I thought I'd experienced Frustration before, but.....

[bkushner]

I am hesitant to write this as I completely love my Phantom 4, so much so that I bought a Phantom 4 Pro. But, what I have been through after ordering the new Pro unit, I finally decided to relate my story as I feel other potential buyers have a right to know what they could potentially be getting into.
I ordered my new unit on December 30th, 2016. I was told that it would be shipped separately from the Phantom 4 Pro filters that I included on the order. It took a bit of doing to get the order split as they originally were not going to ship the drone until all parts were together and in stock. I had to go online and chat to find that out. Finally, on January 6th I was informed that the drone and the control display was on its way.
I received the unit on January 10th and, since this was my second drone, I was able to register the unit and get it flying relatively quickly- within a couple of hours. I noticed very quickly that this drone was having issues. On both the live feed on the monitor itself and on the recorded video on the mini SD Card, there was a definite jumpiness and hesitation and pixelation. I tried different video SD Cards- all recommended SanDisk Extreme Pro- and on every flight I saw the same problems. (I've since seen on this forum that other folks have seen the same problems).
I immediately contacted Support through the Chatline and explained the problem in detail to them. They had me do some diagnostic work and then asked me to do a system reset followed by a gimbal reset, all to no avail. (Let me state here that attempting to work with support through a chatline line is frustrating and time-consuming. I almost felt as if I was dealing with a robot of sorts as the English they used was confusing).
It was decided at this time that I would go through the paperwork necessary to return the unit. After a day or two of getting the proper procedures done and jumping through hoops, I was provided with a Return Shipping label and I returned it on the 12th. I followed the Tracking Number and was notified that it was received by DJI in California on the 13th at 5 PM. This is when the period of silence and no word from DJI began. After hearing nothing for a few days I contacted them around the 18th in order to find out what was going on- after all I was depending on what they told me about a replacement- within in 1-2 weeks. I contacted them daily from the 18th until the 20th when I noticed on my Case Number Page that it was accepted on the 20th. All I wanted to know was when my drone would be shipped. All that I essentially received from DJI (through the Chatline) was that they didn't know. I got so tired of waiting in line for the support team to answer my chat. And after each session I walked away from, all I could feel was increasing frustration. Finally on the 27th I received an e-mail stating that I was being given a coupon code so that I could go online and order a new unit and that the coupon would cover the cost. Later on the 27th I received another e-mail stating that my order was confirmed. There was a link on the page which could direct me to "click here" to check the progress of my order. On the 28th I clicked on the link and it stated that the unit was shipped.
I tried today to get an update as nowhere was DJI telling me of the exact status of my order. To get any information, one is forced to go online and get in line with about a hundred others in order to get in touch with tech support.
Originally today I was Number 77 in line. Okay, I got settled in and got comfortable waiting for the countdown to continue. I got to Number 4 and was getting excited. I had already typed up my question as all I would have to do is hit "SEND" to get my message to the technician. Without warning, I went from Number 4 to Number 79! Okay, I waited once again. A total of 2 1/2 hours and I finally got into a chat. All I wanted to know was when I would get a Tracking Number (As, according to the Order Number, the unit had shipped), and a Serial Number of the new unit. I went back and forth and was told to contact the Sales Department as the support team couldn't get any information. So, I went to the link supplied and was directed to another back-up (although I was only Number 29 this time).
I started chatting to Ralph who said I needed to speak to Support as he didn't have access to my Case Number. I tried to explain that I had an order number and on the order number page, it said it had been shipped. He came back and said that, according to what he saw, it wasn't going to be shipped until Feb 3rd. Back and forth we went, and I finally threw my hands up in surrender.
DJI has a heck of a great drone fleet and I'm so happy to have at least one drone (my Phantom 4) that works and works very well. But, their support system absolutely is the worst. There appears to be very little communication going from one department to the next.
So, I say to the potential new buyer- it's a terrific drone, just pray you don't have any problems, or God-Forbid, don't have to send it back for a replacement. It's now been almost 4 weeks since I initiated the paperwork to replace this drone. I was told 1-2 weeks for replacement.
My Case Number is: CAS-403050-T6N6J5. It's sad when you get to know your case number and order number by heart!

Classic DJI - Want to know the solution? Don't buy from them. Find a dealer.

 

[That Cicero Guy]

Folks, there are always going to be problematic stories when you have a large manufacturer producing and selling thousands of units per month. I'm not a complete fanboy, but DJI has invested a lot into their CS. It is light years ahead of where it used to be and it seems they have taken a different attitude towards their customer base (for the better.) The fact is, very few share their GOOD stories in dealing with DJI, but all we hear is a constant onslaught of the bad. Remember that we're dealing with a highly-technical product that is inherently plagued with endless examples of USER ERROR. I, myself first received a faulty P4P ordered through B&H (camera gimbal issue.) Problems are going to happen. Be patient. Buy through vendors on your soil to make potential returns easier.

To the OP Capt Jim, I'm not trying to discount your frustration. It sucks when you make a significant investment into technology and run into problems. It sounds like you have the P4P+, which has had it's share of issues with the on-board tablet. This, my friends is part of the technology revolution that surrounds the aerial cameras we invest in. When you're one of the first to invest, there is a higher likelihood that you may have to be patient while bugs are worked-out. This is one of the major reasons I chose NOT to go with the P4P+... too new to trust. I'm very confident that DJI will get these bugs worked-out through firmware releases. In this industry, if you want the best, you have to be a little patient.
These aforementioned reasons are also why I have a serious issue with people buying these highly-technical pieces of equipment with absolutely no experience. The OP sounds to have some experience, but MANY do not! Part of ownership in this hobby and professional industry is being technically-inclined to handle what goes along with it. There will be issues where the hardware is faulty, but there are many others where the user has no idea what they're doing and should stick to toy-grade quads until they feel confident and comfortable moving to this level of investment.

I've been reading alot and this is why I am studying everything maticulously before I even fly it the first time. Everybody keeps asking me, "Did you fly it yet?" and when I tell them no, they think I'm crazy.

I don't think alot of people respect it as an aircraft and see it as a toy. I don't see any flying object that has the potential to take down an aircraft as a toy. I'm hoping to take the 107 exam in the next couple of weeks and then get my commercial insurance, and THEN fly it.

And I'm finding the same things out reading that you mentioned.