Major change needed at Autel

[Nickheinemann]

Dear Autel

More specifically Maxwell Lee.

As a company and business owner, unfortunately one must take the good with the bad. As a great company owner and business, you look at the bad, develop positive solutions and institute changes to avoid the consistent or repetitive “bad”.

Autel really has a great line of drone products. I proudly own and support the product over any competitor. I have done so for the past year and a half. One thing that has remained during this time unfortunately, is an exceptionally poor customer service.

With an inability to provide any reasonable connection or response to customers, Autel is more detrimental to their growth and success, than any effort mounted by a competitor.

For the dynamics of success to be instituted properly, the ownership and management team must found sound principles on how they wish to provide their customers realistic service. It is quite apparent that Autel has no clearly defined foundation that would support further success of their business model.

From unanswered phone calls and unanswered messages to unanswered or unrealistically delayed email responses. This is the unfortunate mode of operation for Autel.

With one single person making every attempt at finding resolutions for the thousands of customers, there can only be a finite success ratio. Now that person has been driven out.

Autel ownership and senior management need to do better. Thousands of vendors and professionals use and rely on your products. Unfortunately they have and will experience the same poor quality of customer service until changes are made.

You can sell the best products on the planet but without stellar customer service and technical support to back them up, your products are no better than the next guy’s.

Hoping for a change.

 

[Detritalgeo]

Yeah, if there is some struggle, they should at least own it and issue a statement to give transparency to their plan and their commitments. Get ahead of the narrative and control the message as much as possible. Recruit more Ken's and give them some level of autonomy to get the job done to keep customers happy or at minimum listened to and respected.
---
I have never interacted with Ken but i get the sense he is passionate about the drone business and is an drone-tech evangelist of sorts enjoying sharing the experience with others while resolving any issues they encounter. These people are very independent and know what they need to get the job done so I speculate that there was/is likely some micro-management issues making some people feel their contribution is not optimized or fully valued.
---
With the Nano and the Lite, their business model has shifted more than they anticipated perhaps to the mass-scale consumer market which comes with a very different after-sales support environment than the smaller-scale prosumer/enterprise market. I am sure the team is burnt-out from getting the nano and lite to market but that was only 40% of the battle. They perhaps should have launched only the nano first then the lite 6 months later...

 

[Wayne Maine]

As one who has been Autel since their beginning it has changed. To have those days back when 7 days a week you could call and talk or message and chat anytime they were open. Now you can do almost nothing. About the only recourse for and issue under warranty is to request a refund from whom ever.

 

[Brock Inspector]

Ken Booth (aka Blade Strike) took a position as a part-time Autel Robotics Enterprise Div tech. He was so good being the public face of Autel on the social media side of things, it became major mission creep he never signed up for... so he tells me, if I am repeating it accurately. It's unfortunate he's leaving, because he was so accessible, so quick and terrific at responding-- but his departure doesn't spell the demise of Autel Robotics.

With the rapid growth Autel is experiencing, there are bound to be some growing pains. They've already made a significant dent in DJI's market dominance, and may soon capture 10% of the $10B worldwide drone market. They're in an enviable position and more likely to survive than most others. Hopefully they can attract all the talent they need going forward.

Lucky for them consumer drones are mostly expendable, and get replaced at accelerated time-frames. The beauty for Autel is they offer a predominenty-consumer based product where it's an accepted obsession to always have the latest and greatest thing. Their drones have collision avoidance AI; an insurance policy for collision with a relatively high deductable for crashes eg Autel Care is a money-making proposition or they simply wouldn't offer it. I suspect that for every single major unresolved kvetch or CS horror story that gets oft-repeated here and elsewhere online, there are hundreds --maybe thousands-- more satisfied customers who've flown without major issues and would happily buy the new Autel Evo III if they only could.

Personally, give me a product so robust and trouble-free it rarely needs attention, every time, over something less reliable that comes with over-the-top customer support. (I've never sent my Nikons in for service, either. Never the need. Similarly, my Evo 2 Pro hasn't required the round-trip to Bothell, WA. Knock wood, it might never need it.)

There are many others like me, I'm sure, who've come up through the ranks of flying R/C planes and helis and model building, who don't need much or any level of hand-holding to make minor repairs, to maintain their drone properly, to replace motors and shells, or to swap out processor boards. As the market share increases, it seems inevitable there will be better third-party support for common Autel spare parts. It might someday behoove Autel to embrace the Right-to-Repair movement and open up from holding a monopoly on fixing Evo IIs, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Where Autel needs to focus support attention is a pro-level service bureau with remote diagnostics and priority turnaround for their Enterprise division. That's their halo product, the 640T IR and RTK imaging side of things. But their average customer? They might not need a whole lot more than the kind of user-level sharing that happens right here, on forums and on Facebook.

 

[VdoMemories]

Last Firmware Stoned my both EVO2 Pro and nothing would work for months.
I kept sending messages for a " Patch " that would Re-Vert to last working Firmware.
Autel could not Help at all.

Now I got yet another Remote EF-7 and it keeps saying
" Connecting but never Finish up Bind "
What am I to do ?

**--** The Firmware are so confusing that only a Drunk will understand, sadly I don't drink !
Can't do No Firmware or even Patch if the Remote and Drone don't Bind.

**--** How the Hell can Autel keep bringing newer un finished drones if they don't understand that they need to fix the Bugs
on their Flagship EVO2 Pro 6K drone first and only then use the same fixed firmware for the newer drones will " Shine "

**--** What has been missing from the very start is two frontal video lights and a built-in GPS tracker, costing $10 to 12
!

Autel EVO 2 Pro Cinematic
A. In order for a drone to be Stable it needed to be yet another 4 inch each fiber arm and have even more powerful motors !

My Autel EVO2 Pro fails to come back at times even if its only 200 to 300 feet away and 150 feet up due to it being very windy where I live in the open.

Just about the size of “ DJI Matrice 30 Quadcopter ”
Now this is what I call a real Smart Controller with tilting screen, hood and neck strap.

B. Never over promise and under deliver.
You cheated us with 40 minutes battery that only lasts 31 to 32 minutes.

C. The GPS Must lock-in within the first 15 to 20 seconds after powering up the remote and drone.
Each newer location the GPS should have Auto GPS, Lock-in !

D. We badly need Solid, Stable Video Feed, no more Blacking out or Freezing !
Around 1000 feet and 200 to 300 feet height I was loosing video feedback on my LCD.
Hate it when I get my Autel EVO2 Pro in to the right location and then loose video feed and having to fly back just to Re-boot again !

E. Slow down those Jerky moves that ruin the video footage.
Give us the choice to dial-in from 1 second to 8 seconds delayed, gradual picking up camera movement and the drone.
At front end and at the back end of each shot when in this “ Cinematic Mode ”
**--** We are not Drag Racing but Video taping and any Jerky Video Movements cause Dizziness to the viewer.

F. In cold weather in 20* temp the drone at times stops taking 12 picture Panoramas, video freezes and forced to abandon mission.
Forced to Re-boot the drone and remote !

G. Right after the drone completes taking Panoramic pictures it should ask, do you want to continue to the next Panoramic or Stitch the images.
If I don’t respond within 6 to 8 seconds it should be ready to take another set of Panoramic shots.
We don’t use your Panoramic stitching as it is full of flows and degrades the final picture. Microsoft has ICE, a free program and does a good job stitching the Panoramic pictures.

H. When suddenly due to battery going down the drone starts a “ RTH ” and before you know it or can react to the Yellow tiny “ Cancel ” box !
I have had near miss accident as the drone speeded up right in to the tree.
Need a much bigger, flashing “ Yellow Cancel Box.”
2 minutes warning time before " Automatic RTH "

I. The Remote battery keep draining and need constant charging,
My older Typhoon H ST 16 remote battery lasted 5 times longer and had a 7 inch LCD cost only $300 with editing capabilities not $1199
Get a bigger longer lasting battery.

*--** DJI just released their Flagship RC Smart Controller for under $200 with built-in 5.5 inch LCD, for their DJI mini3 Pro and now soon to be adaptable for their Mavic3,
DJI Air 2S, where have you at Autel been for you missed yet another chance to win over the market ?
What a Shame for Autel.
Wake up and High Time you pick up the pieces ! !

We have been your Field Lab for Autel, listen and help us with what we need !
*******************************************************
Sadly Autel Customers Service is cancerous, playing with fire and the fire spreading like wildfire !
I tried to help you with my 2 cents peace of mind, pick up the pieces and wake up.
I keep getting your Worthless Ticket # that don't fix my issues, a good way to cover up your Customers Service trail and this way your own employees can
Happily say " Customers issues resolved " when in reality they just covered up their Goof - off's and Fooled you the Upper Management !
**--** Fire these Grease Monkeys that are playing games with your Reputation ! ! All they do is issue a Ticket # more like sleeping pills to put us back to sleep.
**--** I still firmly believe the Autel EVO 2 Pro is a Flagship Drone with beautiful colors and sharp but Jerky video and pictures that once you get used to that you will never touch DJI tiny drones that lack that.
* * If only you listen.

**--** The Good News is that even tho DJI can’t sell their Mavic 3 enough due to Pre-mature release, tiny in size Toy and overly priced.
**--** No wonder DJI is forced to discount the price down in order to hopefully sell their Mavic 3 drone due to Pre-Mature Launch and a very bad camera, its a
Toy compared to your EVO 2 Pro or even the DJI Mavic 2 Pro.

Its your chance to win by offering us
“ Far Better Customers Support ” Fire them first and clean up your slate !
They are Cancerous to Autel !

PS: Both my Autel EVO 2 Pro are still not working and No one ever called for tried to help resolve my issues.
Where has your Management been ?
Just look at this Super Smart Controller with 7 Inch LCD, Hood and shoulder strap and built-in editing capabilities for $300 and I keep seeing $100 drones with far far better remotes with built-in LCD.

 

[Wayne Maine]

The lack of CS makes it hard to comit to a new drone. When you can get nothing done with the simple things like account issue how does one go foward

 

[ireviewfrozendinners]

Yeah the CS side of things seems pretty awful at the moment. Got a brand new Evo II Pro a week ago and an update broke something and the controller would no longer bind to anything. Immediately submitted a ticket and tried rebinding the controller and "manually" installing an update from an SD card, nothing would work. Then tried calling CS several days in a row, nothing, left a message.

I've since gotten a replacement one from B&H (super fast and hassle free experience with them , so good on them) that updated successfully and seems to fly and function just fine, but I still haven't heard back from Autel support.

It's bad. This is real bad. And it doesn't even seem like this is a brand new thing, this goes back quiet a while judging by some of the posts here.

Edit: Eventually got a reply from CS way after I got a working unit from B&H, everything is resolved at the moment and they were nice enough to answer questions, but good god this was a frustrating experience. I dread ever having to reach out to them about anything in the future.

 

[atortaloha]

The lack of CS makes it hard to comit to a new drone. When you can get nothing done with the simple things like account issue how does one go foward

It's super unfortunate it's basically like there is literally NO customer support right now. I have been trying for two weeks to handle two different issues one with a swollen battery and another with downgrading my Enterprise Evo 2 Pro 6K firmware which has been a nightmare and nothing so far. It's like you just have to pretend right now Autel doesn't offer customer service basically they have sooooooooo much potential and really dropping the ball on the 1 year line recently I wish they weren't too!

 

[Gary Zegel]

Regarding Firmware updates, Ken was of immense help in trouble shooting a firmware update for the Enterprise Evo 2 RTK. Turns out, loading the "bin" files to the SD card using a MAC created a situation where the firmware update failed and the drone would not bind. Adding the "bin" file to the SD card using a Windows based machine, the firmware update proceeded flawlessly. I have a CS degree...many years ago...actually...many, many... and this was not something I could diagnose. Bottom line, if doing firmware updates, load the bin to the SD card manually, using a WINDOWS machine, and the drone restart will pick it up and install. Be patient.

 

[atortaloha]

Regarding Firmware updates, Ken was of immense help in trouble shooting a firmware update for the Enterprise Evo 2 RTK. Turns out, loading the "bin" files to the SD card using a MAC created a situation where the firmware update failed and the drone would not bind. Adding the "bin" file to the SD card using a Windows based machine, the firmware update proceeded flawlessly. I have a CS degree...many years ago...actually...many, many... and this was not something I could diagnose. Bottom line, if doing firmware updates, load the bin to the SD card manually, using a WINDOWS machine, and the drone restart will pick it up and install. Be patient.

That’s great if you own a PC, but all Apple here so really not an option that’s easy. Ken walked me through it but was a nightmare even he said so.

 

[Ungava]

Dear Autel

More specifically Maxwell Lee.

As a company and business owner, unfortunately one must take the good with the bad. As a great company owner and business, you look at the bad, develop positive solutions and institute changes to avoid the consistent or repetitive “bad”.

Autel really has a great line of drone products. I proudly own and support the product over any competitor. I have done so for the past year and a half. One thing that has remained during this time unfortunately, is an exceptionally poor customer service.

With an inability to provide any reasonable connection or response to customers, Autel is more detrimental to their growth and success, than any effort mounted by a competitor.

For the dynamics of success to be instituted properly, the ownership and management team must found sound principles on how they wish to provide their customers realistic service. It is quite apparent that Autel has no clearly defined foundation that would support further success of their business model.

From unanswered phone calls and unanswered messages to unanswered or unrealistically delayed email responses. This is the unfortunate mode of operation for Autel.

With one single person making every attempt at finding resolutions for the thousands of customers, there can only be a finite success ratio. Now that person has been driven out.

Autel ownership and senior management need to do better. Thousands of vendors and professionals use and rely on your products. Unfortunately they have and will experience the same poor quality of customer service until changes are made.

You can sell the best products on the planet but without stellar customer service and technical support to back them up, your products are no better than the next guy’s.

Hoping for a change.

100% correct.... I love the products but I quit buying 15 months ago waiting to see any improvements. Currently, there is no way I would buy Autel products and I question how much longer they will even be in business.....

 

[Gary Zegel]

That’s great if you own a PC, but all Apple here so really not an option that’s easy. Ken walked me through it but was a nightmare even he said so.

All MAC here as well, but I started to bump against other software programs I wanted to use that were windows based, RTKLIB for one, so I knuckled under and installed Parallels Desktop on the MAC with Windows running... MAC and Windows files usually play well together, but the Autel boot firmware is looking for the bin file stored in the windows formatting.

 

[VdoMemories]

At this point both Autel EVO2 Pro are no longer connecting or binding and even if you give me a newer firmware it would not work !

**--** Tho it would help others if you make a firmware for all the EVO2 Pro that are stoned due to last firmware.

Last Firmware Stoned my both EVO2 Pro and nothing would work for months.
I kept sending messages for a " Patch " that would Re-Vert to last working Firmware.
Autel could not Help at all.

Now I got yet another Remote EF-7 and it keeps saying
" Connecting but never Finish up Bind "
What am I to do ?

**--** The Firmware are so confusing that only a Drunk will understand, sadly I don't drink !
Can't do No Firmware or even Patch if the Remote and Drone don't Bind.

**--** How the Hell can Autel keep bringing newer un finished drones if they don't understand that they need to fix the Bugs
on their Flagship EVO2 Pro 6K drone first and only then use the Same Fixed Firmware for the newer drones will certainly " Shine "

* * We badly need a affordable remote with built-in LCD and a hood !

 

[Gary Zegel]

At this point both Autel EVO2 Pro are no longer connecting or binding and even if you give me a newer firmware it would not work !

**--** Tho it would help others if you make a firmware for all the EVO2 Pro that are stoned due to last firmware.

Last Firmware Stoned my both EVO2 Pro and nothing would work for months.
I kept sending messages for a " Patch " that would Re-Vert to last working Firmware.
Autel could not Help at all.

Now I got yet another Remote EF-7 and it keeps saying
" Connecting but never Finish up Bind "
What am I to do ?

**--** The Firmware are so confusing that only a Drunk will understand, sadly I don't drink !
Can't do No Firmware or even Patch if the Remote and Drone don't Bind.

**--** How the Hell can Autel keep bringing newer un finished drones if they don't understand that they need to fix the Bugs
on their Flagship EVO2 Pro 6K drone first and only then use the Same Fixed Firmware for the newer drones will certainly " Shine "

* * We badly need a affordable remote with built-in LCD and a hood !

I'm not with Autel...just a user like you. My suggestion that worked for me: From a PC, clear everything off an SD card, download the zip file for the firmware update. Store ZIP file on SD card, and place SD card into drone. Turn on controller, turn on drone, and wait...give it 35 minutes, so make sure your batteries are charged. Let us know what happens. The most recent firmware caused an RTK issue, so I had to revert to earlier version, but...focus on un-bricking your drone first with recent update.

 

[VdoMemories]

Greetings GZegel, thanks a lot for your tip, I'll be trying it today just the way you described it !

Thank you.

Best regards,
Ajay Madan
PS: 53 minutes later still the video feed not showing from the camera, I'll switch the drone next as may be this remote belongs to the other drone !
Tried both drones one by one on one remote, next I'll switch the remote and try both drones again.
I did notice my cell saying Autel Explorer keeps stopping.

My cell phone says when doing your firmware test " Unfortunately, Autel Explorer has stopped "
its failing to Bind.

 

[Marcle]

Back in 2018, I bought a second hand X-Star and one of the batteries wouldn't turn on. I sent an email to support because I wasn't sure if iI was doing something wrong and they asked for a video. I sent them the video and THE NEXT DAY, I got an email that they were sending me a new battery! That's when their customer service was way more responsive than DJI. Then they came out with the first EVO and it started going downhill from there. I hope they get the message and start supporting their products and customers like in the past. DJI needs the competition. FWIW, the jerky yaw movement has been an issue since the X-Star so it must be something ingrained in their flight control software or the hardware they are using in the remotes. They need to add EXP controls to the app that work better.

 

[monstaar]

The really sad part is; all of these complaints about CS dating all the way back from the 14th, and not ONE response from Autel regarding this on the thread.

 

[cappy]

Seems like Autel is doing something about customer service. In addition to their acknowledgement to my query about the nano+ GPS on 3/18/22, I received an answer on 3/20/22. Cant complain about getting an answer from Autel in 2 days!

 

[winrose]

My emails to Autel have been responded to within 1s to 2 working days so I have no complaints regarding this part of the issue. I may not like their response (no way to purchase a bare bones EVO II Pro to have as a spare while tech support is working on my first EVO II Pro.) That being said, I can not understand why Autel is ignoring the first principle of programming I learned in 1970: Make sure that the target hardware is what you the software expects before performing a BIOS or Firmware update. Autel does not do this and even worse, their file naming conventions do not differentiate between the standard and smart controller. It should never be possible to load software for a Version B software on version A hardware.

 

[VdoMemories]

Autel put the A version as well as the B version in the same line one next to another ! !
* * No wonder they say Common sense is a God given gift, use it or loose it ! !