Australia is great, except for....

[Cyberblitz]

Australia is a great place to live. I moved here 9 years ago from the UK to enjoy the splender Australia has to offer. I got married here and have two boys.

The only negative aspect of Australia I absolutely detest is the prices on electronics. Case in point: I purchased my 3DR solo 2 months ago from a local electronics retailer for $1099 AUD with a gimbal for $299 AUD. I then purchased an extra battery for $299 AUD and a backpack for $299 AUD

Total cost for all this comes to $1996 AUD ($1521 USD). And let's not forget the GoPro I need which I purchased some years ago for approx. $600 AUD.

For the whole package this comes to approx. $2600 AUD.

I've tried purchasing from Best Buy and Amazon but they won't send to Oz. Amazon apparently changes daily on this aspect but I don't have time to sit in front of a computer waiting for them to change.

Now, I like Solo, or more accurately, the idea of Solo; the opportunity it provides for tinkering; to upgrade/change components towards improving Solo; creating applications for it like Solex etc.

But let's face it, its a failure as a company, it brought out the gimbal months after the copter was released - Solo and the gimbal should have came together from the start as one package, as one unit already assembled together. There should also have been an Optical Flow Sensor, like they had on their earlier prototypes. To be competitive, majority of consumers look for features comparable to devices in the same category, like DJI.

Don't get me wrong, features like 'cable cam' and 'follow me' are great but it's not enough.

Anyway, to get back on topic. I feel cheated and conned because of the amount of money I've spent on this drone. Not only did I spend $2600 I also spent on upgrading the GPS and WiFi cards too (these should have been in Solo already). I also purchased the FPVLR antennae and boosters, increasing the cost to almost $3000 AUD. I wished I waited a few more weeks when Karma and Mavic were announced, I would have saved myself around a $1000 and got a better drone with a company with little chance of failing (I know neither of these companies are perfect).

Prices here in Oz are unchanged despite huge price reductions in USA. I spoke to one of the retailers and he had no idea of the issues 3D Robotics were having, in fact he said they are still selling him Solos at the same price as always.

Servicing:
When I spoke with 3DR robotics regarding issues I was having with my Gimbal, I was told it was pilot error. I excepted this and bought a new gimbal, but this gimbal seems faulty. 3DR then suggested if any repairs are required to send it to a trusted repair service in the USA. Are they kidding me. It'll probably cost me more than the device itself to send it there, not to mention the cost of the repair too.

Ive lost total confidence in 3DR, and I've decided to sell my Solo after only 2 months of ownership. I don't expect to make my money back though.

I want a drone that works, without any need to upgrade it (I don't have the time). A drone that doesn't have a fragile gimbal that seems to fail on the slightest of knocks. A drone that provides great pictures with minimal post production adjustments, like removing the fisheye effect. A drone I can pick up and place amongst my belongings in a backpack, not being the whole backback. Mavic is the way to go.

 

[Marich]

Ok, well goodbye.
You don't seem to understand that you're not unique in your experience. But when most folks experience problems they don't start threads with titles like flying paperweight and expect true Solo enthusiasts to, well, enthusiastically help them.
It's too bad that living in Australia isn't a great thing for Solo pilots - but you sure as heck ain't the only one with problems there, and there sure as are plenty of good and competent Solo pilots FROM there.
So, sally forth and enjoy your DJI product with zero customer support.

 

[Cyberblitz]

I'm sure I'm not in a unique situation but I thought why not vent here, to communicate with those in similar situations. After all, isn't that what a forum is all about? I don't mind being put in my place by those with different experiences to mine, or even by those in similar situations. It might provide me a different perspective to think on or even persuade me not to sell.

However, I doubt in a year or so there will be a 3DR support team at all, and replacement parts will become very scarce. I know DJI aren't famed for their customer support (one of the reasons I choose 3DR) but at least they will have one and have accessories available in years to come.

Im just disappointed in spending so much money on a product which has drastically less specifications compared to its rivals, with promises of future updates to components and software that they can no longer keep. If I had bought Solo 6 or even 8 months ago, I'd have nothing to complain about, but even two months ago 3DR knew they were in trouble and prices here in Oz remained the same. I feel cheated.

 

[Marich]

Again, you're blaming 3DR for Australia, and you're no more cheated than anyone else.

 

[Rich]

Why are electronics so expensive there? Do they add a lot of tax, vat, etc?

I can't imagine it shipping costs as it should cost more to ship to USA for items made in Asia than to Australia.

Does Amazon Ship other items to Australia, if yes why not Solo? Unless it's a 3dr choice?

 

[Cyberblitz]

I know, but if 3DR reduced prices charged to retailers in Oz, we would also see worthwhile prices here too.

Its a common theme here in Oz. A story I once read investigated purchasing an Adobe software suite, and it turned out to be cheaper buying a round trip airline ticket to USA to purchase it than buying it in Oz. How nuts is that?

My concern mostly is future support for Solo, which was promised by 3DR and they broke that promise. It has so much potential to develop upon; i'd hoped someone smarter than me would come up with something really inventive to do with it, like adding sensors to it and such.

What was the purpose of the accessory bay anyway? It would be interesting to know what plans they had for it.

 

[Cyberblitz]

Amazon do send other items to Oz, but not 3DR stuff. I was told this can change occasionally but you have to be lucky enough to catch it. I havn't thus far. Best Buy definitely don't send abroad.

 

[Brebs]

There is and always has been issues with International Sales of basically anything from the USA to Australia. That's essentially the crux of this issue. It has gotten better over the last 5 or so years. But there is a lot of ignorance or rather lack of knowledge in regards to International sales cycles in a forever increasing global selling yard. 3DR SOLO retail promotion stands have only been installed into many retailers in Australia in the last 3 months. This is an example of knowledge of internal decay and using ROW (rest of the world) + best buy to dump and salvage.

But I am now on the journey like us all here. Kelly has done a F7cking fantastic job and he is a Great story to come out of this mess.

I am pissed at 3DR like many here, but I'd have a beer with them in a second, because they tried and that's why I am now a drone nut.

Have a good day.

Oh if you are in OZ I have a spare Gimbal, full chassis and I live in Brisbane. So if you need a hand at all, I am happy to help out if I can.. after the 3dr warranty goes out to sea.

 

[Cyberblitz]

I agree totally; the idea of using open-source software and assembling something to what became Solo is a Marvel. I do like Solo, why else would i buy it? i didn't want to be placed in the DJI majority bracket. I liked the idea Solo utilised Linux as its primary OS for anyone with a little experience could tinker with it (look at the Raspberry Pi). I thought Solo fitted nicely into the same bracket and hoped it would spur the community to create new inventive adaptations to Solo. This is why i got it (not to mention its customer service).

DJI have a reputation for having an absolutely atrocious customer support service. This is clearly evident now with the pending release of the Mavic Pro, with massive delays and broken promises on delivery times with complete disregard to their customers, including retailers who bear the wave of angry customers expecting their devices on time, which they won't (from what I've read anyway).

Its difficult to compete with China products, with cheap labor and components who seem to grab your money then run in some cases, applying no value to their customers. If what is happening happened to the Console market, reputations would suffer badly.

To be honest, i keep changing my mind on what to do, the passion on here for Solo convinces me to stay with Solo. Currently my GoPro is broken so Solo is kinda useless right now for me to use. Yes i can fly it but can't take any video. I simply don;t have the funds to purchase another GoPro right now.

 

[twitchyzero]

that's the cost of living down under

seriously though...majority of the 3dr fanboys here won't allow negative criticism of the bird...i hear ya but no one else will.

As objective as your post is, you'll just get personal attacks. Not worth it. Take it as a lesson to not buy into the hype of a start-up and learn that the popular consensus on the Internet isn't always what works for you.

The glowing reviews of 3DR's customer service never quite panned out for me. Neither did their software team's work. I'd rather have less features, features promised at launch to work near flawlessly instead of bunch features that gets buggy as the firmwares roll out. Disappointment after disappointment. I'm over it now...I'm just glad 3DR's tactics have been exposed.

Live and you learn.

 

[SPP]

Shipping to Oz is usually expensive, because that is the end of the shipping line route.
If one ship to say Hong Kong, the same vessel will later travel to Japan, Taiwan and south east Asia.
Oz only has 25 million people if I am correct, so import volume can't be high and Oz can never be a distribution hub due to its location.
All these make Oz more expensive to operate for regular electronics importers.

Shipping can only be cheaper if the receiving country also have export shipment suitable for the kind o vessel entering Oz.
So vessel comes loaded to Oz, unload the shipment at Oz and take new cargo.
Anytime shipping to a country resulting the vessel to sail/fly out with zero cargo... that will make shipping cost expensive.

Below is Oz biggest export, which many do not use common 20/40 footer shipping containers.
Top Goods and Services
.

 

[Brebs]

There are freight forwarders that will look after this issue to a degree so long as you understand there is zero warranty. There is still protection going on in Australia from overseas, usually the tech in cars is way behind but sold as new in Oz. But I also agree with the hub and logistics caveats.

oh well. we have nice beaches... and our wildlife can kill you

 

[Chardia]

i second all your comments. it is a tad concerning but we simply have to make do with what is.

additionally we have the best beer here too. anyone feel like one with me??

 

[Chardia]

mine was $2498 from rise above package, go pro black $635 from hardlynormal, propguards $80, tablet $519, 2 additional batteries and a charger $550 from jsldrones. it adds up pretty quick.

 

[franknitty69]

i would trade cheap prices here in the US for Australian geographical beauty in a heartbeat. literally every place in Australia is beautiful. you know what i see when i go outside? cars and buildings.

 

[Mike Boland]

Well I won't use the WPB term, but will point out that living here has a cost.
I paid $3K for my Solo adventurers pack. So what. It does what I expected and has improved with upgrades.
Hey, I've paid over $5K for computers that are with no more than $50 now, but they did what I wanted at the time.
But the Solo is 'basically' open source and even without 3DR it will be useable for quite some time.

Maybe you should have bought a Phantom (was that too harsh)

 

[13nikos62]

I too from Oz paid $3K for my Solo adventurers pack in August 2015 and I have no regrets paying that amount at the time. However over the course of the year, I eventually found that I could and did purchase spare parts for my Solo at very good prices through Amazon (new gimbal) and eBay (new motor pods and a second-hand battery charger).

My point is, you don't necessarily have to pay the excessive prices here in Oz for everything. Surf the net and when the opportunity arises pick up that 'bargain'. They do exist. I have also had accessory parts printed as a 'work around' to save dollars. For example, I had a local guy print me a gimbal balance, the counter-weight mechanism for SRP or Polar Pro filters at a fraction of the cost than what it would cost purchasing from the US.

 

[Marty Westguard]

The importer to Australia of 3DR purchased stock some time ago. They would have paid the top price for stock when announced some 12+ months ago. Sure price protection may have been offered initially? I know that the distribution in Australia changed hands nearly 6+ months ago. PP I would have guessed has now been lost. The current distributor now has lots of stock at high prices, unable to compete, many Australian retailers feel cheated by the demise of 3DR, so not ordering stock = stalemate for goods in warehouses. Eventually a fire sale may happen, hang tight my friend, maybe spares will come in whole drones?

 

[Cyberblitz]

If I too purchased the Solo a year ago, there would be no complaint. I've had mine for two months and the resale value has dropped 70-80% in that time (if you compare prices in US).

I have tried purchasing from over-seas, particularly Amazon, but as I've mentioned many times, most of the time they won't send 3DR items to Oz. I've even tried eBay, and admittantly you can catch a good deal occasionally but often they're near the same price as is in local retail shops.

Out of curiosity I looked at the dji mavic and Amazon will send this item to Oz. So why not 3DR products?

 

[Damien]

dear OP, i'll be pretty frank mate... not solely responding to you, but venting to many similar posts of late

on the 3DR 'demise', this thread isn't alone within this forum, where people think the failure of 3DRs attempt to make Solo the highest selling drone and then decide/forced not to plan a Solo 2 instantly means we all lost out big time by buying one... I actually see this as a positive for anyone that uses the Solo for a purpose it can currently fulfill. For example, if someone bought a Phantom 3 when the Solo was released, how exactly would that person be better off now less than a year later? are brand new accessories and parts still being produced for the Phantom 3 today? Is there a single person with a Solo that currently can't get parts? Can anyone using a Phantom 3 or 4 professionally that requires a fleet get their second and third bird for a fraction of the cost of the first one they bought? Are Solo vehicles holding price because they are popular? do you see where i'm going? the glass is half full, not half empty. And is 3DR customer support really going away forever tomorrow at noon when they are still building an enterprise business using the exact same bird that will need the same spare parts for a very long time into the future? Unlike consumers, enterprise customers will sue if their purchase isn't supported. i just don't get all the negativity when the bird flies fine, prices for second units and parts are dropping and all would indicate a large amount of unsold stock floating around, i.e. if you thought things were cheap now, they will get much cheaper.

having said that, i know what you mean about OZ, i'm an aussie and bought my first one there as well for the asking price at the time which was still a better deal than the phantom 3 in 2015. i did thatto have a warranty and bought subsequent bird on the cheap from the US as i don't need warranty on them as they are spares. You can get freight forwarders to send anything from Amazon or any US store to Oz if they are stealth enough, amazon will send anywhere in the world they are allowed. so why would anyone in their right mind ship and import a shipment of 3DR product for resale in oz if 3DR didn't promise them that they wouldn't be competing with Amazon. Australia is great cause its far away from everything and has a small population, so electronic imports have, are and always will be more expensive regardless of any changes in the future, so don't feel cheated by 3DR, those aussie resellers who gambled on Solo did so at their own risk (like absolutely every product bought and sold in the world) and did you a service by making it available to you, that's just how the world works. 3DR didn't try to cheat anyone, they aimed high taking a risk, we all supported them in their gamble, and now they 'failed' we are left with a drone that still flies as intended, still has customer service and can be replaced for next to nothing for what it really is. So sure, not many third parties are coming to the table, but if you are in the DJI world all your accesories are useless from one model to the next, so i fail to see how any of us are really any worse of than anyone who bought into any other type of drone... everyone still wants the new model less than a year later.

You say you looked into it, decided against DJI and bought a Solo 2 months ago and now feel cheated, how would you feel had you paid Australian price for a Phantom 4 two months ago?... happy now that the Mavic is released?

in general things change rapidly nowadays, if you bought it to actually fly it and take video or do mapping, just get out there and use your drone as intended until the motors wear out, you shouldn't have bought it or any other drone in the first place if it wasn't going to do what you wanted it to do when you bought it.

no harm intended, I'm just sick of people whinging when new models come out and prices drops (for any model product)... fact of life.