To Insure or Not to Insure...DJI Care vs. Alternatives

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TunjiY

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So I've been on the flight stimulator for a bit now including tons and tons of youtube videos watching and general online research.

I think I'm almost ready/comfortable for Demelza's (P3P) maiden voyage!

However, I'm wondering if:

1. Should I get sweet Demelza an insurance policy?
2. Is DJI Care worth it given the horrendous customer service stories. I wouldn't want my baby to be stuck in their care for god knows how long?
3. If general consensus to Q1 about is yes and Q2 is no, what are some alternatives to look into?

A search of the forum comes up with NAM, dronesetc and possible homeowner/renters policy but its not a bad idea to get some ideas of whether other seasoned flyers have insurance on their baby and which service they prefer.
 
Home contents added mine to insurance inc controller, iPad and accessories to £1k. This cost £51 for the year, and was used 4 weeks later when I smashed it into a signpost.. (Muppet [emoji849]) they paid up no probs for a new replacement, and I still have the old one which is repairable [emoji106] I'd say try your home insurer on the off chance, waaaay cheaper than DJI, no sending it in, no arguing as large insurers feel the service is worth the odd insurance hit..


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Well, I can't speak for other Phantom model owners, but I have NAM coverage on my P3S. Yes, I realize that it is replaceable at a decent price, but I'd rather not deal with DJI. And the NAM coverage is accident/crash coverage and component coverage. DJI gets picky about crash coverage when not component related. So, my NAM coverage is $199 for TWO years coverage. Free shipping both ways for repairs. That shakes out to .27 cents a day.


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I have both DJI Care and a personal article policy via State Farm.

I've exercised the DJI Care once already. In fact, I'm expecting the drone back tomorrow. My experience? The front and back ends (read that mostly as "shipping crap") has been sort of cludgy. The actual repair (from when they checked it in, to when they shipped it back) was basically 24 hours, so that was great. Final score awaiting the condition of the drone when I get it tomorrow. We'll see...

State Farm - this cost me ~$80/yr. No deductible replacement of drone and accessories under any circumstances (crash, swim, lost, whatever). On the surface this seems like a great deal. We'll see how it shakes out if I need to file a claim. I'm a 30 year State Farm customer and have never had a problem. This is the first "outside the usual" (cars, houses, life) policy I've ever had.
 
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BobMcKinlay said:
I have both DJI Care and a personal article policy via State Farm.

I've exercised the DJI Care once already. In fact, I'm expecting the drone back tomorrow. My experience? The front and back ends (read that mostly as "shipping crap") has been sort of cludgy. The actual repair (from when they checked it in, to when they shipped it back) was basically 24 hours, so that was great. Final score awaiting the condition of the drone when I get it tomorrow. We'll see...

State Farm - this cost me ~$80/yr. No deductible replacement of drone and accessories under any circumstances (crash, swim, lost, whatever). On the surface this seems like a great deal. We'll see how it shakes out if I need to file a claim. I'm a 30 year State Farm customer and have never had a problem. This is the first "outside the usual" (cars, houses, life) policy I've ever had.
Click to expand...
Good luck with the bird when it returns from DJI. I thought about the home policy too, but with my company it would fall under personal property, and my deductible is too high to do much good. But thanks for the tips. [emoji41]


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With the reduced price of the drone I decided against it. I view it like this.. If I bought a car at 20K would insurance that is 1/6 the replacement cost annually be a good deal? Additionally, the technology improves pretty much yearly and I am an upgrader. So I decided against the insurance. We will see how it works out.
 
Besides, any crash is a good excuse to buy the newest version! :cool:
If you are going to fly them, you have to be willing to lose them.
They are just a tool for aerial video and photography. Don't fall in love. One day, they will leave you, when you least expect it! Have a backup mistress, just in case...;)
 
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TunjiY said:
Thanks for the feedback. Wondering why you went through DJI care instead of State Farm for this particular claim.
Click to expand...
The State Farm policy didn't go into effect until a Monday. I crashed in the Saturday before. That's just the way I do things.
 
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TunjiY said:
1. Should I get sweet Demelza an insurance policy?
Click to expand...

I went through the same thought process and eventually found that I could add it to my Home and Contents policy for only $AU36 per year.

It covers me for $20m in liabilities (in case I hit someone or something) and it also covers the cost of replacement in case of loss,theft or an accident. There is a $AU500 excess (deductible) with this policy but I could have paid a little more to reduce this further. The only stipulation is that I fly the drone in accordance with Australian CAA regulations which is more than fair.
The main reason I took out the policy was the peace of mind in having the third party liability coverage.
 
m0j0 said:
With the reduced price of the drone I decided against it. I view it like this.. If I bought a car at 20K would insurance that is 1/6 the replacement cost annually be a good deal? Additionally, the technology improves pretty much yearly and I am an upgrader. So I decided against the insurance. We will see how it works out.
Click to expand...
Thats a valid point, thanks for your input.
 
GadgetGuy said:
Besides, any crash is a good excuse to buy the newest version! :cool:
If you are going to fly them, you have to be willing to lose them.
They are just a tool for aerial video and photography. Don't fall in love. One day, they will leave you, when you least expect it! Have a backup mistress, just in case...;)
Click to expand...
Haha, my fiancee is getting slightly annoyed by all the time I'm spending on this new hobby....watching videos, flying the Symas around the house...etc Demelza might have to be my backup mistress :)
 
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