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Seriously considering returning the Spark (Not anymore!)

Sparklight

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Jul 19, 2017
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I bought the Spark recently , haven't had an opportunity to fly it yet but I'm quite concerned about all the problems people are reporting - falling out of the sky, compass errors, frequent remote controller disconnections, battery issues, randomly flying away etc. .

I've never flown a drone before and bought the Spark as it was marketed as a consumer level drone with simple features.

But hearing all the complaints people are having with the Spark ( there's also been a news article about it) makes me nervous to fly it...don't want people getting hurt or the drone getting damaged or lost. DJI's returns policy and their customer service do not inspire confidence either.

Since I have not used it yet, I feel like it's better to return it and not take the risk of losing money over it and wait until most of the issues are fixed.

Would be great to hear any thoughts you guys might have on this.

Thanks in advance!
 
I think it's all related to software issues, which will be corrected, eventually...I hope. ;)
 
The choice is yours and you are correct there does seem to be an over abundance of issues surrounding the Spark. With that said, DJI always seems to get things sorted out eventually. There is/was a DJI Go update today and FW update should be coming very soon. If you do decide to keep the Spark I recommend getting a RC, then flying it in an open field for a while.
 
I bought the Spark recently , haven't had an opportunity to fly it yet but I'm quite concerned about all the problems people are reporting - falling out of the sky, compass errors, frequent remote controller disconnections, battery issues, randomly flying away etc. .

I've never flown a drone before and bought the Spark as it was marketed as a consumer level drone with simple features.

But hearing all the complaints people are having with the Spark ( there's also been a news article about it) makes me nervous to fly it...don't want people getting hurt or the drone getting damaged or lost. DJI's returns policy and their customer service do not inspire confidence either.

Since I have not used it yet, I feel like it's better to return it and not take the risk of losing money over it and wait until most of the issues are fixed.

Would be great to hear any thoughts you guys might have on this.

Thanks in advance!

I purchased the spark and eventually sold it after about a week of having it, but I sold it because I just wanted to use it exclusively for the gesture modes and at the time they weren't working properly (I dont know if they have gotten better but im sure they will soon) But as a stand alone drone meaning everything other than gesture mode I thought it was great. Size, flight, and best of all ruggedness, I think it could stand most crashes that arent intentional. But already having a Mavic I didnt need another regular drone. But like you state that you want a "consumer level drone" I think its one of the best you can get. Comparing others in its category Breeze, Dobby I think its leaps and bounds above those. I think you should try it out at least once, go out to a big open field and try it out. I sold mine quickly because it was sold out at the time so I figured I would use that to my advantage and at least break even, but as im doing now I come to this site and see if there are any updates regarding the gesture modes. And im really thinking of buying another one soon.
Figure it this way, its better than any other drone at that price range and category. If you step up to a mavic or phantom your paying way more money and things can still go wrong. But again try it for a week, leave the prop guards on and if you dont like it return it.
 
You re obviously going to hear about a handful of problems a lot more than the thousands of users with issue free drones...

Face it, these drones are now packed with technology, sensors, features and that complexity comes at a prices.

I hesitated before buying a spark because I thought there may be issue with the early ones but the size and capabilities made it hard to wait.

I got it early July and was only really able to fly it this past week, about two dozen flights with pretty much no issues. The footage I got is incredible and as good as the Mavic. Most flights in the 2000' range with a max distance of 3700' a couple of times. Could haven gone further but didn't need to.

I think some of the issues may have to do with automated features which I don't use. I can only imagine the even of complexity of the software and the Moreno complex software is the bugs you may get.

All my flights are with the RC, OTG, phone in airplane mode, collision avoidance disabled and not using any smart features incl RTH. If I m on control, I may as well fly it home instead of relying on a computer.

Bottom line, it's half the price of the Mavic and does 95% of what the Mavic can do, at least for me.
 
Your only hearing a hand full of negative problems, when things go wrong people want to vent to other when thing go normal or fine you hear nothing from those people. I haven't had any problems and love this little beast.
 
I have had it for 2 weeks. 40 flights...with the remote and the OTG cable nothing but FUN. Rock solid, easy to fly...great pictures. Its up and flying in a matter of a couple of minutes. Longest wait it waiting for the remote to pair. Even done a couple of promotional videos and it worked. If you want a fun drone thats ultra small and quick the spark is for you. If you want something more SERIOUS then of course get the Mav. But to say you are going to return something without trying it yourself seems frankly insane. But to each their own. I think people have to realize that the spark is not MAVIC JR, its something completely different (and fun).
 
There has been a lot of complaints on this forum and outside about how the Spark is full of problems.

I have had the Spark for about 4 weeks. I am having an absolute blast! No problems at all and definitely not falling out of the sky.... it connects perfectly to my phone's Wi-Fi and never gets disconnected.

The hand automated feature is really useful! The tracking function is impressive. Walking, running and biking it will follow you.

I bought the controller and I am able to reach new heights and distances. Got 2 extra batteries and the multi port chargers.

I feel that this drone is getting a lot of criticism which I is based on things which are not true at all. The drone is smaller than a Coca cola can, what do you expect... it's not going to do the Mavic's job. It's a drone which does an impecable job for it's size. You just have to look at the stability when filming, near perfection. Such a small drone achieving this stability truly amazes me. If you want a drone that is small and travel friendly which can shoot decent shots, then the Spark is for you. The spark is more of a mainstream drone. It is no longer a tool for proffessional photographers and cinematographers. I think the price is steep but considering what it has to offer I have no regrets of getting the Spark.

Obviously, if you are looking to make proffesional shots and have greater heights and 4k video then the Mavic is for you. Or you can find even more expensive drones.

To finish this off, we should stop hating on the Spark and appreciate what it has to offer. Small, stable, for everyone and impressive new technology. Don't just judge the Spark by what people are saying, which are sometimes not backed up by proof.

Sorry for the rant but I had to share my opinion on the Spark. Hope this helps.
Thanks!
 
The choice is yours and you are correct there does seem to be an over abundance of issues surrounding the Spark. With that said, DJI always seems to get things sorted out eventually. There is/was a DJI Go update today and FW update should be coming very soon. If you do decide to keep the Spark I recommend getting a RC, then flying it in an open field for a while.
Man I hope they don't take away the OTG capability before my controller gets here and I can try it. :(
 
The issue of Sparks having a random mid-air power-off crash are very real and have nothing to do with how they are being flown, manually or programed, or whether they are using the RC or phone. While not affecting all Sparks, it is happening randomly to a reasonably large group of people, so it does require caution at this point until DJI can resolve the issue. I was lucky that one of my sparks only fell from 20 ft at the practice field, so no damage. But many people have had theirs seriously damaged or lost in lakes, ocean, etc. Mine happened after 5 batteries worth of flying, so it is somewhat random as to when it happens. Others have had it happen sooner and some later.

The problem is real. It needs to be fixed and as of right now, DJI monitors on their own spark forum have not been able to provide a technical answer to the issue other than that engineering is working on it as fast as possible. Keep on flying, but don't think that it can't happen. So far there has been no common circumstances for the crashes, so it is advisable to be prudent at this point. Watch where you fly and how high. Because if you do get this issue, it could seriously hurt someone or seriously damage your bird. So far DJI is fixing them, but is not, so far, replacing lost sparks.

Because this is not happening to all Sparks, easy to think it won't happen to yours. Same thing happened with GoPro's drone. Enough crashes to make people wary. But hopefully DJI will sort out this very real problem.
 
It is infuriating to hear that DJI knows there is an issue and will not replace the drones even with the extra cost of refresh.
 
It could be -- possibly -- that they are waiting to try to get a handle on what went wrong. And to look at their side, what would stop someone from claiming they lost their bird when perhaps they simply crashed it or maybe just want another one for free? Difficult to verify a lost bird on their part, but you never know. They might end up doing something. The reports on this problem are all fairly new, so it is likely something that is taking some time to diagnose. The problem obviously didn't happen in development or beta testing, so trying to replicate it may be troublesome for them. But they have every reason to get it fixed. If someone gets hurt by a failed falling Spark, then DJI would be in real trouble. And they do know that!
 
As Rocco said above, any forum is going to be a hotspot for complaints. Simply because where else do people go when looking for answers.

If the unofficial list has 50 "dead birds" on it, then that's a tiny percentage of the tens of thousands of these things that would have been produced. And of that list of 50 there almost certainly a percentage of human error. Most people would blame the tool when they've just put USD$500 into a lake.

It looks like there's a problem with a small number of units, but to paint the whole Spark product line with that brush makes no sense.
 
The problem is very real and it is not related to pilot error (speaking as a very experienced Inspire pilot). In the news, DJI have already released a statement acknowledging the problem and resolving to fix it. That said, luckily it is not affecting all or even a majority of Sparks. But that does not negate the fact that there are Sparks powering off mid-flight for no apparent reason.
------------------------
"DJI is aware of a small number of reports involving Spark drones that have lost power mid-flight. Flight safety and product reliability are top priorities. Our engineers are thoroughly reviewing each customer case and working to address this matter urgently.

DJI products are tested for thousands of hours, and the overwhelming number of customers enjoy using our products with minimal disruption.

We are looking to implement additional safeguards with a firmware update which will be issued soon. When prompted on the DJI GO 4 App, we recommend all customers to connect to the internet and update their aircraft’s firmware to ensure a safe flight when flying their Spark."
 
The problem is very real and it is not related to pilot error (speaking as a very experienced Inspire pilot). In the news, DJI have already released a statement acknowledging the problem and resolving to fix it. That said, luckily it is not affecting all or even a majority of Sparks. But that does not negate the fact that there are Sparks powering off mid-flight for no apparent reason.

I don't think anyone in the thread is denying there's a problem. Just some of us are suggesting the scale of that problem isn't a wide as the internet forums would have you believe.
 
At least your are thinking through it....

I'm not saying problems don't exists BUT if you look at the vast majority of these issues its from people new to the hobby. Most either don't read/watch all the literature out there, fly and disregard warnings, don't understand warnings, don't perform pre-flight checks, etc...

If you follow a procedure and don't ignore warnings and warning signs, like noticing your drone is jumping from ATTI mode to GPS frequently or your getting occasional IMU errors but ignore them, you are less likely to have issues.

The other thing you have to remember, its a vocal minority. Rarely do people make threads; "Spark is flying great, no issues". So if you were to look at the entire spectrum its probably not alot of people having issues. Then if you look at some of these issues they are self-induced. I don't doubt there are drones with issues, but I don't believe there is a widespread issue(s).

I've been flying drones for many years now and every drone I've ever owned and been on a dedicated forum has always had threads on; Flyaways, Falling out the sky, random power loss, loss of video, loss of control... This is everything from my first Blade QX350, to Yuneec Drones, DJI Phantoms, Mavic, Inspires. And yes I've owned many different DJI drones and knock on wood, I've not had any problems with any of them.

Regarding the potential loss of money - That is indeed the first thing you have to work through. Although I really wanted a drone for a long time, I could not initially come to grips that I could drop 600 bucks on one, get it in the air, and lose it in the first flight. 600 bucks gone... So you do need to accept that potential scenario. I initially couldn't come to grips with that for about 6 months. Eventually I did. Over time I became more comfortable in the technology and bought Phantoms and eventually an Inspire.

IMO if you follow good flying habits, you GREATLY reduce the chance of something bad happening....

I bought the Spark recently, haven't had an opportunity to fly it yet but I'm quite concerned about all the problems people are reporting - falling out of the sky, compass errors, frequent remote controller disconnections, battery issues, randomly flying away etc.

I've never flown a drone before and bought the Spark as it was marketed as a consumer level drone with simple features.

But hearing all the complaints people are having with the Spark ( there's also been a news article about it) makes me nervous to fly it...don't want people getting hurt or the drone getting damaged or lost. DJI's returns policy and their customer service do not inspire confidence either.

Since I have not used it yet, I feel like it's better to return it and not take the risk of losing money over it and wait until most of the issues are fixed.

Would be great to hear any thoughts you guys might have on this.

Thanks in advance!
 
I don't disagree with anything said so far. But I do contend that an extremely small percentage of owners/victims/etc will ever participate in online forums. So in my opinion we'll never be able to compute the percentage of problem Sparks by counting them that way.
 
If this was 20 years ago I might agree, but not in this day and age where the interwebs is so prevalent. Message forums are the very first place people look for when they are having issues. All one has to do is look at the post count of those people who are starting threads regarding issues they are having; very low numbers if not their first...

I believe its actually to the contrary, people that aren't likely to join or post to forums to start with are even less likely to do so if they've got nothing to say, so again, I believe we are actually seeing posts that are skewed towards showing a great number of problems than there truly are...


I don't disagree with anything said so far. But I do contend that an extremely small percentage of owners/victims/etc will ever participate in online forums. So in my opinion we'll never be able to compute the percentage of problem Sparks by counting them that way.
 
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