Tong Family

Well there isn’t any doubt that DJI has the best drone on paper with the Mavic Pro, but here’s what to watch out for:

1. Hardware issues. Out of the box, the brand new Mavic controller would not pair with the drone. I’m sure they are selling like hot cakes, but this is the first time a $$$$s is completely broken out of the box. Fortunately there is a DJI Authorized Repair center there and they verified the controller is dead (it stays on connecting and it does beep when you press buttons). More frightening is that they tried 3 other controllers and one was dead. The manager said, yes this was a common problem, so unscientific, but a 50% failure rate doesn’t exactly breed a lot of confidence. I’m going to return the Mavic and rebuy from the local dealer.
2. Net, net, make sure that if you are buying a drone, to get one from a local dealer because it is pretty likely you are going to have to get it replaced.
3. DJI Repair plan. That is not what it is called, but for an extra $99, you can get a destroyed bird fixed for $99 or so and then another in the first year. However, be aware that you have to activate the plan within 48 hours of using your drone. The guys I bought from were good, they activated the plan with the now dead bird. I’m unsure, but hopefully I can return this thing and still get the $99 back.
4. Customer Service. Well, I sent them email and after a week, still no reply. This is a common complaint on the forums.
5. Acres of firmware updates and deep user interface. Man, for a consumer product, they sure ship lots of firmware updates, you have to update the battery, the drone, the controller and of course the iPhone itself. Make sure that when you get one, you leave half a day to get all this done. Many complaints on forums where you go out and try to fly but you need to do an update first, so make sure to update before you fly.
6. Flight modes galore. This thing has so many different modes it is hard to keep track and the forums are filled with experts talking to noobs, the user base is not yet large enough to have every question answered

Net, net, the drone thing is moving rapidly and hopefully customer service and product quality catch up. In the mean time, if you have to have one, make sure to get one from a local dealer who also does repairs (e.g. not Best Buy). You need someone who is willing to fix the thing.