DJI Mavic Mini Combo - Drone - Gray

I purchased this drone after having considered my options carefully. The selling point was in fact the prime day selling price and the renowned quality of the drone. I never read any horrific reviews of DJI's customer service, otherwise I would have addressed my concerns directly with Amazon instead of DJI. As my fate would have it, I received a unit that was defective. Rather than packing it and sending it back to Amazon, I thought I would contact DJI, and how I have come to regret that decision. First, if you are going to buy a DJI drone, be prepared to unbox and move to testing and flying immediately upon receiving. I waited a few days, because life happens and this created extra undue stress. For what it's worth DJI's policy on defective goods is limited to the first 14 upon your receipt of the goods - and that includes weekends. When I finally got around to charging the batteries and controller, and to flying, I started to experience calibration problems. After futzing around for 2 days, I contacted DJI and asked for assistance. Because I was right at the cusp of my 14 day window, I was successful at returning it for an exchange - all be it after proving I did everything in my power to get it working. This included downloading a file from the DJI website and manually installing any updates on the drone and remote controller. I should have stopped then, and simply returned it to Amazon. But why not give DJI the opportunity. Fast forward the hoops to get it shipped, replaced and returned I lost about 20 days of the 1yr plan of the DJI Refresh program that I had purchased before opening the first drone and even activating it. When I asked their customer service how to 1) adjust the duration of the refresh package considering the time lost and 2) understand how to move the coverage from the old to the new, I started to once again understand that I should have just disputed the charge with my CC and have started with a fresh plan when the replacement arrived. The first set of reps were clueless in knowing how to proceed, and the second set couldn't understand why I'd want to adjust the dates. Finally the third set of reps asked that I provide them all sorts of information that they could have easily picked from the trail of emails, let alone the case number of the replacement unit I had to request. As if that wasn't enough they then asked that I provide a video of the drone because 48 hours had now lapsed, when this could have happened instantly from the moment the new drone was shipped, or when I activated the replacement drone. In fact, it could have happened when I immediately contacted them within the first 24 hours of having opened the replacement drone and activating on their application. For what it's worth you can fly a drone unless you have activated it ... So to me it was a no brainer to connect the two events - which have a set of common denominators - like my email address, name and physical address. I understand that DJI is probably tired of people trying to scam them, but it's ironic how I am now feeling that I have gotten shafted by DJI and their disqualified customer service representatives. Perhaps these hoops are in place to skim a little off the top and reduce their risk exposure by about a month, however, it's wrong. Most of it all it shouldn't be a herculean effort to get it corrected. All that being said, do I have much to say about the drone - not as of yet; however, as far as their customer service goes, it is certainly lacking. I can't image there is one good and imaginable reason for such disregard and lack of consideration. This experience is evidence of the fact that DJI has a long way to go when it comes with providing exceptional customer support to a product that has been well received in the marketplace. Or perhaps it should tell you the consumer to beware because they are resting on their laurels and should you need them you're likely to face a steep uphill swim in an increasingly multi-cultural and diverse planet we live in. Not everyone or every company treats their customers with the upmost consideration. Last, buyer beware of your home's location relative to any restricted fly zones. In my case, I happen to be in a restricted fly zone that required I obtain special approval to be able to fly my drone. Although the special approval did not require a DNA sample, the DJI website lacks a precise explanation of what is really required and how to proceed. Unfortunately, I had to rely on a few YouTubers to fully understand that I needed a third party application that would be needed to connect the DJI application to the third party authorizing entities. Yes, the authorization is managed outside of the DJI ecosystem, but having to find the right third-party app, suddenly becomes an additional hurdle that you are not expecting from the moment you set out to purchase your drone. Yes, you need a (1) third party app to connected to an (2) independent authorizing entity (in my case the FAA) so that (3) my controller tethered to the DJI fly app can receive permission to unlock my geofencing and allow me to fly in a (limited /blue colored) restricted zone. Wow, I think I am finally leaving the twilight zone.