GoPro just announced a recall of its first-ever drone, the $799 Karma. Reportedly, there are about 2,500 Karma units sold since October 23rd and all of it are impacted. GoPro said that in a very small number of cases, Karma units lost power during operation. Fortunately, there have been no reports of injuries or property damage because of the said defect.
The recalled Karma drones can be returned to GoPro directly or wherever they were bought originally for a full refund. As of now, the company won't be giving any exchanges for a fixed model. The customers need to wait until shipments resume "as soon as the issues is resolved." Instructions for those who purchased the drone have been posted on the GoPro website.
GoPro executives discussed the production issues of the Karma during its earnings call last week. However, they did not say anything about their plans for a recall or the power issue at the time. We are working in close coordination with both the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Federal Aviation Administration," said CEO Nick Woodman to The Verge. "We are very sorry to have inconvenienced our customers and we are taking every step to make the return and refund process as easy as possible."
Meanwhile, BBC added that GoPro launched the Karma in September along with two new cameras. Fortunately, the two other cameras are not affected by the recall. However, it did not meet the high hopes GoPro boss Nick Woodman had for the drone when it was launched. He even told the BBC that the three products are the best products they have ever made. The recall is indeed a huge setback for GoPro as it tries to challenge leader DJI in the drone business, and it follows a bruising financial quarter, particularly a loss of $84m, for the action camera maker.
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