Gopro recalled owning to Karma drone came crashing down

1. This is why GoPro Karma is recalling

What’s startling about Kulick’s video is that his Karma plummeted onto a baseball field and the camera ended up at the feet of a guy who happened to be standing below. He’s seen looking around in astonishment, surprised that a camera drone had nearly fallen on top of him out of nowhere

Unfortunately for GoPro, its Karma drone began falling out of the sky in alarming numbers. Drone reviews of the shoppers would show us the truth. An owner Nicholas Kulick captured in his 1 minute video : his drone lost power and nearly fell on somebody’s head. And GoPro company was forced to issue a recall. It is hard to imagine that GoPro went to market thinking a thing like this may happen, and of course the company will strive to produce a safe, reliable product. However, discussions with drone industry authorities and sources familiar with the process of designing and engineering the Karma drone, show that the company ought to have been prepared for exactly this kind of incident.

2. How to return you Karma drone:

Karma drone looks so deluxe in black and white

If you have bought yours at best buy, don’t worry. All Karma drones bought at Best Buy or bestbuy.com can be returned to your nearest Best Buy shop with the receipt for a complete refund.  Even though the recall is only for the drone, all components included with the GoPro drone bundle, including HERO4 Black and Karma Grip, can be returned for a complete refund

You will receive a refund for your purchase. All components included with the drones bundle, including HERO5 Black and Karma Grip, can be returned. Once your complete return has be in procession and refund issued we would send you a HERO5 Black as a thank you message. For Best Buy customers to receive their HERO5 Black, you can contact GoPro Customer Support directly and have your transaction number available to confirm your drone has been returned and processed at Best Buy.

Remember that the recall is only for the Karma drone. The HERO5 Black and Karma Grip are not valid to a recall.  But if you purchased the Karma drone bundle package that included HERO5 Black and Karma Grip, you have to return those with your Karma drone for a complete refund.

3. These failures are part of the learning curve

GoPro is still learning to give us a better product

It was not an aircraft of the similar caliber as the new DJI Mavic Pro, however, it had a unique value proposition: a handheld stabilizer, a drone, and a waterproof camera all in just one package - a more complete and flexible set of items for capturing an epic adventure.

The trouble with trying to be so many things at once is that you pay attention less on the drone, a gadget that is certainly not very fault tolerant. If the camera were to power down at random one time every couple of months, you may get frustrated, but you would almost likely live with it. If your iPhone’s GPS went wrong, you would be annoyed, but you would not demand a recall if you could clear up the problem simply by restarting the system. With a drone in midair, those same problems can be fatal.

Other drone companies have dealt with same issues without issuing a recall by chasing down data on the reason of the crash and pushing firmware upgrades, often without customers opting in, that fixed the issue. Hobbyists have come to hope for that the lithium-ion batteries used for most camera drones for sale will act up. "Anyone who has flown drones a lot has had similar battery issues," a drone industry veteran who has worked as a pilot and inside a major drone manufacturer says . "This is the reality of how these devices are powered."