8 Step Confusion

[RivianMTB]

Hi - I got my guide this week and quickly was asked to complete the 8 step purchase process, of which I completed the first 7 steps immediately. The only reaming step was to schedule deliery, which was locked pending completion of the truck. But now when I login, I do not see any of the steps. It has reverted to your configuration is confirmed status.

My guide has not been able to explain what is happening. Has anybody else experienced this? Any insights?

Thank you

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[TripWir3d]

I feel like I’m in a similar situation. I just got the 8 steps email and I’m seeing an actual VIN number when I get to the insurance step. But I haven’t been contacted by my guide since the initial phone call… not sure what’s happening.

 

[RivianMTB]

I’m not sure your guide would call you unless you were having an issue with your 8 steps. Mine told me start working on them and call with any issues.

I made it though the 7 steps and have a purchase contract and proof or insurance with a vin. Hopefully, it is just a system issue now.

 

[TripWir3d]

I’m not sure your guide would call you unless you were having an issue with your 8 steps. Mine told me start working on them and call with any issues.

I made it though the 7 steps and have a purchase contract and proof or insurance with a vin. Hopefully, it is just a system issue now.

Did you complete all the steps prior to getting a delivery window?

 

[Alex D]

I'm hung up on the trade in step and have been since Wednesday. It says pending review. I've reached out to my guide and received zero response. The delivery coordinator even reached out yesterday and scheduled delivery for next week. She tried to reach out to my guide and got zero response as well. It's really screwing this process up because I need to know a value from Rivian to see if I'm trading in or selling elsewhere. It takes time to do something outside of Rivian so they are going to hold up their own sale. They seem to be in their own way here. The 8 steps needs a lot of work...

Has anyone else had this experience?

 

[TripWir3d]

I'm hung up on the trade in step and have been since Wednesday. It says pending review. I've reached out to my guide and received zero response. The delivery coordinator even reached out yesterday and scheduled delivery for next week. She tried to reach out to my guide and got zero response as well. It's really screwing this process up because I need to know a value from Rivian to see if I'm trading in or selling elsewhere. It takes time to do something outside of Rivian so they are going to hold up their own sale. They seem to be in their own way here. The 8 steps needs a lot of work...

Has anyone else had this experience?

I haven’t made it that far on the steps but I’m in the same boat. I’m selling my truck privately but also need a car for work so I need to know a delivery timeframe before I can sell.

 

[OverZealous]

Rivian, if you are reading these forums, you really need to lock the payment and insurance steps until the delivery can be scheduled.

In fact, switch the order around! Make the delivery scheduling step come before anything involving money.

 

[RivianMTB]

Did you complete all the steps prior to getting a delivery window?

I completed all of the step Other than 8. I didn’t get to the delivery window step.

 

[Craigins]

Rivian, if you are reading these forums, you really need to lock the payment and insurance steps until the delivery can be scheduled.

In fact, switch the order around! Make the delivery scheduling step come before anything involving money.

on my call with the Rivian Insurance folks, they said WAIT until you get a vin and WAIT until you schedule delivery. Then contact your insurance and tell them to have the insurance start on the date of delivery.

This doesn't help with the cancelled delivery folks, but it seems everyone just rushes 1-7 prematurely.

 

[the long way downunder]

Call RIVIAN5 (for just about everything once you are in the sales process and after you take delivery.)
1-855-RIVIAN5

I had other hiccups with the 8-step, which were resolved over the phone. As I recall, the guide isn't involved in the 8-step, so you need to get someone on the phone to fix problems manually. I found it necessary to push the process along. Internal communication at Rivian is still being worked out. After a week of delays (after paying in full …) I realized nobody "owned" the other side of the 8-step process, so I had to push communications between each owner of each step (finance, insurance, delivery.) Each individual got their bit done easily enough.

Once your vehicle arrives at the service center handling the final inspection and pre-delivery checks (which I think includes some final assembly post-factory since QA problems appear to be being reported at the service center.)

 

[the long way downunder]

FWIW, the trade-in offers from Rivian I've read were all reportedly below Carvana or any of the "we buy your car" sites. I've seen quotes from truecar, vroom, autonation, shift all come in across a normal distribution of kbb, edmunds, and nada prices.

Some enthusiast sites have posts reporting better results selling privately (e.g. bringatrailer, facebook, cars.com, autotrader) if you have a vehicle of unique value and the time to handle the sale yourself, there's probably a better deal for seller and buyer in a private sale.) I've sold a Model 3 Performance during this inflated secondary market in '21 and Carvana paid top dollar … note that Carvana is also a business in distress according to their earnings report for '22 Q1 … down from $360 to $30 in a year, down 86% ytd … so buying a car from them might be sketchy – they have trouble with getting the paperwork done and providing the title document, but selling should be ok, if done cautiously.

There's several others I've not tried (tred, cargurus … not sure which if any of all of the above is legit?)

 

[OverZealous]

on my call with the Rivian Insurance folks, they said WAIT until you get a vin and WAIT until you schedule delivery. Then contact your insurance and tell them to have the insurance start on the date of delivery.

This doesn't help with the cancelled delivery folks, but it seems everyone just rushes 1-7 prematurely.

It really is terrible UX. If you show me 8 steps to completion, and make them look like you have to complete them in order, then everyone is going to rush through them, naturally. Why wouldn't you? In the traditional dealer model, by the time you are providing docs and paying, you've probably already seen the vehicle.

The 8 steps should be flipped around, IMO.

1. Title & Registration — always good to get this confirmed
2. Trade-in — no harm here, best to get it squared away early
3. Schedule Delivery — Nothing else should happen until this is completed. I know it sucks they have the vehicle sitting on their lot, but realistically, it shouldn't take more than a couple days for everything else.
4. Financing
5. Insurance
6. Upload Documents
7. Sign Contracts
8. Payment

I'm a front-end developer. I would not blame the customer for the mistake of paying early in the current design, it's implied that it should be completed before scheduling delivery.

Even comparing this to other online purchases, most don't actually charge you until the item is shipped. Rivian is taking $80k before the item has even been verified to be shippable!

In the grand scheme of things, this is all a fairly small issue, and I'm sure they'll smooth it out. But I think they really should lock down the other steps until they know the vehicle is ready for delivery. They could provide "planning" steps in there if they want for financing & insurance, so those could move back above schedule delivery, but not require any documentation until after delivery has been confirmed.

 

[RivianMTB]

Holy Cow! I hadn’t realized that they charged me already! I have now paid for (and am insuring) a truck and have no clue where it is!

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