Phantom 4 Battery Issues - Customer Service

[ekm]

I've been researching if there are ways to fix dead batteries straight from the box. Found SOOO MANY others with the same issue. If this is a known issue, WHY DOESN'T DJI do anything about it? I've also heard that question as well (many times). Shouldn't this be reported to the Better Business Bureau? No support and No fix and NUMEROUS ISSUES with the same complaint.

 

[msinger]

Batteries can die in the box when they sit for long periods of time without use. If the battery is brand new and you buy it from an authorized DJI dealer, it will come with a 6 month warranty that will be covered by DJI. And you could of course just get it replaced by the seller.

Why would you try fixing a dead battery instead of getting it replaced with a battery that works (as it should in the first place)?

 

[ekm]

I was not aware that there are expiration dates on the boxes. If there are, it was not easily visible to me. Maybe an authorized DJI dealer like Best Buy would probably know of the expiration dates. Living in the midwest might add to the complications. I bought the drone and an extra battery towards the beginning of the Fall season; I assumed windy & cold are not ideal for the life of a drone (don't know, 1st drone), so... After Fall comes Winter, which is definitely less favorable than Fall. So, I didn't jump on the first signs of favorable weather after winter. If I knew there was a time limit to test than I guess I would have. With all that time gone by, that is past the 6 months warranty period.

Another question, which company is responsible for knowing how long the batteries have been sitting without use (before getting sold)? Wouldn't that add to the potential issue of "sit(ting) ... without use"?

Maybe some of the concerns I've mentioned and the numerous other Customers are what would drive us to "try fixing a dead battery". So again, why would a company knowingly continue to sell products/batteries that could be bad? The selling point you've mentioned is; hey, buy this product and know that the batteries might be dead but it's ok... you can get it replaced within a specified date range. Not a good PR point.

 

[Kirby Johnson]

I was not aware that there are expiration dates on the boxes. If there are, it was not easily visible to me. Maybe an authorized DJI dealer like Best Buy would probably know of the expiration dates. Living in the midwest might add to the complications. I bought the drone and an extra battery towards the beginning of the Fall season; I assumed windy & cold are not ideal for the life of a drone (don't know, 1st drone), so... After Fall comes Winter, which is definitely less favorable than Fall. So, I didn't jump on the first signs of favorable weather after winter. If I knew there was a time limit to test than I guess I would have. With all that time gone by, that is past the 6 months warranty period.

Another question, which company is responsible for knowing how long the batteries have been sitting without use (before getting sold)? Wouldn't that add to the potential issue of "sit(ting) ... without use"?

Maybe some of the concerns I've mentioned and the numerous other Customers are what would drive us to "try fixing a dead battery". So again, why would a company knowingly continue to sell products/batteries that could be bad? The selling point you've mentioned is; hey, buy this product and know that the batteries might be dead but it's ok... you can get it replaced within a specified date range. Not a good PR point.

Well, not to be argumentative, but a company cranks these products (drones with batteries) out by the millions and ships them to retailers. They probably assume that as they are selling like hotcakes, a retailer will not manage to keep any on the shelf long enough to be of a concern. If the retailer does, they are not managing their stock very well. That said, I have never bought an expensive toy and actually not even unpacked it nor charged the batteries for half a year.
"Hey George, how's the new car?"
"It's great, but have not driven it yet."
"HUH? Um next year's models are going to be out soon, you get a DUI or something?"

 

[ekm]

I think that kinda reinforces a concern mentioned. "Hey George, how's the new '2019' car?" "That's great George, AT LEAST YOU KNOW WHAT YEAR THE CAR IS." "Hey George, do you know how long your drone and battery have been sitting on the shelf?" "Huh? No?" "You haven't tried to use it over the Fall/Winter?" "I'm sure the Best Buys in the Midwest sell as much as those that can use a drone year round" "They're hot items, no matter where you live" "They sell great at Antarctica just like California"

If we're saying that if a company cranks out these drones & batteries by the millions and we don't have to worry about the few retailers which badly managed inventory... I guess that's how the business is. Still points to bad PR. "we are not worried about the few, just the majority/millions"

 

[David_Cambridge]

It isn’t realistic to expect perfection from any supplier of lipo batteries. They are amazing devices with very high power to weight ratios. They make possible drones and many other like applications. The trade off is the necessary use of highly unstable chemical mixes with quite complex sensor and micro controller systems.

There is no free lunch. Boeing’’s Dreamliner was plagued by battery issues which limited. It’s use for nearly a year.

 

[msinger]

which company is responsible for knowing how long the batteries have been sitting without use (before getting sold)?

The company who sold you the battery.

Again though, this should be of no concern to you. If you buy a dead battery, simply return it and get it replaced. This is what consumers normally do when purchasing any kind of product that does not work as expected out of the box.

 

[RFP]

Me thinks all of this is irrelevant seeing as how you can’t buy one for love nor money! You’d think DJI would be keen to make their ungodly profits from the sale of Phantom batteries but no, they are unobtainable! Blast them....

 

[msinger]

Me thinks all of this is irrelevant seeing as how you can’t buy one for love nor money!

Depending on where you live, they can still be pretty easy to find. Authorized DJI dealers have Phantom 4 batteries in stock here on Amazon.

 

[ekm]

I appreciate all the feedback. I was just sharing my findings with just simple Google & YouTube searches. How there were soo many other Customers sharing similar experiences and how there were NO HELPFUL / CUSTOMER SERVICE SUPPORT. Some of the feedback on this thread still reinforce the PR concerns. Basically comments that translate to "it is what it is". Giving examples of the same situation but not giving examples of a fix / solution.

Examples of "it is what it is" = "... Dreamliner ... plagued by battery issues.." ; So, what was the resolution? "Just accept, that's how it is"

I was hoping to see examples of how DJI came through for all those Customers that have experienced similar situations and not the "you have 6 months to confirm use, no matter how old the UNKNOWN shelf life is" or the "millions produced, you're SOL if you are the small/minority with similar issue" or "just buy another one" ====> all not very good PR; That's why I was asking if BBB is aware.

 

[msinger]

How there were soo many other Customers sharing similar experiences and how there were NO HELPFUL / CUSTOMER SERVICE SUPPORT

Are you saying there are lots of people buying brand new DOA batteries who aren't being helped by the seller and/or DJI? If so, please link us to some specific examples so we can check them out.

 

[ekm]

Just doing simple search "phantom 4 battery dead on arrival" >> 6 similar within this ONE thread >> Battery Dead on arrival. >> 4 similar within this ONE thread >> Battery Dead on arrival.

YouTube >>> 3 similar complaints >>

>>

This is just within 10 minutes of the search; Shouldn't DJI know of these posts / Customer experiences; I could probably do more searches with different key words and also the fact that these were just samples of the 1st few I found; There are more;

I can keep doing more searches with "specific examples" of DOA Batteries, but I think I would be doing what CUSTOMER SERVICE for DJI should be doing or at least knowledgeable of. Considering they produce/"sell millions", they probably should / do know. Wondering what the CUSTOMER SERVICE is....

Not asking for anything "free", just resolutions and not >>>> "you have 6 months to confirm use, no matter how old the UNKNOWN shelf life is" or the "millions produced, you're SOL if you are the small/minority with similar issue" or "just buy another one" ====> all not very good PR

 

[msinger]

I don't see anything in those videos that indicates a customer was not able to get a replacement for a DOA battery. What are we missing here?

 

[ekm]

I guess I'm doing this, ok ....

What's missing is = DOA batteries and answer is "it is what it is" "return within 6 months" "buy another one"


Battery Dead on arrival. >> "Yet another issue with my brand new Mavic Pro Fly more kit. One of the batteries that came with it does not charge, nor power on." "I had the exact same problem. Total dead before even using it." "DJI, I think you all might have some quality control issues from time to time there at the battery factory. "I got three batteries in the delivery. One of them is not working at all. Total dead. From the start. Are you serious telling my to do all the steps you provided me with? Send packages around the globe. All this work for ONE battery? The time I need to put in for just doing all these steps is not even worth a battery. But it's good to know that you have built a system just to protect yourself from people actually sending the broken down drone parts. Your model can not be economically sustainable. But you know that off course. You know few people will chose to proceed with your insane process. I will make sure I spread the word and making sure to change the brand of the drone. I will not fly a drone from a company who does this."
Since you're looking for "what is missing" ; within same thread, interaction with Customer Service >> "As others have advised, contact DJI Support and provide them with all of the necessary information they need (serial number, etc.). They'll more than likely send you a new one/refund you without you having to send the battery you received back due to it being defective/completely dead upon arrival. Sorry to hear about this." >> "I don't think you got it. This is the conversation WITH the support."

Same link was attached for the 2nd example; Supposed to be this Battery DOA? >> "I picked up a battery today from the local Apple store. It came in a sealed box. When I opened it and pressed the button to check the charge, it was dead." ; "
I ordered a new Phantom 4 from DJI.com, along with 2 extra batteries, the 3-battery charging cradle, and DJI Care. I put all 3 batteries in the charger. The 2 extra batteries work fine. Within 3 hours I realized that the battery that came in the drone is DOA. Won't light up, power on, or charge. I emailed DJI.com support, and we have emailed back and forth 10 times. I have provided all of the requested information, including a video of the problem, 3 TIMES. They finally asked me to send it back for repair. I just paid $1620 for a drone and accessories WITH DJI CARE, and they want to repair the DOA battery? No thanks. I want a new battery. So I called the US support phone number. The agent was very nice. After supplying all of the info again, and yes, she requested a video of the battery problem, she says that I must ship them the battery, and then they will issue me a replacement IN ABOUT 2 WEEKS. If I had not purchased extra batteries, I would be dead in the water with a $1200 paperweight. So, I got that going for me. I wish I had purchased locally. Dealing with support in China is not working for me. If a customer received a dead battery IN THE ORIGINAL SHIPMENT, a replacement battery should be sent out immediately. Then, if the customer doesn't send the defective battery back within a specified time, they could charge for it. But to have me go without the product that I paid for due to their defect does not sit well with me. Love the P4. Do not like this process." ; "Same problem here. Ordered a battery to be shipped to Mexico. Paid an extra $59 for the battery on the MX website for a total with shipping of $189. All of this so I did not have to wait too long for shipping. So they ship me that battery from Atlanta and I receive it DOA after 10-days. Now after hours on the phone they want me to pay shipping back to the USA and ship it to a repair station. This Phantom 4 is the most amazing product I have ever purchased and this service regarding a very expensive batter is absolutely the worst experience I have ever had with customer service. VERY FRUSTRATING!" ; "I too got a combo kit. 3 batteries total. One battery...DOA.My wife got it from Sure RC on Amazon. Sure RC asked me to ship them the battery and they will replace it for me. So far I have had no problems with the store. I have sent the battery in and I'm waiting for the replacement battery.I have been on the phone with Sure RV and have had a great experience with them. I'll keep you-all posted as to when I get it replaced but expect no issues with this store.

I think that if you don't buy form DJI.. a good hobby store will give you service that is just as good or even better then DJI>
Hope you get your battery soon {:4_177:}"

Kinda tired of copying & pasting; Once again, this is just from TWO threads; Not sure if I have to really point out similar issues found in YouTube..... There are more.... I'm wondering if these similar issue examples are asked on a more visible platform how many more would actually be recorded/shared by Customers... instead of me just doing a simple search...

Not sure why you are asking "what are we missing"; DOA batteries; answer to that is, "it's possible" >>> again >>> I was hoping to see examples of how DJI came through for all those Customers that have experienced similar situations and not the "you have 6 months to confirm use, no matter how old the UNKNOWN shelf life is" or the "millions produced, you're SOL if you are the small/minority with similar issue" or "just buy another one" ====> all not very good PR; That's why I was asking if BBB is aware.

 

[msinger]

"you have 6 months to confirm use, no matter how old the UNKNOWN shelf life is"

I'm not sure where you found this information, but it's not true. New DJI batteries do come with a 6 month warranty though. So, you can return the battery for a replacement if it stops working during that time frame under normal use. And that's of course assuming you didn't do something to damage the battery (like leave it in a hot car).

A DOA battery should be immediately replaced by the seller or DJI. I don't think the BBB cares about DOA batteries that are being replaced for free (as they should be).

 

[ekm]

You can just do a simple search for "phantom 4 battery dead on arrival"; You'll find A LOT of reports of DOA batteries; If you are saying that those are ALL false, I guess they are ... That's just A LOT of complaints. PSA should be PUBLICIZED; JUST BE UP FRONT WITH THE CUSTOMERS FROM THE GET GO; YOU (CUSTOMER) SHOULD TEST IF IT WORKS RIGHT AWAY; IT MAY NOT; YOU HAVE 6 MONTHS TO TEST

Publish that & "you" can always point to that statement cause it's documented.

Why send out product without testing or notifying expiration date (if that's the issue)? I'm sure BBB doesn't care about customer service and lack of testing before sending/selling.

 

[msinger]

You can just do a simple search for "phantom 4 battery dead on arrival"; You'll find A LOT of reports of DOA batteries

Don't forget that DJI sells A LOT of drones. Having them all arrive with perfectly functioning batteries would be impossible.

What percentage of the batteries are DOA? If you don't know, then I think you're wasting your time here. The BBB isn't going to care if you found a minute percentage of buyers who had a problem (and were helped by the seller or DJI).

 

[ekm]

Yes; You/We have already pointed out what DJI thinks of the "minute percentage" and how you address them and not really care for that "minute percentage". Yes, probably correct on how BBB doesn't care about the minority. Why would they if DJI DOES NOT. I'll take a line conveyed from DJI support. translated > "it is what it is"

'....the "millions produced, you're SOL if you are the small/minority with similar issue" ... now "minute percentage"

 

[msinger]

Why are these people with DOA batteries SOL? Are they not contacting the seller or DJI for a replacement?

Your story is not making sense. Sorry... I tried to follow along...

 

[ekm]

Story goes like this > make it known that your battery might be bad > make it known that you only have 6 months from sale to test > be up front and make it know that this is a KNOWN issue

I don't want to add more to the story since it might get too convoluted / too hard to follow... Sales are more important; $$ talks/rules; don't worry about the minority is the moral of the story