They work amazingly well. It runs whenever you want- you program it's schedule. I program mine to run in the middle of the night. Stealing it it both difficult and useless. It has a loud alarm that goes off if someone tampers with it and doesn't key in the alarm code immediately. Other than the base models, it also notifies you via your phone (cell network) if there's a problem if it gets stuck or stolen or encounters any other difficulties. It has built in GPS so you always know where it is. If stolen, you know exactly where it is and can send the police to retrieve it. Also no stolen unit will be worked on by any service centre.
As to the gopher holes, when it's stuck, it notifies you of the problem and its location. Go out there, rescue the mower, and fill in the gopher hole so it doesn't happen again. Soon the gophers move to less vigilant neighbors' properties.
Because your grass is constantly being cut, only the tiniest bit is trimmed of the top. This it's less traumatic to the blade of grass. Also the clippings are miniscule and invisible on the lawn. Better for the lawn than mulching and with no visible evidence of grass clippings.
The difference between my gas mower and the Automower is even more vast than the difference between my diesel VW and my Model 3 because the Automower also gives me that most irreplaceable commodity: time. Truly the perfect set it and forget it device.
I did quite enough of that in my youth, family yard was much larger. Although we cheated on larger sections because we bailed it. 
