After many months of research and long hours reading reviews, I made the purchase of a Yuneec Q500 (GoPro) drone. I purchased this drone on eBay and it was a refurbished model. I absolutely loved the stability of its flight and the controls responded smoothly.
Later, I purchased a Yuneec Typhoon H drone and started using it with my photography hobbies along with 4 more over the years. Had I known then, what I know now, I would have chosen a different brand to go with. Now before anyone gets upset, let me explain.
Yuneec has a great line of drones but their repair process and parts department are very lacking. If you can find parts, you will pay greatly for them. A replacement CGO3+ camera for the Typhoon H is hard to find. When you do find one, the seller will want 2-300 dollars for a used unit. Landing gear servos are the hardest part to get your hands on and they sell for no less than 100 dollars on eBay for a set.
Not one camera Yuneec sells for these drones is interchangeable. You cannot swap a gimbal for another from a different drone. Yuneec doesn't offer upgrades to anything. Even their boards, being the same, are not parts one can swap. What this has done is created a market for throw away drones. If you cannot upgrade or repair your drone for a reasonable price, you simply buy a newer model. When you pay nearly 2 thousand for a drone, you expect to keep going for a while, even if repairs or upgrades are needed. Most of these consumer problems are software or firmware based. Yuneec could simply update the firmware or software to receive parts from other drones but since they are not in the upgradeable business they choose not to. They want us, the consumer, to be forced to buy new. It is Apple's format for business and others are taking note. Apple recently sent out an update that reduced battery life in some iPhones causing customers to buy new ones. While this is good for a business in the market, it sucks for private owners who, like me, own multiple drones and use them in business. In the long run, it will hurt Yuneec. Let's look at automobiles for instance. The aftermarket parts manufacturers make a killing from upgrading cars produced by GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, and others. They make parts and upgrades at a cheaper price to satisfy the demand. Had Yuneec chose to not only sell drones but offer upgrades their business model would have taken over the lead from DJI. DJI owns 70 percent of the drone market and like Yuneec they offer near to none when it comes to upgrading their drones but their parts are easier found.
Yuneec should have focused on retaining their customers vs finding new ones. The only way to keep customers happy is by supporting, upgrading, and open-sourcing your product. Let the customer make their own repairs. Let the customer add the upgrades. Let the customer swap parts by use of firmware updates.
I am not speaking from ignorance. I built, owned and sold two separate computer businesses. I retired after selling them both at the ripe old age of 43. My family and I have enough money to see us through this world without having to work a job again. I am not trying to brag. I only wanted to state my education in the business world. When I sold one business, I was serving more than 900,000 customers who loved what I did for them. I had a 4-star rating with the BBB.
I really feel Yuneec dropped the ball when it comes to their drones.
Later, I purchased a Yuneec Typhoon H drone and started using it with my photography hobbies along with 4 more over the years. Had I known then, what I know now, I would have chosen a different brand to go with. Now before anyone gets upset, let me explain.
Yuneec has a great line of drones but their repair process and parts department are very lacking. If you can find parts, you will pay greatly for them. A replacement CGO3+ camera for the Typhoon H is hard to find. When you do find one, the seller will want 2-300 dollars for a used unit. Landing gear servos are the hardest part to get your hands on and they sell for no less than 100 dollars on eBay for a set.
Not one camera Yuneec sells for these drones is interchangeable. You cannot swap a gimbal for another from a different drone. Yuneec doesn't offer upgrades to anything. Even their boards, being the same, are not parts one can swap. What this has done is created a market for throw away drones. If you cannot upgrade or repair your drone for a reasonable price, you simply buy a newer model. When you pay nearly 2 thousand for a drone, you expect to keep going for a while, even if repairs or upgrades are needed. Most of these consumer problems are software or firmware based. Yuneec could simply update the firmware or software to receive parts from other drones but since they are not in the upgradeable business they choose not to. They want us, the consumer, to be forced to buy new. It is Apple's format for business and others are taking note. Apple recently sent out an update that reduced battery life in some iPhones causing customers to buy new ones. While this is good for a business in the market, it sucks for private owners who, like me, own multiple drones and use them in business. In the long run, it will hurt Yuneec. Let's look at automobiles for instance. The aftermarket parts manufacturers make a killing from upgrading cars produced by GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, and others. They make parts and upgrades at a cheaper price to satisfy the demand. Had Yuneec chose to not only sell drones but offer upgrades their business model would have taken over the lead from DJI. DJI owns 70 percent of the drone market and like Yuneec they offer near to none when it comes to upgrading their drones but their parts are easier found.
Yuneec should have focused on retaining their customers vs finding new ones. The only way to keep customers happy is by supporting, upgrading, and open-sourcing your product. Let the customer make their own repairs. Let the customer add the upgrades. Let the customer swap parts by use of firmware updates.
I am not speaking from ignorance. I built, owned and sold two separate computer businesses. I retired after selling them both at the ripe old age of 43. My family and I have enough money to see us through this world without having to work a job again. I am not trying to brag. I only wanted to state my education in the business world. When I sold one business, I was serving more than 900,000 customers who loved what I did for them. I had a 4-star rating with the BBB.
I really feel Yuneec dropped the ball when it comes to their drones.
