This article reflects my personal experience with DJI, their warranty process, and DJI Care Refresh coverage. Others may have different experiences. This is mine.

The Incident

In September, I was flying my DJI Mavic 3 Pro in Santa Cruz, California while volunteering as a videographer for First Descents. I was capturing surfing moments of cancer survivors participating in the program.

During landing near the beach, the drone drifted toward the ocean. I attempted to manually override the descent and pull it upward using the remote control. The aircraft did not ascend as I expected and ultimately entered the water.

In an attempt to retrieve it, I ran into the ocean and was struck by a strong wave. I was pulled out by lifeguards who happened to be training nearby. It was a frightening experience.

The drone was unrecoverable.

Opening a Factory Warranty Claim

Immediately after the incident, I contacted DJI Support and opened a factory warranty claim. Based on what I experienced — particularly the drone’s behavior during landing and its lack of response to manual input — I believed the issue may have involved a malfunction.

DJI requested that I send in my remote controller so their technical team could extract the flight data. I did so promptly.

The Back-and-Forth

Over the following weeks and months, communication with DJI became increasingly frustrating.

DJI shared flight data interpretations that, from my perspective, did not align with what happened at the beach. I raised concerns about discrepancies in the reported home point and final landing position. I was told the aircraft operated normally. At various times, DJI provided screenshots and maps that, from my perspective, did not align with what happened on the beach. Some of the visuals appeared to indicate that the home point or takeoff location was in the water, which was not consistent with where I was physically standing. I raised these discrepancies multiple times, but the responses I received maintained the same interpretation of the data.

I provided witness statements from individuals who were present and saw the incident unfold. These statements confirmed the sequence of events as I experienced them. DJI acknowledged the statements but ultimately maintained their position that the drone responded properly to control inputs.

Throughout the process, responses often felt generic and repetitive. Despite submitting requested documentation, the conclusion did not change.

Eventually, the claim under the factory warranty was denied on the basis of “operational error.”

Turning to DJI Care Refresh

When I purchased the drone, I also purchased DJI Care Refresh coverage. I paid $434.41 for this plan, believing it would provide protection in case of damage or loss.

After the warranty claim was denied, I attempted to proceed under DJI Care Refresh.

At that stage, I was again told that flight logs were missing — despite the earlier data extraction from the remote controller. So they took some time to find that data

After additional delays, I was eventually informed that I could receive a replacement drone if I paid $739 as a flyaway replacement fee.

By that time, due to work commitments, I had already purchased a new drone out of pocket because I could not wait indefinitely for a resolution.

The Financial Reality

Between:

• The original drone purchase
• The $434.41 DJI Care Refresh plan
• The replacement drone I had to purchase
• The proposed $739 flyaway fee

The financial impact of this incident was significant.

While I understand that insurance plans often involve replacement fees, the overall process — including months of delay and repeated information requests — left me disappointed.

My Perspective on Reliability and Support

Anna Meshcheri is walking on a beach in Philippines holding her drone — Carabao Island, 🇵🇭

DJI drones are capable of producing excellent video and image quality. That is not in dispute.

However, based on my personal experience:

• I found the warranty and claims process difficult and slow.
• I did not feel that my concerns about flight behavior were meaningfully addressed.
• The communication process felt repetitive and circular.

I respect that DJI relies heavily on internal flight data when making decisions. However, from my perspective, the data interpretation did not match the real-world event.

Why I’m Sharing This

I am sharing this to provide transparency for other drone operators.

When purchasing a drone and an extended protection plan, it is important to understand:

• What is covered
• What fees apply in flyaway cases
• How data is interpreted
• How long resolution might take

My experience was that the process was far more complex, stressful and time-consuming than I anticipated.

Final Thoughts

Losing a drone is frustrating. Nearly losing your safety trying to recover it is something else entirely.

What made this experience especially difficult was not just the crash itself, but the prolonged effort required to seek resolution.

This was my experience. Others may have different ones.

For me, it changed how I view product reliability, warranty protection, and customer support responsiveness, and if there will be a better alternative I would switch in a blink of an eye.

My Experience With DJI: When a Drone Loss Turned Into a Months-Long Customer Support Ordeal