Finally had it, looking for an attorney! No parts for Gimbals?

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I know there are some people who have had good luck with their Solo, but mine has been a lemon from the beginning. If i had $2.00 and hour for all the time I spent to try and get this thing working I would have more that paid for 2 solo drones. If anyone else has had issues with 3DR and used a California attorney please let me know. An attorney who has already had dealings will not have to be brought up to speed with things like the Forbes article which talks about how they introduced the product. I will always wonder how they released the "Promo Film" in April when the Gimbal was not ready. I always believed I was watching footage just like I would be able to get out of my Solo. Sometimes the love affair ends.

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Might be hard convincing a lawyer to take up your cause when you've admitted the product to be working impressively: https://3drpilots.com/threads/looks...re-rising-on-solo-city.1548/page-3#post-22705

You've been threatening law suits for 2 years now. Surly if there was precedent for successful legal action against 3DR, you'd have heard about it. The product is now 2 to 3 generations old, has been sold on clearance for at least the past year, and the company who's produced it has exited the consumer market.

Seriously, do you honestly think there's a legal case here? Or that any lawyer would even entertain bring a case against them?

It really begs asking exactly what you hope to accomplish by asking what you have.
 
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I have obtained some nice footage from the SOLO I will not deny that. But at the time I stated I got that footage, I was flying a Solo that had to be replaced (while still under the 1 year warranty), the "Video Feed" totally failed. I returned it and it was replaced. Since that point in time my video feed failed but all other functions of the gimbal work, I just can not see where I am flying.

It appears that under Ca. Civil Code that there is a responsibility to provide parts for the gimbal. (Most likely the ribbon cable, is the problem) Exiting the consumer market, does not end the obligation to provide parts or allow for the repair, as I would understand it. Also as I read the Forbes article, even parties inside of the company called the Solo a lemon, and stated there were problems with the way they modified the SOLO they presented to the press. Knowing that the changes they made would not be in the off the shelf models, not very fair to the consumer, if this statement is true.

Getting some good footage at one time does not resolve the issue. Solo was presented to be an out of the box very easy to fly system, when in reality at the time I purchased it, the gimbal was not even finished being engineered let alone assembled, the very reason the Go Pro Silver did not work. How do you figure they made the introduction video without having a ready gimbal?

As time passes, it is only logical that more information would develop upon which to base decisions. If I had read the Forbes article before the purchase and got a glimpse inside the Company culture I do not think that would have purchased a Solo. Would you?

It has been clearly communicated to 3DR, on several occasions, it is my opinion that they have a duty under Ca. Law to provide parts to repair the gimbal, and they have declined to say why the law does not apply to them. Maybe your right, no lawyer will take this, but you will not know if you do not ask. Right? But then if you live in Ca. and in a few months need a battery or any other part that is just related to Solo what will you do? Accept you have a flying brick?
 
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First and foremost, I'm sorry you've had such a rough time with your Solo. I've only had mine a couple of months and I haven't had any major problems that weren't easily remedied, but I'm sure it really sucks to have put so much time, energy, and resources into something to have it disappoint you that much.

You could try, but under CA lemon law the electronic device has to fall within 1 of 4 subdivisions of the Business and Professions code.

(h) “Electronic set” includes, but is not limited to, any television, radio, audio or video recorder or playback equipment, video camera, video game, video monitor, computer system, photocopier, or facsimile machine normally used or sold for personal, family, household, or home office use.

(i) “Appliance” or “major home appliance” includes, but is not limited to, any refrigerator, freezer, range, microwave oven, washer, dryer, dishwasher, trash compactor, or room air-conditioner normally used or sold for personal, family, household, or home office use, or for use in private motor vehicles.

(j) “Antenna” includes, but is not limited to, a resonant device designed especially for the purpose of capturing electromagnetic energy transmitted by direct satellite or commercial radio or television broadcasting facilities.  An antenna and its associated accessories are not deemed to be a part of a set and shall be considered, under this section, to be located outside or in the attic of a residence.

(k) “Rotator,” when used in connection with an antenna installation or repair, includes, but is not limited to, an electromechanical device operated from a remote location to rotate an antenna on a horizontal plane.  A rotator and its associated accessories are not deemed to be a part of a set and shall be considered under this section, with the exception of the directional control unit, to be located outside or in the attic of a residence.

The closest would be video camera, but that is a bit of a stretch since they didn't sell you a camera.

The Song-Beverly act also states that they shall make these parts available to repair and service shops (of which I'm guessing their are no authorized repair and service shops for 3DR Solos or the Gimbal), so they would likely argue that they wouldn't have to make them available to you.

I'm not a lawyer but I agree that you will probably struggle to find one willing to take your case.
 
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I too am sorry you've had such a bad experience. While no one would argue that the Solo was perfect and without faults, the majority of us have had no major issues. And while all of us would have liked to see 3DR and the Solo find commercial success, it unfortunately didn't work out that way. It's a nascent and ruthlessly competitive industry, and 3DR lost. One should refrain from viewing their failure as an intentional cabal designed to rip people off. Companies fold or change their focus to salvage themselves when industries change beneath their feet. It happens all the time.

Let's be realistic. You're not going to sue 3DR, yourself or with the aid of a lawyer. The warranty on your gimbal has most likely expired. 3DR's not providing parts for them, nor are they producing the gimbal at all anymore. If you've tried to get 3DR to replace it and they've refused, you're on your own.

That said, are you interested in attempting to get it working, or are you just here to complain? If it's the former, can you answer the following:

-Have you replaced the HDMI cable with the 3rd party ribbon one? I seem to recall some people having issues with that. I know from working on my own Solos, the Solo end (as in not the gimbal) end of that cable is really hard to access and ensure it's fully seated.

-Have you tried hooking up your GoPro to a TV with an HDMI cable? Some have had the HDMI port in their camera fail.

-Are your issues limited only to the display of video?

-Have you tried different devices (phone/tablet) and does the problem present itself on all?
 
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@George Kenner:

...just wondering how many spare parts you purchased while they were available?
Gimbal $40
Solo $60
Battery $41
Controllers $30

Maybe 20,000 were sold for more than 50% of list price. The other 80,000 were sold at drastically reduced prices such as I list above.

So... how many spare parts did you buy when they were available as sub-assemblies for less than the parts themselves?
 
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Just sell it man. According to those sub divisions of the law the drone isn't covered friend.

Sell it and buy a used Phantom or new Mavik.
 
I would love to watch this court case actually go in front of a judge
it would be hysterical, if you could get anyone to take it seriously
 
@mihamil
The California Code has to do with consumer electronics. Even 3DR said they were pulling out of the "consumer market" and I purchased my drone from Best Buy the largest consumer electronic company in Ca. Where was the distribution channel if not through Consumer Electronics and Camera Distributors? Look again at Section H “Electronic set” includes, but is not limited to, that expands the items covered, does it not? I remember the claim that the SOLO had the most computing power of any drone in the market. What computes other than computers? You will note that computers are covered, under this section of law.

I think I am the tip of the iceberg, I have had a few very interested people contact me today. But most were interested in the FORBES article and how they believed it laid out a timeline that showed they had calculated skewing the facts on things like delivery of the product to the market. One person asked if I knew who in the company called it a Lemon, another was shocked that Forbes was so revealing. They figured they had to have some good sources for the quotes or they would have been sued.

To answer one question, I did not even know that the parts and drones had fallen in price so I did not buy any more drones. As I started to try and find a fix for the lack of video feed for my gimbal did I even become aware of this. 3DR sent me to there authorized distributor to get the gimbal fixed they are the ones that told me "No More Gimbals and not parts to fix them. I checked back a few days ago and still not parts or gimbals.

From all I have found it looks like lots more people are going to have bricks soon. People will start screaming for parts.

Here is a video I found from someone who has a lot of Youtube followers, I think he fairly sets the tone of the market sentiment of Solo Owners.
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You've declared yourself "the top of the iceberg.". Lol. This gets more laughable every time to speak.
 
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@Pedals2Paddles you crack me up when you put something in quotation marks,it is supposed to be exact... I said "Tip of the Iceberg" not top. And I have found it is people just like you who will share with their friends they may have a "right" to repair parts, in a few months when more and more gimbals fail and there are not replacements.
 
I know there are some people who have had good luck with their Solo, but mine has been a lemon from the beginning. If i had $2.00 and hour for all the time I spent to try and get this thing working I would have more that paid for 2 solo drones. If anyone else has had issues with 3DR and used a California attorney please let me know. An attorney who has already had dealings will not have to be brought up to speed with things like the Forbes article which talks about how they introduced the product. I will always wonder how they released the "Promo Film" in April when the Gimbal was not ready. I always believed I was watching footage just like I would be able to get out of my Solo. Sometimes the love affair ends.

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You have no clue.

If it didn't work for you at most you are entitled to a refund. That. Is all.

My solo has made over 30 successful flights since I bought it in July. I bought it because I am fully aware of what a pixhawk can do.

I have built several model aircraft previously and used the 3dr APM controller. Despite the reviews I knew what the Solo was capable of. I think 3dr targeted the wrong market, that's all. They should have stayed with the hobbyist, research, and educational markets.
 
George buddy...that guy isn't saying anything about suing 3DR...and his follow up videos on the solo are all about fixing it yourself.

A drone is not a computer under the subdivison of the code you're talking about. I mean a Barbie powerwheel has an onboard computer...but it's not a computer. That line of thinking doesn't hold up man..."well if it has a computer it's classified as a computer."

If there was a suit in this some lawyer would have brought a class action long ago. Like if it was an appliance or desktop computer.
 
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I think I am the tip of the iceberg, I have had a few very interested people contact me today.

So to answer my question, your only purpose here is to complain, not try to solve the problem you're having.

There is no iceberg. 3DR's history has been known to anyone remotely interested. Your Solo is long past it's warranty period. Some hearsay comment about the Solo being a lemon is worthless. And the amount of people happily flying them today attests to it not having been a lemon. You can pick up a new gimbal on ebay for about $150.

Good luck with your law suit, please do keep us updated on it's progress! :D
 
OP.. I am just going to go under the assumption that your claims are 100% true. I am not sure how much you value your time. It would be unfair to compare your value of time to mine, but I will gladly accept your opinion of my fairness. I'll go a step further and point out that it could be argued by the masses that any grown man who becomes a drone enthusiast is wasting a great deal of time. I would argue the exact opposite, but I don't really need to because it would be a complete waste of my time. I'd rather spend that time flying drones or learning about them. Now that I've wasted enough of your time to getting to the point, let's call it even on the time wasting. Are those glasses on the table yours? If so please put them on. If you can't see the forest for the tree's you will continue to miss the point and eventually fly right into one. No matter what drone you buy next. In the amount of time that you've spent dressing up like a lawyer and shooting a video of yourself making threats, you could have opened your eyes while there were gimbals being sold for $29.99 all over the internet. Not only would this have solved your problem, but you could have had 3 or more back up gimbals like the rest of us. Each gimbal priced at only a few dollars more than the majestic Asian partition you are using for half of your "Lawyer" video back drop. Maybe you were just waiting for a table at a Japanese steakhouse? If so, I take all the things I've said back. In today's world, it is easy for me to understand how it could be very easy for someone to find the negative in anything. The odds of finding something negative are nearly 100% when you search for it. Congratulations! You've found it! Now what? Best of luck in your Lawyer search.

P.S. Please laminate this with the rest of your "legal documents" and highlight any part you wish.
 
You have no clue.

If it didn't work for you at most you are entitled to a refund. That. Is all.

My solo has made over 30 successful flights since I bought it in July. I bought it because I am fully aware of what a pixhawk can do.

I have built several model aircraft previously and used the 3dr APM controller. Despite the reviews I knew what the Solo was capable of. I think 3dr targeted the wrong market, that's all. They should have stayed with the hobbyist, research, and educational markets.

I have not build a single aircraft. I relied on the claim this was an out of the box flyer. It was not. at least in my situation. I went to 3DR they told me to go to their repair facility and get it fixed... it was their repair facility, who told me they do not have parts of the gimbal nor do they have gimbals. If 3DR wants to give me a refund that would be cool. But the point is they are not going to supply parts. Read your warranty you have to buy the parts from an authorized distributor for it to be valid. It looks like there is no distribution network. What does that mean to you?

You got yours in July, good for you. I have had two different Solos, one that was replaced, for the same HDMI feed type issues. Wait till you put a few more flights on it and you run into a problem.

You state "despite the reviews." are you talking about the negative reviews? Meaning I am not the only one that sees Solo and 3DR to have some problems?

Have you ever met a guy who has a really ugly girlfriend? And you just kinda never tell him, as he is in denial or he does not really care. Well that is the way some Solo fans are. They could have a brick and not care, because in there eyes she is a beauty.
 
George buddy...that guy isn't saying anything about suing 3DR...and his follow up videos on the solo are all about fixing it yourself.

A drone is not a computer under the subdivison of the code you're talking about. I mean a Barbie powerwheel has an onboard computer...but it's not a computer. That line of thinking doesn't hold up man..."well if it has a computer it's classified as a computer."

If there was a suit in this some lawyer would have brought a class action long ago. Like if it was an appliance or desktop computer.

So in your legal wisdom why do you figure the Legislature included the term "not limited to" ? Or did you not see that part of the code before you commented?

As for the part about an attorney already going after this, there are according to this post 80 Thousand Solos out there and as more people find out they have bricks and there are no parts, the screaming will get louder. I just read a post on Facebook where a guy purchased 8 from B & H as he figured he would stock up and 3 of them were already bricks. This is only going to get more interesting. Also drones like mine are just falling out of the warranty period, and I was one of the first to buy. I have seen lots of posts where people say they are on their second drone.

Why is there two GPS systems editions in Solo, I just discovered this. Was it because the first one was not good?
 
George,

Even earning minimum wage, which I'm sure you don't, the time you've spent here complaining and making your little video would have been more than enough to bring a small-claims suit against 3DR.

How about you stop wasting your time and, first thing tomorrow morning, pick up the phone and make a call to a lawyer. Here, I'll even give you a link to find one hear you: Top Rated Local Consumer Law Attorneys or Law Firms - Lawyers.com

Please do report back with what you find out.
 
You're grasping at straws but good luck with your rabbit hole.

Not limited to...doesn't mean anything and everything else. You're really showing you don't understand the law and exactly why a lawyer won't even take this up.

Did PlayStation 3 owners sue Sony when they stopped making PS3?

Nope.

Did my parents sue Sega Genesis when they pulled back all support and parts for the failed Sega CD?

Nope.

Did Hummer have to supply parts for 10 years after they shut down their consumer business?

Yes.

Does Samsung have to keep replacement parts for their TVs?

Yes.

It's a drone, a border line toy, classified in a sperate class than the law you keep refering too.
 

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