Beware of Evo Max 4t/4n purchase

[Stormpro]

I really wish I had bought my Max from a US reseller.... I'd likely already have a replacement controller now vs one that won't charge (even after sending it to Autel for repair...they just swapped the internal battery and never tested it before sending it back )

When/if I buy an Alpha ('if' now only because of Autel ghosting me the past couple weeks on the controller they didn't really repair) I'm definitely going to get it from a US based reseller. Problem is, both my 640T and Max, I saved quite a bit of money buying from online sources (autelpilot for the 640T, eBay seller for the Max) but that savings is about to go away if I can't use the drone or if I end up buying a 2nd controller just to get the Max back in the air.




--Chris

After working on my brand-new Max 4T I will never ever by anything with Autel on it.

 

[jjradioactive]

Trying to purchase the pre order since December as they said it would be shipping mid March. Here’s the most recent email

“At present, the equipment you asked about is in stock, but it is only in the warehouse in China. Due to the restriction, it cannot be shipped temporarily.

We recommend that you wait a few months, waiting for policy changes, before ordering.

Thank you.

---

Kind Regards,
Sophia | Autelpilot Support Team
www.autelpilot.com“

Should have purchased the m30t. What a moron I am thinking Autel was coming along. More like still stringing along. I bit, hook, line, and sinker, all the pretty pictures and videos and new technologies. What a farce.
The aircraft isn’t bad but everything around it sucks.

Do not buy from autopilot.com they are scammers that will ship you used equipment. Get a refund asap or start a dispute with your credit card company. They are based out of china and you have no legal recourse against them if they never ship. If you’re really wanting an actual new drone from Autel deal with Autel Robotics based in Bothel Washington.

 

[lmccaskill4wildlife]

Trying to purchase the pre order since December as they said it would be shipping mid March. Here’s the most recent email

“At present, the equipment you asked about is in stock, but it is only in the warehouse in China. Due to the restriction, it cannot be shipped temporarily.

We recommend that you wait a few months, waiting for policy changes, before ordering.

Thank you.

---

Kind Regards,
Sophia | Autelpilot Support Team
www.autelpilot.com“

Should have purchased the m30t. What a moron I am thinking Autel was coming along. More like still stringing along. I bit, hook, line, and sinker, all the pretty pictures and videos and new technologies. What a farce.
The aircraft isn’t bad but everything around it sucks.

It really doesn't matter if you purchased it in the US. There are only one or two people working in repairs, as they don't want you to repair; they want you to buy or upgrade. They don't train any dealers in repair. I was a HUGE Autel fan but one bad experience after another, long wait times getting responses while I was in the field and needing assistance only to be told I would get a slight discount on a future purchase. I spent thousands of dollars traveling to Australia just to promote their product only to fail in front of 300 people!

 

[Bob Green]

Doesn’t sound like a great experience the OP is having. I’ve started buying autel Drones because I’m sick of DJI condescension. Their products have been good over the years no doubt about it. I had the fly safe fail on me one time too many. I have not sold my DJI enterprise Drones yet but I now I have bought a max 4T and a 640 T enterprise V3. So far I am getting great results with these Drones. Primarily using them for inspections. Have tried a couple of mapping jobs as well. I have no complaints whatsoever about the quality or accuracy. Both of my Autels have RTK modules on them. I am using Emlid stations and configure local NTRIP connections, which both drones connect to and produce fixed connections. I have contacted support with a couple of questions about the thermal behaviour on the 640 T enterprise. That was four days ago and I have not heard back.
I also bought a nano plus. Over the past couple years I have kept a sub 250 with me in the case of an emergency where I cannot get approval in time for a mission. Sometimes the sub 250 Drone save my bacon. That little nano has a fantastic camera. One thing that is consistent with all three of these recently bought drones is that the connectivity is for superior to anything I’ve experienced with my DJI Drones, including the Matrice series. I suppose I can’t really complain about matrice connectivity, but the autel is definitely better. The nano plus is night and day. Nano signal strength is much stronger and significantly better range than any of the DJI mini series drones I have used.
Both of my smart controller V3‘s have worked flawlessly. Great battery life and that screen is amazing. All three drones also have much better low light performance and the of the DJI enterprise or consumer drone I have. Again, I can complain about the DJI low light performance of the enterprise drones and also the mini three pro that I keep as my sub 250 emergency Drone. Autels are just simply better.
I sure never meant for this response to be so long winded. I’m just responding to share my experience with the Drones I have bought so far.

I was happy to read your comments here. I'm considering buying a new Max 4T as my first enterprise drone. For an Autel Pilots forum, I would've thought I'd see one or two glowing reports about the equipment. All I've seen are the complaints. I've sort of been second guessing what's been put in this forum and thinking that since there are so few pilots here complaining, that the majority of buyers have been relatively happy. The bad news would be if no one is buying the drone, this would not bode well for the unit or my consideration of it. I saw somewhere that the Ukranians bought about 1900 Max 4Ts for their war effort. If they weren't good, they would be putting a lot of lives on the line! Anyway...thank you so much for your input! It makes me think Autel is not the worst of the drone manufacturers and actually may be pretty good!

 

[TheMachinewon]

Trying to purchase the pre order since December as they said it would be shipping mid March. Here’s the most recent email

“At present, the equipment you asked about is in stock, but it is only in the warehouse in China. Due to the restriction, it cannot be shipped temporarily.

We recommend that you wait a few months, waiting for policy changes, before ordering.

Thank you.

---

Kind Regards,
Sophia | Autelpilot Support Team
www.autelpilot.com“

Should have purchased the m30t. What a moron I am thinking Autel was coming along. More like still stringing along. I bit, hook, line, and sinker, all the pretty pictures and videos and new technologies. What a farce.
The aircraft isn’t bad but everything around it sucks.

Well how about an update ? I've had mine since the summer, works great and the thermal is super. Going out drone hunting now in NJ,, its night time here.

 

[TheMachinewon]

I was happy to read your comments here. I'm considering buying a new Max 4T as my first enterprise drone. For an Autel Pilots forum, I would've thought I'd see one or two glowing reports about the equipment. All I've seen are the complaints. I've sort of been second guessing what's been put in this forum and thinking that since there are so few pilots here complaining, that the majority of buyers have been relatively happy. The bad news would be if no one is buying the drone, this would not bode well for the unit or my consideration of it. I saw somewhere that the Ukranians bought about 1900 Max 4Ts for their war effort. If they weren't good, they would be putting a lot of lives on the line! Anyway...thank you so much for your input! It makes me think Autel is not the worst of the drone manufacturers and actually may be pretty good!

I purchased last year, works great so far,, I use thermal a lot. gets up to 2,600 ft in altitude, so you can go a few miles out. Lost signal once and it returned back, just as advertised. Going out tonight look for these drones in NJ skys

 

[Ezone23]

Which model did you buy? I bought one a few weeks back from an eBay seller and got it 2 days later. Odd that Autelpilot didn't have it in stock yet. I'd just cancel the order and charge back the credit card if they don't give you a refund promptly. Several places have them in stock.

Tho, be careful of the controllers... the one I got with my 4t isn't charging and now is totally dead. Didn't have any issues with the same kind of controller that I got with my 640 dual.

--Chris

A word of caution: I asked Autel prior to my investment about warranty work and insurance. I was told they would not warranty any Aircraft not purchased by an authorized reseller! Then they directed me to one of the preferred vendors.

 

[wcsodennie]

Just a heads up. Autelpilot.com is not affiliated with Autel in any way and they are a "basement" seller in China. We have massive amount of experience on the 4T / 4N / and Alpha and I can say without any hesitation that Autel is making the right strides to get their service and support reputation fixed.

Well, I can promise you right now after what I have gone through with Autel over the last two months that Autel has made very little strides to improve the customer service. Crashed a drone which I had the insurance on, paid the deductible, got back another more than likely refurbished product...no big deal if it works like new....thing wouldn't pair consistently right out of the box, then when we finally got it to pair a few times after a few days of trying, put it up and it was sporadic in flight. Brought it back down and it disconnected again. After 1 month of messing around through email and phone tags and sending them every file and video and photo they needed, they tell me they think they found the issue and that it may have been damaged in transit and that there was a firmware version coming soon...early February that should fix it. I was OUT OF MY MIND to say the least. This is our prime time for pet searches and have been getting called daily if not twice a day and have had to continue to say....sorry, still waiting on a fix for our drone. So, Autel didn't say, we apologize for the issue, we will be sending out another drone, they just leave me hanging. So....I will do everything in my power to express my dire concern for those willing to take the chance on Autel when thinking about the possible future issues you may have to wait for quite some time to have resolved. It's almost like they only have a few people working for them. Not their fault, but shouldn't become my problem if they want to be players in this big game. The drone itself, FREAKING GREAT, but I just cannot stomach piss poor customer service. I will pay the extra for DJI as I have in the past.
BUYERS BEWARE.

 

[TheMachinewon]

Well, I can promise you right now after what I have gone through with Autel over the last two months that Autel has made very little strides to improve the customer service. Crashed a drone which I had the insurance on, paid the deductible, got back another more than likely refurbished product...no big deal if it works like new....thing wouldn't pair consistently right out of the box, then when we finally got it to pair a few times after a few days of trying, put it up and it was sporadic in flight. Brought it back down and it disconnected again. After 1 month of messing around through email and phone tags and sending them every file and video and photo they needed, they tell me they think they found the issue and that it may have been damaged in transit and that there was a firmware version coming soon...early February that should fix it. I was OUT OF MY MIND to say the least. This is our prime time for pet searches and have been getting called daily if not twice a day and have had to continue to say....sorry, still waiting on a fix for our drone. So, Autel didn't say, we apologize for the issue, we will be sending out another drone, they just leave me hanging. So....I will do everything in my power to express my dire concern for those willing to take the chance on Autel when thinking about the possible future issues you may have to wait for quite some time to have resolved. It's almost like they only have a few people working for them. Not their fault, but shouldn't become my problem if they want to be players in this big game. The drone itself, FREAKING GREAT, but I just cannot stomach piss poor customer service. I will pay the extra for DJI as I have in the past.
BUYERS BEWARE.

just stated it plain and clear for future Autel purchasers !!!Autel Customer Service Sucks. They absolutely do nothing for you. They act like it’s all your fault. The things cannot be fixed. They just swap them out. Warning for all new buyers.

 

[wcsodennie]

Yes, and swapped out when you first paid the $1000 for the Autelcare, then the $689 deductible if you crash, then they will swap out with a refurb…. Which I’m not against…but it better work properly when I receive it. I had to and am still jumping through hoops to attempt to get a replacement drone into the air in a safe manner. They take me the future firmware, early February, should take care of the issue. Wait!!! WHAT?!!!
Am I missing something? Again I say, I LOVED this drone when I was flying it for thermal pet rescue…. It’s the issue with the customer service when things went bad.
I just can’t understand the logic in this.

 

[TWRoofing]

I purchased last year, works great so far,, I use thermal a lot. gets up to 2,600 ft in altitude, so you can go a few miles out. Lost signal once and it returned back, just as advertised. Going out tonight look for these drones in NJ skys

Hello all,


I purchased a new Autel Evo Max 4N November 2024. Out of the box it advised to update software which I did , after restarting the drone and handset, they failed to connect.

Countless attempts to "pair" failed.

It was painful to get Autel to understand that the two items would not "pair" despite following every recommendation they advised to the letter !

After over two weeks of pointless emails with Autel they eventually got in touch with the UK service Company who arranged for collection.

After nearly three weeks, I finally got the drone back.

Immediate issues with the gimble lag when manoeuvring which is frustrating to say the least, but at least if worked [ sort of ].

Off for two weeks at Christmas .

First flight in the new year went ok, despite the continuing gimble issue.

Mid January….Second flight asked to update which I declined.

Back at the office, started the drone and handset ...didn't pair again ! another round of countless
attempts without success.

Back to email with Autel !!! It must the same team as they still fail to understand I cannot get any messages from the drone as it will not connect ! so still not fixed !!!!!!!

This B****y drone has spent more time out of action than working and caused no end of stress.

In the previous five years of working with the DJI drones, never once have they let me down.

I would seriously consider buying one of these … NIGHTMARE material.

 

[wcsodennie]

And doesn’t it take like a full day for email reply sometimes even to a simple question. Almost like a textbook response that has nothing to do with what you are trying to explain.
It is sad that when previous DJI owners take a chance for a possible substitute they get taken. Mine was not with the drone I was taken because I loved the drone…. But when you have issues and need any kind of customer service. I keep hearing it’s going to get better because of new ownership. Hasn’t changed since my purchase of my Max 4t at the end of 2023. So very sad and frustrating we put our trust in foreign companies. They don’t give a damn about us.

 

[TheMachinewon]

Hello all,


I purchased a new Autel Evo Max 4N November 2024. Out of the box it advised to update software which I did , after restarting the drone and handset, they failed to connect.

Countless attempts to "pair" failed.

It was painful to get Autel to understand that the two items would not "pair" despite following every recommendation they advised to the letter !

After over two weeks of pointless emails with Autel they eventually got in touch with the UK service Company who arranged for collection.

After nearly three weeks, I finally got the drone back.

Immediate issues with the gimble lag when manoeuvring which is frustrating to say the least, but at least if worked [ sort of ].

Off for two weeks at Christmas .

First flight in the new year went ok, despite the continuing gimble issue.

Mid January….Second flight asked to update which I declined.

Back at the office, started the drone and handset ...didn't pair again ! another round of countless
attempts without success.

Back to email with Autel !!! It must the same team as they still fail to understand I cannot get any messages from the drone as it will not connect ! so still not fixed !!!!!!!

This B****y drone has spent more time out of action than working and caused no end of stress.

In the previous five years of working with the DJI drones, never once have they let me down.

I would seriously consider buying one of these … NIGHTMARE material.

Completely understand your pain about the service. Those morons that work in Seattle are the same way. They constantly cut and paste resetting options. Don’t understand there’s more to it. Apparently the software updates have screwed up the gimbal‘s ,,given it a lag. Their service is the worst ever and I think the retards that work there cannot repair anything. They just swap things out. I will never buy another Autel again.

 

[TWRoofing]

I have now given up trying to get a sensible responce fro Autel and contacted the UK agent, who, I must say, has been very understanding and helpful...

VERY frustrating experience ! What you say about the gimble makes sense. I've never encoutered that sort of issue before but it's dam frustrating !

 

[TheMachinewon]

I have now given up trying to get a sensible responce fro Autel and contacted the UK agent, who, I must say, has been very understanding and helpful...

VERY frustrating experience ! What you say about the gimble makes sense. I've never encoutered that sort of issue before but it's dam frustrating !

If you wouldn’t mind passing along that UK contact info. It would be handy to have even though I’m on the other side of the pond. The morons in Washington state are clueless when it comes to doing any type of repair.

The only reason I purchased Auto was because it didn’t have Geo fencing, but the scumbags now we’re doing updates saying updating Geo fencing on the Drone. Don’t understand and they’re clueless when you ask them.

 

[TWRoofing]

Here you go : -

Stuart Parker | Repairs and Maintenance


e: [email protected]

w: www.vantageuav.com | m: +44 (0)7795955040


a: VantageUAV Limited | 86-90 Paul Street London | EC2A 4NE

p: +44 (0)203 871 8226

 

[DroneRat]

I bought the max 4t. It was in stock. I got that fine. It was the crap around the purchase then finding that nothing they promised as an enterprise drone is actually available. Spotlight/speaker combo which i have been waiting for and paid for, for 3 months while Autel robotics claimed to have them coming in mid march. I then get the run around about them still being in pre order. I asked how there is one on YouTube being demo’d by a company. Then I am told they have them in stock in China but now have a restriction to be able to ship. Maybe in a couple of months. It is the exact BS that I read before I purchased that made me leery….but I still went ahead like an idiot instead of sticking with the tried and true…DJIl THere is no way in hell Autel will every compete with DJI. They just dont commit themselves when offering up new products. The Evo Max 4t had to have a firmware update just to get half of what was promised in the advertisement you see on the websites. Probably still doesn’t do some of what was promised but I wont know until I get together with some other to form a mesh network with them. See if they can communicate. Now with the Autel Alpha out, this Evo Max is as good as shutdown. Just like the Evo II 640T v3. Versions are supposed to get better but I hear just about everyone on these forums say, Autel just dropped the ball on the product. Left the customers hanging. That Autel was shifting to Enterprise drones. Uh, no. They wont commit to that either.
I just cant take it any more. If i could get some fool to buy this set up I would pay the extra to go back to DJI and get the M30T in a heartbeat.

YES! After 2 YEARS the EVO II v3 has never been finished and has reduced functionality as compared to the v2. As well the Enterprise version of the Explorer app is not available for the ENTERPRISE V3. ABANDONED IS A GOOD EXPLANATION.

 

[rcee]

YES! After 2 YEARS the EVO II v3 has never been finished and has reduced functionality as compared to the v2. As well the Enterprise version of the Explorer app is not available for the ENTERPRISE V3. ABANDONED IS A GOOD EXPLANATION.

Bullshite The EVO II v3 was never advertised t have these functions. So how can it been Abandoned? The last firmware update is not even 2 month ago.

 

[TWRoofing]

Update on the Autel Evo Max 4N .

New year, and a new update...,

This time I was paranoid about following the instruction to the letter, which I duly did then, low and behold, about 70% through the update the system froze, it completely drained two batteries, and stayed frozen!

Tried the correct channel and contacted Autel, which, exactly as last time, was like pulling nails, with exactly the same delays and unhelpful replies, failing to understand the problem.

So, off to Stuart at “Vantage UAV” in the UK, who arranged for the drone to be collected and unlike the last time, had it returned within the week.

The gimble issue seems to have gone away, so it looks like that must have had something to do with the last firmware update.

Fingers crossed that will be the last update…EVER !

 

[damted]

Can you give me any information about the information about the shipping of the spotlight/speaker combo? I guess I need to be more patient. I see the huge potential of what I have in the Evo max but I want it yesterday as I think about what I could have purchased in the DJI product. I don’t want to be behind the competition with my business because I went the slow-to-the-plate Autel product. I want so badly for them to succeed. I would love to be a part of that movement but love information that I can feed people to keep them informed and optimistic.
In the law enforcement position I retired from recently I was always involved in research and development of products and services we used. Loved being a part of product development and know what goes into it so being on the outside of this product is frustrating not having information and sways me to the side of pessimism unfortunately.
Thanks you for the future outlook and other info you might be able to give me looking forward.

I have the spotlight and speaker for a Autel evo II. Not sure it would fit the evo max