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Experience dealing with Parrot Support?

Jet

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Anafi owners,

I am/was interested in purchasing an Anafi but I'm not so sure anymore based on my interaction with Parrot Support and the answers they've provided and haven't provided (just ignored some questions) to basic questions about Warranty/Support policy/processes.

I'd like to hear any experiences good or bad that you guys may have had wrt dealing with a warranty claim, support issues, etc.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

* UPDATE (June 7, 1019):

NOTE: These latest support updates supercede my prior comments that I made on this thread.


I was able to speak with Parrot Support (pre-sales) today and I now have a much more favorable opinion of Parrot's. Oscar (Parrot Rep) was able to thoroughly answer my questions and correct the misinformation that I had previously received via Email from Parrot support.

Here is my summary of the updated support information:

Updates:

1) During the warranty period if you should have an issue with your Anafi and that issue is Parrot's fault (and not a user error) Parrot will take full responsibility and assume all cost for ensuring the issue is resolved. This would include paying for shipment of you Anafi back to Parrot if that's deemed necessary (they will send you pre-paid shipping label) and sending you a new Anafi or a refurbished Anafi at no cost to the consumer.

2) Parrot confirmed that they DO NOT currently have repair centers in the USA however they did state that they plan to add one or more repair centers in the USA in the future (no timeline was provided).
So without a repair center in the USA if you were to crash your Anafi (and it was deemed to be caused by user error) then you could NOT send your Anafi to Parrot directly for repair unless you could send it from a postal address in Europe where they have a Parrot office (e.g, you have a European friend that could forward it on to Parrot on your behalf).

Note: Several people have said that Parrot doesn't have repair centers in Europe...but according to my Parrot Support contact he stated they do indeed have repair centers in Europe and they do repair Anafi's in those centers.

3) When asked about the lack of availability of Anafi parts in the USA the Parrot Support acknowledged that this as an issue and indicated that Parrot will be addressing this issue as well seemingly implying that this will be addressed in concurrence with the addition of USA repair centers. (No dates or specifics were given). In the mean time they will do everything they can to provide references to third parties that have parts.

4) Parrot Support confirmed that the Anafi warranty is linked to the product and NOT the owner.
(NOTE: This is in direct conflict with was I was told just days ago by Parrot support via email)
This means that if you were to purchase a USED Anafi and it was still within the warranty period (12mos) you as the new owner of the used Anafi would be able make a warranty claims as long as the warranty was in effect for the product IF you have a copy of the original purchase agreement.

Conclusion:

So overall I feel MUCH better about Parrot's Support and their genuine interest in actually supporting their customers. I'm also pleased to hear that Parrot does cover all cost (including shipping) associated with replacing your Anafi under warranty should the problem be deemed to be their fault (e.g., product defect).
However, with that said I still think that Parrot will not be able to fully USA customers until they can add one or more repair facilities in the USA and provide access to all key parts of the Anafi.

I am very happy to hear that they have plans to address these shortcomings in the future. Let's hope these plans are real and that it happens sooner rather than later. Until then I think you are taking a risk purchasing an Anafi if you live in the USA.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

From what I can gather it appears that Parrot CANNOT fully support their customers in the USA:

* No Parrot repair facilities in the USA

* No post warranty support fixes are available unless you have a postal address in Europe (e.g., you crash your Anafi and you want/need to send it back to Parrot for repair...you are out of luck unless you have a friend in Europe that can act as your intermediary.)

* It seems like from threads I've seen on this Forum that part availability (or high cost) may be a concern as well in the USA. So even if you have the inclination and skills to try and repair yourself it may be expensive and/or impossible to fix it because you can't get the part. I know I've seen some websites referenced that sell Anafi parts but maybe they only sell a small subset of the parts that you might need to repair your own drone? I'm not sure.

Are the bullets I noted above consistent with your understanding?

Any stories to share? Good or bad?

As much as I'd like to think that I'll never crash and never require the warranty or support...I know that this may not be reality. So I want to know what I'm potentially getting myself into before I purchase a drone from any manufacturer.


Look forward to your thoughts.

Cheers.
 
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Unless things have changed for US customers the way warranty was handled where your UAV needed repair it was exchanged once it was approved. They send you the documentation to send back what you have left from the package you bought and they send you a brand new UAV. This was the way it worked also for Canad but they have since stopped shipping to Canada so anyone here needs a friend in the US to ship to and they will ship your new UAV to you. I have not heard of this happening in the US as of yet. Where did you hear that you need to send it to France? Even over there I know people just get exchanges and Parrot does not do repairs.

As for their support knowing anything about the product they are selling is a joke. I have three months worth of talking to at least ten different customer support worker that have no clue on the product they are suppose to be supporting.
 
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Unless things have changed for US customers the way warranty was handled where your UAV needed repair it was exchanged once it was approved. They send you the documentation to send back what you have left from the package you bought and they send you a brand new UAV. This was the way it worked also for Canad but they have since stopped shipping to Canada so anyone here needs a friend in the US to ship to and they will ship your new UAV to you. I have not heard of this happening in the US as of yet. Where did you hear that you need to send it to France? Even over there I know people just get exchanges and Parrot does not do repairs.

As for their support knowing anything about the product they are selling is a joke. I have three months worth of talking to at least ten different customer support worker that have no clue on the product they are suppose to be supporting.

Agustine,

Thanks for your reply. The way you described things seems like a much more reasonable approach to take if you don't have any repair centers in the US as is the case with Parrot. However, based on the responses that I received from Parrot Support I can't be at all assured that this is still the case. There response was so poor I have absolutely ZERO confidence in the information that I received. And my questions were mostly focused on Warranty and Support topics..so one would assume that Parrot Support could at least answer those question correctly...but maybe not in this case.

I basically asked four main questions. And I explicitly labeled my questions #1 - #4.
Parrot Support's response DID NOT include my original questions. So i cut and paste their answers next to the questions that I think they were intended to answer. Their responses were numbered #1 - #3 and in many cases they just failed to answer some of "sub-questions" I posed within the main questions.

Here are my four paraphrased questions matched up as best as I could to their answers labeled #1 - #3.

1) "If I bought a used Anafi from someone and there was still remaining warranty on that Anafi would that warranty be transferable to me if I provided the appropriate paper work."
Answer #1: NO

2) "If I purchased an Anafi and needed to have work done while under warranty (there was some type of product defect) would I have to send my Anafi back to France for repairs under warranty. Note: I was told by your colleague that I would have to send it back to France. Please confirm if that is true? Does Parrot not have any US based repair centers. And if the drone needs to sent back to France who is responsible for paying for shipping costs."

Parrot response labeled: "#2 There are repair centers in the U.S.A but they are not Parrot's."

(
My thought...WTH...they provided no clarity on the first part of the question. And what about the other questions I asked as part of #2. SMH!)

3) "I was also told by one of your colleagues on the phone that if I needed repairs outside of the warranty period that I would need to live in France or have a postal address in France before Parrot would perform any post-warranty work. Is that correct?

Parrot Support's response:
"#3
: You do not have to ship your drone to France and only France as we support the following countries in Europe that you can ship your drone to: cut & paste of every Parrot office in Europe
Please be advised that you are to pay the shipping in the above case. "

(
My thought...Ok but do I have to live in one of those European countries where you have an office to qualify for post warranty fixes)

4) Does Parrot sell refurbished products?

Parrot Support's response:
(note this response wasn't numbered but it was pretty clear what question they're answering)
"Our online store is currently out of service, so we recommend you to search online for the item you need as an alternative solution to save more time. You might find the product on our certified re-sellers platforms like Amazon and Best Buy."

(My thought: "Currently out service" as in Permanently? if so then just say "We no longer sell Parrot products in our online store", ugh).

It's kind of hard to completely decipher their responses since they failed to answer some parts of my questions and their labels didn't exactly match the numbers of my questions.

So it's a bit hard to be sure what their answers are other than to say that their response was incredibly SLOPPY and poor.

To their credit Parrot support sent me a survey as follow up and I told them exactly what I thought of their crappy response.

Not a good experience so far with very few definitive answers. But given that they failed to answer my original questions I reworked my original questions to be as explicit as possible.

We'll see what I get back from my revised questions...assuming they respond at all.



Cheers.
 
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Three points from the European view:
1. In Europe there are also no "Parrot repair centers". Parrot does not repair their drones.
2. The Parrot Online Shop is still available in Europe.
3. In Europe warranty is connected with the product sold (should be the same in the US). So a second owner has of course warranty as long as it exists.
 
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I bought my ANAFI mid April, and shortly thereafter I sent Parrot an email inquiring about getting extra prop screws. Their response was very prompt, but also did not really answer my question. I sent them a 2nd email, chastizing them for the poor/vague response, reverbalizing the question, but got no response. I like my ANAFI, but am also apprehensive about any future issues I might have. :unsure:
 
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Three points from the European view:
1. In Europe there are also no "Parrot repair centers". Parrot does not repair their drones.
2. The Parrot Online Shop is still available in Europe.
3. In Europe warranty is connected with the product sold (should be the same in the US). So a second owner has of course warranty as long as it exists.
Dirk, thanks for sharing...

Re: No repair centers....I've heard that as well. I'm curious what they do with all the Parrot products that get returned under warranty...they get tossed in the trash? Salvaged for parts? So does Parrot even have the capability to service their own products post warranty? Very strange to me.

Re: Parrot Online Shop still available in Europe. Maybe they eventually plan to reopen their Online store in the US and that's why they qualified their answer by saying "Currently out of service"? That wording does sound like it's temporarily out of service..but maybe it's just a language difference.

Re: Warranty connected with the product sold.... In many cases that is also true in the US. I was surprised by the "NO" response. As I said I have zero confidence in any of the responses I've received thus far and your statement makes me question if "No" is an accurate response.

Thanks again!
 
I bought my ANAFI mid April, and shortly thereafter I sent Parrot an email inquiring about getting extra prop screws. Their response was very prompt, but also did not really answer my question. I sent them a 2nd email, chastizing them for the poor/vague response, reverbalizing the question, but got no response. I like my ANAFI, but am also apprehensive about any future issues I might have. :unsure:

Stig, thanks for sharing. Sounds like you had a similar experience to mine. Very vague answers...didn't answer some/all of your questions.
As I said in my earlier note I BLASTED Parrot Support on their follow up survey...I gave them lots of angry face responses to their survey. :mad:
 
Refreshing to see someone looking into customer service and support BEFORE making a purchase.Wish I had.
My Anafi has only had a couple of small (I think ) issues,and my questions were answered here in this forum.Parrot replies were confusing at best,and totally missed the point on most occasions.Support from Parrot really doesnt exist.I would be curious to hear what experience their commercial drone dealers have had.
I think their business model was to build a retail brand first,then step into the commercial (including military) markets.This model of Anafi just hit at the end of Parrot as a general consumer drone company.
 
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Refreshing to see someone looking into customer service and support BEFORE making a purchase.Wish I had.
My Anafi has only had a couple of small (I think ) issues,and my questions were answered here in this forum.Parrot replies were confusing at best,and totally missed the point on most occasions.Support from Parrot really doesnt exist.I would be curious to hear what experience their commercial drone dealers have had.
I think their business model was to build a retail brand first,then step into the commercial (including military) markets.This model of Anafi just hit at the end of Parrot as a general consumer drone company.
Maybe "refreshing to see", but also problematic. Normally a customer service has to deal with concrete problems with a bought product. If you ask theoretical questions about what might happen after buying the product could bring many customer service employees at their limits.
 
Thanev, thanks for sharing your experience. When you described your experience with Parrot's support as "their replies were confusing at best, and totally missed the point" you summarized my experience and thoughts EXACTLY and apparently others in this forum as well!!! :LOL:

If the drone was a $40 purchase I wouldn't bother looking at their support. I'd just be looking at the product reviews/rankings but obviously in this case we are talking about a $600 - $1,000 investment when you include all the accessories (extra batteries, case, filters, etc). That's obviously not a trivial amount of money.

And while Parrot claims that they are still in the Consumer business I kind of feel that they never really offered a true consumer product...they were selling to the pure hobbyist and enthusiast who are much more tolerant of poor support and/or are more resourceful then your typical consumer. But even the hobbyist has their limits.

I'd love to have a sit down with the Parrot CEO Henri Seydoux...I can certainly think of a few questions I'd like to ask him.

Cheers
 
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Sorry for the misunderstanding.
I find it refreshing to see the customer checking out a forum of users BEFORE purchasing.And yet,asking "customer service" a few questions before purchasing can also open your eyes.Not a bad plan!
 
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Maybe "refreshing to see", but also problematic. Normally a customer service has to deal with concrete problems with a bought product. If you ask theoretical questions about what might happen after buying the product could bring many customer service employees at their limits.

Dirk,

Keep in mind I'm asking very basic fundamental questions about how they service their warranty and how they support their product...These are not some weird ambiguous "what if" corner case scenarios...they are basic...e.g., If I have a problem with the product during the warranty period what should I do? If I have to have the product serviced under warranty where do I send the product? Who is responsible for paying for shipping to and from Parrot? If I have an issue with the product or I need repairs outside of the warranty period how are those scenarios handled? Can I send my product to a Parrot Repair facility?

If a Support group can't answer these basic fundamental questions then either they are completely uninformed/untrained about their own support and warranty processes or the company is making it up as they go. Either is an unacceptable situation.

Cheers
 
Dirk,

Keep in mind I'm asking very basic fundamental questions about how they service their warranty and how they support their product...These are not some weird ambiguous "what if" corner case scenarios...they are basic...e.g., If I have a problem with the product during the warranty period what should I do? If I have to have the product serviced under warranty where do I send the product? Who is responsible for paying for shipping to and from Parrot? If I have an issue with the product or I need repairs outside of the warranty period how are those scenarios handled? Can I send my product to a Parrot Repair facility?

If a Support group can't answer these basic fundamental questions then either they are completely uninformed/untrained about their own support and warranty processes or the company is making it up as they go. Either is an unacceptable situation.

Cheers
I understand what you mean. Of course you obviously didn't ask unimportant questions.
But anyway your (important!) questions were basically theoretical (What will happen if ...) and might overtax the service employees, who possibly have a kind of "real problem -> answer list" next to their telephone and are perhaps not native English speaking.
That's how I experienced the service and that's what I meant before.

In addition my impression is, that the service employees KNOW exactly, that there are possible problems for customers:
- online shop deactivated outside of Europe
- no repair of drones
- no single spare parts (only a mechanical and a motor set)
- warranty mostly seen as task of the seller/warehouse
- no shipping to certain countries
- and so on ...
They have no possibility to alter this situation, therefore they sometimes obviously give evasive answers.

I don't want to apologize this situation, but you should finally judge, when a concrete problem with your drone is solved or not and how.
 
Dirk,

Keep in mind I'm asking very basic fundamental questions about how they service their warranty and how they support their product...These are not some weird ambiguous "what if" corner case scenarios...they are basic...e.g., If I have a problem with the product during the warranty period what should I do? If I have to have the product serviced under warranty where do I send the product? Who is responsible for paying for shipping to and from Parrot? If I have an issue with the product or I need repairs outside of the warranty period how are those scenarios handled? Can I send my product to a Parrot Repair facility?

If a Support group can't answer these basic fundamental questions then either they are completely uninformed/untrained about their own support and warranty processes or the company is making it up as they go. Either is an unacceptable situation.

Cheers
I agree fully with the above.If a manufacturer can not supply you with answers to your concerns in a timely and concise manner,why would you, as a potential consumer,proceed?It is not so much their ability to take your money,as it is for them to convince you to hand over your money.I believe the more successful businesses /manufacturers will have trained their "customer service" representatives to follow this way of thinking.A happy and informed customer will help grow your business.Questions from future clients will also help grow the company by meeting needs they may not have realized.
I think you have already made your decision based on the above.
 
I understand what you mean. Of course you obviously didn't ask unimportant questions.
But anyway your (important!) questions were basically theoretical (What will happen if ...) and might overtax the service employees, who possibly have a kind of "real problem -> answer list" next to their telephone and are perhaps not native English speaking.
That's how I experienced the service and that's what I meant before.

In addition my impression is, that the service employees KNOW exactly, that there are possible problems for customers:
- online shop deactivated outside of Europe
- no repair of drones
- no single spare parts (only a mechanical and a motor set)
- warranty mostly seen as task of the seller/warehouse
- no shipping to certain countries
- and so on ...
They have no possibility to alter this situation, therefore they sometimes obviously give evasive answers.

I don't want to apologize this situation, but you should finally judge, when a concrete problem with your drone is solved or not and how.

Dirk, I get your points but again the questions I'm asking are so fundamentally basic that support must encounter them every single day. (e.g., Customer reports a problem and their drone is under warranty...How do I handle the situation?"...it doesn't get any more basic then that.).

Personally, I'm not willing to wait until after purchasing the product to find out how they generically handle warranty claims and post warranty issues/fixes....especially when I hear they offer no capability to repair their own product. Waiting till after purchase is a recipe for disappointment and frustration. I'd rather be disappointed before I spend my $600 - $1,000 and waste my time.

I agree with you that the employees probably are well aware of the holes in the holes in their Warranty and Support process. However, I would hope that employees would give honest direct answers to specific questions. Maybe I'm expecting to much?

BTW, these questions are so basic and fundamental that Parrot should have an FAQ posted on their website answering most if not all of these questions.
 
I agree fully with the above.If a manufacturer can not supply you with answers to your concerns in a timely and concise manner,why would you, as a potential consumer,proceed?It is not so much their ability to take your money,as it is for them to convince you to hand over your money.I believe the more successful businesses /manufacturers will have trained their "customer service" representatives to follow this way of thinking.A happy and informed customer will help grow your business.Questions from future clients will also help grow the company by meeting needs they may not have realized.
I think you have already made your decision based on the above.

Thanks for your comments. I'd rather know what I'm getting myself into BEFORE I spend my money rather than being surprised in a bad way after they've got my money.

Honestly, I'm still hoping that I can get answers to my basic questions. I'm holding out hope that maybe I'll find a Parrot Support rep that can clearly articulate how basic fundamental support "situations" are handled during the warranty period and post warranty.

So that I can make an informed educated decision based on facts rather than hopes.

Cheers
 
Maybe I have a lower need for security.
When I ordered my Anafi in July 2018 directly from Parrot, the abilities of the service or the exact warranty conditions for case x or y were completely unknown.
But the drone is much fun. One leg broken, spare part ordered from eBay, repaired and in the air again.
Of course I would be more careful buying a used car or a house. ;)
 
Calling support is your best option. Don't even bother with emails. Once you have a rep on the line explain to him or her that you have asked questions before but they have failed to answer them to your satisfaction. At this time kindly ask them to have their supervisor give you a call back concerning a few quetions you still have. They will tell you that they cannot say when that superviser may call you back but from my experience it is usually on day 2 of waiting that you will get the call. It can be anytime of the day so be prepared to get that call back. When you make your call you will notice all the options and products that these reps need to deal with so their lack of knowledge is not suprising.

Sent from my LG-H873 using Tapatalk
 
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