"Murphy is training you for an audition on America's Got Talent?" No, but thanks for asking. For the record: Murph is more trainable than I am. That may be because he is young and active, and I am neither of those.
The hoops I am talking about are of the dealing with Customer Service kind. When I got my HoverAir X1 out yesterday to get some video of the roof, the batteries were swollen. Not a good situation with these small LiPo (lithium) batteries.
I sent an email to Zero Zero Robotics (the maker of the HoverAir X1 camera drone) to ask if the situation with swollen batteries was considered a manufacturing defect. They were very prompt in getting back to me, and asking for a lot of information. I understand they need to check into things to make sure I'm not trying to beat them out of something. Without the batteries, the X1 is just a very light paperweight.
What they asked for: the original order number, how it was purchased, where it was purchased (directly from them), the serial numbers of each battery and the device, photos of the batteries from different angles (showing the swelling); and asking if the X1 had ever been wet or used around water, how often it has been used (per month), what charge state the batteries were in when stored, if the batteries had ever been left uncharged for any long periods, and probably a few other things I'm forgetting as I write this.
With Joan's help, I was able to get them the order information, the PayPal receipt, etc, etc, etc. So, we'll see if this is considered a defect or if I am long out of warranty.
2 comments:
From my limited days in the RC airplane hobby, LiPo batteries have a distinct lifespan. Once they start to swell they are toast. Pretty sure we have a few of those that have sat unused and are goners. I store them in an Army surplus ammo can in the garage, sitting on concrete - minal fire hazard that way. I would be very surprised if they warranty the batteries unless they are only a year old or so. The questions they asked about frequency of use and whether they were stored in a charged state give them the "out" they are looking for. Good luck! You can get new ones at Hobby Lobby or similar stores where they sell RC planes or cars.
Hi Earl - I looked around for any 3rd party batteries for this drone, but didn't find any. It is pretty specific in size, shape, and capacity to keep the weight down. Yeah, they declined to replace them, but they did offer me 10% off any battery purchase (these are $40 each). I countered with "how about 10% off on the purchase of their newer model drone?" Surprisingly, they agreed to that.
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