Sooooo..... Whose returning their P4?

[peterepeat69]

Doesn't mean that Chinese company won't still tell their Customer Service reps to lie to customers on the phone, telling them it against "company policy" to accept a return, if you have ever flown the aircraft, even if it is still within 7 days, and you have also discovered multiple manufacturing defects, and their written website return policy states otherwise.

Maybe another reason why they should be made in America, American customer service don't include lies.


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[movius]

It's a real shame that DJI have disappointed so many loyal clients. Opportunist competitors must be rubbing their hands in glee at what they are reading on these forums. Let's hope it spurs them on to deliver competitively priced quad and hex copters as technologically advanced and capable as the P3/P4 and at similar price points. Then life will start to get really interesting.

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[StevenQX]

I currently own 2 Phantom 3 Advanced units and I was originally pretty hyped about buying the P4 - based on the announcement. I was waiting for my bonus in June to actually make the purchase and I think I'm glad I did! There's no doubt the P4 has got some cool new features, but the big ones for me were the "increased" range and the increased flight time. The object avoidance was nice - but without a 360 degree camera gimbal, I don't get why the sensors are only on the front? To get the shot i want, most of the time I am flying the drone with a yaw >90 degrees.

On a whim, I emailed DJI and asked if they had plans to offer the new Lightbridge system with the increased range as an upgrade to to the Phantom 3 A/P and I was surprised by their response which stated that the P3 A/P and the P4 used the exact same Lightbridge system! I opened up my P3 manual and sure enough - it stated that the range was "up to 5km" just like the P4. So - I'm not sure I believe the posts here which claim that the P4 is providing longer range. Unless there's a change in the antenna type or position, it's unlikely that the P4 would provide any increase in range.

Reading the posts here about the battery life being disappointing has sealed the deal for me. I'm going to skip this upgrade and spend some money upgrading the P4A. First up will be the ITEDBS02 antenna, a headlight, some flashy LED strips, a couple extra batteries and possibly a 3D FPV system (already have the Sony 3D goggles).

Are there any other "must have" upgrades to the Phantom 3 Advanced that anyone would recommend?

For me one of the most disappointing weaknesses is the camera. In a 2k16 product that cost 1400€ i would like to see at least a 16-20 mbit sensor that is common in phones since years and not a 12mp only. 12mp were old even on p3 think about that in p4 in 2016.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Maybe another reason why they should be made in America, American customer service don't include lies.


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If only that were true...

 

[Seawolf]

It's real simple folks. The Federal Trade Commission FTC can file a lawsuit against DJI for implied breach of warranty. Their product literature and advertising indicate 3 miles, 28 minutes but it's far from that. The 28 minutes was marketed as a specific feature and improvement misleading consumers to drive sales. Because the duration is less, most will likely buy another battery for $164.

The FTC can also force them to stop selling the product in the US. However until they are legally compelled, I doubt we will see acceptance of the false advertising or a fix.

For now either accept it and the limitations or file a complaint with the FTC and support them in a lawsuit. Their are many legal precedents on this topic and in the US, unlike China, many law firms eager to take a run a deep pocket companies who rip off consumers.

 

[GadgetGuy]

It's real simple folks. The Federal Trade Commission FTC can file a lawsuit against DJI for implied breach of warranty. Their product literature and advertising indicate 3 miles, 28 minutes but it's far from that. The 28 minutes was marketed as a specific feature and improvement misleading consumers to drive sales. Because the duration is less, most will likely buy another battery for $164.

The FTC can also force them to stop selling the product in the US. However until they are legally compelled, I doubt we will see acceptance of the false advertising or a fix.

For now either accept it and the limitations or file a complaint with the FTC and support them in a lawsuit. Their are many legal precedents on this topic and in the US, unlike China, many law firms eager to take a run a deep pocket companies who rip off consumers.

You don't even need to involve the FTC. You can just sue them yourself in Small Claims Court if you want a refund, and they are refusing one, based upon false advertising and breach of warranty, or even failure to follow their own written return policy on their website. I'd try first with DJI, then try your CC or PayPal, as long as you have returned the aircraft to DJI, and sue in small claims if none of those work, and you still want a refund. Best not to buy directly from DJI in the first place. Apple, Amazon, and Best Buy, all offer 14-30 day returns on P4's. It's worth paying the sales tax to be able to exchange freely for a good unit, or get a refund, if it isn't to your liking, given all the exaggerated marketing claims! It's still a great aircraft. They just should be more honest in their marketing.

 

[Marc Hufnagel]

That's the exact same error message I got on my 3rd and final P4 flight, after a squeaky gimbal during bootups! During the error message, the recorded video flipped to a 45° angle from horizontal! Glad a replacement fixed it!

I never had the squeaky gimbal, but that video flip sounds pretty bizarre. I'm really interested to see how many of the things mentioned on this forum are addressed in the next firmware update. Hopefully some, but always a chance for a new showstopper to be added.


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[Szon3]

Clearly it's better. And doesn't DJI have the reputation of having the best customer service

 

[frankieo11]

So then why are the majority people experiencing decreased range??? Scam!

 

[westlightaerial]

Keeping mine , Im sure updates will help in the future. Sold my P3P anyway. Im thinking about doing a antenna mod to my P4 to boost range. I used a simple antenna mod today and is seemed to have more range. I attached theHDMI plate to the transmitter and updated the firmware. maybe that helped. Used a second monitor and hope to use it more often.

 

[StevenQX]

I don't want to talk bad about p4 but seems that DJI has sold a lot of lemon everywhere...

DJI Forum|Gimbal not level after calibration. Return P4 or wait for new FW?


DJI Forum|Video Compression/Noise Reduction Artifacts and camera issues in P4

Seems a cost saving piece of technology.

 

[GadgetGuy]

View attachment 48972Clearly it's better. And doesn't DJI have the reputation of having the best customer service

The P3P now has the same advertised range of 5 km, but actually delivers on it. Reversing those range numbers would be reality. The P4 is not 5 minutes longer than the P3P, and, no, DJI most definitely does not have the best customer service, nor the reputation of having it. Quite the contrary.

 

[Kman]

Sold my P3P today. Looks like I'm keeping the P4.

 

[ScopeTech]

Maybe another reason why they should be made in America, American customer service don't include lies.


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Lol @ that.

 

[Tenly]

@Szon3 Your chart is not accurate. The range of the P3 is advertised to be the same as the P4.

And the issue is not whether the P4 is better than the P3 or not - it's whether the P4 functions as it is advertised. The fact that the P4 ships with a bigger battery doesn't not make it better in any way either. It's misleading to include that in your chart. 28 min battery life is a wonderful claim - but most of the posts from P4 owners are claiming MUCH less flight time. As a P3 owner, I can report that I've regularly seen my battery last for 21-22 minutes.

So what are the other features that make the P4 "better"?

Obstacle Avoidance? I've seen videos of the P4 crashing into obstacles that should have been avoided - and if you're flying sideways or backwards to get the video shot you need - the obstacle avoidance is useless because the sensors are only on the front...

"Targeted Follow"? Until the Phantom somehow incorporates "leader altitude" - follow mode is too dangerous to use in most situations. Better results can be had using a P3 with Autopilot and a smartphone as an altitude-aware beacon for the leader to carry.

So - whether the P4 is "better" than the P3 is certainly debatable - but more importantly, the P4 doesn't seem to be living up to the DJI claims. Even if the P4 were given the edge and declared to be "better" slightly....is the price difference commensurate with the improvements? I sure don't think so.

 

[eyecon82]

I ended up returning mine. Got less than half the range than my P3. P4 may do well in optimal conditions, but the p3 does better in non-optimal conditions.

also, obstacle avoidance isn't all that it is cracked out to be. I would have been able to run mine right into a street sign if i would have let it. Also, it failed the branch test as well .

I think I'll just wait for p5 when they have more sensors, because some of the best shots are going side ways and backwards and you don't have to worry about props in the way

 

[Tenly]

Exactly! If they had upgraded the gimbal to a 360degree model - then sensors on the front would be sufficient for obstacle avoidance - but since the camera can't spin around on its own, we have to yaw the whole drone and fly sideways or backwards - and without sensors on the sides or back you've got no protection from running into obstacles.

It seems like such an obvious problem and equally obvious solution. More sensors or a 360degree gimbal. I honestly don't get how/why DJI could have released it this way....

 

[WWK888]

They would also have to add retractable landing gear.


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[PhantomJP]

Despite DJI screwing me over many years ago with the Zenmuse H3, and then again screwing me over with the Phantom Vision due to poor craftsmanship. I have always been a loyal DJI customer, simply because they are the only company out with decent quadcopters that work "if you get lucky and get a good one"
And that is a BIG issue, you take a real gamble when you buy DJI products because often times you may get one that does not work properly. They also do much false advertising to increase sales and make people excited for their products.
Such was the case when the P3 was released, it clearly stated on their website that waypoints, follow me and point of interest was included and the site did a good job making it look like the P3 could do that all right out of the box. That was one reason why I bought the P3 Pro due to waypoints which I really wanted. It also showed that Apple devices such as the iPad would work, had pictures of the iPad being used on it all over the site. But at the time, Apple was not working and ONLY Android could be used until Apple accepted their Go App.
It was all BS and eventually they changed the website and stated it was not included and that Apple devices would not work. It was a bunch of false advertising and many were pissed off. I know I was, and contacted DJI for a refund which they denied me of. Luckily, later Apple products worked finally and a firmware update added waypoints, follow me and point of interest though DJI screwed up the Waypoints by making you freaking fly first and record, and then being able to set waypoints.. POINTLESS

I will say this, DJI is a Chinese company and they TRULY do not care about customers one bit. In the past they would send free products to people who complained about them to much or made threats to file lawsuits to shut them up. All those mods on the RC forums that help with DJI products only do it because they get free DJI products. Make a bad post about DJI and they will be all over you, even though they know **** well many of those products they get fail and have issues. They will never admit it and if many post they have issues they will claim they never have.

DJI with the Phantom 4 is no different, a bunch of false advertising and hype for a product that is not much different than the Phantom 3. The so called obsticle avoidance is pointless when it only faces forward, and the improved lens? Ha... An excuse to cover up the fact the P4 camera is the exact same as the P3 Pro.
Many of my friends sold their P3's for the P4 and we decided to compare to see which was better. P4 videos looked exactly the same as the P3, photos looked no different. I saw no so called lens improvement!
So my friends said the P4 could fly farther, we drove to a large open area and tested that. My friends P4 flew a mile and had video issues, at 2 miles he lost video signal. My P3 had strong signal and kept going with no issues.
I then changed batteries and loaded up Litchi and flew it 6 miles out with NO issues at all.
Needless to say my friends were not happy.

I was expecting the P4 to have a much better improved camera with 360 rotation, obsticle avoidance all around and Lightbridge 2. I mean, it would have made sense right?! But no of course not, DJI is a money hungry company so a few small improvements to make a few say WoW and a high price.

I am keeping my P3 Pro and say BAH to the P4

$799 for a Phantom 3 Pro now & $1,399 for the Phantom 4
when the P4 is like the P3 Standard "a poor lower product"

Clearly the Phantom 3 Pro is the BEST buy

 

[Merko]

Hello guys.

So I currently don't have any experience with the Phantom-line. My Previouse drone was a DJI Inspire.

Thinking on buying this Phantom 4, but can't make up my mind. The DJI's introduction video looks really promising, but not this thread