Is 3DR Support No Longer So Good?

[dronepilot]

in 2015, whenever I had an issue, 3DR support was responsive and helpful. It seems like their way of doing business has completely changed. I'm trying to get a completely dead battery replaced. I spent over 20 minutes discussing the issuing during a painfully slow online chat session with a 3DR representative. At the conclusion, he told me I needed to send a video showing that indeed the battery does not charge. I made the video, then sent it to support.

He then responded saying I now need to send them logs of the dead battery. (So they didn't need the video?) I explained to that I have no logs of the dead battery; it doesn't charge, so how am I supposed to fly the Solo and send him logs? It's a stone dead battery that won't take a charge. He says if I don't follow their process of sending logs, they won't authorize the replacement.

This feels like a whole different company than I interacted with last year. Makes me question whether 3DR is really the company I want to continue with. Has anyone else experienced a decline in their customer service?

 

[Jubalr]

I just had a battery replaced yesterday. I sent an email telling of the problem along with the Tlog of the last flight showing spiked readings last Saturday. They replied on Monday and I received my battery yesterday.

 

[dronepilot]

That's good to hear, and thanks so much for responding. Now if my battery is completely dead, and it's never been used on the drone, how will I generate logs for that battery?

 

[Jubalr]

How long ago did you buy it and where from?

 

[dronepilot]

I bought it a few months ago, directly from 3DR.

 

[SteveReno]

in 2015, whenever I had an issue, 3DR support was responsive and helpful. It seems like their way of doing business has completely changed. I'm trying to get a completely dead battery replaced. I spent over 20 minutes discussing the issuing during a painfully slow online chat session with a 3DR representative. At the conclusion, he told me I needed to send a video showing that indeed the battery does not charge. I made the video, then sent it to support.

He then responded saying I now need to send them logs of the dead battery. (So they didn't need the video?) I explained to that I have no logs of the dead battery; it doesn't charge, so how am I supposed to fly the Solo and send him logs? It's a stone dead battery that won't take a charge. He says if I don't follow their process of sending logs, they won't authorize the replacement.

This feels like a whole different company than I interacted with last year. Makes me question whether 3DR is really the company I want to continue with. Has anyone else experienced a decline in their customer service?

I went thru the same hassle, but more. They wanted to see the Solo inflight while battery discharging LOL.
But all this was in August of last year. received mine from China a week after all they requested was met.
It's been hard to get a battery replaced for some.

 

[Jubalr]

Obviously, a defective battery should be replaced if under warranty. But as a business owner I can understand their needing to verify everything. The battery is the biggest consumable on the Solo, and the one most likely to be taken advantage of. A battery that is 'a few months old' and needing replaced is going to be questioned. And how many flights did it have in a 'few months'. How did it perform on it's last flight?

Like I said, if it's defective it should be replaced. They are just covering their bases against fraud. Though there are much more expensive batteries out there, the cost of the Solo battery is one of the frequent complaints heard. And any time consumers complain about the cost of a part or consumable, you know there is going to be some fraud attempted (not talking about you DP). I'm sure some enterprising people could figure a way to use a battery long enough and as it started naturally degrading in performance, figure a way to short the board in the Solo and try to get it replaced.

 

[Dash Hewes]

Nice reply Jubair, I agree. Rarely are batteries warrantied. 3DR is doing their due diligence and if you want a replacement due what they ask.

 

[Rusty Jones]

I just had a battery replaced yesterday. I sent an email telling of the problem along with the Tlog of the last flight showing spiked readings last Saturday. They replied on Monday and I received my battery yesterday.

Jubalr, what kind of spikes? See this post of mine, something like that ??

Strange Logs from Solo.

 

[Jubalr]

Jubalr, what kind of spikes? See this post of mine, something like that ??

Strange Logs from Solo.

My spikes were in the battery remaining from the battery, not current. The logs showed that when the battery remaining spiked from actual to 100%, a couple of times it read 0 current draw at the same time as the spike.

 

[Rusty Jones]

What logs were you reviewing?

 

[Jubalr]

What logs were you reviewing?

Tlogs