Can you trust the dealers and DJI-buyer beware

[hancop]

Was going to purchase one of these phantoms but with all the negative comments about the product, the dealers and DJI have decided that it is not worth it until these things make there way into stores like best buy, costco, future shop or reputable hobby stores where you can be assured that if you have issues the stores will take care of you. These stores will also only back products that they feel are reputable. I just don't have any confidence in buying from online e-stores as there is no recourse if you have issues, and have read about too many horror stories with these things. If would be nice to hear from people that did find reputable dealers or DJI that supported them when they had an issue as I can't seem to find any.

Cheers

 

[AllanVB]

Was going to purchase one of these phantoms but with all the negative comments about the product, the dealers and DJI have decided that it is not worth it until these things make there way into stores like best buy, costco, future shop or reputable hobby stores where you can be assured that if you have issues the stores will take care of you. These stores will also only back products that they feel are reputable. I just don't have any confidence in buying from online e-stores as there is no recourse if you have issues, and have read about too many horror stories with these things. If would be nice to hear from people that did find reputable dealers or DJI that supported them when they had an issue as I can't seem to find any.

Cheers

I had a bad one and B&H Photo replaced it .... Good company!

 

[OI Photography]

There's numerous reports in this forum (and others) of those who've had great service and support from dealers such as B&H Photo, Aerial Media Pros, IntelligentUAS, Atlanta Hobby, and others. Dronefly seems to have a spotty history, but there's plenty of other safe options that will not leave you out in the cold after the sale.

DJI's sales and support structure is set up to all be handled by the dealers, so your experience will be as good as the dealer you choose...and this is not something I would ever want to buy from some bigbox chain, online or otherwise.

 

[hancop]

This is encouraging as I was hoping to get some response in relation to good dealers. I would love to purchase this from Costco though, as they will take anything back if you are not satisfied

 

[TX281]

This is encouraging as I was hoping to get some response in relation to good dealers. I would love to purchase this from Costco though, as they will take anything back if you are not satisfied

Buy through Amazon. You have 30 days to return it for any reason whatsoever.

 

[ladykate]

Based on the feedback here for B&H, I'm calling them tomorrow for a P2 kit. I doubt I will have a problem but if I do, it seems they respond well.

BTW: Costco doesn't sell things like this - if you want a great computer or gun or automobile or... or quad... you probably have to look elsewhere. Smaller, specialty, dealers are good, too. Just have to look for the feedback and buy with care.

 

[syotr]

This is encouraging as I was hoping to get some response in relation to good dealers. I would love to purchase this from Costco though, as they will take anything back if you are not satisfied

Buy through Amazon. You have 30 days to return it for any reason whatsoever.

How can you return it if it flies away?

 

[rafin2000]

I think you are right. They are improving their product but no doubt, there are a lot of things to improve. I know they sell a nice product and with a reasonable price. It is a matter of choice: If you want to have it, you have to buy it. And it is true, there is a lot of customers complaints.
In my case I performed the camera firmware updating to V 1.1.9. from the DJI´s web page and that caused to a permanent error in the camera, and a Phantom without a camera is an expensive toy. I am figuring out how to solve the problem.

 

[Ksc]

I would say you need to be extremely careful when buying from a dealer. Due to the nature of the product, post sale customer service is extremely important. You will find that many dealers will say "we are the largest DJI dealer in the country" and are quite often lying. They may sell what they think is a large amount, but it is impossible for multiple companies to claim the top spot when only one really can. I have a feeling that the previous DJI team (colin's group) helped to build up the dealers heads by telling them they were number one to get them to purchase/sell more product. Its quite common to do that.

You should also be very careful of places who claim to be "authorized DJI repair facilities and dealers." I've read multiple people claim they are sending their phantom to an authorized repair facility/dealer but that dealer isn't even listed on DJI's own dealer list (one example is UAVdirect.com who claims to be an authorized repair center but is no where on the DJI site).

The best bet when picking a dealer is to use the DJI site to see who is actually listed as a dealer. From there look for a name you know and buy from them. 9 out of 10 times this is going to be B&H and I think 100 out of 100 times you will find that people who have purchased from B&H will say the same thing; "great company". You need to remember that in todays day and age, anyone can buy a macbook and use their easy breezy software to have a full blown UAV/DRONE website up and running in a matter of minutes. All the images you see on these website are the same images that everyone uses so all you need to do is copy and paste and you've become a "DJI Dealer". A company that ONLY sells Phantoms or DJI products is not always the best choice (drone fly, drones etc, and uavproducts). A company that sells a variety of stuff is a better choice (B&H, Atlanta).

One thing that is for sure is that both DSLRpros and Aerial Media Pros charge you an arm and a leg for their kits. They do offer turn key solutions but you will pay out the *** for them. Most of these $2500 packages are $500 over prices. Especially with the new Phantom 2 where almost everything is plug and play (or items can be purchased to make it plug and play), it is silly to pay someone $500 for something you can do while half asleep.