Ian, I agree with almost everything you said. I'm here to learn and share experiences and not to censor, which I believe I never did and hope will never do. But IMHO at the heart of the matter - not only about battery but almost every other P3 problem - lies a question of PERSPECTIVE.
Since I got here last yr I noticed a lot of frustration about this and that, batteries and cracks and calibrations. And at times it all make it seem that DJI is fooling customers in many deliberated ways. Well they're a big corp and all but that's a wrong idea IMHO. Also IMHO this perception should be actively countered, or balanced, and not for DJI's sake (put DJI or any other maker here and it's exactly the same) but for our own - as customers and pilots. Yes, bringing problems to attention is a positive, valid and productive action. Spreading the myth and just bash or insist on the negatives is not.
Pilots new to quads and RC hobby in general tend to have high expectations about the P3. They expect it to fly very high, for very long times, reach long distances, at high speeds, and do it repeatedly or forever without any hiccups. Well, I'm sorry to say that but it just won't. Not the P3, not any other RC AC. Not for the time being at least. And please do not fight the messenger. I admit that DJI's hype and marketing is responsible for setting the expectation that high. But DJI is DJI and we're hobbyists and pilots.
And as a forum participant I feel it's my duty to contribute positively and propose in a positive way that we should "calibrate" our expectations - just as we do with out P3's systems. I try to do that by sharing my view as long time hobbyist, as limited as it is. DJI's drones aren't the best out there. For almost any specific purpose (filming, payload, stunt, race, etc.) there are quite a few better options in the market. But the best filming/high payload quads cost well over $30K, and a good, 250 class ready-to-race rig will set you back about the price of a P3 or more. But as
@IBeSnoopy said above, and I agree, the P3 is far from perfect but it's the closest to the "promise": a serious, reliable, capable, easy to fly, relatively safe and cheap drone with a camera. That means compromises, we must keep that in mind.
Of course I don't expect non-hobbyists P3 pilots to share a hobbyist's perspective on quads and the whole RC thing. A pilot need to walk that path to really grasp it. But I believe that putting the P3 issues in a wider context throughout these debates may help new (and not so much) pilots to better understand the hobby of flying ACs, what's involved and where the P3 and its characteristics fit. Maybe that also helps lower a bit the anxiety and better deal with frustrations.
Just my opinion, and thanks for keeping PP a nice place.