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Uncontrolled crash during curved cable cam

I rescind everything I said about Yuneec support being helpful. I can't get anyone to return my calls, they have emailed me three times asking for the same information and still refuse to provide an RMA number or shipping instructions.

I get a different person via email every time. This is just as bad as several other companies out there. Why are we paying $2k+ and allowing them to treat us this way? I sure hope they read these forums and learn how they could improve. If they did this right, they could take major market share.

I don't expect these devices to work 100% of the time, and by nature, they're flying and will crash and be damaged. All that one of these companies needs to do is figure out the support and maintenance world, and they'd take the industry by storm.

Rant over. I hope they at least fix it in a reasonable amount of time. Back to flying my Phantom for now...
 
Thanks. I've used a similar feature on two other manufacturer's products, and have never had this issue. Part of the downward facing ultrasonic (or whatever they might be on the H) sensors should be to avoid getting to low to the ground. While I understand GPS isn't going to be that accurate with consumer stuff, height is a different situation.
The Typhoon H has no downward facing sensors, just the front ones.
 
The Typhoon H has no downward facing sensors, just the front ones.


03.YTYHIPS_03_B.jpg
 
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Today I was setting up a Curved Cable Cam mission and on starting it, the Typhoon flew to the first point and subsequently flew into the ground, breaking the camera, and bouncing back up in the air. I immediately attempted to land but ended up having to turn off the motors, which caused it to crash to the ground a second time.
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I would like my system repaired free of charge in a reasonable amount of time (2 weeks or less). I fully believe the Typhoon flew itself into the ground during the cable cam mission, and damaged the camera. I may have caused more damage trying to land it, but that's not my fault, as the craft was in an unstable flight at that point.

I had an amazing experience highly similar to yours and my Typhoon H is at Yuneec Europe (Germany) for 4 weeks!
These technicians do not seem in a hurry, they give no information that I consider perfectly arrogant!
I asked that the drone is repaired or replaced under warranty framework because I think it cannot be shown any pilot error.
I threatened to attack judicially the manufacturer for hidden defects of construction and to notify this serious incident to the airline aviation authorities if a positive response is not given to me.
 
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It's been 10 days since the accident. Yuneec has had my bird since Monday - it's Friday now. I have asked twice this week for a status, and all they will tell me is that when an engineer gets assigned, they will let me know. They can't provide an ETA, can't tell me when someone would be assigned, or any other useful information.

I've already bought a Phantom 4 while I have been waiting, because I need something to meet my customers needs, and at least I know that bird will fly reasonably well and not crash itself into the ground too many times. And if it does, the camera isn't likely to be ripped off.

I don't understand why we as consumers are putting up with companies like DJI, 3DR and now Yuneec holding a $2000 investment hostage with no guarantees of any kind. Any other industry like cameras, watches, PCs or Macs or anything along those lines, and the companies doing shady things would be out of business or called on the carpet.

I think it's time to start thinking about how we as consumers can change that.

Yuneec is the fastest to respond of all of those companies, and I appreciate their ability to answer my queries, but it's still a far cry from what's needed/expected.

As many others have said on here - why are these manufacturers not reading these forums, even just once a week, to see that they could make a TON more money and have loyal fans if they just fixed their support problems.

Hopefully I will get my bird back soon, and then depending on it's reliability, I will see if I keep her or sell her.
 
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It's been 10 days since the accident. Yuneec has had my bird since Monday - it's Friday now. I have asked twice this week for a status, and all they will tell me is that when an engineer gets assigned, they will let me know. They can't provide an ETA, can't tell me when someone would be assigned, or any other useful information.

I've already bought a Phantom 4 while I have been waiting, because I need something to meet my customers needs, and at least I know that bird will fly reasonably well and not crash itself into the ground too many times. And if it does, the camera isn't likely to be ripped off.

I don't understand why we as consumers are putting up with companies like DJI, 3DR and now Yuneec holding a $2000 investment hostage with no guarantees of any kind. Any other industry like cameras, watches, PCs or Macs or anything along those lines, and the companies doing shady things would be out of business or called on the carpet.

I think it's time to start thinking about how we as consumers can change that.

Yuneec is the fastest to respond of all of those companies, and I appreciate their ability to answer my queries, but it's still a far cry from what's needed/expected.

As many others have said on here - why are these manufacturers not reading these forums, even just once a week, to see that they could make a TON more money and have loyal fans if they just fixed their support problems.

Hopefully I will get my bird back soon, and then depending on it's reliability, I will see if I keep her or sell her.

As posted somewhere else our western consumer demands are not understood. For them it's the Chinese take it or leave it sales model - to sell you the machine and then you push off and don't trouble them. The various distributors are not always treated well either.
My UK distributor is doing its best to bring sanity to the situation by carrying out many unsung positive actions for the customer.
 
Whilst I have some sympathy, if you bought a bike and crashed it, how quickly would you expect it to be fixed? One big problem here is that drones are still very much specialist things, so if you crash a Yuneec drone, you need to find a Yuneec specialist who can fix it. The small number of specialists are a bottleneck. That leads to delays and the unpredictability of crash damage means they probably just don't have the information you want - they don't have any way to know when the limited number of specialists will be able to get on to your machine.

That's not to absolve Yuneec of all blame - it does seem that they don't have a global strategy for customer care, or communication - but it's worth remembering that this is still a very small and new industry so you can't always expect next day service. Some of the other manufacturers have gained a reputation for legendarily bad service, so perhaps things are already improving.
 
It seems like your drone has not been assigned to an engineer yet so you can't get any updates.
Once it gets to an engineer, it will only be a day or two until you have some firm answers.
In this case, you only need patience.

It seems you already got a backup drone so it's good.

Good luck with the repair.
 
Whilst I have some sympathy, if you bought a bike and crashed it, how quickly would you expect it to be fixed? One big problem here is that drones are still very much specialist things, so if you crash a Yuneec drone, you need to find a Yuneec specialist who can fix it. The small number of specialists are a bottleneck. That leads to delays and the unpredictability of crash damage means they probably just don't have the information you want - they don't have any way to know when the limited number of specialists will be able to get on to your machine.

That's not to absolve Yuneec of all blame - it does seem that they don't have a global strategy for customer care, or communication - but it's worth remembering that this is still a very small and new industry so you can't always expect next day service. Some of the other manufacturers have gained a reputation for legendarily bad service, so perhaps things are already improving.

I'm completely in agreement - bikes are far less specialized to repair, and you don't need to ship them back to a manufacturer.

You also generally don't spend $2000 on a standard bike, unless you're into the fancy ones :)

If their software didn't cause so many problems, they wouldn't have to fix them as often. It has nothing to do with their bandwidth, it has to do with their quality.
 
It seems like your drone has not been assigned to an engineer yet so you can't get any updates.
Once it gets to an engineer, it will only be a day or two until you have some firm answers.
In this case, you only need patience.

It seems you already got a backup drone so it's good.

Good luck with the repair.

No new news other than an automated email saying a tech has been assigned. From shipment received time to tech being assigned - 3 weeks. That's pretty awful. Regardless of their pipeline of broken things, they need to do something to reduce the initial time.
 
I got an email from Customer Service today with a UPS tracking number and some part numbers. Based on others having their devices repaired, does this indicate that they are shipping me a new/repaired unit, or is this some internal email where they are ordering parts to fix things?

Dear Steve Mitchell,

Thank you for shopping at Yuneec USA Inc..

Your order no. YUS0014XXX has been fulfilled.

Order Summary:

Item
Qty
Brief Description
Rate
Amount

YUNTYHBRUS 1 Typhoon H RTF in Backpack w/ RealSense, ST16, CGO3+, Wizard, 2 Batteries (US plug) $0.00
YUNTYH123SVC 2 Typhoon H Shrapnel Accessory (Authorized Service Use Only) $1.99 $3.98
YUNTYH122BSVC 1 Typhoon H Folding Arm Bracket B (Authorized Service Use Only) $49.99 $49.99

Discount ($53.97)

Total $0.00

Tracking numbers: XXXX
 
I got an email from Customer Service today with a UPS tracking number and some part numbers. Based on others having their devices repaired, does this indicate that they are shipping me a new/repaired unit, or is this some internal email where they are ordering parts to fix things?

Dear Steve Mitchell,

Thank you for shopping at Yuneec USA Inc..

Your order no. YUS0014XXX has been fulfilled.

Tracking numbers: XXXX

I may have answered my own question - after looking at the UPS tracking information, it appears to be a package being shipped to Seattle, WA. So I assume it's a repaired or new unit on it's way back to me. Never got any details on what was broken or what was repaired, like some others did. Hopefully there will be some paperwork in with it to clarify.
 
It seems like your drone has not been assigned to an engineer yet so you can't get any updates.
Once it gets to an engineer, it will only be a day or two until you have some firm answers.
In this case, you only need patience.

It seems you already got a backup drone so it's good.

Good luck with the repair.
Yuneec in California handles the warranty repairs, Yuneec USA also recently opened five more repair centers for non-warranty repairs. Previously their goal was 7 days from receipt to complete repairs. With the opening of the new repair centers they are hoping to reduce the repair time.
Also in their defense, at least in the USA, they receive the systems from HQ and are stuck with the problems, They do work very hard to assist and resolve the problems. Just like the store clerk cannot control what the company tells them to sell. Things are improving, hopefully those with problems can hold out until issues are corrected.
 
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I may have answered my own question - after looking at the UPS tracking information, it appears to be a package being shipped to Seattle, WA. So I assume it's a repaired or new unit on it's way back to me. Never got any details on what was broken or what was repaired, like some others did. Hopefully there will be some paperwork in with it to clarify.

If they are sending a new unit, it states "SWAPPED" on the order. Otherwise it will be repaired and they list the components on the order. Also when you receive it, check the playback on the ST16, if they tested the camera or flew it to test hovering or flight, everything they did will be recorded. I did this when it was returned for a GPS/Compass error, they replaced the board and when the tech tested it, he lifted off and flew out a couple of blocks and returned, Never did hover or do short maneuvers to test for Drift etc.
 
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If they are sending a new unit, it states "SWAPPED" on the order. Otherwise it will be repaired and they list the components on the order. Also when you receive it, check the playback on the ST16, if they tested the camera or flew it to test hovering or flight, everything they did will be recorded. I did this when it was returned for a GPS/Compass error, they replaced the board and when the tech tested it, he lifted off and flew out a couple of blocks and returned, Never did hover or do short maneuvers to test for Drift etc.

Well that's not necessarily great news. I see nothing saying SWAPPED...

The concerning part is that the gimbal and camera took the brunt of the crash, and I don't see that on the repair list. The housing was cracked, included pictures in my RMA request. The gimbal was bent up against the drone body.

Hopefully in a few days I'll know for sure what's been fixed when it arrives. Thanks for the tips on the video playback!
 
Emailed customer support. They said:

The repairs state the cameras damage, technician repaired all damages and replaced a few parts and went through a full inspection after repair

So it sounds like the camera was repaired but not replaced. Good news is that I should know by end of day Thursday when it arrives!
 
Hi everybody,
Know that I finally got from Yuneec Europe that they repaired under warranty my Typhoon H that had crashed; my seller strongly supported my request, Yuneec Europe said there was a pilot error (that, they probably say in most of the cases, because for me it is the drone and only it who was at fault), but they repaired supposedly commercial basis, at the insistence of the seller which had strongly expressed doubts as to assume liability!
If your vendor is appreciated from Yuneec, try to go through him, putting a strong pressure: it is my advice!
 
I had the same CCC crash too. The issue is that the barimetric pressure sensor is not very accurate. Also the temperature and air pressure where you are can change often. The CCC mode uses GPS together with its barometric sensor to tell it X, Y, Z position in space. If you are too low the barrimetric pressure may incorrectly tell the flight controller it's elevation. This can result is a crash. This is why CCC should not be done at a low altitude. You need to give the barrimetric sensor room for elevation error.
 

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