My 3DR Experience

[Franklin Marquette]

About a month ago I purchased a 3DR SOLO from Best Buy. I was extremely excited to begin creating videos and such with pro level looks. In the beginning the drone had numerous issues but this is to be expected. Every new product has issues and as I went along I fixed most of them. In the end the biggest still persisted: a nasty issue with GPS. The drone crashed 3 times while flying autonomously due to GPS drift, lost signal, etc while operating in extremely rural areas. I took it up to my cabin for the weekend and did some filming wake boarding. The SOLO hopped off the ground in a half mile by half mile open field with no surrounding trees or large buildings and when it attempted to return home landed over 500ft away in the lake instead of in the open field where it began its flight. At this point I was ready to just go with DJI and hoped that due to 3DR's warranty it would be an easy return. So followed 4 weeks of heated conversation with SOLO which ended in a return number that would allow Best Buy to give me an "easy" refund.

I took it to Best Buy the following day and everybody along their chain of command said that they had never saw the number and could not accept a return (including the manager of the store). I called corporate and got the same response. As a result I contacted 3DR and relayed the information. As witnessed by a Best buy sales consultant a 3DR supervisor named Anthony called a Best Buy consultant named Sam and began threatening him with legal action, loss of his job, etc if he did not comply with the return. He then put words into Sam's mouth and hung up. This supervisor then contacted me in a cheery tone and said that everything was alright and that the "manager" of the store named Sam accepted the return. Sam was neither the manager nor did he accept the return. As the situation progressed Anthony then contacted Best buy corporate and did the same thing. As stated by a high level Best Buy executive 3DR is soon to be discontinued in their stores due to this behavior and in some instances faces legal action. He then continued to tell me that they are going bankrupt and have had to lay off over 700 employees as such. For this reason they are attempting to force companies like Best Buy to "foot the bill" for their warranty claims because they can no longer afford to. I ended up getting my refund because I knew an official who worked for Best Buy and he pulled some strings. If I did not know that individual I would have been left with a faulty drone and no refund. 3DR directly violated their warranty policy and if I really wanted to I could have taken legal action.

I share this hilarious and irritating story as a warning to those thinking of purchasing any products from 3DR. Although I have no hard evidence I have heard from multiple sources that the company is getting out of drone production and has stopped fulfilling warranties. That isn't good for those who currently own SOLO's or for those considering purchasing one. I have now bought a DJI Phantom 4 and couldn’t be happier with it. I am not bashing the SOLO; it worked INCREDIBLY well when it was in its functional moods. I am simply sending out a warning.


Thanks for reading and purchase wisely,

Franklin Marquette

 

[ChrisBird]

Except that people have been getting warranty replacements, even in the last couple of days. So i doubt they've stopped fulfilling warranties. The facts show you are incorrect.

You obviously have no idea how retail works. If the goods are faulty and the supplier gives an RMA the retailer is not out of pocket, it only costs them them the staffs time and postage of the item (and the postage is sometimes covered).

3DR has not laid off 700 staff, yes they have laid of people but not in those numbers.

Please talk in facts and not your beliefs. Im glad you found a drone that your happy with, enjoy your P4.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[SARDG]

Market info, re: 3DR. March 23-24, 2016 but still interesting, and claiming 100 employees at that point.
Drone-maker 3D Robotics cuts jobs, refocuses on corporate market
Layoffs Reflect New Turbulence at High-Flying 3D Robotics | Xconomy

ETA: "workforce had peaked at somewhere between 300 and 350 last year as it prepared to introduce the Solo."

 

[Texzin]

I call BULL**** !!!!

 

[digitaliris]

About a month ago I purchased a 3DR SOLO from Best Buy. I was extremely excited to begin creating videos and such with pro level looks. In the beginning the drone had numerous issues but this is to be expected. Every new product has issues and as I went along I fixed most of them. In the end the biggest still persisted: a nasty issue with GPS. The drone crashed 3 times while flying autonomously due to GPS drift, lost signal, etc while operating in extremely rural areas. I took it up to my cabin for the weekend and did some filming wake boarding. The SOLO hopped off the ground in a half mile by half mile open field with no surrounding trees or large buildings and when it attempted to return home landed over 500ft away in the lake instead of in the open field where it began its flight. At this point I was ready to just go with DJI and hoped that due to 3DR's warranty it would be an easy return. So followed 4 weeks of heated conversation with SOLO which ended in a return number that would allow Best Buy to give me an "easy" refund.

I took it to Best Buy the following day and everybody along their chain of command said that they had never saw the number and could not accept a return (including the manager of the store). I called corporate and got the same response. As a result I contacted 3DR and relayed the information. As witnessed by a Best buy sales consultant a 3DR supervisor named Anthony called a Best Buy consultant named Sam and began threatening him with legal action, loss of his job, etc if he did not comply with the return. He then put words into Sam's mouth and hung up. This supervisor then contacted me in a cheery tone and said that everything was alright and that the "manager" of the store named Sam accepted the return. Sam was neither the manager nor did he accept the return. As the situation progressed Anthony then contacted Best buy corporate and did the same thing. As stated by a high level Best Buy executive 3DR is soon to be discontinued in their stores due to this behavior and in some instances faces legal action. He then continued to tell me that they are going bankrupt and have had to lay off over 700 employees as such. For this reason they are attempting to force companies like Best Buy to "foot the bill" for their warranty claims because they can no longer afford to. I ended up getting my refund because I knew an official who worked for Best Buy and he pulled some strings. If I did not know that individual I would have been left with a faulty drone and no refund. 3DR directly violated their warranty policy and if I really wanted to I could have taken legal action.

I share this hilarious and irritating story as a warning to those thinking of purchasing any products from 3DR. Although I have no hard evidence I have heard from multiple sources that the company is getting out of drone production and has stopped fulfilling warranties. That isn't good for those who currently own SOLO's or for those considering purchasing one. I have now bought a DJI Phantom 4 and couldn’t be happier with it. I am not bashing the SOLO; it worked INCREDIBLY well when it was in its functional moods. I am simply sending out a warning.


Thanks for reading and purchase wisely,

Franklin Marquette

Dude, your time line is messed up big time brah...how did you buy it a month ago, crash it 3 times before last weekend and then still manage to fight Best Buy and 3DR for the last 4 plus weeks hmmmmm ?? Good one.

 

[Franklin Marquette]

Now come on lets calm down. Okay maybe my timeline was messed up a bit thanks for taking the time to point that out. I am not saying that everything I said was factual nor am I bashing your favorite drone. I literally said that already and if your paying attention enough to notice my "timeline" is messed up you should realize that. I did not intend this to be a hate thread I simply was putting the information I was told by a Best Buy executive out there. Keyword: told. Meaning not factual. I can say that in my opinion the support I received during all that time was less than adequate. So everybody calm down I was only trying to help and I can clearly see now how help is accepted on this forum.

 

[Jubalr]

Now come on lets calm down. Okay maybe my timeline was messed up a bit thanks for taking the time to point that out. I am not saying that everything I said was factual nor am I bashing your favorite drone. I literally said that already and if your paying attention enough to notice my "timeline" is messed up you should realize that. I did not intend this to be a hate thread I simply was putting the information I was told by a Best Buy executive out there. Keyword: told. Meaning not factual. I can say that in my opinion the support I received during all that time was less than adequate. So everybody calm down I was only trying to help and I can clearly see now how help is accepted on this forum.

I don't think anyone here isn't calm. It's just that in the last week alone, 3 people are getting new Solos and Gopro cameras under the 1 year warranty. 1 of which was very close to the 1 year cut off. So they are only saying that the info you were told does not jive with users experiences. We can all read things on the internet and be told hearsay, but it does no good to repeat it with out some sort of factual basis (like the replacements I just mentioned.)

Take care and enjoy your Phantom and Fly Safe..

 

[Franklin Marquette]

If there was a way to delete a thread I would do so because unfortunately it was not taken the way I had intended. I obviously simply had a bad experience. I apologize.

 

[Toiletbowl]

Now come on lets calm down. Okay maybe my timeline was messed up a bit thanks for taking the time to point that out. I am not saying that everything I said was factual nor am I bashing your favorite drone. I literally said that already and if your paying attention enough to notice my "timeline" is messed up you should realize that. I did not intend this to be a hate thread I simply was putting the information I was told by a Best Buy executive out there. Keyword: told. Meaning not factual. I can say that in my opinion the support I received during all that time was less than adequate. So everybody calm down I was only trying to help and I can clearly see now how help is accepted on this forum.

read my signature

 

[Franklin Marquette]

Don't start the 3DR vs DJI argument. They both have their pros and cons.

 

[Texzin]

Ine

Don't start the 3DR vs DJI argument. They both have their pros and cons.

l believe you did with your first post

 

[Franklin Marquette]

It may have seemed that way but I also said that when it wasn't glitching out I loved my SOLO and I miss some of the features it had that the P4 does not but after the experience I had I will not go back. If you have not experienced what I did I completely understand why you like it more.

 

[Toiletbowl]

same as mine i have a tereble experience in dji the customer support are pretty bad so i decided to buy 2 solos and i am happy

 

[ChrisBird]

It may have seemed that way but I also said that when it wasn't glitching out I loved my SOLO and I miss some of the features it had that the P4 does not but after the experience I had I will not go back. If you have not experienced what I did I completely understand why you like it more.

I would love to know the name of the "executive" that told you this or is just a sales person relaying it? If it was a sales person they rarely know whats really happening. I currently do contract work in a large chains head office and the stores often get the wrong story.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[LAK-USA]

About a month ago I purchased a 3DR SOLO from Best Buy. I was extremely excited to begin creating videos and such with pro level looks. In the beginning the drone had numerous issues but this is to be expected. Every new product has issues and as I went along I fixed most of them. In the end the biggest still persisted: a nasty issue with GPS. The drone crashed 3 times while flying autonomously due to GPS drift, lost signal, etc while operating in extremely rural areas. I took it up to my cabin for the weekend and did some filming wake boarding. The SOLO hopped off the ground in a half mile by half mile open field with no surrounding trees or large buildings and when it attempted to return home landed over 500ft away in the lake instead of in the open field where it began its flight. At this point I was ready to just go with DJI and hoped that due to 3DR's warranty it would be an easy return. So followed 4 weeks of heated conversation with SOLO which ended in a return number that would allow Best Buy to give me an "easy" refund.

I took it to Best Buy the following day and everybody along their chain of command said that they had never saw the number and could not accept a return (including the manager of the store). I called corporate and got the same response. As a result I contacted 3DR and relayed the information. As witnessed by a Best buy sales consultant a 3DR supervisor named Anthony called a Best Buy consultant named Sam and began threatening him with legal action, loss of his job, etc if he did not comply with the return. He then put words into Sam's mouth and hung up. This supervisor then contacted me in a cheery tone and said that everything was alright and that the "manager" of the store named Sam accepted the return. Sam was neither the manager nor did he accept the return. As the situation progressed Anthony then contacted Best buy corporate and did the same thing. As stated by a high level Best Buy executive 3DR is soon to be discontinued in their stores due to this behavior and in some instances faces legal action. He then continued to tell me that they are going bankrupt and have had to lay off over 700 employees as such. For this reason they are attempting to force companies like Best Buy to "foot the bill" for their warranty claims because they can no longer afford to. I ended up getting my refund because I knew an official who worked for Best Buy and he pulled some strings. If I did not know that individual I would have been left with a faulty drone and no refund. 3DR directly violated their warranty policy and if I really wanted to I could have taken legal action.

I share this hilarious and irritating story as a warning to those thinking of purchasing any products from 3DR. Although I have no hard evidence I have heard from multiple sources that the company is getting out of drone production and has stopped fulfilling warranties. That isn't good for those who currently own SOLO's or for those considering purchasing one. I have now bought a DJI Phantom 4 and couldn’t be happier with it. I am not bashing the SOLO; it worked INCREDIBLY well when it was in its functional moods. I am simply sending out a warning.


Thanks for reading and purchase wisely,

Franklin Marquette

Franklin, would you give us a feature/reliability/likes & dislikes etc. comparison between the Solo & your P4? I would really appreciate it.

 

[Franklin Marquette]

His name was Jason and he was a Corporate executive at the offices in Minneapolis MN.

Well I absolutely LOVE the smart shot features of the SOLO no other drone can match that. They are an incredible feat of engineering. I also love how easily it connected to my Hero 4. But the thing I like most about the SOLO is how open they are to DIY enthusiasts. That for me was the selling point. Along with their customer service - which before I purchased I heard was top notch. For those reasons I immediately threw out DJI when I was first looking at purchasing a drone.

The gimbal is pretty nice but is not as smooth as the one on the P4. Also the battery life could be longer. The P4 has MUCH better GPS and that is the main reason I like it over the SOLO. Its GPS is so much more accurate. Also if GPS is lost it can still operate around buildings using its optical stabilization technology. Follow me is not as good as SOLO's but is there. I like the way the SOLO looks over the P4 as well.

Honestly I still want to love SOLO but after my experience was forced to go to the next best thing.

 

[LAK-USA]

His name was Jason and he was a Corporate executive at the offices in Minneapolis MN.

Well I absolutely LOVE the smart shot features of the SOLO no other drone can match that. They are an incredible feat of engineering. I also love how easily it connected to my Hero 4. But the thing I like most about the SOLO is how open they are to DIY enthusiasts. That for me was the selling point. Along with their customer service - which before I purchased I heard was top notch. For those reasons I immediately threw out DJI when I was first looking at purchasing a drone.

The gimbal is pretty nice but is not as smooth as the one on the P4. Also the battery life could be longer. The P4 has MUCH better GPS and that is the main reason I like it over the SOLO. Its GPS is so much more accurate. Also if GPS is lost to can still operate around buildings using its optical stabilization technology. Follow me is not as good as SOLO's but is there. I like the way the SOLO looks over the P4 as well.

Honestly I still want to love SOLO but after my experience was forced to go to the next best thing.

Thanks for the info, that's exactly what I needed to know.

 

[Craig L. Johnson - USMC]

I have uploaded a file...

 

[LAK-USA]

I have uploaded a file...

Thanks for uploading the comparison Craig. While being concise, the author seems to have limited 1st hand experience with the two drones; comparing printed specs which are somewhat dated.

Personally, I'd rather hear your opinions on the subject then a good writer comparing stats.

 

[Ezzard Finch]

About a month ago I purchased a 3DR SOLO from Best Buy. I was extremely excited to begin creating videos and such with pro level looks. In the beginning the drone had numerous issues but this is to be expected. Every new product has issues and as I went along I fixed most of them. In the end the biggest still persisted: a nasty issue with GPS. The drone crashed 3 times while flying autonomously due to GPS drift, lost signal, etc while operating in extremely rural areas. I took it up to my cabin for the weekend and did some filming wake boarding. The SOLO hopped off the ground in a half mile by half mile open field with no surrounding trees or large buildings and when it attempted to return home landed over 500ft away in the lake instead of in the open field where it began its flight. At this point I was ready to just go with DJI and hoped that due to 3DR's warranty it would be an easy return. So followed 4 weeks of heated conversation with SOLO which ended in a return number that would allow Best Buy to give me an "easy" refund.

I took it to Best Buy the following day and everybody along their chain of command said that they had never saw the number and could not accept a return (including the manager of the store). I called corporate and got the same response. As a result I contacted 3DR and relayed the information. As witnessed by a Best buy sales consultant a 3DR supervisor named Anthony called a Best Buy consultant named Sam and began threatening him with legal action, loss of his job, etc if he did not comply with the return. He then put words into Sam's mouth and hung up. This supervisor then contacted me in a cheery tone and said that everything was alright and that the "manager" of the store named Sam accepted the return. Sam was neither the manager nor did he accept the return. As the situation progressed Anthony then contacted Best buy corporate and did the same thing. As stated by a high level Best Buy executive 3DR is soon to be discontinued in their stores due to this behavior and in some instances faces legal action. He then continued to tell me that they are going bankrupt and have had to lay off over 700 employees as such. For this reason they are attempting to force companies like Best Buy to "foot the bill" for their warranty claims because they can no longer afford to. I ended up getting my refund because I knew an official who worked for Best Buy and he pulled some strings. If I did not know that individual I would have been left with a faulty drone and no refund. 3DR directly violated their warranty policy and if I really wanted to I could have taken legal action.

I share this hilarious and irritating story as a warning to those thinking of purchasing any products from 3DR. Although I have no hard evidence I have heard from multiple sources that the company is getting out of drone production and has stopped fulfilling warranties. That isn't good for those who currently own SOLO's or for those considering purchasing one. I have now bought a DJI Phantom 4 and couldn’t be happier with it. I am not bashing the SOLO; it worked INCREDIBLY well when it was in its functional moods. I am simply sending out a warning.


Thanks for reading and purchase wisely,

Franklin Marquette

I just went thru the whole process and I can say that it was pretty painless im getting a full replacement and 3DR paid for shipping of my faulty drone and im getting another free of charge maybe you just had a faulty drone cause that is very possible.