I think Autel is making a big mistake by not producing parts for biggest selling product they have. You do need to innovate and produce the next big thing but don't forget what got you there. There are a lot of people who spent a large amount of money buying the x-star drone and all the accessories including numerous batteries. They are going to lose a lot of loyalty from consumers if they drop producing parts for the x-star because the decided to go only with the Evo. Yes they are still supporting the x-star but try finding any parts for it, and what's worse is they haven't even rolled out the Evo. When a auto maker produces a new model they don't stop selling parts for earlier models because they don't want to piss off existing customers who they want to buy their new product. BIG MISTAKE.
Autel is out of business
- Thread starter Autelguy
- Start date
Isn't Autel the company who revealed a plane 2 years ago at CES and it never went to market?
The point is this. Very few companies can stay in business without sales. What bothers me is communication. Honest communication. We now know that the XPS is discontinued. Why doesn't Autel just state that instead of saying Sold Out. Sold out implies they're low on inventory but that it will be back.
In any business you never lose sight of your core customers. Again, here is a website dedicated to their own company yet they never post here. This is where their core lives. Fine, post on FB or Twitter but they should have a huge presense here on this site. The fact that they don't, screams they don't care.
When a small company fails to communicate with their core customers, it speaks volumes. Again, bad management.
A/B testing is becoming more and more common. I strongly believe that they are simply testing the waters with the EVO. To see how much interest their is. It's a lot cheaper to B.S. than to go into production then test, and hope.
Autel owes its core customers and others to be honest. Remove sold out from their website. Make a statement and place it on their homepage. To be honest and tell everyone what's going on.
I'd be pissed if I purchased an XPS 6 months ago. The fact that they discontinued their only product is a huge red flag. I'd love to see the EVO be a huge success but even if it was released, their marketing and communication is so bad, it would fail.
So the guys at Bestbuy were right. Not every sales person is dishonest. The one I spoke who said they're clearing them out and not to buy it because you won't be able to find parts was telling the truth.
The point is this. Very few companies can stay in business without sales. What bothers me is communication. Honest communication. We now know that the XPS is discontinued. Why doesn't Autel just state that instead of saying Sold Out. Sold out implies they're low on inventory but that it will be back.
In any business you never lose sight of your core customers. Again, here is a website dedicated to their own company yet they never post here. This is where their core lives. Fine, post on FB or Twitter but they should have a huge presense here on this site. The fact that they don't, screams they don't care.
When a small company fails to communicate with their core customers, it speaks volumes. Again, bad management.
A/B testing is becoming more and more common. I strongly believe that they are simply testing the waters with the EVO. To see how much interest their is. It's a lot cheaper to B.S. than to go into production then test, and hope.
Autel owes its core customers and others to be honest. Remove sold out from their website. Make a statement and place it on their homepage. To be honest and tell everyone what's going on.
I'd be pissed if I purchased an XPS 6 months ago. The fact that they discontinued their only product is a huge red flag. I'd love to see the EVO be a huge success but even if it was released, their marketing and communication is so bad, it would fail.
So the guys at Bestbuy were right. Not every sales person is dishonest. The one I spoke who said they're clearing them out and not to buy it because you won't be able to find parts was telling the truth.
kroorda
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It is VERY unusual for any manufacturer to post on a forum that is not their forum. (This forum is not owned or managed by Autel). You won't see Ford on any of the Ford forums. You won't see Honda on any of the Honda Powersports forums. You won't see KitchenAid on any of the dishwasher forums, and you won't find Michelin on any of the tire forums. If a company was to think like you (Autelguy) do, (thinking that BSing people is a good way to test the market), then they would go out of business. Fortunately though a company such as Autel has more integrity than that, and their integrity and commitment has been demonstrated over and over again. No one doubts that Autel has made marketing mistakes and errors. However, through all that, they have also made their intent clear. If you think that a company would spend tens of thousands of dollars to go to shows, and would continue to provide top-notch service to existing customers, if their intent was to BS customers, then I would suggest that your thinking is 'off-track.'
I bebelie that the camera on the premium rise bybfar thetbest camera bar none compared to all dronesdindron itsi category This excludes the p4 pro Dynamic range sharpness and less shutters speed because it hash a way of diminishing sunlight.
PRMath
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My opinion of the XSP....... a Fantastic trainer craft and I love it. I truly have put it through the paces and a Fla. thunderstorm only killed the battery. That is All
Minor crashes and tip overs but she still flys great.
My only improvement would be wider landing footprint to avoid anti tip overs
Minor crashes and tip overs but she still flys great.
My only improvement would be wider landing footprint to avoid anti tip overs
Squirrel!
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I dunno. Try talking to them. I emailed on Sunday, got a reply on Monday, and found this present in my mailbox when I got home from work tonight [THANKYOU AR!
]:
Squirrel!
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Ummm, I bought mine 6 months ago...I'm not pissed, I freaking LOVE the hell out of this thing!
Why is everyone so afraid to call them for parts that are impossible to find? What "parts" exactly are you needing besides batteries?
Sundog775
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Last Thursday, 2/22/18, the judge in the Washington lawsuit granted Autel's request to transfer the suit to Delaware to be combined with the Delaware lawsuit, thus putting everything onto one lawsuit under the juristiction of one court. So the Washington lawsuit is effectively dead. The judge also agreed to dismiss the entity Autel (USA) Inc. from the lawsuit, since it is a holding company and has nothing to do with the design or production of the X-Star. This dismissal was voluntary on the part of DJI; they agreed that this entity should never have been a party to the action:
"27 02/22/18 02/22/18 ORDER. The Court GRANTS the motion to transfer. Dkt. # 13F . Due to Plaintiffs' voluntary dismissal of Defendant Autel (USA) Inc. , Defendants' motion to dismiss is MOOT. The Court directs the Clerk to transfer this matter to the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. Signed by Judge Richard A Jones. (TH)"
"02/22/18 02/22/18 Case will be sent to the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware by electronic transfer 15 days following the date of this filing. (TH)"
The original Delaware lawsuit against "Autel Aerial Technology Co., Ltd." and "Autel Robotics USA LLC" is still continuing to make its way through the extremely lengthy process. A trial date has apparently been set, but I haven't been able to track down that date.
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LuvMyTJ
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I can't speak for other forums but our family of forums has members who are manufacturers staff. The DJI forums have several members who are DJI staff. So manufacturers do come to the forums.
LuvMyTJ
Admin
If you crash a drone that is out of warranty you may need parts. Common issues are broken cameras, landing gear, ribbon cables, shells, electronic boards. Shells & landing gear are the only items available from Autel. The one item you showed... it's out of stock. Out of 25 offered items, 11 are out of stock, that includes the main items... drones. Strange way to run a business.
I dunno. Try talking to them. I emailed on Sunday, got a reply on Monday, and found this present in my mailbox when I got home from work tonight [THANKYOU AR!
View attachment 1983 View attachment 1984 View attachment 1985
You are saying those parts are critical?
Squirrel!
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You think you are taking any video without the cable or dampers or drop pins, you are in for an awakening.
Any "critical" [your term, not mine] part doesn't matter, contact Autel. Theis bag of "critical" parts was available nowhere else. I contacted Autel and they made sure I was taken care of.
And my wife found this note that must have slipped out of the package when I opened it up:
A handwritten thankyou note! THIS is the epitome of PERSONALIZED customer service that will keep AR differentiated from the others. AR, you got class.
I've not heard of one person who has reported that they couldn't get their Autel drone fixed, or receive a replacement part for it. On the other hand, what you do hear of is reports like the one above. It appears as though Autel IS taking care of it's customers. To me, that's NOT a strange way of running a business.
Squirrel!
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Yes, you have a strong point on the camera being available separately. But, once again, just call them. They can likely repair anything that needs repairing.
Tufargon
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Honestly, I can't afford to send mine in for repair but I may be able to pay for lets say, a motor? sensor? board? gps unit? etc.... and do the repair myself at an affordable price. Sending it back and paying for them to repair it is not cost effective for a lot of people. I have not heard of one time where they send any of those parts out. Mainly the motors and they won't give you a part number or specs to replace it either.
I'll add to this that I love the company and hope they don't go under and when my XSP dies I might consider a newer model from them if they keep some promises this time.
I'll add to this that I love the company and hope they don't go under and when my XSP dies I might consider a newer model from them if they keep some promises this time.
Squirrel!
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I guess I see things differently. I'm all for DIY, hell, DIY is my moniker!
But I knew going in 6 mos. ago, that Autel wasn't the biggest kid on the team, but what they had to offer was worth so much more to me. The better product. Period. The customer support reports have been nothing short of stellar, and I've experienced nothing short of stellar expectations.
The likelihood of your needing a motor at some point is minimal at best. What it costs to send it in for repair would cost the the same as the part itself + your time/effort. If it is truly important enough to you, I suggest buying a crashed bird for parts. But that may take awhile as these things are tanks and don't get destroyed easily like other drones do. I don't recall ever seeing a crashed or trashed XSP on eBay...DJI drones are a dime a dozen crashed and trashed.
But I knew going in 6 mos. ago, that Autel wasn't the biggest kid on the team, but what they had to offer was worth so much more to me. The better product. Period. The customer support reports have been nothing short of stellar, and I've experienced nothing short of stellar expectations.
The likelihood of your needing a motor at some point is minimal at best. What it costs to send it in for repair would cost the the same as the part itself + your time/effort. If it is truly important enough to you, I suggest buying a crashed bird for parts. But that may take awhile as these things are tanks and don't get destroyed easily like other drones do. I don't recall ever seeing a crashed or trashed XSP on eBay...DJI drones are a dime a dozen crashed and trashed.
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