I'd be interested in people's thoughts on this.
I live in the UK, and I recently bought an Autel Evo from a company called SLRHut that I thought was based in the UK. It had a UK Web address (slrhut.co.uk), a UK physical address (which unfortunately turned out to be a 'mailbox rental service') and a UK phone number. I ordered the drone thinking that I'd be covered by UK consumer law.
The drone was faulty from the start, and it was only when I complained that I found it was a US company. I then found lots of forum messages saying this company was notorious for masquerading as a UK company, and that you shouldn't go anywhere near them. They offered to look at the drone if I sent it to New Jersey, where they're based, but as I've seen messages saying that people have sent stuff back to them and never seen it again, I do not want to risk this.
So I emailed Autel, at [email protected] and explained the situation to them. I told them I'd bought the drone in good faith, from what looked like a reputable company, but it was faulty when I received it, and asked if they could give me a replacement. Trouble is, from the replies I've got so far, I almost seem to be communicating with a robot.
Autel's first reply said:
"Hello,
Thanks for reaching out! I'm sorry to hear about your issue, it sounds like you were sold a damaged drone by that seller. Unfortunately our only repair facility is located in the United States so a repair evaluation would cost quite a bit in shipping. Have you reached out to the seller to request a defective exchange or return?
If you are unable to perform a return we can certainly have the aircraft come in for a repair, I'll give you that repair questionnaire below as well as our address so you can receive a shipping quote.
In order to get the repairprocess started please provide the following information:
1. Digital Copy of Proof ofPurchase (If purchased new within 12 months of date ticket was opened.)
2. First and Last Name
3. Your Full Shipping Address (street, city, state, zip code)
4. Contact Phone Number
5. Retail Serial Number (EV5STDOR) or Aircraft Serial Number (Thisis located on a white sticker that was included on your packaging. It shouldstart with "E". The Aircraft serial number can be found under thebattery of the EVO on the little QR code sticker and begins with "EV...")
If you are attaching a photoplease choose the highest-resolution available so the image is clearly visible.
To assist us in diagnosing andrepairing your drone please answer the following questions:
Ifany questions do not apply to you, please answer "N/A"
1. Provide a brief summary ofthe issue
2. Details of any damage that occurred? (Attach any photos if available)
3. What was the date of thiscrash (if applicable)? (MM/DD)
4. Did you have ObstacleAvoidance on during this flight?
5. Were you flying with aDevice? If so, can you please provide Make, Model and OS information?
6. Were the propellers attachedwhen you retrieved the aircraft?"
Then I replied:
"Hello
Thank you for replying so promptly. You point out that returning the Evo to Autel in the USA would incur a lot in shipping costs, and ask if I have reached out to the seller. Unfortunately, there is a problem here. Please let me tell you the whole story.
I bought the Evo from a company I found on the Internet, called SLRHut. Everything about its website made me think it was a UK company: it had a UK Internet address (slrhut.co.uk), a UK telephone number, a UK physical address, and there were other things in its website that suggested it was a UK company. I am sure anyone would have assumed this. I looked at a few online reviews, and it seemed to be a reputable company. However, it was only after I found the Evo was faulty, and informed SLRHut, that I was told I had to return it to New Jersey, as the company had no facilities for even accepting it in the UK. It was then that I did some research on various forums, and found lots of messages saying the same thing: SLRHut was a company that deliberately masqueraded as a UK company in order to mislead would-be customers. A lot of posts also warned people never to have any dealings with this company: I found so many accounts by people who had had products either not delivered, or not repaired or replaced when they had arrived faulty.
I had bought from SLRHut thinking it was a UK company and that I would be protected by UK consumer law if I received a faulty product, but now I found I had been deceived, and that I had no legal protection at all. Returning the Evo to SLRHut would cost just as much as returning it to Autel, and I have read so many bad reviews of this company that I would not trust it to repair it properly or even send it back to me. That is why I would prefer Autel to deal with this problem.
I just want to point out that the Evo was faulty right from the beginning. The issue with one motor failing to start appeared after the third day I had flown it, and could not have been the result of a crash, because the few short flight I had had went without incident. The sticking wheel on the controller was present right from the beginning. The erratic return to home behaviour, plus a problem with the controller suddenly powering down then switching back on again, were there almost from the beginning, and I found at least one battery was not holding its charge once I started flights of more than a few minutes. So I can assure you that none of these faults could be the result of anything I have done.
There is just one thing I would ask from Autel, and I think it is a reasonable request. Since this Evo was obviously faulty when I got it, could I please just have a replacement, rather than Autel repairing this one? I had been saving up for a couple of years to get a really good drone, so this represents a huge investment for me, and I would not be happy having one that was repaired. I think this is a reasonable thing to ask: when you pay nearly 1,000 pounds for an item, you expect it to work properly.
I shall of course supply you with whatever proof of purchase, etc, you require.
Yours sincerely"
So I thought I had expressed the problem as clearly as I could.. but to my surprise, the same Autel employee replied with:
"Hello Darryl,
Thank you for that information please complete the information requested below:
1. Digital Copy of Proof of Purchase (If purchased new within 12 months of date ticket was opened.)
2. First and Last Name
3. Your Full Shipping Address (street, city, state, zip code)
4. Contact Phone Number
5. Retail Serial Number (EV5STDOR) or Aircraft Serial Number (This is located on a white sticker that was included on your packaging. It should start with "E". The Aircraft serial number can be found under the battery of the EVO on the little QR code sticker and begins with "EV...")
If you are attaching a photo please choose the highest-resolution available so the image is clearly visible.
To assist us in diagnosing and repairing your drone please answer the following questions:
If any questions do not apply to you, please answer "N/A"
1. Provide a brief summary of the issue
2. Details of any damage that occurred? (Attach any photos if available)
3. What was the date of this crash (if applicable)? (MM/DD)
4. Did you have Obstacle Avoidance on during this flight?
5. Were you flying with a Device? If so, can you please provide Make, Model and OS information?
6. Were the propellers attached when you retrieved the aircraft?"
So I'd told him I wanted a replacement, not a repair, but in spite of this, he just gave me the same email as he had before - an email only suited to someone wanting a repair. This is what made me think I might be writing to some sort of algorithm.
I should point out that I realise that Autel is probably not obliged to give me a replacement, because this is probably between me and the seller. But as I explained in my email, I bought it in good faith from a company that looked to be reputable, and have spent an lot of money, so I was hoping Autel could just give me a replacement out of goodwill. It's something I at least want to negotiate with them, but I just keep getting the same email back, I don't know how I can do this.
Perhaps there is another department in Autel I can try contacting. Any ideas? Thanks.
I live in the UK, and I recently bought an Autel Evo from a company called SLRHut that I thought was based in the UK. It had a UK Web address (slrhut.co.uk), a UK physical address (which unfortunately turned out to be a 'mailbox rental service') and a UK phone number. I ordered the drone thinking that I'd be covered by UK consumer law.
The drone was faulty from the start, and it was only when I complained that I found it was a US company. I then found lots of forum messages saying this company was notorious for masquerading as a UK company, and that you shouldn't go anywhere near them. They offered to look at the drone if I sent it to New Jersey, where they're based, but as I've seen messages saying that people have sent stuff back to them and never seen it again, I do not want to risk this.
So I emailed Autel, at [email protected] and explained the situation to them. I told them I'd bought the drone in good faith, from what looked like a reputable company, but it was faulty when I received it, and asked if they could give me a replacement. Trouble is, from the replies I've got so far, I almost seem to be communicating with a robot.
Autel's first reply said:
"Hello,
Thanks for reaching out! I'm sorry to hear about your issue, it sounds like you were sold a damaged drone by that seller. Unfortunately our only repair facility is located in the United States so a repair evaluation would cost quite a bit in shipping. Have you reached out to the seller to request a defective exchange or return?
If you are unable to perform a return we can certainly have the aircraft come in for a repair, I'll give you that repair questionnaire below as well as our address so you can receive a shipping quote.
In order to get the repairprocess started please provide the following information:
1. Digital Copy of Proof ofPurchase (If purchased new within 12 months of date ticket was opened.)
2. First and Last Name
3. Your Full Shipping Address (street, city, state, zip code)
4. Contact Phone Number
5. Retail Serial Number (EV5STDOR) or Aircraft Serial Number (Thisis located on a white sticker that was included on your packaging. It shouldstart with "E". The Aircraft serial number can be found under thebattery of the EVO on the little QR code sticker and begins with "EV...")
If you are attaching a photoplease choose the highest-resolution available so the image is clearly visible.
To assist us in diagnosing andrepairing your drone please answer the following questions:
Ifany questions do not apply to you, please answer "N/A"
1. Provide a brief summary ofthe issue
2. Details of any damage that occurred? (Attach any photos if available)
3. What was the date of thiscrash (if applicable)? (MM/DD)
4. Did you have ObstacleAvoidance on during this flight?
5. Were you flying with aDevice? If so, can you please provide Make, Model and OS information?
6. Were the propellers attachedwhen you retrieved the aircraft?"
Then I replied:
"Hello
Thank you for replying so promptly. You point out that returning the Evo to Autel in the USA would incur a lot in shipping costs, and ask if I have reached out to the seller. Unfortunately, there is a problem here. Please let me tell you the whole story.
I bought the Evo from a company I found on the Internet, called SLRHut. Everything about its website made me think it was a UK company: it had a UK Internet address (slrhut.co.uk), a UK telephone number, a UK physical address, and there were other things in its website that suggested it was a UK company. I am sure anyone would have assumed this. I looked at a few online reviews, and it seemed to be a reputable company. However, it was only after I found the Evo was faulty, and informed SLRHut, that I was told I had to return it to New Jersey, as the company had no facilities for even accepting it in the UK. It was then that I did some research on various forums, and found lots of messages saying the same thing: SLRHut was a company that deliberately masqueraded as a UK company in order to mislead would-be customers. A lot of posts also warned people never to have any dealings with this company: I found so many accounts by people who had had products either not delivered, or not repaired or replaced when they had arrived faulty.
I had bought from SLRHut thinking it was a UK company and that I would be protected by UK consumer law if I received a faulty product, but now I found I had been deceived, and that I had no legal protection at all. Returning the Evo to SLRHut would cost just as much as returning it to Autel, and I have read so many bad reviews of this company that I would not trust it to repair it properly or even send it back to me. That is why I would prefer Autel to deal with this problem.
I just want to point out that the Evo was faulty right from the beginning. The issue with one motor failing to start appeared after the third day I had flown it, and could not have been the result of a crash, because the few short flight I had had went without incident. The sticking wheel on the controller was present right from the beginning. The erratic return to home behaviour, plus a problem with the controller suddenly powering down then switching back on again, were there almost from the beginning, and I found at least one battery was not holding its charge once I started flights of more than a few minutes. So I can assure you that none of these faults could be the result of anything I have done.
There is just one thing I would ask from Autel, and I think it is a reasonable request. Since this Evo was obviously faulty when I got it, could I please just have a replacement, rather than Autel repairing this one? I had been saving up for a couple of years to get a really good drone, so this represents a huge investment for me, and I would not be happy having one that was repaired. I think this is a reasonable thing to ask: when you pay nearly 1,000 pounds for an item, you expect it to work properly.
I shall of course supply you with whatever proof of purchase, etc, you require.
Yours sincerely"
So I thought I had expressed the problem as clearly as I could.. but to my surprise, the same Autel employee replied with:
"Hello Darryl,
Thank you for that information please complete the information requested below:
1. Digital Copy of Proof of Purchase (If purchased new within 12 months of date ticket was opened.)
2. First and Last Name
3. Your Full Shipping Address (street, city, state, zip code)
4. Contact Phone Number
5. Retail Serial Number (EV5STDOR) or Aircraft Serial Number (This is located on a white sticker that was included on your packaging. It should start with "E". The Aircraft serial number can be found under the battery of the EVO on the little QR code sticker and begins with "EV...")
If you are attaching a photo please choose the highest-resolution available so the image is clearly visible.
To assist us in diagnosing and repairing your drone please answer the following questions:
If any questions do not apply to you, please answer "N/A"
1. Provide a brief summary of the issue
2. Details of any damage that occurred? (Attach any photos if available)
3. What was the date of this crash (if applicable)? (MM/DD)
4. Did you have Obstacle Avoidance on during this flight?
5. Were you flying with a Device? If so, can you please provide Make, Model and OS information?
6. Were the propellers attached when you retrieved the aircraft?"
So I'd told him I wanted a replacement, not a repair, but in spite of this, he just gave me the same email as he had before - an email only suited to someone wanting a repair. This is what made me think I might be writing to some sort of algorithm.
I should point out that I realise that Autel is probably not obliged to give me a replacement, because this is probably between me and the seller. But as I explained in my email, I bought it in good faith from a company that looked to be reputable, and have spent an lot of money, so I was hoping Autel could just give me a replacement out of goodwill. It's something I at least want to negotiate with them, but I just keep getting the same email back, I don't know how I can do this.
Perhaps there is another department in Autel I can try contacting. Any ideas? Thanks.
