

We’ve recently had a positive interaction with DJI Support, and wanted to share our experience with you. We’ll go over the whole process from start to finish, including some tips and tricks that will help streamline your DJI Support experience, and get you back in the air ASAP!

A positive experience with DJI Support? No Way!

Yeah, you’re reading that right! A quick search online will show countless people complaining about how their experience with DJI support was handled, but I’m here to tell you that it can be a good experience! You just need to prepare and communicate your issues right from the start, and this can be a smooth process! Here is how to do it.

Initial Contact with DJI Support

In your initial contact with DJI support, you should provide as much detail as possible regarding the issues you are experiencing with your drone. If you email them with one sentence saying “My drone is broken!”, don’t expect that you’ll receive excellent service in return. Instead, write down every issue that you’re experiencing, take screenshots on your devices, and communicate what steps you’ve taken to try and solve the problem that you’re experiencing. In our case, we were experiencing a lot of IMU, compass, satellite, and sensor calibration errors on our Phantom 4 Pro, so we started documenting and capturing all the data and problems that we were experiencing.



Right out of the box, tt seemed like we were experiencing every error possible with our P4P. When we’d start seeing error messages, we would be sure to grab a screenshot of the error messages as they appeared or later from the DJI flight logs. To take a screen shoot with your iOS device, simply press the home button and lock buttons at the same time, and the screenshot will be saved to your camera roll.

Some of the errors and warnings that we were experiencing included:

Abnormal compass function or GPS signal detected. Aircraft switched to ATTI mode.

[IMU] heading exception (In Flight) please switch to ATTI mode if craft behave abnormally (Using).

Satellite Positioning Off. Fly with caution.

With that information saved in our logs, notes taken of the issues we are experiencing and how the drone is behaving at such time, and a screenshot showing the exact error messages, it’s time to contact DJI Support.



Navigate over to the DJI Support page, and scroll down to “Other Support Options” and “After-Sale Service”, and you’ll see a few different options. Click on “email” and you’l be presented with the above form that you can fill out with your information and your problem. As you can see there is an option include attachments such as your proof of purchase, and any other attachments such as screenshots etc.

Here is exactly what I emailed to DJI:

Hi, I’m still having serious trouble with my P4P. I downgraded to firmware 0203, and it was able to fly somewhat stable for a few flights, but then started to give error codes. I did another IMU and compass calibration, however that didn’t fix things. I decided to update to the latest firmware for both the drone and transmitter (following the instructions you provided earlier – remove and reinstall the app, clear the SD card, update, IMU and compass calibration), however upon flying there were many errors again. I’m specifically getting IMU errors, compass errors, and losing GPS signal so the drone switches into ATTI mode on it’s own. It was generally scary to fly as it would start to fly in a direction of it’s choice before violently stopping itself in attempt to balance out. IMU and compass calibration did not fix this. As I’ve mentioned earlier, this drone has been faulty since I purchased it. Firmware updates and downgrades, combined with IMU and compass calibrations aren’t fixing anything. I cannot rely on it for anything. I am a commercial drone operator, and am without a functioning drone because of these issues. I believe that this drone is a lemon, and needs to be replaced. I’ve looked at the warranty period on your website, and this fits within that as it was purchased at the end of November upon release of the P4P. I’ve attached some screen shots from today’s flights, and have synced them to the cloud under my DJI Go account xxxx@xxxx.com Please advise what to do. Thank you, Chris

As you can see I went into detail about the problems that I was experiencing, what I’ve done to try and rectify the problems, referenced my DJI Go account so that they could see the flight lots, and attached screen shots showing the problems I was experiencing.

DJI’s response to my service enquiry

With regards to your concern, I noticed that you’re very meticulous with the details and I wish all drone pilots are like you. We are very sorry to hear about the problem you are having with your DJI product. Unfortunately after troubleshooting we suggest that you send it to us for repair.

It obviously pays to do your homework prior to contacting DJI support, as they immediately accepted my claim, and even provided me with a little boost to my ego!

Preparing all pre-shipping documentation for DJI

Before you are able to send your drone to DJI, you have to fill out a little bit of paperwork. Your DJI technical support rep will provide you with a link to their website where you can create a service account to link to your case number. Once you’ve created your account, and provided DJI with all of your contact information, and any other details they ask for, you’ll be provided with a case number and shipping label. Here is the full detail that DJI requires from you before you ship your drone:

Dear Chris, Please send your unit into our DJI repair facility in North America. If you’re located in the United States of America and Canada, where UPS can reach to, we’ll send you a shipping label within 2 business days. The steps you must take to properly ship your product to us are listed below. Note: Failure to complete any steps below may cause delays in your repair, and could require our logistics team to ship your product back without repair service provided. 1. Please download and print the repair form by clicking on this link: Amazon Download 2. Please include a copy of your proof of purchase, as well as the email address you used to activate your product (if applicable). The exclusion of either may disqualify you from obtaining warranty service or delay service. Please send us a copy of your proof of purchase and keep the original proof of purchase for your records. Please provide the DJI account you used to activate your product (if applicable) on the form linked above. 3. Please review our warranty policy via the following link: http://www.dji.com/service/policy 4. Do not ship swollen, punctured, or visibly damaged batteries. If you do ship batteries in this condition, we are required to recycle them and cannot ship them back to you. If your battery was damaged in a crash and you would like to be considered for warranty replacement of the battery, you will need to provide a proof of purchase, pictures of the damage, and serial number(s) for each battery affected in the package you ship to us. 5. Please do not include any product accessories, such as batteries, propellers, chargers, tuning stands, micro SD cards, cables, and etc. unless explicitly instructed by DJI support staff to do so. If you choose to send in any of these items, you acknowledge that DJI is not liable for any of these products. 6.Please ship back your aircraft body, gimbal and remote controller, so we can perform adequate flight testing for your product and guarantee that everything works perfectly before we it ship back. If the defective unit is your battery, then term 6 is not applicable. 7. Please do not include any non-DJI equipment, such as aircraft third-party accessories, third-party cases, SD cards, or third-party transmitters. If you choose to send in any of these items, you acknowledge that DJI is not liable for any of these products and that we are unable to test your DJI products with any third-party equipment. 8. Pack your equipment safely. Include additional protection such as bubble wrap and packing peanuts. Keep in mind that any product shipped merely in its on-shelf packaging (i.e. the white Phantom box) is not acceptable and will automatically qualify it for invoiced repair. You can always place the product box or case in a cardboard box or the original backpack or case for your DJI product. Once received by our North American repair facility, your unit will be considered an active repair. The ETA for repairs is approximately 1-2 weeks from the date it is checked in by our facility. On that day, you will be emailed. In the rare event that more than 1-2 Weeks have passed since your unit was checked in, please call 818-235-0789 for further assistance. Once your unit has been checked in, and you can use your Case Number to check the status of your RMA here: (link removed) 9. Include your DJI Care or Osmo Shield info on the form linked above.

Be sure to include all information requested for DJI Care or Osmo Shield to be applied if you have a DJI Care or Osmo Shield plan. Please email a copy of your receipt showing your DJI Care or OSMO Shield purchase back to this ticket. If you need assistance in locating your product’s serial number, please use the DJI care FAQ: http://www.dji.com/support/djicare 10. Please do not ship TB48 batteries. You can contact DJI Customer Service with any TB48 issues you’re experiencing, and they will help you solve your problem. TB48 shipping is potentially dangerous, and we may not be able to return the battery to you if it’s defective, warranty or not. 11. Please sync your flight records by pressing the aircraft icon in the left top corner of your DJI Go app first, then pressing the cloud icon in the top right corner, and tell us the DJI account you used when the accident happened the form linked above. DJI Technology, LLC

23610 Banning Blvd

Carson, CA, 90745 Case No.: XXX-XXXXXX-XXXXXX (Please include this number on the shipping label and on the front and back of the package. Not putting this number on the outside of your package may cause check-in delays ). By sending in your product for repair, you agree that you have read and accepted the repair terms as stated above. Please note: For your protection please do not send any sensitive information, including credit card numbers, via email. This e-mail address is not secured to receive credit card information. Any credit card information received through this e-mail address will be destroyed upon receipt. We apologize for the inconvenience; your protection is our priority. Thank you for choosing DJI

Packaging your drone

DJI says that if you send your drone back in the original packaging, that they will automatically charge you for your repairs. When I shipped back my P4P, I packed it up in the styrofoam case that it came in, then found a slighter larger cardboard box with enough room for the DJI case and lots of bubble wrap to ensure that it was secure. The package was super tight, and the drone wasn’t moving anywhere inside that box.

Before you ship, ensure that you remove your SD card, and any other accessories as they probably won’t end up coming back from DJI.

Shipping your drone

DJI sent us a shipping label for UPS, who were nice enough to come to our door and pick it up. I’m pretty sure that it went via the cheapest UPS shipping option as it took 9 days to make the trek from our front door to DJI’s front door. Regardless, DJI picked up the tab for shipping both ways so it’s not really something to complain about.

Service while at DJI



Upon arrival at DJI, I received a series of emails updating me on the status of the repair. As you can see from the above chart, the time between them determining that it would be repaired free of charge, and it actually being repaired was over a week, but that was due to several smaller steps being included in that stage. They first repaired the drone, second test flew it, and then finally performed some quality assurance tests on it to make sure that everything was right. I was getting a little anxious at this point since it seemed to be taking quite a while, however I’d rather have it done right than get the drone back a few days earlier.

Once it was all checked out and repaired by DJI, they shipped it back to me via the same UPS shipping method, that took 9 days to get back to my door.

Return shipping packaging



It’s interesting that I was required to pack the unit like it was going to war, but when it came back it was loose in it’s box so I was a little worried. Once I opened it up though I saw that it was fairly secure with packing peanuts all around it. This is good to know for those of you that are sending your drones off, that DJI considers this secure enough, so you don’t have to go overboard with the packaging like I did.

So what got fixed?



I don’t think that anything got fixed as when I opened the box I was presented with a brand new P4P! I wasn’t sure if they just applied stickers to it after servicing it, but Nobue quickly said that there is no way that they’d do that and it must be new. A quick check of my previous serial number found that this drone’s S/N is different, therefore it’s a whole new unit!

The transmitter doesn’t have any stickers on it or any markings that I’d know it was mine or not, so I assume that was my original one and wasn’t replaced. That is a non-issue as I wasn’t having any trouble with the transmitter itself, just the drone.

In addition to giving me a brand new drone, they were also nice enough to throw in a set of propellers, and a 16 GB SD card for free! Must be DJI’s way of saying they were sorry for the trouble that I initially went through. I’ll take it!

Conclusion

Yes there are lots of people complaining online about DJI’s service, but I have to say that it was pretty good. They were quick to respond to my emails, and get the repair started. Total time from when I first contacted them until the drone was back on my doorstep was 39 days. That was a long time to go without a drone, however with how professionally they handled everything, it doesn’t seem like it was that long at all. Thanks again DJI, you really came through with some great support! We’re now back in action, and ready to continue training people how to safely and proficiently operate their drones!