Drones continue to become easier to fly, but accidents will always happen. DJI is now helping protect its customers investments with new drone insurance called the DJI Care Protection Plan.
The DJI Care Protection Plan at this time applies only to the Phantom and Inspire drones. The plans are available for six months or one year, covering damage to the drone, gimbal, or camera during normal use.
DJI says the insurance does not cover accessories such as the battery or controller.
At the moment, DJI Care is only available to customers from the US, parts of Europe and Mainland China. DJI says it will launch the insurance plans in more countries in the future.
Here’s a breakdown of the available DJI Care Protection Plans:
The plans handle unlimited repairs up to the purchase price of the drone. But things get tricky if your drone is completely destroyed. DJI considers a drone to be totaled when more than 80 percent of the drone’s parts are damaged. Here’s how the plans work with totaled drones, according to the DJI Care Protection Plan FAQ page:
“For the 6-month plan, if your aircraft is completely damaged or presumed to be completely damaged and needs to be exchanged with a new one, the coverage amount left in your DJI Care plan can be used for the exchange in the first 5 months during the period of validity. However, if your aircraft is completely damaged or presumed to be completely damaged and needs to be exchanged with a new one 30 days before the period of validity expires, you will be compensated at either the coverage amount left or 80% of the purchase price of the aircraft, whichever is lower.
“For the 1-year plan, if your aircraft is completely damaged or presumed to be completely damaged and needs to be exchanged with a new one, the coverage amount left in your DJI Care plan can be used for the exchange in the first 10 months during the period of validity. However, if your aircraft is completely damaged or presumed to be completely damaged and needs to be exchanged with a new one 60 days before the period of validity expires, you will be compensated at either the coverage amount left or 60% of the purchase price of the aircraft, whichever is lower.”
Here’s a breakdown of conditions that won’t be covered by a DJI Care Protection Plan:
- Lost or partially lost aircraft and accessories
- Stolen or abandoned aircraft and accessories
- Damage caused by flight under unsuitable flight conditions
- Any repair fees resulting from or following water damage
- Repair fees for battery, propellers, remote controller or other accessories
- Deliberate losses
- Abrasions and shell damage that do not affect the performance of the aircraft
- Direct or indirect losses caused by force majeure
- Repair requests for damage incurred outside the period of validity
- Indirect loss and/or anticipated profit in any form
- Extra fees resulting from technical enhancements or performance improvements
- Personal injury and/or property loss to the customer or any other people caused by the aircraft
- Any legal fees related to DJI Care’s warranty coverage
It’ll be difficult to purchase a DJI Care Protection Plan after a drone has been activated for 48 hours, but that makes sense, as it’ll be tricky for DJI to determine the drone’s condition and when an incident may have occurred. However, DJI said users can submit a verification video to get approval for purchasing DJI Care from Feb. 22 2016 to Mar. 22 2016.
Here are some other FAQs:
What’s the difference between DJI Care and a DJI product warranty? Will a DJI product warranty be invalid without purchasing DJI Care?
A product warranty is a repair service provided by a manufacturer when product quality problems occur. DJI Care is a service plan that provides you with peace of mind, covering damage to your DJI aircraft, gimbal or camera sustained during normal use. Although you can still enjoy DJI’s standard product warranty without buying DJI Care, a DJI Care service plan can greatly reduce repair costs. Furthermore, if the repair costs are covered by a standard product warranty, the remaining balance on your DJI Care Service Plan will not be affected.
I have transferred my aircraft to someone else. Can I also transfer DJI Care?
Yes. The aircraft owner can be changed but the S/N of the aircraft bound to the service agreement cannot. DJI will not take responsibility for any disputes due to the transfer.
I have lost my electronic service agreement so I do not know the Agreement No. How do I get repairs?
Please provide your aircraft or gimbal S/N to us. This can be used to verify whether your aircraft and gimbal are protected under DJI Care. If the damage is within service coverage, you can get free repairs.
Does DJI Care support international coverage (e.g., I purchased DJI Care in the US but want to repair my product in the EU)?
No. At the moment, DJI Care does not support international coverage. For example, if you purchased your DJI Care in the US but the aircraft crashes while you’re on vacation in Europe, DJI Care will not cover repairs for you in the EU. Although DJI Care will cover repairs if you return the aircraft to a support center in the US, you will need to pay any shipping and custom fees from Europe to US.
