1 reviews | Active since Oct 2012
False claims and bad service
Its taken me a long time to get round to writing this review of Droneworld because I first wanted to be absolutely sure of my facts.
I bought a Phantom 3 Pro drone from Droneworld Seaspoint quite a while ago and was very happy with it and used it problem free for about 18 months.
I did however want a longer range because I wanted to use the drone far out at sea to search for fish (tuna) off a boat. I asked Droneworld about the range extenders they sell and was told that by spending about R 6000 I could have a system fitted that would take the range up to 7 km. Whilst in the shop they upsold me on a set of DJI goggles for about another R 5000 and some other odds and ends that brought the total bill for upgrades to over R16 000,00. Some of the parts they did not have in stock but promised they would courier to me (I was leaving for the Eastern Cape the next week) .
I tested the range extender before leaving Cape Town and found that it had only increased my range by 300 metres , nothing like the 7 km promised. The drone went back and forth a couple of times to them (each time requiring a 30 minutes journey each way for me) and each time they would assure me that it was now "fine" yet each time it was exactly the same.
I left for the Eastern Cape for my fishing holiday hoping to get all the components I'd need soon via courier in East London (I'd asked them to send to a Postnet branch there) . Numerous calls where made over the next three weeks to ask where the parts where and each time met with excuses.
Eventually I returned to Cape Town after my holiday completely gatvol of Droneworld's broken promises and selling of a product that clearly does not work (I have have subsequently done a great deal of research and it is very clear that "range extenders" are complete ******* and do not work well and definitely do not give anything like the performance that Droneworld promises).
Then lo and behold four weeks AFTER I returned to Cape Town I get a call from Postnet in Herm**** (of all places - about 1000 km from East London) to say that they had a parcel from Droneworld for me. So not only did DW send the item 6 weeks late but couldn't even get the destination right.
The whole saga left me so despondent about using my drone (which now had a cumbersome huge antenna "block" mounted on the transmitter) and not being able to get it to function properly that I literally packed the whole thing away for two years to try and forget the sting of spending R16 000 on "upgrades".
I have now finally just had the range extender removed and the original antennae replaced on the drone by a reputable DJI repairer (Fixology)and the repair centre , without knowing who had fitted the range extender (ie they did not know they'd be casting aspersions on DW) said that they couldn't understand how anyone could sell "range extenders" to the public because they do not work.
Needless to say I will never do business with Drone world again and would caution anyone buying a drone from them to take the claims they make and the promises they give with a massive pinch of salt (no, maybe a bag a salt) because a lot of it is BS.
We are sorry that you are not happy with your purchase that you made 3years ago.
We are here to make sure people are happy with their drones and their purchases. Nothing upsets us as much as an unsatisfied customer. Unfortunately, you've allowed 3 years to pass before we've found out you're not satisfied with your purchase (And then unfortunately we find out through hello Peter).
It is unfortunate that we can not test your equipment because you've had the range extender removed from the remote control (by the same company that fitted it on our behalf and who fits all our Durango range extenders and repair all our drones (Fixology)who at the time were located in the same building as our shop in Sea Point.
You've told us that you've done a great deal of research and found out that this equipment is “complete *******”. Before selling anything to our customers, we thoroughly investigate the product and check that it does what it says it does on the box before we even purchase it. We witnessed countless YouTube videos of the Phantom 3 and the phantom 4 (being the same transmission system as each other) being tested well in excess of 7 km and only being restricted in range with the flight limit from the battery.
When the equipment first arrived in our store Fixology, members of our staff and the owner tested the product to confirm that the Phantom will indeed fly further than 7 km with this equipment after fitment. The owner of the company fitted it to his own drone and has flown not only in South Africa but in many countries around the world and recorded the distance to verify that it will fly the distance we advertised, including live screen share of the quality of the transmitted footage please see links below.
Please copy this link into your browser to see the proof of transmission that we claim .... https://tinyurl.com/4pv4hec4
We have fitted many many range extenders in South Africa, and every customer has been satisfied, to say the least with the range that they get out of that new equipment.
Please see many of the range tests using this equipment that Droneworld has done personally around the world to verify the range we claim (Unfortunately you have to copy and paste into the browser)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITMjSuvDg14
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ1pNvspLVg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaxy3OkdNv4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-PIpHHKbkc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5kYvWAoDTc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJCGDl6pkOU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TND2EULwKy8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0agg2VXHINQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23O4Owdxz6E
Best regards,
We are sorry that you are not happy with your purchase that you made 3years ago.
We are here to make sure people are happy with their drones and their purchases. Nothing upsets us as much as an unsatisfied customer. Unfortunately, you've allowed 3 years to pass before we've found out you're not satisfied with your purchase (And then unfortunately we find out through hello Peter).
It is unfortunate that we can not test your equipment because you've had the range extender removed from the remote control (by the same company that fitted it on our behalf and who fits all our Durango range extenders and repair all our drones (Fixology)who at the time were located in the same building as our shop in Sea Point.
You've told us that you've done a great deal of research and found out that this equipment is “complete *******”. Before selling anything to our customers, we thoroughly investigate the product and check that it does what it says it does on the box before we even purchase it. We witnessed countless YouTube videos of the Phantom 3 and the phantom 4 (being the same transmission system as each other) being tested well in excess of 7 km and only being restricted in range with the flight limit from the battery.
When the equipment first arrived in our store Fixology, members of our staff and the owner tested the product to confirm that the Phantom will indeed fly further than 7 km with this equipment after fitment. The owner of the company fitted it to his own drone and has flown not only in South Africa but in many countries around the world and recorded the distance to verify that it will fly the distance we advertised, including live screen share of the quality of the transmitted footage please see links below.
Please copy this link into your browser to see the proof of transmission that we claim .... https://tinyurl.com/4pv4hec4
We have fitted many many range extenders in South Africa, and every customer has been satisfied, to say the least with the range that they get out of that new equipment.
Please see many of the range tests using this equipment that Droneworld has done personally around the world to verify the range we claim (Unfortunately you have to copy and paste into the browser)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITMjSuvDg14
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ1pNvspLVg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaxy3OkdNv4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-PIpHHKbkc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5kYvWAoDTc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJCGDl6pkOU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TND2EULwKy8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0agg2VXHINQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23O4Owdxz6E
Best regards,
Just a few facts : (a)You complain that by waiting three years you weren't given the opportunity to solve my problem and (b) you say it is a pity that I didn't afford you the opportunity to "test" the equipment you fitted . This is indeed incorrect, in fact if you read my review properly I afforded you multiple opportunities to test and rectify - three in fact, each time requiring me to drive 30 minutes each way, wait for a couple of days for a call back from you, go and collect (30 minutes) each way , go and fly and find the range to be unchanged. On one occasion the range had even decreased !
For every Youtube video you refer me to that "shows" how your range extenders in Phantom 3's works I can find you multiple sites that show they don't so the reams of "evidence" you produce do not do much for bolstering your claims, using Youtube videos to prove performance as akin to getting Donald Trump to admit he lost the US election! (What does seem clear is that there are a few of these systems that do what they claim to do but most don't and based on opinions I sought in the last couple of years the one you fitted does not).
The fact is that despite you having my drone back multiple times the best you could do was extend the range from 2000 to 2300 m -nothing like the 7 km that was claimed. I complained about this very single time and was assured every single time that it would and then had been fixed.
I'm no novice when it comes to radio control technology and have been flying RC planes in their many various guises up to R 200 000,00 turbine jets since I was 14 (I'm 58 now) but I allowed your company ample time and opportunity to sort out my problem and you didn't.
I notice that you neither addressed nor made any apology for the long delay in delivery (initially sending it to completely the wrong place)of the additional components.
Just a few facts : (a)You complain that by waiting three years you weren't given the opportunity to solve my problem and (b) you say it is a pity that I didn't afford you the opportunity to "test" the equipment you fitted . This is indeed incorrect, in fact if you read my review properly I afforded you multiple opportunities to test and rectify - three in fact, each time requiring me to drive 30 minutes each way, wait for a couple of days for a call back from you, go and collect (30 minutes) each way , go and fly and find the range to be unchanged. On one occasion the range had even decreased !
For every Youtube video you refer me to that "shows" how your range extenders in Phantom 3's works I can find you multiple sites that show they don't so the reams of "evidence" you produce do not do much for bolstering your claims, using Youtube videos to prove performance as akin to getting Donald Trump to admit he lost the US election! (What does seem clear is that there are a few of these systems that do what they claim to do but most don't and based on opinions I sought in the last couple of years the one you fitted does not).
The fact is that despite you having my drone back multiple times the best you could do was extend the range from 2000 to 2300 m -nothing like the 7 km that was claimed. I complained about this very single time and was assured every single time that it would and then had been fixed.
I'm no novice when it comes to radio control technology and have been flying RC planes in their many various guises up to R 200 000,00 turbine jets since I was 14 (I'm 58 now) but I allowed your company ample time and opportunity to sort out my problem and you didn't.
I notice that you neither addressed nor made any apology for the long delay in delivery (initially sending it to completely the wrong place)of the additional components.