Solo in the lake...

Cosber · Feb 8, 2016

RolandS888 said:
Sorry for your loss @mecummings.cr, The frequency of pod failure reports is becoming ridiculous .

Is there a time limit for how long 3DR will replace pods/entire Solo because of mechanical failure? I can't believe there is a lifetime warranty.

Nerius · Feb 8, 2016

Cosber said:
Is there a time limit for how long 3DR will replace pods/entire Solo because of mechanical failure? I can't believe there is a lifetime warranty.

One year from the date of purchase as standard warranty, I think.

erikgraham · Feb 8, 2016

Cosber said:
Is there a time limit for how long 3DR will replace pods/entire Solo because of mechanical failure? I can't believe there is a lifetime warranty.

30 days from purchase. They will replace everything, including the GoPro.

I'm not the original poster in this thread, but I have more than one Solo and in my lake "adventure" (linked to above on the first page of this thread), I was using a brand new Solo - less than a weak old. In my case I won't be attempting to put in a warranty claim due to the changes I made to the software parameters... and all the other little mods made to the hardware.

Nerius · Feb 8, 2016

erikgraham said:
30 days from purchase. They will replace everything, including the GoPro.

I'm not the original poster in this thread, but I have more than one Solo and in my lake "adventure" (linked to above on the first page of this thread), I was using a brand new Solo - less than a weak old. In my case I won't be attempting to put in a warranty claim due to the changes I made to the software parameters... and all the other little mods made to the hardware.

That's not true: 1 year, not 30 days. As I know, 30 days are unconditional, no questions asked, Solo return in USA, but worldwide warranty is one year from the date of purchase (or registration date with 3DR).

erikgraham · Feb 8, 2016

Nerius said:
That's not true: 1 year, not 30 days. As I know, 30 days are unconditional, no questions asked, Solo return in USA, but worldwide warranty is one year from the date of purchase (or registration date with 3DR).

Well as long as we are nit picking, the 30 day period is far from unconditional, and they definitely ask a lot of questions. They also look at the logs carefully. For example, a few people on these boards who flew in temps below freezing have had their claims rejected.

Also the standard warranty you referred to is 1 year, or as long as required by local laws.

Anyway, the question was not how long the standard warranty runs, it was: "Is there a time limit for how long 3DR will replace pods/entire Solo because of mechanical failure?" - the answer is still 30 days. If something happens after the 30 days, they might send you a new pod or do some small repairs, but they are not going to replace the entire Solo and GoPro.

Nerius · Feb 8, 2016

erikgraham said:
Well as long as we are nit picking, the 30 day period is far from unconditional, and they definitely ask a lot of questions. They also look at the logs carefully. For example, a few people on these boards who flew in temps below freezing have had their claims rejected.

Also, the question was, "Is there a time limit for how long 3DR will replace pods/entire Solo because of mechanical failure?" - the answer is still 30 days, especially in the context of the original post (he won't be able to return the Solo). If something happens after the 30 days, they might send you a new pod or do some small repairs, but they are not going to replace the entire Solo and GoPro.

Sorry, but you are not right again: 3DR warranty service is superior: they will replace entire Solo, together with GoPro if yours UAV and GoPro will be smashed into pieces (or sunken in lake, like in this case) if it will be warranty case (warranty is 1 year). Go search forum or FB Solo user groups: you will see a lot of people got they damaged Solo together with GoPro replaced under warranty into new (refurbished) ones. Of course, it's not always necessary: I'm from Europe and much easy and convenient for both me and 3DR to send me only new motor pods in case of my problem (clear problem of 2 motor pods failure), than deal with custom, send my Solo to US, then wait for repair and send back to me and deal with custom again.

Nerius · Feb 8, 2016

And I truly believe @mecummings.cr will get a new Solo with GoPro if 3DR will get into conclusion it is warranty case.

erikgraham · Feb 8, 2016

Nerius said:
Sorry, but you are not right again: 3DR warranty service is superior: they will replace entire Solo, together with GoPro if yours UAV and GoPro will be smashed into pieces (or sunken in lake, like in this case) if it will be warranty case (warranty is 1 year). Go search forum or FB Solo user groups: you will see a lot of people got they damaged Solo together with GoPro replaced under warranty into new (refurbished) ones. Of course, it's not always necessary: I'm from Europe and much easy and convenient for both me and 3DR to send me only new motor pods in case of my problem (clear problem of 2 motor pods failure), than deal with custom, send my Solo to US, then wait for repair and send back to me and deal with custom again.

I'm not going to keep arguing with you, but the 30 day replacement policy is very well known and often discussed on these boards. It's also well known that neither the 30 day money back guarantee, nor the standard 1 year warranty, are "unconditional, no questions" asked. Just look a little deeper at the very same Facebook forum to which you refer. And if you still can't bring yourself to take my word for it, take 3DRs:

This Warranty does not apply to: (1) Product subjected to abnormal use or conditions, accident (including without limitation, collision, crash or fire), alteration, or improper repair; (2) damage from exposure to moisture or extreme environmental conditions; (3) damage from use with any accessory, software or other product not expressly authorized by 3D Robotics; (4) damage from external causes such as dirt, sand, battery leakage, blown fuse, or improper usage of any electrical source; (5) use in violation of law or ordinances in effect in the jurisdiction in which the Product is used.

You see what the lawyers did there? 3DR has a lot of wiggle room to reject almost any warranty claim. It's far from unconditional.

I've been a 3DR customer for years. In fact, as far as I know, I'm the guy who first got the answer from Chris Anderson on whether or not the warranty covered usage with Tower. I completely agree that their customer service is top notch. I've used it more than once and they've always been great (and generous).

But no one should take your post seriously. This is how inaccurate rumors and customer expectations get started. And no one should expect a full replacement, including GoPro after the 30 day period. You might get it - some do, some don't, but the guarantee is only for 30 days, and it's not intended for users who thrash their Solo, or fly in conditions out of spec, for example in winds greater than 11m/s (25mph), or in temperatures above or below 0C - 45C (32F - 113F).

After 30 days your mileage may vary - again, just check the Facebook forum to which you refer, or check this site. Whether within 30 day guarantee or 1 year warranty, no one should expect 3DR to just blindly replace their Solo without question. They are going to look at your logs closely, and they are going to ask a lot of questions.

Nerius · Feb 8, 2016

erikgraham said:
I'm not going to keep arguing with you, but the 30 day replacement policy is very well known and often discussed on these boards. It's also well known that neither the 30 day money back guarantee, nor the standard 1 year warranty, are "unconditional, no questions" asked. Just look a little deeper at the very same Facebook forum to which you refer. And if you still can't bring yourself to take my word for it, take 3DRs:

This Warranty does not apply to: (1) Product subjected to abnormal use or conditions, accident (including without limitation, collision, crash or fire), alteration, or improper repair; (2) damage from exposure to moisture or extreme environmental conditions; (3) damage from use with any accessory, software or other product not expressly authorized by 3D Robotics; (4) damage from external causes such as dirt, sand, battery leakage, blown fuse, or improper usage of any electrical source; (5) use in violation of law or ordinances in effect in the jurisdiction in which the Product is used.

You see what the lawyers did there? 3DR has a lot of wiggle room to reject almost any warranty claim. It's far from unconditional.

I've been a 3DR customer for years. In fact, as far as I know, I'm the guy who first got the answer from Chris Anderson on whether or not the warranty covered usage with Tower. I completely agree that their customer service is top notch. I've used it more than once and they've always been great (and generous).

But no one should take your post seriously. This is how inaccurate rumors and customer expectations get started. And no one should expect a full replacement, including GoPro after the 30 day period. You might get it - some do, some don't, but the guarantee is only for 30 days, and it's not intended for users who thrash their Solo, or fly in conditions out of spec, for example in winds greater than 11m/s (25mph), or in temperatures above or below 0C - 45C (32F - 113F).

After 30 days your mileage may vary - again, just check the Facebook forum to which you refer, or check this site. Whether within 30 day guarantee or 1 year warranty, no one should expect 3DR to just blindly replace their Solo without question. They are going to look at your logs closely, and they are going to ask a lot of questions.

I completely agree with 90% you wrote and I think it's some kind of misunderstanding here: by meaning warranty I mean real reasonable conditional warranty like this defined in wikipedia "The most common kind of warranty on goods is a warranty that the product is free from defects in materials and workmanship. This simply promises that the manufacturer properly constructed the product, out of proper materials. This implies that the product will perform as well as such products customarily do." I didn't wrote anything about 100% replacement in any case.
So if you smash yours Solo into the wall or drop into the water because of you, as a pilot error, it will be yours fault, non-warranty issue and 3DR shouldn't and will not take any warranty responsibility. Which IMO is fair. But, if Solo drops into the lake because of motor pod bearing failure because of manufacturers desing error or using low quality materials for bearings, its manufacturer error and all unit should be replaced under warranty. Simple as that.
And standart worldwide warranty usually are 1 year (2 years in EU for consumer electronics). I don't know USA law, but in EU you cannot make warranty shorter, than defined by law: if it is defined, that TV set should care 2 years warranty it should carry no less than 2 years warranty.

And again I completely agree with you, that warranty implies ONLY in case you operating your Solo under conditions defined by manufacturer and within limits stated in manual.

EyeWingsuit · Feb 8, 2016

Holy bejesus, do we really have a non-english speaker and non-US native debating a US warranty written in plain english?
FYI, there is no law in the USA relating to warranty. Period. Full-stop.
According to the link below, the "two year warranty" in the EU is a myth as well.
Two-year EU warranty: five myths about consumer rights

But I'm not from the EU, so I'm not going to argue the "law" in the EU.

Nerius · Feb 8, 2016

EyeWingsuit said:
Holy bejesus, do we really have a non-english speaker and non-US native debating a US warranty written in plain english?
FYI, there is no law in the USA relating to warranty. Period. Full-stop.
According to the link below, the "two year warranty" in the EU is a myth as well.
Two-year EU warranty: five myths about consumer rights

But I'm not from the EU, so I'm not going to argue the "law" in the EU.

3DR are selling Solo not only in US, so we are debating worldwide warranty [emoji6]

EyeWingsuit · Feb 8, 2016

Nerius said:
3DR are selling Solo not only in US, so we are debating worldwide warranty [emoji6]

Perhaps in your mind, you are. You're attempting to match an EU "law" with a US practice. They don't equate.
There is no such thing as "international warranty law" and various locations have different practices for warranty/representations.

Add to that a JFIGS interpretation of American English, it stands to be a mess.

Nerius · Feb 8, 2016

EyeWingsuit said:
Perhaps in your mind, you are. You're attempting to match an EU "law" with a US practice. They don't equate.
There is no such thing as "international warranty law" and various locations have different practices for warranty/representations.

Add to that a JFIGS interpretation of American English, it stands to be a mess.

OK. Maybe it's time to end this a little off-topic discussion then

Troiano27 · Feb 8, 2016

With only reading the first few posts, it sounds similar to what mine did. Mine turned out to be a bad motor pod. Hopefully yours will be something similar and covered by 3dr.

EyeWingsuit · Feb 8, 2016

Troiano27 said:
With only reading the first few posts, it sounds similar to what mine did. Mine turned out to be a bad motor pod. Hopefully yours will be something similar and covered by 3dr.

My GoPro survived; we'll see about the rest shortly. Meanwhile, here was the tree strike. It had flown this mission twice before without incident; I should have been faster on the controls and could have perhaps saved it.

erikgraham · Feb 8, 2016

EyeWingsuit said:
Holy bejesus, do we really have a non-english speaker and non-US native debating a US warranty written in plain english?
FYI, there is no law in the USA relating to warranty. Period. Full-stop.
According to the link below, the "two year warranty" in the EU is a myth as well.
Two-year EU warranty: five myths about consumer rights

But I'm not from the EU, so I'm not going to argue the "law" in the EU.

I'm a US native if your referring to me...

erikgraham · Feb 8, 2016

Nerius said:
I completely agree with 90% you wrote and I think it's some kind of misunderstanding here: by meaning warranty I mean real reasonable conditional warranty like this defined in wikipedia "The most common kind of warranty on goods is a warranty that the product is free from defects in materials and workmanship. This simply promises that the manufacturer properly constructed the product, out of proper materials. This implies that the product will perform as well as such products customarily do." I didn't wrote anything about 100% replacement in any case.
So if you smash yours Solo into the wall or drop into the water because of you, as a pilot error, it will be yours fault, non-warranty issue and 3DR shouldn't and will not take any warranty responsibility. Which IMO is fair. But, if Solo drops into the lake because of motor pod bearing failure because of manufacturers desing error or using low quality materials for bearings, its manufacturer error and all unit should be replaced under warranty. Simple as that.
And standart worldwide warranty usually are 1 year (2 years in EU for consumer electronics). I don't know USA law, but in EU you cannot make warranty shorter, than defined by law: if it is defined, that TV set should care 2 years warranty it should carry no less than 2 years warranty.

And again I completely agree with you, that warranty implies ONLY in case you operating your Solo under conditions defined by manufacturer and within limits stated in manual.

Ok. I'm with you. All good on my side.

EyeWingsuit · Feb 8, 2016

erikgraham said:
I'm a US native if your referring to me...

Nah, I was referring to the other guy (Nerius), who was quoting EU "law."

pyrate · Feb 8, 2016

good luck getting a manufacturer to actually bend to that LAW and if you do, look for them to pull product out of the EU markets
I would

EyeWingsuit · Feb 8, 2016

pyrate said:
good luck getting a manufacturer to actually bend to that LAW and if you do, look for them to pull product out of the EU markets
I would

That's why some manufacturers, such as Peavey, pulled out of the EU for a while, and made it all mail-order with no warranty beyond what they offered in North America. I don't believe it's a law. That link I posted suggests it's mythical and usually misunderstood.