anybody here would  think of their relationship with me as a (US versus Them) relationship.
It's not, at least that is the way I see it. I am the same as you guys in a way.  I am a user and a customer of DJI products as well as an employee. I make more money using my DJI products in the real world then I do supporting them here on the forum.  In fact that was one of the reasons I was hired. Because I was an experienced user (20+ years flying RC) and I could relate to the other users. (Also because I am a nice guy. I love people and I love talking to people. I think life is about relationships.)
So when there is a complaint about a feature or a quality issue, most of the time I am right along there with you and feel the same way. I want the product to be better also because I use the product! And because I work for DJI.  I also want the company DJI to be better in everything they do including customer service, please keep in mind that I have nothing to do with customer service. If your inspire takes eight weeks to get fixed or eight hours to get fixed I have nothing to do with it. I have no control over that side of the business. I can not call or email customer service and demand they fix something for someone. That is not the way the system works.
I am here to help users figure out how to use their product, and how to fix it if it is something that the user can fix themselves. I am also here as a moderator.  However when someone is complaining about service I do feel compelled to acknowledge them or help them if I can, it's not part of my job description but it's just something a compassionate human would do for another human.  But after a while, after seeing constantly day after day the negativity and complaning it gets to the point where I have to realize that's not my job, and disengage.There is nothing I personaly can do to fix it for them.

I have been a DJI customer a lot longer than I have been a DJI employee.  I was using DJI products for about 3 years before I was hired. However the statement should be modified. It's not that I was a DJI customer and now I am a DJI employee. I am still both. I have empathy and sympathy for our customers becaue thats just the way I am.  And I need to make sure I always stay in that frame of mind. That way I can be better connected to you guys.

Farnk666 Posted at 2015-9-13 23:36
So just to clarify my understanding, a person with the title of "Director of Product Experience" i ...

Frank I understand your frustration with being able to communicate with the proper people at DJI to get things done.( The people that do have the authority and accountability as you said.)  It is difficult even as an employee to do this.

Wolfman Posted at 2015-9-14 01:56
Sorry for your pain Dave, big bag of concrete coming your way. Direct your pain at the folk at DJI ...

Sorry for you pain also Wolfman. nothing but love coming your way from me.
I wish there was something more I could do for you.

Burlingtonfilms Posted at 2015-9-14 04:34
Dave any word on the X5 getting a better compression than 4K at 60/mbs?

Biggest complaint from cl ...

I agree about the bitrate. I would like to see it at 100 or more. I have been making this known to my superiors.

Farnk666 Posted at 2015-9-14 01:27
Unfortunately the pacific ocean is in the way Dave, otherwise there would be beer heading your way ...

Thanks Frank. You are a good guy!

DJI-Dave Posted at 2015-9-15 07:24
I thought of something I just want to say. Just to get it out there. I would really hate to think th ...

Hi Dave,

Please know that no one here blames you for any shortcomings in DJI's customer service.  We know that you in the same boat as us and can only pass on any frustrations.

Must not be easy for you at times having to play both sides of the fence.

I think you guys all do a great job and I know what it's like being caught between two worlds!

Jim

DJI-Dave Posted at 2015-9-15 07:43
Sorry for you pain also Wolfman. nothing but love coming your way from me.
I wish there was som ...

Thanks Dave, unfortunately we are both in the middle of processes out of our control which is very frustrating. Whilst you guys cop a lot of flack on the forum, I hope you realise it is not directly at you but at DJI itself.

Clearly, I am in the minority of people that have had issues compared to the number of units that have been sold. This should not mean though that I need to be refused any type of reasonable resolution. Constantly sending units back for repair is beyond the ridiculous. My situation has no doubt cost DJI more than if they had simply replaced the faulty unit in the first place. The past 2 emails sent to Marco in HK have not been replied to apart from your "customer satisfaction" questionnaire. It seems that when it gets too hard, it is policy to just ignore it and hopefully it will go away.

The people at the coal face will always see things differently to the people in the boardroom. There is only a problem when the boardroom do not want to listen.

Farnk666 Posted at 2015-9-14 14:17
That was a fairly useless puff piece - Randy didn't know a lot about the product for someone who is  ...

I think you're being a bit hard on him Farnk.   

I thought he did a decent job of owning up to the very real problems and saying how they intend to fix them.   How many times can they apologise for the past?  

If they fix the support issue isn't that a good thing?

And regarding info, I think he spoke about everything he could.

What you have is a Chinese company and mentality of running a business.   I've heard more than once from more than one DJI employee that the issue is how American see customer service and the way they do.  It's not not the same.   Reminds me of when Jap cars first came to the U.S.  Customer service, parts, etc.....people didn't want them.  They figured it out eventually.   

I'd be an owner of an inspire and lots of their batteries, Chargers, extras.   But because their CS was and still is....I sent it all back.  But I'm watching what happens.   I'd like to own an inspire again.  Probably not going to see any drastic changes in CS until after an inspire 2.  So I wait.  People that buy these have money.  Have good jobs.   There's no way I'm going to spend any more on their products as long as they are dicking around with the customer.  Bottom line......their plastic is worth more than the customer experience at this point.    I agree with Frank.  

Having a DJI CS rep on the forums would be a start.  Not techs that really don't have that responsibility or lack the communication skills to answer the right questions.

jimhare Posted at 2015-9-15 08:30
I think you're being a bit hard on him Farnk.   

I thought he did a decent job of owning up to th ...

That's fine Jim, I hear where you are coming from.
The announcement is very exciting for those in your field, in fact it was you my thoughts turned to when I first heard what was happening and about the products being released.

My point is that someone in a senior role such as that should not be seeking to downplay the impact that DJI's support capability has had on the user base. There is a big difference between stating 5 weeks in a public interview, when 8-10 weeks has been the norm for many. It's clearly a case of talking down the issue so as to not dissuade potential purchasers.

Yes, they have been making changes, yes, we are hearing about some lucky persons actually getting entire replacements in a week or two.

But we still have issues unresolved and products/features missing.

Farnk666 Posted at 2015-9-15 09:39
That's fine Jim, I hear where you are coming from.
The announcement is very exciting for those in  ...

And I hear where you're coming from as well.   Yes he's certainly acting like a politician and putting the best slant on it.      

But if he's just the guy who gets people excited about new features, probably not his place to evangelise the service department.

Reminds me of an experience I had a few years ago.  I used to be National Product Specialist for Roland Australia, showing all the coolest new music toys.   Was at a dealer and he wanted me to answer for all the past sins of the company and lack of attention they received.   "Dude, I just want to show you how to get the most out of this new keyboard!"   
There is someone to give straight answers for service issues, but I'm guessing it's not that guy.

jimhare Posted at 2015-9-14 15:14
Hi Dave,

Please know that no one here blames you for any shortcomings in DJI's customer service.  ...

Thanks Jim.

I guess I have just been thinking of the (Us vs. Them) thing because recently I had to ban two users because they just wanted to argue with me.  I have been thinking about it too much, I guess because I care.

I know the whole (Us vs Them) thing is a lose lose situation. They are not going to win an argument (like the one they were trying to have with me... about stupid stuff)  I am a moderator, so I have the power. They lose. (Unless it is a legitimate argument, then they can win and I just will not argue)  However either way I lose also.
It is like that old saying, "you might win the  battle, but lose the war". That is how I would lose, if I have to keep doing that eventually I would just quit the job. Life is too short for that BS, I don't need a job where I am just arguing with people all day.  DJI would have a hard time finding and keeping a moderator/tech support guy if they have to argue like that all the time.

I would much rather help guys use the products. That is a better use of my time. I would also much rather make friends here rather than adversaries.

For the most part the guys that are regular posters here are good guys, very good guys. However there are trouble makers. We are trying to moderate this forum so that it is a fun and good place to learn.

DJI-Dave Posted at 2015-9-15 11:14
Thanks Jim.  

I guess I have just been thinking of the (Us vs. Them) thing because recently I h ...

Keep with it!  Yeah, some guys want to unload on the first rep that gives them attention but most of it is vague and unhelpful.  

I imagine much of it is to ensure you pass the concerns onto those that can initiate change.

But the majority of us are level headed and happy to have a civilized conversation, knowing you can't magically address all of our concerns.   

Just know you're appreciated!   

Wolfman Posted at 2015-9-14 15:19
Thanks Dave, unfortunately we are both in the middle of processes out of our control which is very ...

Thanks. I agree and I do realize it is not directed at me.

Group hug!

<<<<<<DJI-DAVE>>>>>>

;-)

Farnk666 Posted at 2015-9-14 19:06
Group hug!

Thanks Frank!  When I was younger about 25 years ago I thought very hard and came very close to becoming a Police Officer. I was well fit for the job at 6 feet 1 inch tall and 220 pounds and in great shape. I was x-military (US Army) and I was a combat arms solider with a lot of weapons training. Good communication skills and good at relating to people.  A perfect candidate except for one thing.... I did not want to become a hard ass and I knew that in time the job of dealing with bad people all day every day would do that to me.
I know that does not happen to all cops but I think it would have happened to me.

I would much rather be friends with people than put them in jail.  I try very very hard to be nice to everyone. Life is better for me that way.

Dave

DJI-Dave Posted at 2015-9-15 12:26
Thanks Frank!  When I was younger about 25 years ago I thought very hard and came very close to b ...

You come across as someone with life experience and a somewhat wider viewpoint.
I was in the IT industry for many years, providing support and managing support teams across desktop, networks and datacentres.

The best technicians and engineers were the guys that took the time to interact with the customer, maintain a working relationship and then deliver the service within that context. Often they didn't have the sheer level/depth of technical skill, but they were always the most effective.

These were the guys that ensured that the customer would end up renewing service contracts and keeping the business running. We are talking 7 figure contracts here with big margins for the business. The key factors for success were engagement and trust.

Now DJI isn't in that sort of business and is a sales driven organisation. There is no revenue to be found in the support and service of consumer/prosumer/commercial UAV. Where the value of an engaged, effective and positive support experience comes in is with repeat sales and customers building up their fleets of UAV as they seek to improve and expand their own businesses.

Every Inspire owner is a potential P3 purchaser just as every S900/1000 owner is a potential I1 purchaser as operators seek to have a handy spare unit as a backup. Similarly, owners of P3s will look to Inspire, etc as the logical step up as their requirements evolve and more capability is needed. Without trust, buyers will look elsewhere and end up with a mix of brands and models as a risk mitigation measure.

Whoever the person is within DJI who is accountable for customer satisfaction needs to spend time reading and understanding the impact to customers and to the bottom line. That may not be Randy, although his job title would indicate otherwise.   

Farnk666 Posted at 2015-9-14 20:34
You come across as someone with life experience and a somewhat wider viewpoint.
I was in the IT in ...

Thanks Frank.

I know exactly what you are saying.
We had a guy on a technical support team that was a genius!  For sure one of the smartest guys I have ever seen. The problem was he had absolutely no people skills. He was very rude and made everyone feel like crap.
It was strange to see 2 such extreme traits in one person although not that uncommon I have found.
Sounds similar to what you are saying.

I remember telling my boss at the time he was not a front desk guy. We need to just lock him up in the back room and never let him talk to the customers.  Have him back there solving all the problems and then the other tech support guys can just ask him the questions and relay the answers to the customers.

It did not work out and the genius was fired. It was too bad because we needed him.

Jim's a good guy isn't he...

I say we give Jim a free Inspire Pro X5R,  DJI !

Have u seen his video tutorials ?

DJI - Dave, TahoeEd

Upvote for Jim!  {:3_51:}

Hi,

As Farnk writes, DJI should have a better transparency towards the customers. We professional users have a lot of money invested in DJI's products. Many of us are loyal and continue to buy DJI's products, for in general they are good (compared to the rivals), but there are also problems people face that tend to take a very long time to fix (hardware fault, firmware or software). When the product is bought, there is more or less no information for how or when the issues are going to be fixed. Also, products and functions are aggressively announced, but either tend to slip for months/half year or not being the function announced (eg. Waypoint function that is really not a waypoint function, but a repeat flight function), and the handheld gimbal that was promised a couple of months ago but still hasn't seen the day. And, with the latter, of course, there is no other information than " Look at DJI's homepage"...

I also work with customer support in my day-time job, so I understand the frustration Dave can feel. Often we only meet negativity in some way (because when a support issue comes in, it's naturally a problem that has occurred). Yet this first impressions with support are critical, it really defines a company amongst others. I've tried to help some new startups sometimes in forums, because I liked their products. Often support from the company have been bad, and I have tried to help a bit because the product in itself is good. Unfortunately, companies with bad support does not live well or long. Customers jump the ship and goes to where the grass is greener.

I do thank Dave and others (no one mentioned, no one forgotten ) who help out a lot in this forum. I hope DJI's executives will listen more to their customers and provide better transparency, and better and quicker support.

This is a certainly a team building thread ...

Stick with it DJI Dave.  I think we at the customer end just go through spells of frustration and unfortunately the DJI Moderators are the ones that seem to receive the flack, solely because they are the only point of contact we have in regard to requests and information on additional features, requests for detailed instructions etc.  As I have said before, we seem to get more information and resolve things with answers from guys on the forum, which is what the forum is about.  

However, it would be nice for those higher up the ranks within DJI to help the moderators somehow, give them a way of channeling information up and back down to us providing a more informed forum and knowledge transfer.  After all it seems that the DJI moderators on the forum seem to be doing more for customer service than the higher ranks within DJI.

Perhaps we should have sticky thread for suggestions to be taken up the ranks.  But pointless if the higher ranks are blinkered and unwilling to listen.

christopher.kee Posted at 2015-9-15 15:18
Jim's a good guy isn't he...

I say we give Jim a free Inspire Pro X5R,  DJI !

Thanks Christopher, much appreciated!

Not sure that will ever happen though, that's a serious piece of kit!      

DJI-Dave Posted at 2015-9-14 17:46
I agree about the bitrate. I would like to see it at 100 or more. I have been making this known to ...

Thank you so much Dave!  Happy to hear

If the bit rate does get changed on the X5, I will be ordering one the following day.

Thanks again.

Rob W Posted at 2015-9-14 22:59
Hi,

As Farnk writes, DJI should have a better transparency towards the customers. We professional u ...

Thanks Rob!



Dave

Burlingtonfilms Posted at 2015-9-16 08:15
Thank you so much Dave!  Happy to hear

If the bit rate does get changed on the X5, I will be o ...

Sure thing.

Just keep in mind that is a very big IF.

DJI-Dave Posted at 2015-9-14 14:24
I thought of something I just want to say. Just to get it out there. I would really hate to think th ...

HI Dave,

We are a lot alike and thank you for going to bat for the DJI customers. I too have over 20 years in RC and in customer service. This is a difficult spot to be in and all I hope is..... DJI will listen to the customers that are buying their product. Ultimately, we are the ones that keep the doors open and they need to keep us in sight or loose the big picture, because another company will.

Rich

RichJ53 Posted at 2015-9-18 17:57
HI Dave,

We are a lot alike and thank you for going to bat for the DJI customers. I too have over ...

Thanks Rich. I agree with what you are saying. I think DJI is starting to get the idea.


Dave