I can't figure out who's got the problem, pilots or DJI

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I'm new to the Phantom forum but have been lurking for a while, mine will arrive Monday. Anyway, I have read of failure of this and failure of that but at the same time I have seen many posts that praise the Phantom and no issues at all, even after the dreaded firmware updates. My question is, I almost have to believe that most failures are due to something done wrong, downloaded or installed wrong or something not calibrated properly. I can't believe that DJI's quality control is so bad that 2 or 3 out of ten or more Phantoms come off the line bad. If they were handmade, maybe, but from an assembly line, just hard to fathom. Do you think that most failures are pilot error and not DJI failures? I would feel better knowing that if I do everything by the book, I will have no issues. There is a lot to calibrate and get right before taking off and if it's done correctly, all problems should take care of themselves. Am I being naïve or are there quality issues at DJI?
 
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There are very few complaints when you compare them to the number of Phantoms sold. Keep in mind that most people who have no problems are not posting about their good experiences.
 
That's exactly what I'm saying, the few complaints, could they be avoided by setting up everything properly and not just opening the box and sticking the battery in and let's go? Or is there a real problem at DJI that needs to be addressed?
 
There are very few complaints when you compare them to the number of Phantoms sold. Keep in mind that most people who have no problems are not posting about their good experiences.

I am posting good experience. This thing really works P3P and outperforms whatever it says in advertising. You can insert batteries and fly right from the box, that I have tried with NO experience at all. Only 3 hours on simulator. It is amazing. I have returned all my investments in P3P after 5 full days of flying (totally 88 flight filming industrial video). Easy if you want it and believe in yourself.
 
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could they be avoided by setting up everything properly and not just opening the box and sticking the battery in and let's go
The P3 is a complex machine. Regardless of what DJI advertises, it's not something people can just unpack and start flying. So, there are certainly many issues that could be avoided. You cannot fix people though :)

There are also legitimate problems that arise and DJI is constantly working to improve their products. With the large number of people out flying Phantoms though, it would be impossible to foresee and/or test for every scenario.
 
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I'm on my third Phantom, Vision, Vision Plus, and P3 with no problems at all. I'm careful with them, read this forum every day, and try not to push it too far beyond my skill level, learning one step at a time. As with any product I'm sure there are some bad ones but I believe the majority of the problems reported are due to the pilots.
 
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it is good to remember that this is still a new tech item and there will be some problems. Batteries can fail, motors can fail, and solder connections can break. Keep this in mind when you are out flying and fly in a safe manner. Don't fly over people, especially crowds.
I have hundreds and flights without any incident, but one flight where the battery failed in midflight and it fell like a rock. Keep in mind that it can happen.
Enjoy your flights, but be prepared.
 
Phantoms are complicated pieces of equipment, but the vast, vast majority are absolutely fine.

For me, it's a bit like Photoshop. Bloody good tool, and very powerful, but only if you study up first and take baby steps along the learning journey. Some folks making a lot on noise on here can't accept that they need to educate themselves too; they expect to be able to blast around the skies in full control from day one, right out of the box - just because DJI says 'Ready to Fly' in their advertising. They ARE ready to fly - it's just that some pilots AREN'T.

I don't go on photography forums calling Adobe a load of crap because I can't produce professional quality photographs from day one.

But that's just my opinion.

Oh, and my first Phantom (almost two years ago now) was as frustrating as hell - exactly because I didn't learn and take small steps along the way.
 
An educated and careful pilot is a successful pilot. You can't come right out of the box thinking you have it mastered. These are amazing works of engineering and can do some incredible things, but they cannot protect people from themselves. If you get cocky or complacent it will bite.

As with anything the ratio of complaining:happy customers is skewed. Unhappy people will take to the 'net and voice their frustrations. People enjoying their device are generally quiet.
 
Well that's kind of what I thought, there are too many good reports to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. I plan to read and watch videos and learn from all of you BEFORE I take to the skies. It seems like most issues can be avoided by proper preparation and knowledge. We will see soon!
 
I've said it before and it's in my signature line.

The box may say it's Ready To Fly, but few pilots are.

I did extensive reading and video watching before my P2V+ V3 got in my hands. I had it in my possession for four days before I made the first flight. I made up my own little pre-flight and post-flight checklists. Wrote down the compass calibration steps and followed them to the letter. So far, my 16 or so flights have been nothing but enjoyable and successful.

Preparation and education is the key to these things. It may come with a "Quick Start Up" guide, but I never even looked at that.
 
I'm new to the Phantom forum but have been lurking for a while, mine will arrive Monday. Anyway, I have read of failure of this and failure of that but at the same time I have seen many posts that praise the Phantom and no issues at all, even after the dreaded firmware updates. My question is, I almost have to believe that most failures are due to something done wrong, downloaded or installed wrong or something not calibrated properly. I can't believe that DJI's quality control is so bad that 2 or 3 out of ten or more Phantoms come off the line bad. If they were handmade, maybe, but from an assembly line, just hard to fathom. Do you think that most failures are pilot error and not DJI failures? I would feel better knowing that if I do everything by the book, I will have no issues. There is a lot to calibrate and get right before taking off and if it's done correctly, all problems should take care of themselves. Am I being naïve or are there quality issues at DJI?
Why wouldn't you believe that DJI wouldn't have 20% of their products faulty? Do you have that much trust/faith in a foreign company you haven't dealt with before? When someone follows the recommendations and instructions of the manufacturer, then ends up with a $1300 paper weight, its very disconcerting. DJI is a Chinese company. They don't have to play by US standards. It's buyer beware or buy at your own risk. If they already sold millions of these things, they could close their doors tomorrow with our money in their bank. I sent my P3P back to DJI for warranty repairs. Mine doesn't work. In America the customer is always right, lol. In China, don't know. Maybe dog eat dog?
 
Why wouldn't you believe that DJI wouldn't have 20% of their products faulty? Do you have that much trust/faith in a foreign company you haven't dealt with before? When someone follows the recommendations and instructions of the manufacturer, then ends up with a $1300 paper weight, its very disconcerting. DJI is a Chinese company. They don't have to play by US standards. It's buyer beware or buy at your own risk. If they already sold millions of these things, they could close their doors tomorrow with our money in their bank. I sent my P3P back to DJI for warranty repairs. Mine doesn't work. In America the customer is always right, lol. In China, don't know. Maybe dog eat dog?
Again, I'm very sorry that you have had problems with your Phantom. It appears you've sent it in for repair.......... hopefully they will get it fixed up for you. However, forum rules prohibit continued bashing of the company........................

Manufacturer/Distributor/Vendor and Customer Disputes

This forum is not intended to be a mechanism for people to vent frustrations about manufacturers, distributors or sales from private parties. Please settle your differences with the seller, manufacturer and distributors through other means but not through our community...........

http://www.phantompilots.com/pages/communityguidelines/

I don't bring this up to be a ****, but you're getting very close to complaining about them in every thread you post to now. I'm sure it's very frustrating to be without your bird, but bitching about DJI in every post isn't going to make anything better. And the 20% number is ridiculous. A company would be out of business with that percentage of duds.
 
It's simply not reasonable to say a company may have a 20% defect off the shelf, a company would not last 3 months in that case. It would be reasonable to try to get more information on failures against known sales.

This forum in no way shows any of this information, it does reflect the fun and use of the product and in a small way fosters a friendship within the community, very small :)
 
Having flown these things for 18 months now, I can say that their biggest issue is they're too easy to use. Many many people fly it right out of the box without ever reading a thing. And while they're easy, they're not that easy.

Knowledge is the number one way to prevent issues. The machines are not perfect but if you spend the time to learn it, odds are you won't have any big problems.
 
Why is that? Is there not freedom of speech in this country. Telling the truth is not construed as bashing. Do you work for DJI? Is this forum sponsored by or sanctioned by DJI? How dare you suggest I'm bashing a company. By the way. Put something on your profile that identifies you.
This isn't about freedom of speech. You're on a private Internet forum. Their forum, their rules. You agreed to them when you signed up. How dare I? All one has to do is read any of your latest posts to decide for themselves. No, I don't work for DJI. That would be pretty sweet, though. What is it you want identified about me? I'm from Oklahoma, retired and 60 years old.
 
For the the P3P are amazing and very relaible... But you must to pay attention to the critical points like battery, for example in order to avoid a problem with it. Go ahead! You will be very happy with it!
 
Why is that? Is there not freedom of speech in this country. Telling the truth is not construed as bashing. Do you work for DJI? Is this forum sponsored by or sanctioned by DJI? How dare you suggest I'm bashing a company. By the way. Put something on your profile that identifies you.

No. It's not sanctioned by DJI. Criticism is as equally welcome if it suits a purpose. In contrast, xenophobic rants that have no basis in reality are not welcome. As well, misleading a new poster with unsubstantiated / made up information is also not welcome.

That you have a $1,300 paperweight and you cannot find a constructive path to getting it resolved says more about you than it does about DJI.
 
Do you think that most failures are pilot error and not DJI failures?

I think most are pilot error. There is a lot of stuff to know before one can operate the P3 properly, and most folks are too impatient to learn even the minimum to safely fly the Phantom.

Welcome to the party greenskeeper. Fly over the fairways, less stuff to run into. :D
 

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