Its been a week now, and I think my nerves have recovered… Last Sunday evening, I took the drone down to the Bedford/Sackville trail, hoping to test and do another follow me video. Unfortunately, I made a horrible mistake.
Take off went smoothly, but then after setting myself as a target for following, I started that mode. Unfortunately, I had forgotten how high it would immediately go, and, there is no other word for it, stupidly, I had launched in an area that was significantly overhung by branches.
The drone rose up, and the propellors caught a branch, and like a bat out of hell, it took off, probably impacting other things, I can’t honestly say I remember, but I did see it, with apologies to Roxette, come Crash! Boom! Bang! down to the ground.
When I got to it, one arm (the one you see unfolded in the image above) was broken in two places. I was absolutely devastated.
Luckily, I had bought the DJI Care Refresh plan, and had some warranty support. At the time, I didn’t totally realize exactly what was covered, but my assumption was that I’d have to take or send it to a repair shop, and wait for the arm to be replaced, and pay some fee.
But once I got home, I went online to the site, and started a support ticket. Nearly immediately, the system told me I was eligible for DJI Care Express (or some similar name, apologies to DJI) and just asked me questions about what I was returning, just the aircraft, or the aircraft and battery.
To me the battery looked ok, but I figured why take a chance, so selected both. Had to fill in the serial number of the battery, which to my old man eyes was way too tiny to read, but they thought of that too, and have it also there in QR code form, and was able to scan it with my phone to get it.
I completed the very short set of forms, and was told I’d receive a UPS label soon via email. A few minutes later I had a UPS Standard service label.
I wrapped the unit in bubble wrap, put it in a box, and affixed the label, and dropped it off Monday morning at the UPS Store in Clayton Park, Halifax. I nervously (still paranoid I was not understanding the service) watched the progress of the package. It was delivered to DJI in Mississauga on Wednesday.
A few hours later, I had a notice that my replacement unit had been shipped back. I was extremely excited, thinking I probably would get it early the following week.
But within an hour of that I had an email from UPS, telling me that my package was being delivered tomorrow (Thursday)! I couldn’t believe it, but it was true. The replacement was sent overnight service, and it arrived almost right at 2 pm on Thursday.
The service cost me $125.00 USD (177 CAD through PayPal) and the replacement drone fee was 65 USD which included the shipping both ways.
The turnaround and easy claim service were amazing! The DJI Support team on twitter, seeing my anguish, reaching out and answering questions, were equally amazing.
The service covers 4 replacements over 2 years, of which 2 can be for “flyaway” service. This means if for some reason, you lose your drone, whether in the water, or it goes too far away, or whatever, and you have no drone to actually return, you can still avail of the service, albeit for a higher replacement fee.
To me, the service was well worth the price, especially as a complete novice to this, and knowing I’m going to make mistakes.
Just got my hands on a drone, and let me tell you, it's awesome (and way trickier than it looks!). I'm here to document my adventures in the sky, share epic aerial photos and videos (hopefully!), and learn alongside all you other drone newbies. We'll explore the coolest accessories, tackle those inevitable challenges (read: crash landings!), and figure out all the pitfalls together. Buckle up for some wobbly flights, stunning scenery, and maybe a few laughs along the way!
