Background information
I'm learning to fly - with the DJI Mavic Air 2
by David Lee
Drone, crash and mails: disaster follows disaster
26.6.2019
Translation: machine translated
Oliver N. sank his drone in the Mediterranean. And found it again. A gauntlet then follows - for the drone owner and for digitec customer service.
Oliver N. is angry. Holidays on Rhodes promise sun, beach, fun and relaxation. But things turn out differently. Oliver's holiday is followed by frustration, international contractual relationships and bureaucratic nonsense. And all because of a drone.
Through no fault of his own, Oliver's DJI Mavic Pro RC spectacularly crashed into a surf sail and sank in the Mediterranean. He found the drone again, but that didn't help him. After the dip in the sea, the drone is worth nothing more than scrap metal.
Oliver suspects that the drone has a software error.
The beginning of the end
Flashback: On a sunny day at the end of September 2018, Oliver and his friends are out at sea on their windsurfing boards. Also with them: Oliver's DJI Mavic Pro. The group films their surf trip from the air.
After just under eight minutes of video recording, the nightmare of every drone owner happens: the drone crashes. Into the sea. Because it has flown into an object. In Oliver's case, the object that was in the drone's way was his colleague's surf sail.
Before the collision, the Mavic first flies in GPS mode at an altitude of 8.7 metres, according to the flight protocol. It is later switched to sport mode so that it can keep up with the fastest surfers. The drone then flies at an altitude of 6.3 metres. The mast of the surf rig is 4.5 metres high.
In purely mathematical terms, a collision is not even possible.
Despite this, the video shows how the drone suddenly speeds up, loses altitude and then crashes into the top of the sail at around 4.3 metres. This indicates either a software error or a faulty function in the altitude sensor.
The team leaves the drone at the bottom of the Mediterranean in consternation and heads back to the hotel.
Giving up is not an option
The next day, the group sets off in search of the drone. Because leaving the drone to rot on the seabed is not an option.
With the last GPS data transmitted, Oliver can determine the approximate position of the drone using the DJI Go app. Smartphone packed in a plastic bag, coordinates stored in Google Maps, stand-up paddling boards inflated: Oliver and co. set off to retrieve the Mavic. Head into the water. Hold your breath. With one dive, they actually find the lost drone at a depth of six metres. Oliver and his friends didn't even have to look very hard. The drone was right underneath them.
Fifteen hours after the crash in the sea, Oliver holds his drone in his hands again. A happy ending? No, because the bath has taken its toll on the electronics. All the moving parts on the drone are blocked. The sensors and the housing have been eroded by the salt water and the acid from the leaking battery.
Oliver soaks the drone in 2.5 kilos of rice and hangs it on a tree in the sun for two days to get the moisture out of the drone. Then he tries to fly the drone again.
And lo and behold, the connection with the remote control and the DJI Go app is re-established and the Mavic reports back. The drone can be controlled and even flies a few metres back and forth. However, it flies blindly and is accompanied by "serious sensor errors". But the salt continues to eat through the electronics. A few days later, the Mavic gave up the ghost.
But things get even worse.
The service gauntlet begins
Oliver calls digitec customer service. They refer him to the manufacturer of the drone. At this point: Sorry Oliver! So Oliver turns to DJI. Their support people are based in Holland. He exchanges sixteen emails with the manufacturer.
Oliver sends DJI all the flight logs, log files and the error description of the drone showing what happened. DJI first states that it will open a case with Oliver's drone and search for the exact cause of the error in its service centre.
At the last minute, however, DJI refuses to investigate. The reason: an apparent lack of contractual relationship between the intermediary and Digitec Galaxus AG. Digitec purchased Oliver's drone from a French dealer. It is not clear why the manufacturer is no longer responsible for its own goods because of an intermediary. DJI informs Oliver that the drone is a total loss and that it is no longer worth repairing. Thank you. For nothing.
Since the manufacturer doesn't feel responsible for its own products,
Oliver turns to digitec customer service.
Do you want to go to DJI again?
Oliver describes the course of his drone crash to digitec customer service by email. As digitec does not have its own service centre, the customer service team has no choice but to pass the case back to DJI. The customer service employees ask Oliver to bring the crashed drone and all its accessories to a digitec store.
The digitec returns team then sends it to the DJI service centre in Holland. Estimated duration of this process: six to eight weeks. Although it is clear from the outset that the drone can no longer be repaired. Nevertheless, bureaucracy must prevail and normal-thinking people have to start thinking about something.
Oliver is all the more surprised when he receives an email from digitec customer service. In the email, Oliver finds a quote for the repair of his drone. DJI is asking for 692.30 francs. Wasn't it just a total loss? DJI rejects the warranty again. In the email, the service centre also provides a new reason: water damage. Why is nobody surprised?
Oliver is angry. And rightly so. He writes another email to digitec customer service.
Digitec pulls the cart out of the mud
After countless emails from Oliver, digitec customer service realises that things can't go on like this. The matter was passed on to the highest level of digitec customer service. The employees there, Sandro Gamper, are aware that DJI's service centre and support are not particularly cooperative.
Oliver, Sandro and DJI are fed up. The whole drone story has now lasted three months - and it's hard to beat the bureaucratic nonsense. To prevent Oliver from losing his last nerve, a solution has to be found. After a thorough examination of his case, Sandro makes Oliver a goodwill offer: Digitec will pay half towards a replacement drone for Oliver.
However, Oliver is not entirely happy with this. Because he is fond of the Mavic 2. He makes digitec customer service a counter-offer. And our customer service agrees: He gets the new drone with a 399 francs discount, plus he lets digitec take over the remote control of the crashed Mavic Pro. If you buy a used remote control in the digitec shop these days, you may well get Oliver's remote control. Without water damage, of course.
Testing devices and gadgets is my thing. Some experiments lead to interesting insights, others to demolished phones. I’m hooked on series and can’t imagine life without Netflix. In summer, you’ll find me soaking up the sun by the lake or at a music festival.
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