Not happy with 3DR Support

[John hill]

John,

I'm following this thread and your story closely. You should be receiving better service from 3dr for sure. Maybe Ian will poke a few folks and get the ball rolling a bit faster. If I were the CEO of 3dr (I've been the CEO of a few companies in my career) I'd be sending you a whole new setup just to put it all to bed. You'd definitely appreciate it and make sure everyone knew how 3dr took care of you. I truly hope you get some satisfactory resolution soon. This is taking way too long to resolve.

Jerry

Hi Jerry, Thank you for your thoughts, yes I would agree its taking far to long but I generally feel that something is wrong with the organisation, and maybe the sales of Solo have far exceded expectations and there is genuinely poor quality control in China where the Gimbals are being manufactured, when you have had that many Returns/Faults there is a problem.
But hopefully Ian can pull some strings and we will see something happen, to be quite honest at this point all i want to know is when do I expect to receive my replacement Gimbal, but no-one will give me that information. I would have been better off to do a temporary fix on the original at least then I could be flying, in the meantime I wait. Cheers John.

 

[John hill]

Ray and Jerry,
3DR bent over backwards in getting the Gimbal back to them, I have never ever had service like that before from any Company and I am a bit older than you guys I have been in this hobby for many years and never had such service, But that's when it stopped and that was 7 weeks approaching 8 next Monday, No as I have said before I think they have a genuine Problem in China because they haven't got stock in San Diego.
They have stock from what I heard of stuff to go out to new Customers but not stock for replacement. any please don't get upset over my problems, enjoy life while you can, you only get one go OK?. Cheers John.

 

[J R]

John,

Ray is a great and very knowledgable guy and has been a good friend to me. We're pretty tight and we both say it like "we" see it. I think both of us would admit that's a good thing. We're kind of old school that way, we don't BS each other. I cherish his friendship, knowledge and honesty. My kind of guy.

As I said, I'm not stressing over any of this, just see something that doesn't seem right to me and voicing my opinion about it. I think 3dr needs to practice what they preach. They took the "white" guys horrible service record and marketed the different approach that they would take as a major asset. I'm just holding them to their own words.

I'm in on the whole Solo thing but I'm expecting 3dr to live up to the expectations that they established. If they don't, it's my opinion that they will not be successful.

I hope your issue gets the attention and resolution that it deserves very soon.

Jerry

 

[John hill]

John,

Ray is a great and very knowledgable guy and has been a good friend to me. We're pretty tight and we both say it like "we" see it. I think both of us would admit that's a good thing. We're kind of old school that way, we don't BS each other. I cherish his friendship, knowledge and honesty. My kind of guy.

As I said, I'm not stressing over any of this, just see something that doesn't seem right to me and voicing my opinion about it. I think 3dr needs to practice what they preach. They took the "white" guys horrible service record and marketed the different approach that they would take as a major asset. I'm just holding them to their own words.

I'm in on the whole Solo thing but I'm expecting 3dr to live up to the expectations that they established. If they don't, it's my opinion that they will not be successful.

I hope your issue gets the attention and resolution that it deserves very soon.

Jerry

Thanks Jerry makes a bit more sense now with the comments, I as I have said I think there is a problem at 3dr or someone hasn't done their homework, I hope to god that they work it through because solo is a beast it's the best machine I have ever had, but they are making it so hard for me, cause all I want is someone to tell me when I get my replacement Gimbal, that's not a huge ask is it? As of Monday it will be 8 weeks and I am getting pissed off, cheers, John .

 

[Quality Control]

John,

Ray is a great and very knowledgable guy and has been a good friend to me. We're pretty tight and we both say it like "we" see it. I think both of us would admit that's a good thing. We're kind of old school that way, we don't BS each other. I cherish his friendship, knowledge and honesty. My kind of guy.

As I said, I'm not stressing over any of this, just see something that doesn't seem right to me and voicing my opinion about it. I think 3dr needs to practice what they preach. They took the "white" guys horrible service record and marketed the different approach that they would take as a major asset. I'm just holding them to their own words.

I'm in on the whole Solo thing but I'm expecting 3dr to live up to the expectations that they established. If they don't, it's my opinion that they will not be successful.

I hope your issue gets the attention and resolution that it deserves very soon.

Jerry

I couldn't agree more. We all see things differently. Some of us have similar opnions and experiences. I for one am in the same boat. I have had a hard time with their service. I have always known 3DR to be a very service and support oriented company with the Pixhawk issues and such I have had in the past. They responded promptly and I was very happy with the result and how I was treated. I suppose the Solo division is a different group, but I think they are in over their head with what they have marketed and what they have delivered. When they first started marketing the Solo and gimbal as a package, it was to have GoPro control, smart shot features and be a complete package from a great service and support oriented company. That atleast how I took their marketing. How long did we wait for the gimbal after the release of the Solo? After we received the gimbal, many had problems not to mention the lack of Gopro control that was promised. They seem to be late in every aspect and its hard to deal with when you have spent so much money on a product you expect to work.

 

[Soloing]

I started out like many others owning a NAZA. I got rid of that and got a SuperX. I sold that as well and ended up with a few Pixhawks, and never looked back! Whenever I needed help, the 3DR support team was there! I was really impressed with how they handled things.

Well, that was before the Solo came out.

Now it is just a big mess. Sure, they were still able to help me a couple of times when I had "technical" issues, but in general, it is a big mess. They screwed up on so many levels, its not even funny! I returned my a couple of weeks ago. I finally got my check made out. Who deals with checks anymore? Ha ha.

Anyhow, I think what happened is that the guy that "owns" 3DR, I forgot his name, is not a business man. He is someone that :licked out" with DIY Drones, but when they started throwing big bucks at him, he didn't know what to do.

 

[J R]

Just a follow-up now that I have some minor concerns with customer support. I did not hear back regarding the 4 motor pods I ordered and was charged for on Nov 5th. I was told a few days ago that my order was in "process" but an exact shipping date could not be established. The person that spoke with me felt that it was probably already shipped but they just haven't received the tracking number.

I'm in no real hurry as my bird is functioning. I'm really just persuing this in light of the issue John is facing and I want to start to get an understanding of what I can expect from 3dr's support staff.

I checked the status of my order via the 3dr website about a half hour ago. It says: Status-Complete, Payment State-Complete, Shipping State-Processing. Basically, what is showed two days ago.

I decided to call just to get the status and again was met with a slight communication barrier and a somewhat reluctant answer. The gentleman expressed that my order had been received, that my payment was processed and he wasn't clear on the shipping element.

I was put on hold for a brief time and when he returned he told me that it may have shipped but he did not have a tracking number. He would look into it further and get back to me in a "few minutes" via email or phone. It will be interesting to see if I receive a response in a "few minutes".

I'm not trying to cause any friction. I'm just following protocol to see how the support system performs. I have the luxury to do so as I'm retired and after hearing a few of these mishaps I'd like to see the system in action first hand.

My bird is currently up and operating so there is absolutely no urgency here. Just calling them as I see them.

Jerry

 

[John hill]

Well guys it's Saturday here and I am none the wiser about my Gimbal than I was a week ago.
Monday will be entering week 8 and I will contact Ian and see if he can rattle some brains from his end, as I have repeatedly said I believe in the company they have a great machine but the support sucks they had better learn that happy customers are the sales team for future clients, clean up your act 3dr it could be very damaging in the future.

 

[Soloing]

If I end up buying a Solo/Gimbal again, I am pretty sure I will do something I am not proud of, which is returning it every 29 days, ha ha. Why would I have to sit there and deal with endless return times, when I can just return it, get my money back, and but it new??? No used equipment from someone else to deal with...

 

[David Weston]

Jerry,

I have had or will have 3 new motor pods. 1st one was months ago when motor pods were like unicorns. Took about 3 weeks. Then I ordered a spare motor pod, that took about 10-12 days. I discovered a bearing going bad, e-mailed 3DR, looked up my previous order # for the spare which I used, ordered me a replacement and I had that order # within minutes and now waiting for it which will again be a spare. They told me to not send the bad motor pod back which I am replacing the bearings with Boca Bearings. (BTW, they are less than 200 miles from me, I ordered last Friday, I am receiving them tomorrow (SAT.)) So, I would think 2 weeks or so.

 

[J R]

I have had or will have 3 new motor pods.

Well I got an email from 3dr support at about 4:30 this afternoon. I was given tracking numbers for my pods. Glad they got back to me today. Will start tracking tomorrow to see how long it takes to get them.

Jerry

 

[John hill]

Well I got nothing from the buggers so we enter into week 8 not very impressed.......

 

[J R]

Well I got nothing from the buggers so we enter into week 8 not very impressed.......

Really sorry to hear that John. You are definitely in one tough spot. I sure wish there was something more we could do.

Jerry

 

[John hill]

Thanks Jerry, will talk to Ian on Monday and see what he can do, but just some communication back from them and I would be happy but you get nothing. and that to me sucks.anyway we wait.
Cheers, John.

 

[John hill]

Hey Jerry, just been doing a bit of reading on other Forums and there seems to be a lean from Inspire Pilots to go the Solo Path as well asking questions about support the main reason that DJI support doesn't exist people are not impressed at all but are showing interest in 3DR, this is where 3DR should be taking notes and saying that there not going down the same path as DJI.
It will be very interesting I think down the track I know there are other machines coming next year but at this time it looks like DJI and 3DR are the main contributors, which isn't too bad for #DR an industry today.that wasn't that competitive say 12 months ago.
Ok there are others but big ones like XAircraft, Zero ONE which i have had both, seem to have gone into the background. John.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Hey Jerry, just been doing a bit of reading on other Forums and there seems to be a lean from Inspire Pilots to go the Solo Path as well asking questions about support the main reason that DJI support doesn't exist people are not impressed at all but are showing interest in 3DR, this is where 3DR should be taking notes and saying that there not going down the same path as DJI.
It will be very interesting I think down the track I know there are other machines coming next year but at this time it looks like DJI and 3DR are the main contributors, which isn't too bad for #DR an industry today.that wasn't that competitive say 12 months ago.
Ok there are others but big ones like XAircraft, Zero ONE which i have had both, seem to have gone into the background. John.

DJI has actually been improving their CS lately. They seem to be learning from their mistakes. Hopefully 3DR will also improve as they go through their growing pains.

 

[David Weston]

Jerry,
(and perhaps John too),

UPS has an estimating tool for deliveries which is accurate once something does ship. The other thing is the UPSAPP which is very accurate. Once an item ships UPS to your address you get an immediate update in the app. This isn't when it leaves China as it has to clear customs and a whole bunch of other stuff. So, for a package from San Diego to here in Central Florida is 5 days AFTER the product has been procured and released to UPS. In the case of my gimbal the turn around time was 4 weeks. Five days to them plus receiving, then 2 weeks from China to another city in China, then to Alaska, then someplace else, then to UPS. I ordered the ribbon cable, it's like nothing, came in a letter envelope, it took 10 days AFTER the order was processed from Singapore. You get the picture, this is not like ordering from Amazon, there's a lot of steps. Now here in the US (as I did) I went to Best Buy, bought a gimbal, and went home. Now in John's case I think a big part of the problem is where he lives, maybe not. But if I were him and had the level of frustration he has, I would find a way to wire $399 plus tax and shipping to a shopping service (or a good friend) have them buy one at Best Buy and Fed Ex it to him. Send the Proof of Purchase to 3DR and they will issue a refund by check. They did that for me (Vincent), I'm sure they would do that for John. Took about 10 work days for the check to be cut, another 4 days in mail. Maybe it's not a perfect solution but also not a perfect distribution system and probably won't ever be. Lastly (and sadly) because of what has happened in Paris yesterday I would expect a much higher level of scrutiny of packages being shipped by air and sea and truck into the United States causing even more delays in shipping. If that is true (and I hope it is) to eliminate and minimize a threat to innocent people, well, I'm all for it.

 

[John hill]

Jerry,
(and perhaps John too),

UPS has an estimating tool for deliveries which is accurate once something does ship. The other thing is the UPSAPP which is very accurate. Once an item ships UPS to your address you get an immediate update in the app. This isn't when it leaves China as it has to clear customs and a whole bunch of other stuff. So, for a package from San Diego to here in Central Florida is 5 days AFTER the product has been procured and released to UPS. In the case of my gimbal the turn around time was 4 weeks. Five days to them plus receiving, then 2 weeks from China to another city in China, then to Alaska, then someplace else, then to UPS. I ordered the ribbon cable, it's like nothing, came in a letter envelope, it took 10 days AFTER the order was processed from Singapore. You get the picture, this is not like ordering from Amazon, there's a lot of steps. Now here in the US (as I did) I went to Best Buy, bought a gimbal, and went home. Now in John's case I think a big part of the problem is where he lives, maybe not. But if I were him and had the level of frustration he has, I would find a way to wire $399 plus tax and shipping to a shopping service (or a good friend) have them buy one at Best Buy and Fed Ex it to him. Send the Proof of Purchase to 3DR and they will issue a refund by check. They did that for me (Vincent), I'm sure they would do that for John. Took about 10 work days for the check to be cut, another 4 days in mail. Maybe it's not a perfect solution but also not a perfect distribution system and probably won't ever be. Lastly (and sadly) because of what has happened in Paris yesterday I would expect a much higher level of scrutiny of packages being shipped by air and sea and truck into the United States causing even more delays in shipping. If that is true (and I hope it is) to eliminate and minimize a threat to innocent people, well, I'm all for it.

Hi David,
I would be quite happy if it was on its way but I haven't received tracking info yet, and from what I am hearing, it's not coming from San Diego but from China , at this point support is waiting for RMA to get back to them to issue tracking info, but communication seems to be the major problem but even at 8 weeks one would expect some movement forward but no, anyway thank you for the info. John.

 

[David Weston]

John, what I am trying to say is that you won't get any tracking info UNTIL it's in the hands of UPS. From what I have gleaned from a number of items that I have ordered both from 3DR and other sources is that tracking info just isn't available on an accurate and timely basis when items are being shipped from China. It's purely an exercise in futility. However, once the package get's in the hands of a shipper like UPS, FED Ex, someone like that, then you can see whats happening as they are a single entity. There are just too many entities involved coming from China to pinpoint where an item is and exactly when it will arrive. I have received tracking info from 3DR but it was UPS and was 3 days behind what I got from the app. ( I use the UPS app as that's who 3DR uses here and as soon as UPS gets a package I get an immediate update of where it originated and when I am going to receive it. For example, I got a notice that UPS had the gimbal and would be delivered in 5 days,,BUT,,,it had been in transit for 2 weeks and more prior to that. Customs, other countries, security, etc, etc, etc. My suggestion is to you (and other's) is to sign up for the UPS app, Fed Ex probably has one also. In my experience with over 7 items shipped from China, Singapore for my SOLO, that's your best bet if you need to know when it will arrive. Sorry but I think this is a pretty accurate accounting of what happens with shipping.

 

[David Weston]

Here's a quick example. An order for a motor pod was placed for me on Nov 6. It is coming from Shenzhen China. I am pretty sure it is "somewhere" but UPS has not received it yet. When they do I will know (UPS Worldwide Express).