Poor Customer Support, Crash warranty denied

[Benm3]

Just recieved my Skydio2 from batch 5. I received the drone on Thursday, Jan 28, the did a short less than one minutes flight, then flew it again on Jan 29th the next day. On it's second flight it was following me and just dropped out of the air, landed on the gimbal which broke and a rotor broke. It was not high, maybe less than 10 feet and the drone is prefectly fine except for the broken gimbal. The gimbal seems quite fragile.

I submitted a flight log along for a warrany claim as the drone just dropped out of the air and I was hoping that Skydio would do the right thing and replace my brand new drone. Nope. They denied the warranty claim as there are some branches that are seen in the peripheral briefly. It seem so convenient that Skydio takes the easy way out and claims the warranty was void becuase they were some branches. There are always branches!!! I've attached the video.

I was not flying in a manner to test out the autonomous capabilities by making it follow me on a wooded trail, which youtube is full of such videos. Skydio is essentially finding any an all reason to deny warranty claim for their drone that they sell and market as autonomous. False advertising. I wonder how long it will take before enough people complain and a class acition lawsuit happens. I now have a brand new 1900 dollar drone after accessories upgrade that is unusable.

Anyone else having bad experiences.

 

[skydioconvert]

Sorry that you were denied a replacement S2 but after watching the video I'm not surprised Skydio denied your claim.
You were actually hoovering for quite a while within/near small branches that the S2 couldn't see. There actually are quite a few area's outlined in the user manual that you're warned to stay away from.

Consider working with Skydio to get your S2 repaired and then you can decide to either sell it or learn from your mistake and become a better pilot.

 

[Benm3]

Sorry that you were denied a replacement S2 but after watching the video I'm not surprised Skydio denied your claim.
You were actually hoovering for quite a while within/near small branches that the S2 couldn't see. There actually are quite a few area's outlined in the user manual that you're warned to stay away from.

Consider working with Skydio to get your S2 repaired and then you can decide to either sell it or learn from your mistake and become a better pilot.

There are always branches, and the drone was hovering with the branches behind it. This wasn't an issue of becoming a better pilot as they drone was following and just dropped. If no one holds Skydio accountable then they will continue to sell under false pretenses of autonomy. I see a class action happening in the future.

Skydio is also not being straight forward on beacon and why the drone drifts off even with the beacon. So even if the Beacon has GPS signal, the issue is that the communication link between the beacon and done is very weak and highly prone to dropping. Skydio has not acknowledged this achilles heel and why you see so many issues with the drone drifting off even if you are using the beacon. Overall the experience and customer support has not been good and I own several DJI drones and my experience with them has always been better.

 

[skydioconvert]

Disagree with your assessment of DJI drones (I own several) ... their OA is inferior to the S2.

The S2 is the best drone out there when it comes OA BUT the pilot has the "primary" responsibility of learning limits on any aircraft he/she flies.

Warnings in the S2 manual are there for a purpose.... ignoring them has consequences,

 

[Benm3]

Disagree with your assessment of DJI drones (I own several) ... their OA is inferior to the S2.

The S2 is the best drone out there when it comes OA BUT the pilot has the "primary" responsibility of learning limits on any aircraft he/she flies.

Warnings in the S2 manual are there for a purpose.... ignoring them has consequences,

For OA, I agree with you that Skydio is better, but therein lies the problem. Skydio is sold and hyped so heavily on the OA, yet there are issues and then Skydio doesn't step up to honor the crash warranty. Let's be honest, the warnings cover any and all scenarios and gives Skydio huge leeway to deny claims, but then that was most likely by design.

I'm not debating the OA on Skydio, but of you want to sell on how superior your OA is, then step up and honor your crash warranty. If I was running through the woods on a trail and I crashed, I totally get it, but that is not what I was doing.

 

[Ridefreak]

That sucks the new drone crashed Benm. Unfortunately all that video showed is what the main camera saw, it doesn't show the crash or what the OA saw. Saying it just dropped out of the sky isn't supported by that footage. Not saying it didn't but that doesn't show anything except that the drone is in a precarious spot.
The video just appears to just end while the drone is still flying. What's immediately obvious in the view is very small branches that we know cause a problems with the OA, especially when there's no bright sun out, you can see it's late in the day and the drone is flying in the afternoon shadow, not good conditions to test the OA amongst small bare branches. I'm not saying it didn't drop out of the sky but that video doesn't help your case at all.

It doesn't take much for the drone to crash if it clips something, there's plenty of examples on here of exactly that. I know you probably realize this but that was a terrible location to familiarize yourself with the new drone, lighting wasn't acceptable when you consider the obstacles the drone had to contend with.

A couple suggestions, never fly around small leafless branches, they are nothing but trouble for the OA and it's likely you'll crash it again if you continue to do so. Use an open area to familiarize yourself with the drone and the controls. Get familiar with the wand function, it would have gotten you out of that situation had you wanded it closer to the ground below the branches then off to a more open area to ether side. Also late afternoon, dusk, low light are all situations that put the OA at a disadvantage, add those small branches and it's asking for trouble. It's a painful lesson especially since the drone is new, sorry that happened to you.

 

[skydioconvert]

Your comment about there also being poor lighting was something I didn't notice.

Low lighting and small branches were a combination that set up the perfect storm....

 

[Benm3]

That sucks the new drone crashed Benm. Unfortunately all that video showed is what the main camera saw, it doesn't show the crash or what the OA saw. Saying it just dropped out of the sky isn't supported by that footage. Not saying it didn't but that doesn't show anything except that the drone is in a precarious spot.
The video just appears to just end while the drone is still flying. What's immediately obvious in the view is very small branches that we know cause a problems with the OA, especially when there's no bright sun out, you can see it's late in the day and the drone is flying in the afternoon shadow, not good conditions to test the OA amongst small bare branches. I'm not saying it didn't drop out of the sky but that video doesn't help your case at all.

It doesn't take much for the drone to crash if it clips something, there's plenty of examples on here of exactly that. I know you probably realize this but that was a terrible location to familiarize yourself with the new drone, lighting wasn't acceptable when you consider the obstacles the drone had to contend with.

A couple suggestions, never fly around small leafless branches, they are nothing but trouble for the OA and it's likely you'll crash it again if you continue to do so. Use an open area to familiarize yourself with the drone and the controls. Get familiar with the wand function, it would have gotten you out of that situation had you wanded it closer to the ground below the branches then off to a more open area to ether side. Also late afternoon, dusk, low light are all situations that put the OA at a disadvantage, add those small branches and it's asking for trouble. It's a painful lesson especially since the drone is new, sorry that happened to you.

The video was 9 AM EST with plenty of sun. For some reason, the video comes out darker than it was. The flight log supports that it was in the morning.

 

[VEGASROBBI]

Sorry for the loss but I agree with skydioconvert and Ridefreak; small branches less than 1/4" without leaves can be seen, poor lighting- all covered in the manual.

We all want to place full trust in technology but it has limits and we have to be reasonable. I crashed my own S2 due to my own negligence and had a good repair experience(although some say that is changing).

As far as DJI, that is where class action suits should be, not Skydio.

 

[leenanj]

I see the same, small branches and also windy day! My DJI drone would not have lasted that long in that cluster of thin branches. Sorry for your crash .

 

[onlysublime]

sorry for your drone crashing. happens to the best of us.

If I was Skydio looking at that video, I would be suspicious. something is up with the video. in the background, you clearly see sunlight but it's in shadow where you're at. if it was an exposure issue, the whole screen should've been dark. I guess I could understand if it was bright midday... also, it looks like you edited the video to avoid any bad footage. all we see is you trying to fly near tiny branches in the dark.

it's a shame that the Skydio can't be flown at night or dark environments. On my old 3DR Solo drone I could fly at night (then again, it doesn't have avoidance so it was all on me).

 

[Benm3]

sorry for your drone crashing. happens to the best of us.

If I was Skydio looking at that video, I would be suspicious. something is up with the video. in the background, you clearly see sunlight but it's in shadow where you're at. if it was an exposure issue, the whole screen should've been dark. I guess I could understand if it was bright midday... also, it looks like you edited the video to avoid any bad footage. all we see is you trying to fly near tiny branches in the dark.

it's a shame that the Skydio can't be flown at night or dark environments. On my old 3DR Solo drone I could fly at night (then again, it doesn't have avoidance so it was all on me).

The video is completely unedited. Literally downloaded it from the drone to my phone. Uploaded it to youtube and then to here. It was 9 AM EST. Shadows are just that.

One thing that I noticed is that there is a buffer period. None of the crash footage on youtybe shows the actual crash. In my case, it fell the 8-9 feet to the ground, gimbal broke and one prop broke. Battery popped off but not one scratch or damage to the battery. The moment of the drone falling is not captured to the SD card.

 

[Starz]

First drone? Several things that are notable. Wind and proximity to obstacles and some somewhat obvious unfamiliarity with the hardware.
You may want to consider a more open area to fly and get some airtime.
Sorry for your loss and hopefully you get a resolution.

 

[Skyking]

Just recieved my Skydio2 from batch 5. I received the drone on Thursday, Jan 28, the did a short less than one minutes flight, then flew it again on Jan 29th the next day. On it's second flight it was following me and just dropped out of the air, landed on the gimbal which broke and a rotor broke. It was not high, maybe less than 10 feet and the drone is prefectly fine except for the broken gimbal. The gimbal seems quite fragile.

I submitted a flight log along for a warrany claim as the drone just dropped out of the air and I was hoping that Skydio would do the right thing and replace my brand new drone. Nope. They denied the warranty claim as there are some branches that are seen in the peripheral briefly. It seem so convenient that Skydio takes the easy way out and claims the warranty was void becuase they were some branches. There are always branches!!! I've attached the video.

I was not flying in a manner to test out the autonomous capabilities by making it follow me on a wooded trail, which youtube is full of such videos. Skydio is essentially finding any an all reason to deny warranty claim for their drone that they sell and market as autonomous. False advertising. I wonder how long it will take before enough people complain and a class acition lawsuit happens. I now have a brand new 1900 dollar drone after accessories upgrade that is unusable.

View attachment 311View attachment 312

Anyone else having bad experiences.

I had same exact experience (Batch 1), small branches. I pointed out that their own promo videos show it flying autonomously through thick forests ! I got no where with that. I just paid the repair/replacement fee and got on with my life. They have a great product but very poor understanding about what a customer RELATIONSHIP means. So be it. I now know that it cannot avoid small branches and I fly accordingly. I do real estate photography and when taking exterior shots, small branches are usually an issue.

 

[VEGASROBBI]

One thing that I noticed is that there is a buffer period. None of the crash footage on youtybe shows the actual crash. In my case, it fell the 8-9 feet to the ground, gimbal broke and one prop broke. Battery popped off but not one scratch or damage to the battery. The moment of the drone falling is not captured to the SD card.

There is a buffer period when you power down, I wait a minute or so after the yellow light stops blinking to power off

I read somewhere if you don't wait long enough the audio won't synch.

It appears the video stops as soon as a prop strike is sensed, at least in my case; it may be an attempt to save the footage in case the battery disconnects.

 

[skydioconvert]

I had same exact experience (Batch 1), small branches. I pointed out that their own promo videos show it flying autonomously through thick forests ! I got no where with that. I just paid the repair/replacement fee and got on with my life. They have a great product but very poor understanding about what a customer RELATIONSHIP means. So be it. I now know that it cannot avoid small branches and I fly accordingly. I do real estate photography and when taking exterior shots, small branches are usually an issue.

Fore warned is fore armed....

 

[stallion]

Just recieved my Skydio2 from batch 5. I received the drone on Thursday, Jan 28, the did a short less than one minutes flight, then flew it again on Jan 29th the next day. On it's second flight it was following me and just dropped out of the air, landed on the gimbal which broke and a rotor broke. It was not high, maybe less than 10 feet and the drone is prefectly fine except for the broken gimbal. The gimbal seems quite fragile.

I submitted a flight log along for a warrany claim as the drone just dropped out of the air and I was hoping that Skydio would do the right thing and replace my brand new drone. Nope. They denied the warranty claim as there are some branches that are seen in the peripheral briefly. It seem so convenient that Skydio takes the easy way out and claims the warranty was void becuase they were some branches. There are always branches!!! I've attached the video.

I was not flying in a manner to test out the autonomous capabilities by making it follow me on a wooded trail, which youtube is full of such videos. Skydio is essentially finding any an all reason to deny warranty claim for their drone that they sell and market as autonomous. False advertising. I wonder how long it will take before enough people complain and a class acition lawsuit happens. I now have a brand new 1900 dollar drone after accessories upgrade that is unusable.

View attachment 311View attachment 312

Anyone else having bad experiences.

Hi Benm3, curious to know what you ended up doing since Skydio decided to not honor the warranty? Did you purchase a new drone? Did you ship it back to have them provide an estimate at your expense? How much was the estimate etc.
I am going through a similar situation and I am trying my best to understand what to expect.
Thanks in advance!

 

[baksideDisasterFlicks]

Hi Benm3, curious to know what you ended up doing since Skydio decided to not honor the warranty? Did you purchase a new drone? Did you ship it back to have them provide an estimate at your expense? How much was the estimate etc.
I am going through a similar situation and I am trying my best to understand what to expect.
Thanks in advance!

Mine was $500 total. I broke the shell and two motors.

 

[GmartineSKYDIO]

So far my experience with Skydio support is it is probably the WORST I have ever encountered. It’s been a week with many reach outs on my end with ZERO response. This is beyond frustrating. I tried phone, email, and chat. All I get is “please leave a message and we will get back to you shortly”. A company is made up of many aspects, eng, sales, marketing which apparently they are good at, jury is out on product but having terrible support can make any company look bad. I’m not impressed so far. I just want someone at Skydio to friggin reply. I cannot even get past ”I have an issue” so I can get it resolved. Do they only have 1 support person? For a $1000 product, I expect more.

 

[Skyking]

I really believe that sky to you as a company is just a hot air balloon, a bunch of hype to raise their valuation in the eyes of unwary investors.

I had a Skydio 2 from the first batch. I took a bite of about $2000 on a start up company that couldn’t even give me a reasonably accurate delivery date or expected delivery date or even tell me where I was in the queue.

Of course this raised my suspicions.

I’m a real estate photographer and wanted the Skydio 2 for those up the driveway and into the front door shots.

I was impressed by their no crash guarantee and by that video that showed the S2 flying autonomously through very dense Woodland.

The impression I got after watching that video was that if the Skydio 2 could do that, it surely could fly up the driveway and into the front door of the home.

My expectations were cut short when flying down the driveway with me just 10 feet behind it, it hit a small branch and crashed to the ground. The lighting was excellent and the small branch wasn’t minuscule, I just Didn’t see it myself.

Skydio declined the no crash guarantee claiming that hitting a small branch isn’t covered by their no crash guarantee. Can you believe that?!

I had to pay for replacement drone

Since that time, I’ve had numerous problems with the Skydio 2 Drone. Among them problems connecting, problems disconnecting, a gray screen instead of a video feed at times during a flight that was not recoverable and finally at a recent shoot, I took the images off the microSD card and imported them into my editor, Lightroom. Every image was bright red as if I had a dark red filter over the lens. The images were unusable and unrecoverable and I had already left the shoot when I discovered this, obviously.

Worse yet, the support people told me that this was a known problem and they were working on it. If it was a known problem, all users should’ve been made aware of it so they wouldn’t use the Skydio for an important shoot only to find after the opportunity was over that the images were ruined and unusable. Even if this red image issue was an occasional problem, the drone would be unusable for any important shoot because sometimes reliable is the same as unreliable. Users would simply not have used the Skydio drone until the problem was resolved and proven resolved.

That was the last straw.

To make a longer story short or shorter, Skydio agreed to refund my full purchase price on everything including the enterprise program.

I don’t want to even hear the word “Skydio”again.

I might say that it took about two weeks after they received the product back to issue the refund.

I’ve been a drone photographer for three or four years maybe a little longer with thousands of missions with DJI drones starting with the phantom three when it first came out.

Now, my go to Drone is a DJI Air 2S.

I’ve had all kinds of Mavics before that including the Mavic air two, the Mavic pro two or is it the Mavic two pro, and usually had no problems aside from there poor customer support. But their product works, at least for me, all the time, and I’m not going to stray from the path.

That’s it from me!