Terrible reviews

[GadgetGuy]

My P4P has been excellent going on a year now and no issues!

Once you find a good one, they usually stay that way!

 

[mahera]

Well. All those tips saying that get one and try it and if it doesn’t work out return it kind of might help screwing the perceived number of defective units.

I think there is a chance that maybe the vendor and not necessarily DJI might re-circulate those returns to make more profit.

This way a handful of flawed drones would skew the picture a lot if they keep selling the same drone without checking it.
What they gonna do anyway with all the returned drones ? Should there be such a great number of defective merchandise they simply couldn’t get a profit and would stop selling them.

Or, the vendor send them back to DJI and they re-pack them as new and send them out again?

Who knows.
I don’t think DJI has the manpower and time to really extensive test customer complaints, if they would have the time and employees then it would be cheaper to test them before they get sold in the first place.

It gives me goosebumps reading some stories of drones that arrived back at the customer after a “repair” that state that either nothing changed or even worse they got a used drone that only god knows had how many “hard landings or worse”

A warranty “repair” could just mean you get the problem from someone else.

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

My P4P has been excellent going on a year now and no issues!

Mine too, no issues and surprisingly easy to fly.

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

Well. All those tips saying that get one and try it and if it doesn’t work out return it kind of might help screwing the perceived number of defective units.

I think there is a chance that maybe the vendor and not necessarily DJI might re-circulate those returns to make more profit.

This way a handful of flawed drones would skew the picture a lot if they keep selling the same drone without checking it.
What they gonna do anyway with all the returned drones ? Should there be such a great number of defective merchandise they simply couldn’t get a profit and would stop selling them.

Or, the vendor send them back to DJI and they re-pack them as new and send them out again?

Who knows.
I don’t think DJI has the manpower and time to really extensive test customer complaints, if they would have the time and employees then it would be cheaper to test them before they get sold in the first place.

It gives me goosebumps reading some stories of drones that arrived back at the customer after a “repair” that state that either nothing changed or even worse they got a used drone that only god knows had how many “hard landings or worse”

A warranty “repair” could just mean you get the problem from someone else.

Very valid points.

 

[ravedog]

I’ve had nothing but problems over the last few months. Nothing changed except that DJI GO 4 has changed and that my current hardware has been rendered useless. DJI has sabotaged pretty much all the iPad mini line and from pro programming it’s been a disaster. Replacement DJI hardware has suffered the same issues and only solution is latest iOS hardware despite their claiming the nothing is different. Their app team an d support is a travesty

 

[SrChap]

You also need to consider the possibility that people will usually take the time to write a bad review. It’s rare for the P4P to encounter as big of problems as people post. Mine works flawlessly and if it works you won’t get online to complain about it.

 

[ravedog]

You also need to consider the possibility that people will usually take the time to write a bad review. It’s rare for the P4P to encounter as big of problems as people post. Mine works flawlessly and if it works you won’t get online to complain about it.

Very true. No one takes the time to write a good review. So talk the bad with a grain of salt

 

[John Locke]

Very true. No one takes the time to write a good review. So talk the bad with a grain of salt

That's not 100% true. I'm avid DJI fan, been flying RCs for over 40yrs, and been flying DJI for 2.5yrs. I rave about DJI all the time, and talk about their flaws too. I've owned 5 lightbridge craft have a ton of air time. However, I know DJI's flaws and strengths, and I'm not quiet about it, I try to be non biased and factual. Nothing would make me happier than DJI working on their weaknesses. There are many to list.

Strengths:
1. Lightbridge. Nobody else come close. IMO this is the #1 reason to buy DJI.
2. Craft hardware design, they fly well and designed well.
3. iOS app, better than the Android version
4. Camera technology. Oh man, nobody comes close.
5. Features in their Go and Go4 app. Nobody comes close.
6. Commercial drone hardware, the breeding ground for excellence
7. They have literally squashed the other major competitors out of the market. DJI dominates this niche.
8. Controller technology and ergonomics, well thought out. Few battery charge issues, but nothing huge, mostly good quality RCs.

Flaws and weaknesses:
1. Gimbal issue, history of horizon issues, and gimbal flip issues. Poor design in the P4P, apparently can't handle the weight of the larger sensor, and DJI certainly didn't validate it very well. The Mavic gimbal also is fragile IMO. But, in their defense, these gimbals are fragile by nature. Low cost gimbals are the single technology that's made this industry flourish. 4yrs ago a gimbal like on the P4P would have cost $3000, or more.
2. Plastic integrity, still too many stress cracks, they need to get serious and go to carbon fiber for a craft this expensive.
3. The app, especially Android. Poor validation processes, customers are often beta testers it seems.
4. Inconsistent build quality. A significant percentage of craft have flaws right out of the box. DJI has no outgoing craft testing, not even a visual inspection when powered on while linking the craft to the RC.
5. No support for back revving firmware anymore. The used to support back revving, but not anymore, which proves no loyalty to their customers.
6. Poor support in general. Often phone and chat employees say outlandish things, proving they don't know what they are talking about, clearly BS, but some customers don't know that. This is poor training for DJI staff IMO, no excuse for that. In their defense DJI has improved their support over the last 2yrs, they really have come a long way, but they still have a long way to go.
7. Poor customer treatment. If you buy a refresh policy, they try to charge you a refresh fee for something that should clearly be covered under warranty. It like buying the refresh policy implies you're a bad pilot, and DJI interprets that as an invitation to pry more money from your pockets.

I could go on. Understand, I'm giddy over my P4P, it's an incredible craft. It does things that still amazes me. But these issues are real for many people. I've had to return 3 of my 5 craft for serious issues, no grain of salt. However they were covered under warranty in a prompt fashion, reasonable and acceptable turn-around IMO.

 

[exit 4]

I have over 80 hours, 375 flights and almost 900 miles on my P4P with nary an issue. As stated here, people are more inclined voice their complaints than compliments.

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

The person that comes to a forum is many times having issues. This tends to make forums appear to show more issues than are common.

The same thing happens in Astronomy. A manufacturer makes a fine piece of equipment, excellence in engineering. But a very few, have an issue of some sort and rather than working it out, they blast the internet with their dissatisfaction. They do this on every forum then can find, I assume to vent their frustration or to make the manufacturer pay! I have seen this many times, an otherwise excellent product is made to seem less than stellar, which is not true.

I have said this before, but worth repeating. DJI sells a lot of Phantoms, lots! If there was a true BIG problem with their products, there would be hundreds of post a day looking for answers. But, as you can see, that is truly not the case.

If you have thousands of units out there and you only see a few problems showing up each week, then that is not a bad situation. If 1% were having problems, we should see 10 for every thousand, with these problems. That would equate to a lot of people, which we don't seem to see on line complaining.The chances are that 1-3% of all products will have an issue, no matter what it is. That is just reality.

The other idea brought up about returns and reselling of the returned items. This too happens all the time with everything on the internet. DJI, sends out refurbished for repairs, some sell them on line too I have heard. But if you got 4 as someone said, before they got a good one. Could it not be possible that these same defective units have been sent out before, maybe a few times. What happens to those that are returned to a vendor, do they return them to DJI for repairs or what?

These craft are much more reliable that any RC that I have owned in the last 40+ years, better range and more responsive. To me it is amazing that they can pack so much I so small a craft.

 

[F3honda4me]

Some of us were expecting advertised features like 4096x2160 60fps to work without video glitches, along with expecting straight cameras, and a gimbal worthy of the larger camera. Alas, the 4096x2160 60fps was never fixed, over half the cameras are still installed crooked, and the gimbal flips, even with OA on in any kind of wind, are still common. The 4096x2160 60fps is no longer listed on the specs, the High Wind warnings were implemented to discourage flying in greater than 6mph winds, which trigger the gimbal flips. The crooked cameras have a workaround fix, but shouldn't exist in the first place. Creating expectations the camera and gimbal couldn't deliver was the biggest problem. It's still the best Phantom yet!

Just to note, neither of my P4Ps have ever experienced any of the issues with gimbal/flipping.

 

[higherperspective]

I had to return my first two P4Ps for out of the box defects including very loose battery fit and broken handle(?) on controller. Both came from the supplier in sealed boxes from MFG. My third one was and still is almost perfect. IMO quality control issues are real.

 

[Northern Canadian]

Part of that is true and part is false. I received 4 before I got a good one. Mine were hardware issues like you said, however I think that 3 bad quads is a bit much. I question DJ
I's quality control or lack of. There service may be the worse of any company out there. If you get a good craft, it is a wonderful product ! My suggestion would be to buy from a reputable dealer whom will take it back no questions asked. If it is returned to DJI, they will send you a refurbished one. Most likely you will not get yours back. Would I buy another one ? Yes ! Good luck !

Hey if you get a refurbished one, at least it has been tried!

 

[Northern Canadian]

Just to note, neither of my P4Ps have ever experienced any of the issues with gimbal/flipping.

I had a gimbal flip. Probably 12-20mph winds. Reboot the P4 and all OK since.

 

[Northern Canadian]

I suspect your experience is not typical.
Any company that consistently had a failure rate like that would be in trouble.
I've got 2 P4 pros and both have been perfect.
One has had a hard working life for almost a year now.

Nice work. Do you notice much difference in image quality between a P4 and P4P?

 

[abby]

That's the nature of online reviews for anything.
They attract people with a complaint, whether or not it's a valid one, but happy customers don't often say anything..
The P4 pro is as good as your P4 and better and just as reliable.
The bad reviews will be for a mix of users that don't read the manual, try using a tablet that isn't up to the task, etc and a very small number of genuine malfunctions.
"Flyaways" are most commonly due to operator error such as flying off a long way downwind and up high in a strong wind or flying behind an obstacle like a hill.
Many drop-from-the-sky incidents are due to launching with a partially discharged battery.
Yes, like all complex electro-mechanical devices, there are occasional hardware issues. But they are very much outnumbered by defective operation.

I agree, a lot of bad reviews are from folks who are just venting because they just lost $1500.00.

 

[abby]

Agreed, but to further your analogy, DJI can't treat a drone like a toaster either, but they do. They don't test their drones before boxing them, otherwise they would see the flaws that many here have found fresh out of the box, like crooked cameras and vibrating gimbals. Both of these types of flaws could be found at the same time they link the craft to the RC when turned on, simply by LOOKING at the drone and holding it at different angles. It would add 20 seconds to their process to check for these two things. But they don't, they treat it like a low tech device, like a toaster, and assume it will work without testing it. If you haven't received a bad P4P, that's great, but I know several that have, including myself, and we're all experienced pilots. Most of these flaws don't cause a crash, its a matter of the craft not being 100% perfect upon receipt, and having to exchange it or return it for repair in the first month of ownership.

DJI would be more profitable if they simply inspected their craft better when the power is on during the link process. 20 seconds.

Mr. John do you have proof they don’t check drones before boxing.

 

[Orville Harris]

Hey if you get a refurbished one, at least it has been tried!

Yes good point there eh? I purchased two refurbished Phantoms and according to DJI they do test and inspect them before shipping. Mine came as new and both worked flawlessly. I have since purchased a new Phantom 4 Adv and no major issues except that my Nexus 7 2013 Tablet had video down-link issues and I had to buy a Ipad 2 Air. Working great now!

 

[F3honda4me]

Nice work. Do you notice much difference in image quality between a P4 and P4P?

Having had both I definitely saw a difference.

 

[bhartwell]

Thank you all for your feedback.

Along these lines then, I wonder if it would make more sense to wait until DJI releases the Phantom 5. There are a lot of rumors out there about it, although everything I have read seems to be based on fiction. I believe DJI originally planned to end the Phantom
4 product line in April 2017, but then delayed the release of its next generation of products (maybe due to the release of the more consumer friendly Spark and success of the Maverick). At this point, I couldn’t imaging they would announce a new Phantom line until mid next year, it wouldn’t make sense with the holidays coming up.

So it’s a difficult call. Put down another $1500 now for an incrementally better unit with known Q/C issues, or wait for an as of yet unverified, likely better unit in the next six months or so.