I didn't believe it either!

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Ok Folks - at the risk of ruining a good thing, I need to pass along some info about purchasing a Phantom 2 and something you should check out IF you are planning to buy one soon.

I purchased my Phantom 2 with Zenmuse Gimbal through Amazon and it arrived last Saturday. When I ordered it, I saw a 3 year "drop and spill" warranty that could be ordered for about $70.00 - In most cases, extended warranties aren't worth the money so I didn't even consider it.

Having had a couple of close calls this weekend - I decided to look more closely into this warranty. Since it was a "video camera equipment" warranty, I assumed it only covered the Zenmuse Gimbal. I mean... nobody would actually cover the Phantom would they?

I got a chat session started with the customer service rep at Amazon and here is the exact transcript:

08:18 AM PDT Adaikala(Amazon): Hello, my name is Adaikala. I'll certainly try to help regarding your concern.
08:19 AM PDT AlexC: Thanks. I noticed there's a warranty available for the Phantom 2 quadcopter - and I wondered if I can purchase it (since the quad is already delivered) and if it actually covers the Phantom 2... or the 3D gimbal or both against accidental breakage. I just find it hard to believe it would cover the whole thing
08:22 AM PDT Adaikala(Amazon): Let me check this for you.
08:24 AM PDT Adaikala(Amazon): Thanks for waiting.
08:25 AM PDT Adaikala(Amazon): Upon checking, I see the warranty available for the item is for both Phantom 2 and 3D gimbal
08:25 AM PDT AlexC: so... and I am being very specific here... if I crash the quad-copter - that is covered??
08:26 AM PDT Adaikala(Amazon): Yes, AlexC.

08:26 AM PDT AlexC: wow. ok... can I purchase that warranty now? even though I already have the quad-copter?
08:27 AM PDT AlexC: I just purchased last week (delivered on Saturday 8/23/14)
08:28 AM PDT Adaikala(Amazon): As you've already purchased the item, I'd request you to contact the seller directly to check whether the warranty can be purchased for this item, as it is shipped and sold by Warrantech.
You can contact the seller using the link given below

And then they gave me the link and phone number.

Now - I called the warranty company - explained the conversation I had just had and asked to verify - and the Warranty company VERIFIED this was the case - even if I crashed the Phantom 2 - that would be covered!

They said as long as I ordered the coverage in the first 90 days - I could add the coverage! The only caveat is, if I were to crash my Phantom today - I would have to wait 30 days to make the claim. I asked if that meant that it didn't matter if I crashed with in those 30 days - I would still be covered - and he said that is correct... I would just need to wait the 30 days to submit the claim even if I crashed TODAY.

I am sure that they will only replace the item once (and then their warranty is void for anything beyond that) - but that is a pretty fantastic deal.

In any case - you don't really need to take my word for it... but I read the contract and have confirmed with both Amazon and the warranty company... I am a little blown away.

Mathematically/statistically speaking - I can see how this coverage is profitable for them - but I am still surprised.

:D :D :D :D
 
4wd said:
Suspect they have given you misleading info and there will be a get out clause, at least regarding crashes. ;)

I read the contract - I see no "out" clause. Plus - I have Amazon's record specifically stating that the warranty covers it.

I guess I understand skepticism - and certainly was skeptical myself to make contact with both companies and ask very specific questions (including "even if it is MY FAULT") and got enough of an answer to figure it is at least worth a look.

But in both cases (with amazon and the warranty company) I specifically asked them about crashes and they both said it was covered.

In any case - we'll see. I'm not going to go try and wreck my Phantom to test it out... but I'll take the gamble I guess (on the $70.00).
 
4wd said:
Suspect they have given you misleading info and there will be a get out clause, at least regarding crashes. ;)


Actually - to be fair... I re-read the contract and there is a vague exclusion due to "operational error" - I can buy that as a "get out" clause.

However - that would also require them knowing for sure it was operator error and not some systemic error. So I imagine you might get an argument for a straight up "I was flying the Phantom recklessly and flew it into my house"


Even so - this warranty makes me feel better about some software glitches (or hardware) I have been reading about - like the "early landing" bug etc.

I don't know... like I said - it might be a fight in some cases (probably would be for a total loss) - but if you bend your gimbal or break the GPS module dropping the Phantom - this would still be worth the money IMO. So I'm taking the gamble and hopefully never need to find out for sure :)
 
Buckaye said:
4wd said:
Suspect they have given you misleading info and there will be a get out clause, at least regarding crashes. ;)

I read the contract - I see no "out" clause. Plus - I have Amazon's record specifically stating that the warranty covers it.

I guess I understand skepticism - and certainly was skeptical myself to make contact with both companies and ask very specific questions (including "even if it is MY FAULT") and got enough of an answer to figure it is at least worth a look.

But in both cases (with amazon and the warranty company) I specifically asked them about crashes and they both said it was covered.

In any case - we'll see. I'm not going to go try and wreck my Phantom to test it out... but I'll take the gamble I guess (on the $70.00).


What you were told on the phone won't be part of the warranty. They could say you're covered, you'll get a gold-plated Lincoln, an $850,000 house in the 'burbs and a trophy wife. None of which will happen.
 
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480sparky said:
Buckaye said:
4wd said:
Suspect they have given you misleading info and there will be a get out clause, at least regarding crashes. ;)

I read the contract - I see no "out" clause. Plus - I have Amazon's record specifically stating that the warranty covers it.

I guess I understand skepticism - and certainly was skeptical myself to make contact with both companies and ask very specific questions (including "even if it is MY FAULT") and got enough of an answer to figure it is at least worth a look.

But in both cases (with amazon and the warranty company) I specifically asked them about crashes and they both said it was covered.

In any case - we'll see. I'm not going to go try and wreck my Phantom to test it out... but I'll take the gamble I guess (on the $70.00).


What you were told on the phone won't be part of the warranty. They could say you're covered, you'll get a gold-plated Lincoln, an $850,000 house in the 'burbs and a trophy wife. None of which will happen.

Yeah... I get that for sure... I do have the official transcript from Amazon though :) I'm not generally an optimistic guy on stuff like this - and I get it that there's a lot of skepticism... just have to wait and see I guess! Like I said... not planning to plow it into a garbage truck to test the theory... lol
 
There's been at least one other thread on here discussing the Amazon warranty.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=19840

Personally, I never trust these warranty companies. The typical scenario is the first however many number of claims are paid, quickly, efficiently and a good deal of smiles, in order for the warranty provider to get good reviews (which they then point to in all their marketing material so more people will buy the warranties), and then they quickly go downhill as the profit margins begin to level out. There is ALWAYS an "out" clause. They stop paying. The reviews start to take a turn, complaints pile up, and then the warranty provider quietly disappears... only to reemerge as a new entity, reorganized under new ownership and management, selling the same warranties as before, gaining good reviews, etc. and the process starts over. "SmartGuard" is no less that Amazon's forth incarnation of warranty provider. If that tells you anything.
 
ProfessorStein said:
There's been at least one other thread on here discussing the Amazon warranty.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=19840

Personally, I never trust these warranty companies. The typical scenario is the first however many number of claims are paid, quickly, efficiently and a good deal of smiles, in order for the warranty provider to get good reviews (which they then point to in all their marketing material so more people will buy the warranties), and then they quickly go downhill as the profit margins begin to level out. There is ALWAYS an "out" clause. They stop paying. The reviews start to take a turn, complaints pile up, and then the warranty provider quietly disappears... only to reemerge as a new entity, reorganized under new ownership and management, selling the same warranties as before, gaining good reviews, etc. and the process starts over. "SmartGuard" is no less that Amazon's forth incarnation of warranty provider. If that tells you anything.

Yeah... I hear you - and perhaps I am less enthusiastic than I was posting this originally. I read the whole thread you included and it seems like you're right that there's a pretty big argument about the validity of it all. Good news is, I live in Florida and I can think about it for a while and get a refund (by law in Florida consumers can choose to opt back out of these kind of service contracts and get a refund of the unused premium).

It certainly seems too good to be true without at least a good portion of heartache... but as it says in the other thread - my experience with amazon (and I spend a lot of money with them) is that they stay true to what they said - so the other thing I can do is throw the chat log back at them if necessary LOL :)
 
If Amazon was providing the warranty coverage for crashes, then I'd tend to believe they would fully reimburse you for a crash and burn. I wanted to return a $15 computer part that I bought directly from Amazon (not one of their A-to-Z Marketplace vendors) about 3 months ago and they just issued a full refund and told me I could keep the part! They really want to satisfy customers these days.

Now if it's a 3rd party warranty company, I'd still have some doubts about full coverage for a crash and replacement.
 
I see the original thread that I started a couple of months ago was linked to above. viewtopic.php?f=4&t=19840

I don't want to fight or cause problems for anyone here. I look at us all as family and friends since we all enjoy this hobby. But I do not understand why some folks spend so much time saying that this warranty is no good and a rip off, but without any facts just an opinion. I guess we all have opinions, aye?

All I have to say is, give it a shot. If you crash and burn and your warranty is not honored, post here, Post there, post somewhere my little cat in the hat.

Watch how someone will take offense at what I say.. Please don't! I am on our side, your side.
 
Wedeliver said:
But I do not understand why some folks spend so much time saying that this warranty is no good and a rip off, but without any facts just an opinion.

To be fair, we did find facts... in reviews from customers who had tried to file claims but were denied (admittedly, not for this exact warranty coverage on a Phantom).

But, you're right, we're all in this together. I'd like nothing better than for folks to say these warranties are great for them, and cover everything that can ever go wrong with their Phantom into perpetuity. Go forth and prove my fears are misplaced. I just don't look good in hats ;)
 
I know someone that bought the warranty, crashed the phantom and got a replacement. I found this out after ordering from dji direct. Next time I will use Amazon.
 
This doesn't surprise me coming from Amazon. A fellow member from the Miami area was flying over cruise ships when his went down in middle of bay, just out of question he called Amazon and explained what happened - they sent him a new one.
 
ProfessorStein said:
Wedeliver said:
But I do not understand why some folks spend so much time saying that this warranty is no good and a rip off, but without any facts just an opinion.

To be fair, we did find facts... in reviews from customers who had tried to file claims but were denied (admittedly, not for this exact warranty coverage on a Phantom).

But, you're right, we're all in this together. I'd like nothing better than for folks to say these warranties are great for them, and cover everything that can ever go wrong with their Phantom into perpetuity. Go forth and prove my fears are misplaced. I just don't look good in hats ;)

You are probably right and I am probably wrong, but I really don't recall anyone ever saying that a Amazon Warranty was refused. My memory sucks so I could be wrong.

I was hoping by this time we could get some people to say what their experience was if they tried to use the Square Trade or other Amazon Drop and Spill warranty.
 
EMCSQUAR said:
This doesn't surprise me coming from Amazon. A fellow member from the Miami area was flying over cruise ships when his went down in middle of bay, just out of question he called Amazon and explained what happened - they sent him a new one.

That's different than the OP saying he purchased a full warranty from a company that covers products sold on Amazon. That is the real crux of the issue here.

But I have no problem believing that Amazon would ship out a replacement Phantom free of charge. They bend over backwards to have the #1 customer service in the world.

I bought my Vision+ from B&H Photo and I think even they would send me out a free replacement if I asked nicely :mrgreen:
 
I guess at the end of the day... I've taken a gamble by purchasing the warranty. If I wreck... It won't hurt me to try to use the warranty to get a replacement. If it doesn't work with the third party, then I will show amazon the chat log and ask why they told me that...see if that works. Honestly, I also have legal insurance from work and I bet they'd be more than happy to make a phone call on my behalf over this. In any case... If I ever need to try it, I'll let people here know how it goes :). In the mean time... I'll try not to ever need it :)
 
We've debated this several times here. Bottom line always came down to a reviewer on Amazon who said that he purchased this for his
Phantom, and said that they rejected his claim from a crash as they don't consider a camera flying through the air as standard use. You will be out the $70 and they will not replace your Phantom. The transcript will not help, as you agree to the terms of the warranty company, which is designed not to pay out. Note that Amazon is simply selling this warranty. The warranty is held by a third party.
 
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Also......

I assume this is not a 'Mechanical Breakdown' type cover and therefore 'Wear and Tear and mechanical/electrical failure will be excluded? I also assume that this is not a theft policy?

Add to that the fact that pilot error is excluded and you have the perfect 'Get out of everything clause'

Caveat Emptor !!!
 
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The Editor said:
Also......

I assume this is not a 'Mechanical Breakdown' type cover and therefore 'Wear and Tear and mechanical/electrical failure will be excluded? I also assume that this is not a theft policy?

Add to that the fact that pilot error is excluded and you have the perfect 'Get out of everything clause'

Caveat Emptor !!!


Yeah... as it appears a great deal of people seem to indicate - I have probably been taken. I guess I am a guy who likes taking on these kind of fights - and in the long run - if I win... that's great! If I lose - it's $70.00

It's certainly not a theft policy - but I have theft coverage in my homeowners policy - so don't care :)
Mechanical issues are called out - only insomuch as to say normal preventative maintenance as required by the manufacturer needs to be followed.

Here are the things I believe I have going for me

1. I am a guy who likes these kind of fights - in the end, I wouldn't be in this hobby if I couldn't afford a loss... but that doesn't mean I won't try to mitigate it.
2. As I mentioned before - I have a legal insurance through my employment that allows me to put a lawyer in touch with them at no charge. I have several lawyers in my family who are constantly telling me that often a letter for a Lawyer is all it takes to make people drop an argument, because it doesn't make financial sense to fight
3. My experience with Amazon is that they bend over BACKWARDS for their customers. Since I specifically have one of their reps telling me that the product would cover my purchase (in writing)... I imagine Amazon would try to make it right. I have always been impressed with how far Amazon goes to keep customers happy - even in situations where I feel like I'd understand them not being particularly helpful... they have usually done something.

Going in - eyes wide open... maybe a dope... but I will give it a try if crash in an expensive way :)
 

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