I was not sure I wanted to post this info, but what the heck.
About 2 weeks ago I joined the Mavic Pilots to get info about the 'Air'. I placed a post where I asked the members to please give their honest opinion regarding DJI customer service. Several days later my post was buried several pages back with over 60 views and 0 answers. Make of that what you will. (I had negative customer support with DJI many months ago). Then last weekend I received the most popular topics from the Mavic discussion. Again, as you read the names of the discussions, make of it what you will. For me, based on my limited past experience with DJI customer service, based on no one responding to my post regarding an honest evaluation of customer service, Internet searches regarding DJI customer service, and based on the discussion titles below... well... (I did not read all those discussions, I have my XSP and am happy with it and if I do update I will strongly consider the EVO. Customer service is important to me... Autel just sent me a new replacement battery and my previous support (including an XSP replacement) have all been fantastic. My 2 cents.
Last Week's Most Popular Topics
General Discussions
Do all dji drones suck ?
Mavic Pro Discussions
DJI Mavic Spiraled out of Control , crashed and destroyed
Mavic Pro Discussions
Bird went down. :-(
General Discussions
Mavic Pro flew away following erratic flying, loss of control
Mavic Air
Now that I have actually used the air a little more... I am extremely disappointed.
Mavic Air
Mavic Air - Increased Reception Range?
Mavic Pro Discussions
What if you lose GPS flying and no line of sight to return home?
General Discussions
Unsuccessful 50k flight - Successful Emergency Landing
General Discussions
Dog attack after 20 minute fixation
Mavic Pro Discussions
I added a second battery to the controller
Mavic Air
Is Mavic Air camera as bad as Mavic Pro?
sUAV Rules & Regulations
Recreational "Hand Catch" Violates Federal Law
General Discussions
Privledge not a right
General Discussions
Mavic Pros dropping price......
Mavic Air
4K 30fps or 2.7K 60fps?
General Discussions
Lost my new Mavic Pro in the Republic of Panama
Mavic Air
REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT
Mavic Pro Discussions
Almost lost it. Weird warnings.and screen recording of incident.
Mavic Air
Launch from a moving ship?
General Discussions
Just arrived in the mail ..
Mavic Air
Sport mode
General Discussions
Decision Time for me ...
General Discussions
Crazy Prices! Thoughts?
Lost & Found sUAS
Found Mavic Pro in Chesapeake, VA
Mavic Pro Discussions
How do you guys deal with Children when flying?
The reason I am replying to this post is that I want people to know both sides. We have 11 forums that cover different brands & models of drones. I have seen them come & go. I see the post from owners, both good & bad. I think my opinion carries some weight. I will apologize in advance for the length of this post.
Most of you know I am pro-DJI as they produce great drones. But I also am pro-Autel, and I am still hoping they can pull a rabbit out of the hat. As time goes on, and promises are broken, it seems less likely to happen. I had high hopes for Autel when they broke out into the market, but the relationship has soured over the last 2 years. It is sad to see they were never able to get on a roll. History has shown Autel does not honor their commitment to the consumers. The EVO looks cool, but do I want to go down that road again knowing what I know about the company? I haven't decided just yet.
But I digress, your post getting no response should tell you it is not as bad as the anti-DJI folks would like you to believe. You said it had 60 views. The Mavic site has over 50K members
(vs.1300 here) with over 417K posts
(vs.17K here) and you are saying no one complained about DJI in your thread? That doesn't sound bad to me. I personally have nothing but good things to say about their customer service (5 years & many DJI products). My most recent experience was a bad battery that took me 7 minutes to get a replacement. I understand that some people don't have good luck with them but I suppose that happens with all products. The thing is we have no way of telling what the real problem was with their drone. Many get frustrated and lash out. I have dealt with many members who once they understood what really happened they realized they were wrong and their anger misplaced. While they certainly have room to improve, they have come a long way.
So about the list, how can you judge based on such anecdotal evidence? If we look at the first few posts on the list... all were operator error except the guy who had buyers remorse, his sounded like it needs to go in for repair. The others, if you had read them, were flying in 40mph plus winds, losing props and other operator errors. DJI drones have a file kept on the device
(similar to the XSP) that you can review later to see what happened if you have a problem and clears up a lot of issues. Keep in mind that DJI sells more drones than all the other popular prosumer drones combined so with that many out there, and the way forums work (most post to complain, not to praise), it only makes sense that there will be more complaints than Autel who produced a small amount of one model. It comes down to Autel and DJI are not really comparable... one made a single model with a few sold and one produces millions of them. The ratio of complaints will certainly be higher on the company that produces millions of drones. The sheer amount of DJI 3rd party apps makes it worth the 'gamble' of having a negative experience with DJI's customer service
It all boils down to the fact that you have choices when buying prosumer drones, some good, some bad. All companies make a few bad decisions and produce some bad products, but it is how they recover and move forward form such issues that I judge them by in this ever-evolving technology. I will continue to watch the marketplace for new companies to compete against DJI because if they do well, I will know they have a superior product as DJI is the current standard to beat. Until then I will enjoy my current drones... including my Autel XSP.
