What does Apple do with faulty returned items?

[slimpaul]

Hey,

My DJI Phantom 4 recently crashed into a steel structure at 52m(200 feet) during the RTH procedure. DJI refused to fix it under warranty and quoted me €230 for replacing the case, 3 motors and the gimbal.
Luckily Apple has agreed to exchange my broken drone for a new unit

Makes me wonder though, what will they do with my inoperable unit? Will they use the working controller, battery and charger as spares?

Thanks guys

 

[DeltaMac]

Hmm...
How can you interpret "crashing your drone into a steel structure" as a warranty issue?
But, the Apple store would simply return the "faulty (it is now, eh? ) item to the manufacturer (more likely just to the supplier).
What that supplier does is up to them...

 

[RadioGaGa1984]

And people wonder why applecare and extended warranties go up and up and service goes down and down.

 

[DeltaMac]

And people wonder why applecare and extended warranties go up and up and service goes down and down.

I also wonder how your response is related to this thread?

 

[RadioGaGa1984]

I also wonder how your response is related to this thread?

If you can't figure it out there is no point in explaining it to you.

 

[rgarjr]

expensive toy

 

[DeltaMac]

If you can't figure it out there is no point in explaining it to you.

...true enough. I can figure it out, but you apparently missed that this thread was not about Apple's warranty or service record.
There's no connection at all with an Apple store randomly replacing a third-party product.
It is not related in any way with AppleCare cost, or Apple's service rate, but customer relations.


That Apple store obviously replaced a third-party product that was damaged in a way that the manufacturer would not cover, I would call that a good faith kind of customer service. The drone could have been sold anywhere, but the OP bought it at an Apple Store, which showed a good response to help out the customer, when they didn't have to.
That would then be IMHO a positive result, both for the OP, and for Apple.

That is, perhaps, an element of service that some folks may not understand.

And, yes, an expensive toy.

 

[slimpaul]

Hmm...
How can you interpret "crashing your drone into a steel structure" as a warranty issue?
But, the Apple store would simply return the "faulty (it is now, eh? ) item to the manufacturer (more likely just to the supplier).
What that supplier does is up to them...

Well, like I mentioned the drone crashed into the structure while returning home, after it lost signal (at a distance of just 400m/1312 feet! Talk about advertised range... obviously the 3 miles stated are in perfect conditions, but come on, 1/12 of the advertised range??).

Unfortunately I had no control over the aircraft since the video feed didn't appear on the screen until it was too late. Basically I just saw the structure, heard a beep and that was it. Obviously the obstacle avoidance system failed. Oddly enough it also appears that the drone began its return at 52m when I had my minimum return altitude set to 60m.
And it took me 6 days to recover the thing

I think DJI is a great company and they're really pushing the innovation, but their customer service just SUCKS!
So if you ever find yourself in my situation I highly recommend getting in touch with Apple first before sending off your drone to DJI.

 

[masotime]

Talk about advertised range... obviously the 3 miles stated are in perfect conditions, but come on, 1/12 of the advertised range??).

This is not obvious knowledge - you should mention this in your first post, it would make people understand why you are claiming a warranty issue under these circumstances.

 

[aristobrat]

Luckily Apple has agreed to exchange my broken drone for a new unit

Makes me wonder though, what will they do with my inoperable unit? Will they use the working controller, battery and charger as spares?

I bet Apple will return everything you gave them back to DJI. I don't think they'd have any interest in keeping components, they don't normally handle anything warranty-related for third-party stuff (to that level).

 

[ericwn]

I'm curious - did Apple accept a return because you were in the 14 day exchange window? I hope the next drone works better!

 

[iApplereviews]

Hmm...
How can you interpret "crashing your drone into a steel structure" as a warranty issue?
But, the Apple store would simply return the "faulty (it is now, eh? ) item to the manufacturer (more likely just to the supplier).
What that supplier does is up to them...

Because it is supposed to avoid obstacles and when in return to home its flying itself

 

[DJI Support]

Well, like I mentioned the drone crashed into the structure while returning home, after it lost signal (at a distance of just 400m/1312 feet! Talk about advertised range... obviously the 3 miles stated are in perfect conditions, but come on, 1/12 of the advertised range??).

Unfortunately I had no control over the aircraft since the video feed didn't appear on the screen until it was too late. Basically I just saw the structure, heard a beep and that was it. Obviously the obstacle avoidance system failed. Oddly enough it also appears that the drone began its return at 52m when I had my minimum return altitude set to 60m.
And it took me 6 days to recover the thing

I think DJI is a great company and they're really pushing the innovation, but their customer service just SUCKS!
So if you ever find yourself in my situation I highly recommend getting in touch with Apple first before sending off your drone to DJI.

I'm sorry for your experience with DJI! Did you solve this issue already? To get the best range you have to make sure that your antennas are parallel with the drone's landing gear. Also the environment gives a huge influence to your flight distance and signal quality.
We keep working on improvements of our customer service to bring the best experience to our users. Customer's satisfaction is important for us! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us:
UNITED STATES

+1 (818) 235 0789

Mon-Fri 9:00AM - 5:00PM (PST)

Thank you!