Dead/Defective Batteries

[Tenly]

Totally agree Tijuana, my point on this is the OP says dji did it out of greed, which is probably correct, but why else would someone buy non dji batteries to save $9.00. IF it was for higher capacity then I could understand, but to rant over dji doing basically what he did is what I don't get. There are a lot of products that we purchase every day that you can only get OEM parts for so I don't see what the big deal is.

I doubt anyone would do it over $9 - but again, the rant is more about the principle than it is about the money - and as I've explained numerous times - it's more about the way they sprung this on people AFTER they had already spent money on aftermarket batteries rather than simply making it a documented policy from Day 1.

I saved $73.50 per battery - not the $9 you seem to think...

 

[Tenly]

He is in Canada I believe. Cost difference there from what he had said.

I have seen walmart selling DJI batteries for $120 so maybe some searching is in order for the OP. Also I believe there was someone in the classified section selling new DJI batteries for $110.

Excuse me - are you saying you've seen $120 in Canada? That would be great! Please let me know where. I just got a pair from Amazon.ca at the lowest price I've ever seen in Canada - $185 (+tax). At today's exchange rate that's $159 US tax-in. Ordering from the US and having them delivered here incurs a brokerage fee that eats up all the savings.

 

[Tenly]

He is in Canada I believe. Cost difference there from what he had said.

I have seen walmart selling DJI batteries for $120 so maybe some searching is in order for the OP. Also I believe there was someone in the classified section selling new DJI batteries for $110.

I would be hesitant about buying LIPO batteries from the classifieds. They might be perfectly fine - but they might also have been involved in a crash or other incident that has caused invisible internal damage - or they might not be new at all. For a $10 discount, I personally wouldn't risk it.

 

[Rypper1]

Excuse me - are you saying you've seen $120 in Canada? That would be great! Please let me know where. I just got a pair from Amazon.ca at the lowest price I've ever seen in Canada - $185 (+tax). At today's exchange rate that's $159 US tax-in. Ordering from the US and having them delivered here incurs a brokerage fee that eats up all the savings.

Sorry, I guess walmart would be a US shipping location and the brokerage fees would increase the price. The ones I was referring to in the classified was someone selling new batteries. I don't remember who it was but he was getting them in bulk and reselling them.

 

[RocketBrew]

$118.49 at B&H. Best Buy will price match.
DJI Intelligent Flight Battery for Phantom 3 CP.PT.000161 B&H

 

[WetDog]

DJI did not do this for safety reasons. They did it to eliminate competition from aftermarket vendors.

If they were that concerned about safety, they would stop selling their own explode-on-contact-with-anything carbon fiber props.

Now now, that is a feature, not a bug. Actually, I'm not being snarky. The tendency for the CF props to absorb the energy and splinter means that there is less energy in the prop to do damage.

Professional driver on closed tract. Do not attempt this at home. YMMV. Do not taunt happy fun ball.

 

[Tenly]

Phantom_3_Intelligent_Flight_Battery_Safety_Guidelines__en.pdf says:
Never use non-DJI batteries. Go to www.dji.com to purchase new batteries. DJI takes no responsibility for any damage caused by non-DJI batteries.
So I repeat I believe they had right to restrict using those batteries.
If you can't read or if you ignore the warnings, it's not their fault.

And I also believe that 99 % of Phantom users use original parts including batteries. And so DJI can afford to play their "dirty game" by restricting non-original parts.

You speak like you were born yesterday.
World is cruel and companies want to make profit.
Do you think that Apple likes that their iPhones/iPads are being jailbroken? No.
Do you think that software developers like that their work is being cracked? No.
With DJI it's the same.

But users have (in most cases) always a choice.
You chose that you need new FW and so your non-original batteries don't work.
I chose I don't need new FW nor new app and so I am looking forward to my $90 non-original battery that will be delivered to me tomorrow.

If you are not satisfied with DJI's service or policy, you should redirect your complaints to them.

And I repeat that they did not and that your post is just further evidence of that...

The excerpt you posted comes from a section and document titled "Guidelines". Specifically - "To avoid fire, serious injury, and property damage, observe the following safety guidelines when using, charging, or storing your batteries"

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that English is your second language since that is so much nicer than assuming any other reason for your miscomprehension - but a "guideline" in this context is a recommendation - not a hard and fast regulation and further, the fact that this statement even exists is proof positive that using other batteries is possible, that DJI knows it's possible and that they recommend against it! If they one day intended to prohibit them completely - this is the place that they should have said so! The advice in this section of the documentation is intended for users who would like to "avoid fire, serious injury and property damage" as the heading indicates... Nowhere does it mention that flight will be restricted or denied!

The fact that they say "DJI takes no responsibility for any damage caused by non-DJI batteries" cam actually be interpreted as permission to use aftermarket batteries as long as you realize that YOU and the battery manufacturer will share the responsibility for any damage caused by the use of the batteries. Notice that it also says "caused BY" the use of the batteries. You do not void your entire warranty by using non-DJI batteries, you only void battery-related issues. If your GPS sensor fails - you're still covered even if you're using a non-DJI battery.

Anyhow - good find! Thank you! It proves my point that using aftermarket batteries was initially - and at the time of my purchase - only discouraged and not prohibited! So.... 'Tis true that my rage is both righteous and just! Your apathy and denial of such evil remains a blight upon this forum!

 

[Tenly]

$118.49 at B&H. Best Buy will price match.
DJI Intelligent Flight Battery for Phantom 3 CP.PT.000161 B&H

That converts to about $156 Canadian and then there is shipping and brokerage fees on top of that... It would be a good deal for any Canadians traveling to the US...but not so much for ordering to be shipped...

 

[Droneted]

How about this. Car manufacturers do the same. You have to use a Ford battery. Just a thought.

 

[Tijuana]

How about this. Car manufacturers do the same. You have to use a Ford battery. Just a thought.

That is an old myth.

Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Droneted]

Really?

 

[RocketBrew]

That converts to about $156 Canadian and then there is shipping and brokerage fees on top of that... It would be a good deal for any Canadians traveling to the US...but not so much for ordering to be shipped...

Just sent my son home to Toronto with a Syma X5sw!
Should have added a few P3 batteries to his carry on luggage for him to sell!...

 

[ray rokni]

They apparently are not the exact specifications or they would work, no?

I believe DJI has every right to do this. How many times to you think they were burned by performing warranty work on a Phantom that crashed due to using an inferior facsimile of a battery?

They were burnt zero times, as they would not do repair under warranty if you fly with non dji batteries or app.

 

[Tenly]

They were burnt zero times, as they would not do repair under warranty if you fly with non dji batteries or app.

Actually - it's only battery related problems that are not covered under warranty if you fly with aftermarket batteries. If your vision positioning sensor comes loose and falls off in flight because of a factory defect - that's still covered even if your batteries are aftermarket.

I make this distinction since there are several people that think if you break any single rule, you void your entire warranty - which isn't true at all.

 

[Rypper1]

How about this. Car manufacturers do the same. You have to use a Ford battery. Just a thought.

That is totally FALSE. In fact it is illegal according to the FTC.

Auto Warranties & Routine Maintenance | Consumer Information

 

[Droneted]

I was just making a comparison. U know a what if
I was not suggesting they were going to do that. I believe DJI should not stop u from using any battery u want to.If it falls out of the sky it would be on u if it were the after market batty

 

[CCDD]

Actually - it's only battery related problems that are not covered under warranty if you fly with aftermarket batteries. If your vision positioning sensor comes loose and falls off in flight because of a factory defect - that's still covered even if your batteries are aftermarket.

I make this distinction since there are several people that think if you break any single rule, you void your entire warranty - which isn't true at all.

Had an incident occurred involving a loss to your bird or even worse, an injury to someone, there's no doubt you would have never admitted using anything but a genuine DJI product in order to place the blame solely on DJI rather than risk yourself being found negligent for using such product. There are many DJI haters out there however, most still continue to buy their products. The fact remains is that you have no idea as to exactly what you purchased although it appears identical and operates your Phantom much the same as an OEM. Aftermarket products can pose a nightmare of issues for manufacturers resulting in costly liability claims due to malfunctioning products caused by the use of non-oem components.

 

[Tenly]

I was just making a comparison. U know a what if
I was not suggesting they were going to do that. I believe DJI should not stop u from using any battery u want to.If it falls out of the sky it would be on u if it were the after market batty

Exactly. Which is the way it has been since the original release of the Phantom 3!

With the clarification that it's only "on you" if it's actually a battery problem that causes it to fall out of the sky. If it falls out of the sky for any other reason - bad motor, etc - it doesn't matter if an after market battery is connected. It's still covered because the problem was not related to the after-market component!

I was always under the impression that it was illegal - an unfair business practice - to enact this sort of restriction with battery's and other consumable products. If it's not, I would expect that every mobile phone maker, every laptop maker - hell - every manufacturer that makes a consumer electronics product would insist on their own branded parts for every part of their product and there would be no "after market" at all.

So - my question now is - if it's not illegal to enforce this sort of thing - why don't more companies do it?

I'm pretty sure someone that doesn't really know the answer is going to respond to this and with their guess saying that it's obviously different in this case because of the more serious repercussions of installing a poorly made battery on a 2kg flying machine. Please don't reply with something like this unless you can cite some documentation to back up your guess.

The repercussions are not all that serious anyhow (well, except to the owner) and it is not DJI's obligation to police that. If it really were about safety, they would be doing to same thing with props - ensuring that after market props can't be used - and beyond that, they should be monitoring take off weight of the drone to ensure that there have been no other non-DJI modifications.

We are already required to fly 150m from any person or property - so what's the big deal if a battery fails and the drone falls out of the sky? It's going to smash on the ground or sploosh into the water...and that's the risk a pilot takes when they select an aftermarket battery. A defective battery is not going to cause the drone to fly off course 150m away and charge into a crowd.... So, it's not a safety issue.

It would not surprise me to learn that the after market battery manufacturers are preparing a court action against DJI to get this new policy overturned - so if you own aftermarket batteries, you may want to hold on to them for a few months and see what happens...

 

[Tenly]

Had an incident occurred involving a loss to your bird or even worse, an injury to someone, there's no doubt you would have never admitted using anything but a genuine DJI product in order to place the blame solely on DJI rather than risk yourself being found negligent for using such product. There are many DJI haters out there however, most still continue to buy their products. The fact remains is that you have no idea as to exactly what you purchased although it appears identical and operates your Phantom much the same as an OEM. Aftermarket products can pose a nightmare of issues for manufacturers resulting in costly liability claims due to malfunctioning products caused by the use of non-oem components.

That's not at all true! The flight logs clearly indicate to DJI whether it was their battery or not. So a pilot can claim whatever they want - but the proof is in the logs and warranty claims can be easily evaluated to determine if they are valid or not.

 

[CCDD]

Perhaps you've never heard of patent laws. The batteries in question are only designed to work in a Phantom 3, no other products use this particular battery. The aftermarket batteries were solely designed to steal from the manufacturer that designed them for use in their product, no one elses.