3D Robotics No Longer Taking Calls

Orin · Mar 20, 2016

Maddog said:
<SNIP>
It smells bad- not like progress.<SNIP>

That's exactly why I decided to not buy a Solo -

franknitty69 · Mar 20, 2016

i can't reach dji chat at all or call after 5p est, so i'm not buying the p4.

Orin · Mar 20, 2016

franknitty69 said:
i can't reach dji chat at all or call after 5p est, so i'm not buying the p4.

Yes, DJI customer support does suck at times but I have gotten through to them every time I called during normal business hours.

ERM · Mar 21, 2016

It sounds like 3DR is quickly approaching its end and as disappointed as I'll be not to be able to replace parts for the product moving forward its a mess of their own doing. I've had to contact them (when they had phone service) literally dozens of times and they were never able to provide effective solutions without 3 or 4 calls to get to the bottom of the issue. More problematic were the fools running the call center. They routinely gave out false or inaccurate information, left client's on hold for 20-30 minutes (and when your calling long distance from Canada that adds up to real $) and generally refused to take responsibility for their mistakes. Last time I submitted a claim under warranty they delayed the shipping 4 times and refused to explain why I was consistently being given false dates. Now I'm going to have to deal with this same headache, but now I have to type everything out and that's progress? How is typing something out more modern then just saying it? While we're at it maybe we should communicate with them by letter or carrier pigeon. Absolutely ridiculous and everyone on this forum defending their move are just too invested in the product to come to terms with the reality of the situation. They are an incredibly incompetent company when it comes to marketing and customer relations and soon they'll pay the price for it.

Maddog · Mar 21, 2016

ERM said:
It sounds like 3DR is quickly approaching its end and as disappointed as I'll be not to be able to replace parts for the product moving forward its a mess of their own doing. I've had to contact them (when they had phone service) literally dozens of times and they were never able to provide effective solutions without 3 or 4 calls to get to the bottom of the issue. More problematic were the fools running the call center. They routinely gave out false or inaccurate information, left client's on hold for 20-30 minutes (and when your calling long distance from Canada that adds up to real $) and generally refused to take responsibility for their mistakes. Last time I submitted a claim under warranty they delayed the shipping 4 times and refused to explain why I was consistently being given false dates. Now I'm going to have to deal with this same headache, but now I have to type everything out and that's progress? How is typing something out more modern then just saying it? While we're at it maybe we should communicate with them by letter or carrier pigeon. Absolutely ridiculous and everyone on this forum defending their move are just too invested in the product to come to terms with the reality of the situation. They are an incredibly incompetent company when it comes to marketing and customer relations and soon they'll pay the price for it.

I have to agree that they don't seem to have a marketing or customer relations dept. or person. These are separate from technical support.
Just having a good product isn't good enough today.

franknitty69 · Mar 21, 2016

yeah just last week i was on hold with american express for 40 minutes. i guess they are about to go out of business. sucks because i love their rewards.

i've contacted 3dr support via phone and email and responses were always swift. when i used the ticketing system in the app, i got a response within 24 hours. i filled my pixhawk sd card up once so i decided to experience the RMA process even though i knew how to fix the problem. from the time they received it until me getting it back took 10 business days.

and lets not forgot the tons of pilot error mishaps that 3dr has obliged with an RMA. had that been DJI, they would have been told to go buy another one.

pyrate · Mar 21, 2016

two of the 3 people bashing 3DR in the last series of posts have a total of less than 20 total post
way to contribute whiners

don't you guys have something better to do in life that just troll a 3DR owners page. Did shutting down that obnoxious thread on RCG leave you homeless and in need of a fix?

Solo Keith · Mar 21, 2016

I think 3DR has something against Canada. Yep. That's gotta be it. Nope. Take that back. There was another one I read like this & that girl was from the USA. Sounds like diversity to me

Orin · Mar 21, 2016

pyrate said:
two of the 3 people bashing 3DR in the last series of posts have a total of less than 20 total post
way to contribute whiners

don't you guys have something better to do in life that just troll a 3DR owners page. Did shutting down that obnoxious thread on RCG leave you homeless and in need of a fix?

Sorry you feel that asking important questions and posting what I have experienced and read regarding 3DR is "whining".

Yes, I am new to this site and don't have a Solo although I thought I did at one point and still do if the company survives.
I bought a cheap LaTrax Alias just to see if I could fly one of these. I'm a former "real" airplane pilot and the transition to a drone was difficult. Yes, I crashed a bunch of times but finally got the hang of flying one, but not an expert flying drones by any stretch.

When I felt I was ready I started looking for a "serious" drone and came across the Solo among the bunch of mid priced drones that are on the market. The Solo appeared to be the best choice for me until I tried to contact them and ran into the "we don't take calls" message. That's when I decided to start this thread.

Why did I start the thread? I really did want to find out if this was a problem or not and what was going on with 3DR. Not trying to "bash" 3DR at all - Just want to know if it's a company that makes a product that will be supported 1 - 2 years from now.

pyrate · Mar 21, 2016

Sorry
I don't buy your troll

quote
That's exactly why I decided to not buy a Solo -

but yet here you are, in an owners thread cheerleading negativity
why not go find one you can be happy with, support a company you can get behind?
why stay here where you clearly do not have a good opinion of the company yet you are trying to pass it off as "true concern"

BS

LuvMyTJ · Mar 21, 2016

I think we need to dial it back a few notches in here. There is no need to get nasty when someone asks a valid question.
If it continues warnings will be issued, it's the end of the month and I haven't met my quotas yet.

Lets keep it on topic and real friendly in here.

fpvsteve · Mar 21, 2016

For me as a Solo owner based in Europe the live chat works very well. So far I always got someone competent on line who was able to solve my issue quickly.
Phone support would not work for me costing wise. The live chat was the right way to go.

Maddog · Mar 22, 2016

franknitty69 said:
yeah just last week i was on hold with american express for 40 minutes. i guess they are about to go out of business. sucks because i love their rewards.

i've contacted 3dr support via phone and email and responses were always swift. when i used the ticketing system in the app, i got a response within 24 hours. i filled my pixhawk sd card up once so i decided to experience the RMA process even though i knew how to fix the problem. from the time they received it until me getting it back took 10 business days.

and lets not forgot the tons of pilot error mishaps that 3dr has obliged with an RMA. had that been DJI, they would have been told to go buy another one.

Frank, what number are you reaching them at? I didn't think they had a number that was answered by someone.

Flybirdman · Mar 24, 2016

Let me tell you my personal experience from before and after the phone support dropped.

The first time my Solo crashed due to a motor failure a like 4 or 5 months ago, tech support was quick and they still had a number. 3 weeks ago my replacement Solo made a quick departure from altitude and I still don't know why (still looking at the logs). The email responses now are several days in between. Chat is hit or miss. I waited for 10 min today before my chat got picked up and I finally gave up after another 10 min of unresponsiveness.

3DR HAD great customer service in the past. I'm not experiencing that now.

fpvsteve · Mar 25, 2016

My current RMA shipment of my broken gimbal got delayed on their end. After a friendly reminder via chat they immediately took action and added a pair of headphones as apology to the box.
Their staff are human beings, and thus certainly not perfect, but they are committed to their clients. That's why I prefer 3DR.

ERM · Mar 29, 2016

Flybirdman said:
Let me tell you my personal experience from before and after the phone support dropped.

The first time my Solo crashed due to a motor failure a like 4 or 5 months ago, tech support was quick and they still had a number. 3 weeks ago my replacement Solo made a quick departure from altitude and I still don't know why (still looking at the logs). The email responses now are several days in between. Chat is hit or miss. I waited for 10 min today before my chat got picked up and I finally gave up after another 10 min of unresponsiveness.

3DR HAD great customer service in the past. I'm not experiencing that now.

Just curious. I sent them the logs last Thursday for an unexplained drop in altitude that resulted in a crash and snapped gimbal/lost gopro (in the lake). Just wondering how long they took to respond to you about the logs you sent in?

RC-addict · Mar 29, 2016

pyrate said:
two of the 3 people bashing 3DR in the last series of posts have a total of less than 20 total post
way to contribute whiners

don't you guys have something better to do in life that just troll a 3DR owners page. Did shutting down that obnoxious thread on RCG leave you homeless and in need of a fix?

I am sorry to tell you this but low post count does not automatically means troll or basher.
I did register on this forum so I will be able to ask question from people experienced with the SOLO. post count =1

I have been hooked on RC for at least 15 years, started with trucks, boats and have been flying RC air planes and helis for the past 10 years.
Recently got interested in the drones- even tho a year ago I said i want nothing to do with them.

I do own 2 gopro 3+, so the solo piqued my interest. Plus the fact that the company was originated in my home town Austin TX.
Being in the market and faced with the choice here... who gets my $1000+ 3DR or DJI?
I need to see some good news surfacing from 3DR -as a company, As much as I want to support a US based co., (use my existing gopro and be able to upgrade the camera later if needed), I am hesitant to fork out $1000+ on a product if there is no light at the end of the tunnel for the said company.
I have to say the p4 specs look really good. I also prefer the direct wire connection between "close by" devices vs wireless, referring to TX and tablet.
It is all over the news on the interwebs, 3DR is shifting away from the consumer market, no call are taken and chat hours reduced, is it the end for the SOLO? I need to see something positive news coming out of 3DR.
I am all ears. flame suite ON.

PdxSteve · Mar 29, 2016

Your speculation is as good as ours. No one here knows how things will play out, but NAB is in 2 weeks and we will know a bit more then. I'd be hesitant too.

Maddog · Mar 30, 2016

RC-addict said:
I am sorry to tell you this but low post count does not automatically means troll or basher.
I did register on this forum so I will be able to ask question from people experienced with the SOLO. post count =1

I have been hooked on RC for at least 15 years, started with trucks, boats and have been flying RC air planes and helis for the past 10 years.
Recently got interested in the drones- even tho a year ago I said i want nothing to do with them.

I do own 2 gopro 3+, so the solo piqued my interest. Plus the fact that the company was originated in my home town Austin TX.
Being in the market and faced with the choice here... who gets my $1000+ 3DR or DJI?
I need to see some good news surfacing from 3DR -as a company, As much as I want to support a US based co., (use my existing gopro and be able to upgrade the camera later if needed), I am hesitant to fork out $1000+ on a product if there is no light at the end of the tunnel for the said company.
I have to say the p4 specs look really good. I also prefer the direct wire connection between "close by" devices vs wireless, referring to TX and tablet.
It is all over the news on the interwebs, 3DR is shifting away from the consumer market, no call are taken and chat hours reduced, is it the end for the SOLO? I need to see something positive news coming out of 3DR.
I am all ears. flame suite ON.

Given all that is currently known, I would be hesitant too. I just received my 333 waiver after a 7 month wait. If Solo support, parts , etc. disappear, I would have to wait, once again, for a waiver listing a new drone.
I really hope this is much ado about nothing.

erikgraham · Mar 30, 2016

Maddog said:
Given all that is currently known, I would be hesitant too. I just received my 333 waiver after a 7 month wait. If Solo support, parts , etc. disappear, I would have to wait, once again, for a waiver listing a new drone.
I really hope this is much ado about nothing.

I'd start the application for additional drones now, even if you keep flying Solo for years. Just list every possible drone you might fly. Don't need to provide the manuals anymore.