Full Guide for DJI Customer Service

2019-04-25

Drone enthusiasts know just how fun it is to fly a UAV and how incredibly helpful they can be in certain real-life situations. That being said, it’s worth mentioning that there is a lot more to operating a drone than just flying it. You’ll want to prepare for a number of issues that may occur along the way. You’ll also want to figure out how to overcome or make the best of situations that are less than ideal.

The good news is, you don’t have to go searching far and wide for answers. We have rounded up some of the most common drone problems as well as suggestions on exactly how to overcome them. You will also get to learn how DJI’s customer service can help out in situations where there are no other alternatives.

Let’s get started!

Scenario 1

Crashes and collisions

Unfortunately, a crash is one of the risks of flying a drone. With that in mind, it’s best to be prepared to take the necessary steps if it happens to you.

– What can you do?

The big question is, what can you do when it happens?

First and foremost, you should retrieve your drone and check it thoroughly for damage.

Retrieve your drone

Since FAA regulations require keeping line of sight of your drone, you should be able to track where it went down and head after it.

2. Check for damage

Remove the battery and propellers;
Check if the gimbal is secure and intact;
Check the camera for cracks;
Check the battery for dents or swelling;
Hover and carry out some basic maneuvers see if everything’s fine.

Essentially, you’ll need to check for both internal or external damage (in most cases, you may only have to deal with a broken propeller). You can check these tips for preventing drone crashes and learn more about what you can do after a crash.

3. Search for repair centers

Sometimes your drone may end up with more serious damage or internal problems. If this ends up happening, search online for the nearest trusted repair center. You can visit the official website of DJI Service Centers. Just be careful; DJI will not take responsibility for products that are repaired or fixed at unauthorized repair centers.

– How exactly can DJI Support help?

If none of the above measures work, then you may contact DJI Support and take the below steps:

Take note of any visible damage and use it as a reference when contacting DJI Support;
When you contact DJI Support, be sure to mention as many details as you can;
Share video footage or relevant post-crash notes (including flight logs). Doing this will make it easier for the team to determine whether the drone experienced a system failure that’s covered under the warranty. For instance, if your drone began to lose altitude before dropping out of the sky, pull up your flight logs (in the DJI Go 4 app) and share the information with DJI.
Contact DJI Support to create a case for you or request an online repair by yourself.

Scenario 2

Fly-away Drone

This is perhaps the biggest fear of every UAV pilot. First off, you should be aware that a fly-away drone happens when your controller loses its link or connection to the drone. Once this happens, it can become incredibly hard to control your aircraft. Moving forward, it’s important to note that there are quite a number of reasons why you might lose control of your drone. Here are a few reasons to consider:

General malfunction such as a faulty motor or propeller
Electromagnetic interference (triggered when you fly near cellphone towers, high-voltage power lines, and similar sources)
Flying the drone too far from your position
Low or dead battery

– What can you do?

The first thing to do is try and retrieve your drone. Check the tips below to retrieve your missing drone:

“Find My Drone”

A DJI drone operates through DJI’s GO or Go 4 app. This app is home to features that can help you search for your lost drone. You can use the “Find My Drone” feature to get a better idea of your drone’s last location on the map and eventually pinpoint where it is.

Note: it’s highly recommended to upgrade to the DJI GO app version 4.0.3 or above to get the most out of its features.

Typically, you will use this feature in two situations:

You are already disconnected from your drone: You can find the drone according to the position when it loses the connection. The red arrow on the map shows the position of the aircraft when the connection was lost. You can also see how long it has been disconnected. If you tap on the location, it will show the missing coordinates of your drone, and then you can download Google Earth to find the exact place you lost it with those coordinates.

Click the Red Arrow to Get the Exact Coordinates

If your drone is still connected to your remote controller, you can tap “Enable Indicator Flashing and Sound Alert.” This can be used when you are near the location where your drone lost, though it’s still connected, you just can’t find it.

2. “Return to Home”

Try the Return-to-Home feature — one which you can activate to have peace of mind knowing that your drone is going to come back to you. You can also try using another camera drone to search for your lost drone. Chances are it’s stuck in the trees or trapped among branches.

– How exactly can DJI Support help?

Data analysis

The first order of business is to confirm if your drone is still under warranty, as DJI can only conduct data analysis if your drone is still under warranty. With this, you can easily contact the support team and ask them to carry out data analysis to locate the problem that led to your drone flying away. At this point, if DJI’s support team discovers that the issue is not due to the pilot’s fault, they will provide you with a replacement. However, it’s important to note that DJI Support is only receptive to checking issues via the DJI Go 4 app, and third-party apps are not supported.

What if your drone is no longer under warranty, but you still want a data analysis?

If your drone is out of warranty, you can try extend it by purchasing DJI Care Refresh +, but it can be purchased only if:

DJI Care Refresh has already been purchased.
DJI Care Refresh has not yet expired.
There is at least one product replacement left under DJI Care Refresh.

After you purchase DJI Care Refresh +, the warranty period of your product will be extended by at least 12 months. After your drone is covered by warranty again, you may also request a free data analysis from DJI. If you are going to let the DJI Support team help with the data analysis, then it is important to prepare the following information:

Flight logs
Flight footage
Your proof of purchase
Your DJI account (will need this to sync the flight-log with DJI support staff)
Your product SN

After you provide this information to the DJI Support team, you will have wait for them to contact you and tell you the result.

Scenario 3

Water damage

Flying over rivers, lakes, and oceans can result in beautiful footage, but there is still the risk of the drone coming in contact with or falling into the water. The water damage sticker will turn red after the aircraft has come into contact with water. After a test by engineers, if there is a security risk, the aircraft will need to be replaced.

– What can you do?

Check the Electronic Speed Controllers. Why? It’s only because they’re likely to blow when submerged in water.
Check if the batteries are damaged. If you find out that they are, we’ll advise you to dispose of them properly. It’s ill-advised (and even dangerous) to use Li-Po batteries if they’ve already been damaged by water.

– How exactly can DJI Support help?

DJI Care Refresh is still a viable option. Be sure to put the drone in a warm and dry place until it is in stable enough condition to send to DJI. The good news? It’s highly unlikely for DJI to fix a water-logged drone (due to risks), so you might get a replacement under their policy. It’s worth mentioning that DJI Care Refresh covers damage that occurs after the product comes into contact with water as long as you can retrieve the body back. If your drone comes into contact with water, you can rest easy knowing that the accident will be covered by DJI Care Refresh.

Final Words

Owning a DJI drone should be fun and exciting (regardless of the issues that may occur). The most important thing is to be careful when flying and to purchase DJI Care Refresh just in case anything happens. However, it’s a relief to know that no matter what happens, DJI Support will always be there to help you out.