ComplaintsforAutel Robotics USA LLC

• Initial Complaint

  12/12/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a drone from Autel Official a distributor of theirs through Amazon which the total was $9554.03 after taxes. I have proof of receipt. The drone was almost two months old and when it was being flown along with my friend a licensed drone pilot, it had a flyaway to occur. We launched it, it took off, went maybe **************** straight line of sight started turning sideways on the screen. This drone has an advertised distance of over 12 miles also. And by sideways it seemed as if one of the motors gave out. At that time the connectivity went from very strong to weak in the red. It kept that picture on my screen and a few seconds later the drone came flying over to our left in the sky flying backwards and had a very odd sound to it. As it passed us the controller said disconnected and it flew away never to be recovered still to this day. I have a recording on my screen that I have proof that it was flying in an odd angle which an operator cannot make one do this. It was in reverse and shows it Im assuming crashing afterwards and levels back out in the video before it does which seems to me that one of the motors started operating again before this occurred. I have emailed flight logs, the video of this crash from my controller and anything and everything else they have asked for at Autel and I was told a flyaway is hard to determine cause of crash so they couldnt do anything about it. I was asked did I have Autel care which is an insurance and I said no because the drone was almost two months old and you advertise a year warranty for your drones so it wasnt necessary as long as it wasnt operator failure which it wasnt. Like I said previously I have more than enough proof that this drone was out of my control when it flew away. I can submit email the videos to you and anything else you need. It wont let me below it said they contained too much data. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

  Business response

  12/14/2023

  *******,

  We are sending the replacement out to you today.

  Your case is closed!

  Thank you for your business!

   

  *****

  Customer response

  12/16/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  12/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  December 4th I made a purchase through Autell robotics when the purchase arrived on the 5th and everyday since then I have tried to reach auteil robotics to start the refund process because I'm dissatisfied I paid $4,799 for the drone and another $539 for the service plan the service plan was never bound to my account and I have been unable to bind it to the account. Every time I call I'm unable to reach anyone nor the customer service return my phone calls

  Business response

  12/08/2023

  ****,

  I apologize our customer service is not helping you.

  ******* is calling you now to help bind the care to your drone.

  Thank you!

   

  *****

  Customer response

  12/11/2023

   
  Complaint: 20977831
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I have yet to receive a phone call from someone with our tail that will assist me with my issue regarding the hotel service plan that they did not send me the service code needed to activate it now more than 48 hours has lapsed so what do I do can someone please contact me
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

  Business response

  12/14/2023

  ****,

  I apologize you are not happy with our customer service.

  ******* called you many times, however he will call you again today to close your case.

  Thank you for your patience!

   

  *****

• Initial Complaint

  12/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have sent Autel Robotics a remote control for my drone to repair; the unit was not charging. Since I have not owned the controller for a year this repair should be under warranty. Initially I was able to contact them at **************. I was issued a case number of ******** and shipped it by **** Priority Mail, the tracking number was **** **** **** **** **** 01. After I shipped the unit, I have not been able to get any updates for the company. I have left several voicemails and sent several emails which I am attaching to this complaint. Since I am in technical support myself, I waited patiently, I became concerned after two weeks and have been attempting to contact them every sense. This unit retails for $800 to $1000 and losing it would be a financial hit. Any assistance would be appreciated. Thank you.

  Business response

  12/05/2023

  *******, 

  Your controller was shipped back to you yesterday by UPS#1Z2F5A474295549099.

  Thank you!

  *****

  Customer response

  12/07/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  11/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  This company lied about the drone's capability and refused to replace the drone once it was damaged. The drone Autopiloted into a tree which means the avoidance system failed to do it's job causing damage to the drone.

  Business response

  12/14/2023

  ******,

  I'm sending you the replacement today to close your case.

  Thank you for your patience!

   

  *****

   

   

  Customer response

  12/15/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I am waiting for them to send me the replacement drone and wanted to add I paid to have it shipped.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  10/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought an Autel Robotics Lite+ drone back in March '23. Flew it for 6+ months with no issues at all. Then Autel came out with a firmware and SkyApp update in September '23. I updated my drone, as I do with all my drones (I own 3 others besides the Autel). I had flown my drone with mostly very good results. I did have an issue where the drone did not "Return to Home" as it was supposed to do. Then I flew my drone and as it entered my initial low battery warning - I pressed the Return to Home Button and the drone returned to what I thought was home. As it began it's landing sequence, the drone went into it's critical battery warning (at 5 minutes) and started to auto-land. Per my app screen the drone had come back to it's Return to Home (zero ft) location. As had happened many times before, the drone will start to land and self auto-correct as it does land to try and be on spot where it took off. This time, the drone was way off from homepoint and had no time to auto correct as it hit a high tree limb and it's descent. The drone tumbled to the ground - lights blinking / etc. I noticed the camera gimble had broken, but not other external damage noted. After a week of emailing I finally got a reference # from Autel to send it in. Sent it in on Thursday Sept 21. 2023. I awaited contact from Autel for several days and got nothing. So, I started emailing Autel CS, as I could not get thru their ***** number in *******. I finally got a generic email. I responded on several occasions with no real answers. Today (Oct 6) I finally got an weird email from Autel. They said that actually to repair my drone would be more than a replacement one would cost - so if I paid $854, I'd get an open box drone kit. I called the ***** and finally got a real person to explain the issues. The only thing Autel would do is send me the open box drone for $854. NOT ACCEPTABLE. So, now they are sending my broke drone back to me.

  Business response

  11/07/2023

  BBB,

  This case is closed on favor of the claimant on 11/4/2023

   

  *****

   

  Customer response

  11/07/2023

   
  Complaint: 20706103
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I accepted my part of the issue and Autel did offer me a "used" drone and premium bundle kit for $400.  I did take that offer.  Yet, Autel has just recently decided to ship my broken drone back, over a month later.  It also took them over 2 weeks to ship the "used drone package" after I accepted their offer and paid the $400.

  Autel REFUSES to accept that their **************** is horrible and even when I have communicated with them via email - it takes a week to get a reply.  Even when they do reply, it's just a short response that typically requires another email from me to them.  Then to wait another week for another abysmal reply.

  Thus, why I still don't have my "crashed" drone in my possession, but supposedly on the way in shipment.

  WORST CUSTOMER SERIVCE EVER and what is sad / bad - is they know it and doing nothing to make it better.

  Many of Autels drone owners are complaining that the app / firmware update that made my drone crash is severely affecting their drones as well.  What is Autel doing to fix the issues?  Maybe if they figure out it was all their fault for my drone to crash - they could give me my $400 back as the warranty was still intact.

  I DO NOT recommend anyone wanting to buy a drone - buy one from Autel.  If you do - BUYER BEWARE and expect lackluster customer service if you get any at all.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  08/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  In early July 2023 I purchased an Autel Pro 2 V3 drone. I took it for a couple of test flights in my neighborhood after meeting all of the preflight requirements including updating firmware and registering the drone with the **** 3 days after I received the drone in the mail I took it to my friends house on the country. The drone did not have GPS connectivity when it went airborne, which is not required for flight. When my drone got to approximately ****** off of the ground, the drone took off on its own against the wind. I had video connectivity the whole flight from there on until reception was lost - a total flight time of ~4 1/2 minutes. I spent 6 hours driving and looking for the drone based on a final screenshot that I took of the remote control screen before losing final connectivity. Amazingly after driving several miles I was able to reconnect the remote control with the drone. A picture I have sown that the drone now had connectivity to over 20 GPS satellites. However, there was no way to get GPS coordinates without taking flight. The drone wasnt able to take flight at this time due to low battery and camera gimble error. Autel has cited via e-mail, among other things that being within ***** of a cell tower caused the drone to lose connection. This has been definitively debunked in the drone community by pilots who inspect cell towers for a living and are able to fly within 10 of a cell tower. The communication with Autel has been very dishonest on their part. Ive made myself available for any form of communication throughout this entire dispute time. I turned over my flight logs and a very detailed exhibit showing exactly what happened for maximum transparency on my end. Ill continue to be open to communicate until this issue is resolved. Ive asked for Autels attorney or general counsels contact information in order to file in small claims court, but they refuse to accommodate my request.

  Business response

  11/29/2023

  We shipped the replacement to the customer as attached.

  Thank you!

  Customer response

  11/30/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  04/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought a defective product. I told them it didn't work properly and I wanted to return it. They didn't respond to correspondance in a timely manner. They finally accepted the product back and promised refund. My card was still charged. I opened up a complaint (attached in the file), with my credit card company. They were unable to resolve so i haven't been refunded. I am not in possession of the product yet i haven't been refunded. Mind boggling and sad.

  Business response

  04/07/2023

  We thank him for bringing this to our attention. We have been working with him on a refund, but he purchased his unit with another company. 

  Customer purchased through another company called Autelpilot, not Autel Robotics. Although Autelpilot is an authorized dealer of Autel Robotics, they are a separate company. Autel Robotics has responded to all of *****'s emails and we have even tried to escalate this matter internally by reaching out to Autelpilot to help assist him. He has been in contact with Autelpilot and they provided a screenshot of attempting a refund to him on March 10th but his credit card company did not accept it. There was also an issue when ***** was trying to return the package and ***** returned it to him and this also delayed his return and refund with them. 

  We do sympathize with his frustrations with Autelpilot and we have been doing the best we can to assist him with the third party for a refund.

• Initial Complaint

  01/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased an Autel Robotics *** II Pro V1 drone from a reseller (Drone-Works) for approximatedly $2,000. The drone was to have a manufacturers warranty of 1 year from date of purchase. I used the *** II Pro V1 drone for ***** months and it developed focusing issues with the camera and would not fly straight. After spending hours upon hours on hold on phone calls I was able to contact Autel Robotics. I received an *** # to ship the drone back after sending Autel Robotics recorded videos of the issues I had with the drone. I had some minor questions on packaging and shipping the drone back to Autel Robotics as I didn't want shipping to damage the drone. I replied to the email address that I received the *** from and spent hours upon hours on the phone trying to reach them in March 2022. After exhaustive efforts trying to reach Autel Robotics, the *** expired and unable to reach them I literally gave up on trying to contact the,. I put the Autel *** II Pro V1 on the shelf. Fast forward to January 2023, I was reading the Autel *** II Pro V1 will be soon to be unsupported. I figured I try again to see if I could get the drone repaired. Again in January 2023 spending entirely too much time on hold on the phone trying to reach them, no one ever answers. It's great to advertise a 1 year warranty, but you have to interact with the customer to provide the warranty instead of ignoring their atttempts to contact you. I believe Autel Robotics is in the practice of ghosting customers with warranty claims in hopes that customer grows frustated leading to ********************************************* not having to warranty their products. I feel Autel Robotics makes a good drone and I expect an occasional issue to pop up on such a sophisticated machine such as this. I recently seen the new *** Max ** drone announced for $9,000 but until I can get resolution on the *** II Pro V1, I will not purchase Autel Robotics' products. I am contemplating legal action.

  Business response

  01/11/2023

  I am very sorry that this customer has been unable to reach us.  We are happy to help.  Please email us at ******************************************************.  We will answer you within a few days there.  I do not see any calls from the number listed here as your contact since early in 2022.  I do not see an email from this customer since March of 2022.  We have a team ready to support you.  The customer also can still send in the aircraft with the same RMA and it will still be able to be fixed.  

  Customer response

  01/15/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I will send my drone to Autel Robotics and reference RMA# ARO022031500000108. Tracking # for shipment is 393435578296. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  **************

• Initial Complaint

  12/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a drone from Best Buy for $1,300.00+. The drone says it has warranty from manufacturer defects. The drone crashed due to a defective remote controller. Which they asked to send it in to find out. I will be billed $879 to repair it. Which I told them even if I was to pay for that. It does not completely fix the problem cause the remote is defective. Autel replied they would replace the remote yet not honor the manufacturer defect warranty and blamed me for flying. Autel said I should have not flown the drone. How would I know if the remote is defective without having to fly the drone. I would never know the remote is broken if I never fly. So they said they would not honor warranty and so I asked for manager. Which he repeated what the other customer service said. I asked for his name along with last name or employee ID number. He replied im *** and other info he will not be giving me so I can make a complaint along with reviews to warn others. I want to also warn others how they take care of the customers. I have the whole conversation recorded on my home cameras. I sent the documentation of proof of purchase to autel so don't have the receipt of proof of purchase. Can ask best buy if need be.

  Business response

  12/29/2022

  The aircraft was sent in for repair and after evaluation we determined that the pilot was in control when the crash happened.  After speaking on the phone we offered to give a free replacement of the remote control.  We are able to review the stick input and what causes the crash through the black box on the aircraft.  We can't give free repairs where we have had our repairmen and engineers review to make sure things are right.  Our engineers and repairmen agree that this was a pilot in control crash.  The remote seemed ok to us, but we were willing to give a new one due to the complaint.  We are a small company and we don't make our employees give out there name or ID number.  We know who *** is and we will evaluate accordingly.  This customer asked us to send the aircraft back and it has been sent back to him.  

  Customer response

  01/06/2023

   
  Complaint: 18653056
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  THEY SAID NOTHING ABOUT FIXING MY REMOTE. WHEN THEY SENT ME A QUOTE OF $897 TO REPLACE THE CAMERA AND LEG ALONG WITH LABOR COSTS. THEY DIDNT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT MY REMOTE IN THE ****** WHICH TELLS ME THEY DIDNT EVEN READ THE ISSUES I WAS HAVING WITH THE REMOTE. I THEN ASKED IF THEY WOULD DO PARTIAL REPAIR. WHICH THEY INDICATED NO. YET THEY WERE ONLY GOING TO REPAIR CAMERA AND LEG TO BRING IT BACK INTO AIRWORTHINESS CONDITION. WHICH IT STILL WAS NOT AIRWORTHY IF THE ***** REMOTE WAS DEFECTIVE. THEY NEVER READ MY COMPLAINT AND WENT STRAIGHT TO CHARGING ME A REPAIR FEE. THEY OFFERED TO ONLY REPLACE THE CONTROLLER AFTER THE FACTNTHAT I ASKED WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH REMOTE CAUSE THEY NEVER PUT IT IN THE ****** IF IT WASNT FOR A DEFECTIVE REMOTE IT WOULD STILL BE FLYING. I WOULD I KNOW THE REMOTE IS DEFECTIVE WITHOUT FLYING THE AIRCRAFT? THE ONLY PLACE FORA***** TO GO DURING A MISHAP IS DOWN TO THE GROUND. I SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM SENDING A DEFECTIVE REMOTE WITH THE AIRCRAFT.
  

  
  

   

• Initial Complaint

  10/13/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Company wanted my license even after they had received payment through PayPal so have refused either to send me the drone or refund my money such a difficult time just to buy a drone $6900 is no chicken feed there emails do not make sense because they have the payment in full thks for your consideration in this matter *******************

  Business response

  10/17/2022

  We do not show any record or a purchase from us.  We also do not see any contact to our company.  The order number provided is not in line with our order numbers.  Could you please provide us a screen shot of your proof of purchase, if this is a dealer we can try to assist.  You can always contact us a *******************************************************

  Customer response

  10/17/2022

   
  Complaint: 18207748
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

  Customer response

  10/23/2022

  Screenshot uploaded all info from PayPal 

  Business response

  10/28/2022

  The website in the attachment and seller used are not Autel Robotics.  You purchased our product but not from us.  I am sorry that this happened to you, feel free to contact us for where best to purchase our products in the future.  

  Customer response

  10/29/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩