Battery DOA

[SparkyJB]

Finally got my Phantom 4 Advanced in today, along with an extra battery and a charging hub. Yay!

...or not yay. One of the batteries will not charge. I've had it plugged into the hub for 4 hours. Nothing. The light on the hub stays red. I've pressed the button on the battery over and over. Nothing.

I contacted DJI through online chat and the rep said she would send me an email with the shipping label. I waited 5 hours, got nothing. I called DJI and the man said that I should get the email within 48 hours. What? Why? 48 hours to receive an email? Then who knows how many days for them to receive the battery, evaluate it, and *hopefully* send a new one back to me.

I looked around online, and apparently A **** TON of people are getting DOA "intelligent" batteries from DJI. The majority of the forum threads and such span from 2014 to current day. I even found a few that were from 2013.

What is up with DJI's quality assurance? These devices are not cheap. The "intelligent" batteries alone are like $160. You'd figure with such a high price tag, these things would be reliable. After all of the excitement of getting into the drone space, this has been a really big let down.

Have you guys experienced anything like this with DJI?

 

[msinger]

A **** TON of people are getting DOA "intelligent" batteries from DJI.

It might be a lot of people, but it's gotta be a tiny percentage of all Phantom owners since most people have never had this problem. Yes, it's a problem though. And, yes, you should work through the issue with DJI support. They will replace your battery.

 

[wa5tef]

Yes, you are going to experience the famous DGI customer support!!! I know as do so many out there that you CANNOT believe anything they say! I’ll bet if you called right now they have never heard of you!!!
Good luck! You’re going to need it. Sorry you had this issue. They make excellent drones but their service is so terrible you’d think they were from China.
Please post back here how long this takes. Jim
WA5TEF

 

[SparkyJB]

Yes, you are going to experience the famous DGI customer support!!! I know as do so many out there that you CANNOT believe anything they say! I’ll bet if you called right now they have never heard of you!!!
Good luck! You’re going to need it. Sorry you had this issue. They make excellent drones but their service is so terrible you’d think they were from China.
Please post back here how long this takes. Jim
WA5TEF

I will definitely keep you updated. I had to call 8 times before I could connect with someone who I could understand. Everyone else had a suuuuuuper thick Indian accent. I just had to keep hanging up.

 

[Speedmeister]

Did you buy direct from DJI? I too read all the horror stories of after sale service. I decided to order my P4PO from a dealer instead.

 

[NittanyLionsFan84]

Same thing happened to me last week with my phantom 4 advanced. I just sent the bad battery back to them yesterday. Will see what happens.

 

[Manxmann]

My problem is with the controller battery. (A brand new complete P4P arrived to replace the original drone that developed a gimbal growl after 5 minutes of flying.)
The (new) RC battery was dead flat when I opened the box. It took an hour & a quarter on charge before any of the level indicators even flickered. After a few hours the battery appeared to be charged, but soon began losing charge overnight - like about 12/15% loss over night. So, back to the dealer who sent it away ....... it has been 4 weeks, but I believe my new RC is now in store ready to go.
It is 8 weeks since my initial purchase - so far I have managed to log 65 minutes of flight.
Impressed ??? Not really !

 

[With The Birds]

Did you buy direct from DJI? If not you can claim a DOA replacement from the retailer direct and let them handle the DJI process.

If you bought from DJI direct you will get a shipping label within 48 hours and they will make good on the replacement. Not a quick process though unfortunately.

 

[Manxmann]

Did you buy direct from DJI? If not you can claim a DOA replacement from the retailer direct and let them handle the DJI process.

If you bought from DJI direct you will get a shipping label within 48 hours and they will make good on the replacement. Not a quick process though unfortunately.

I bought from a dealer, not direct. I have to say they have been very good in trying to get things sorted.

The delays seem to have occurred as the dealer returned the RC to the state (WA) distributor, who in turn forwarded it to the Australian Dist. Then it was sent to DJI Melbourne (?)
I guess the procedure to get the controller back to me has been the same but reversed !??

When the first drone developed the gimbal growl I had a new replacement within a few days. This time however, the dodgy RC had to be returned for assessment. No, I don't know why either....

The dealer doesn't hold stock of the P4P apparently, so a simple replacement was out of the question anyway.
Hopefully this time I can get some use out of my toy ?

 

[With The Birds]

If the comtroller was DOA and the dealer had no stock you had the option to demand a refund. Consumer protection laws in AUS are actually very good....

 

[Manxmann]

If the comtroller was DOA and the dealer had no stock you had the option to demand a refund. Consumer protection laws in AUS are actually very good....

I understand that, but what I wanted was a drone to fly !
If it so much as hiccups again, I shall return it as "Unfit for Purpose"

 

[Manxmann]

I understand that, but what I wanted was a drone to fly !
If it so much as hiccups again, I shall return it as "Unfit for Purpose"

It hicupped !
Problem with maps & language ( not mine !!? ) So it has gone back to the dealer & I have a credit for the purchase price ------------------- but no drone.

 

[With The Birds]

It hicupped !
Problem with maps & language ( not mine !!? ) So it has gone back to the dealer & I have a credit for the purchase price ------------------- but no drone.

I wouldn’t see that as a reason to return the AC- more an issue you should have been able to resolve yourself. The issue will likely persevere with a replacement AC to the extent it’s app related.

 

[Joe R]

Bought my P4A+ from the DJI Store in Oct and it arrived DOA also, no lights and no charge what so ever. Sent it back the next day and it took about 2 weeks to turn around. I couldn't wait so I went and got a second battery at Best Buy and tested it before I paid for it.
They did send me another, but right away they wanted videos of me plugging it in and turning it on until I told her I would just pack it all up and send it back. I got the email with the return info in about an hour.