Controller Overcharged?

[jennyung]

I posted this in the DJI forums, so you may have seen this there. I am looking for advice and opinions.

I am lost for words! I recently noticed that my P4 Controller does not charge fully, and discharges really quickly. I sent it in to a local DJI store for a check on 24 March and they never got back to me. I have a trip at the end of this month and could not wait any longer, so I gave them a call today.

Before I could even ask about the status, the guy on the phone told me that all repairs are delayed because the technician is on Emergency Leave. I insisted that I sent it way back, and he said he would check and return my call. He called me and said, that the board on my controller is burnt, that it is a normal thing for the boards to burn and I will need to pay RM1200 (~300USD) to change the board. When I asked how did the board burn, he said that it is a normal thing for boards to burn if/when overcharged. What I do not understand is, I have never left my controller charging overnight (anyone can argue this, but that's not the point), and even if I did, the charge should cut when the batteries are full right? He also went on to say that this is a normal occurance for DJI controllers and asked if I wanted to proceed with the repair.

I have a couple of questions for the experienced people here. Is this normal? I am quite skeptical about DJI products if this is normal, and I have been considering the Mavic Air for portability. If it is, I think I should just cut my losses and move on to another brand. All your thoughts and comments are appreciated.

 

[tevek]

Sounds slightly preposterous given you can buy a complete controller for less. There have been numerous threads regarding the failure of the controller battery and various efforts in either having them replaced by DJI or people sourcing and fitting their own 2S Lipo battery and the costs are nowhere near that quoted to you. As for the board being fried, ask to see it, you would certainly have noticed a warm/hot controller when handling it.

 

[jennyung]

Sounds slightly preposterous given you can buy a complete controller for less. There have been numerous threads regarding the failure of the controller battery and various efforts in either having them replaced by DJI or people sourcing and fitting their own 2S Lipo battery and the costs are nowhere near that quoted to you. As for the board being fried, ask to see it, you would certainly have noticed a warm/hot controller when handling it.

What was really odd is that this is an Authorized DJI Store in my country and they're saying that this is normal! Maybe I should be glad my house didn't burn down.

Also, thank you, and I have been searching as well, and have noticed that controllers are cheaper if I bought them to replace this old one. I am baffled by the response.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

I am lost for words! I recently noticed that my P4 Controller does not charge fully, and discharges really quickly. I sent it in to a local DJI store for a check on 24 March and they never got back to me. I have a trip at the end of this month and could not wait any longer, so I gave them a call today.

I do not know if this is directly related to your problem but, there is at least one thread on this site which discusses an issue with the controller not wanting to fully charge due to a problem with the board, although the problem had nothing to do with the board being "burned". If I can find the link, I'll edit this post to include the link.

Found it. Here's the link...

P4 controller charging issue SOLVED

 

[jennyung]

I do not know if this is directly related to your problem but, there is at least one thread on this site which discusses an issue with the controller not wanting to fully charge due to a problem with the board, although the problem had nothing to do with the board being "burned". If I can find the link, I'll edit this post to include the link.

Found it. Here's the link...

P4 controller charging issue SOLVED

Thanks for the thread! I kept searching for burnt boards and completely missed this. No wonder they said that this is a "normal" issue. It's surprising they are still trying to charge me so much for something that they are not addressing. I will bring this up with DJI and see how they respond. Thank you very much sir!

 

[jennyung]

There is still no update for my controller, response from DJI have not been very helpful, they kept insisting to see my proof of purchase, even after I tell them that my warranty is no longer valid, and after sending them a photo of my receipt, they told me that I no longer have warranty and need to send my Controller to a shop.

My Controller IS with an Authorized DJI Store, but the response from them is worse. Not returning calls, avoiding questions, etc. I am thinking of taking the 30 minute drive down to the Store and make them respond.

This is beyond frustrating, DJI even modified my thread title in their forums, removing the "Bad Customer Service" statement. And now, I am unable to travel with my drone. The products are great, but after sales service is abysmal.