Far From Service Center

[moosetags]

We are very early adopters with an order date of Nov. 28, 2018. Rivian is telling us that we can not get a truck because we are too far from a Service Center. We are in the Florida Panhandle. We are 300 miles from Atlanta and 400 miles from Orlando. For this same reason, we will not be permitted access to the R1 Shop.

We are wondering how many others are in this same predicament. We also wonder how many others have gotten a truck even though they live in the boonies.

Rivian tells us that they deliver our R1T when they build a Service Center in our area. We are beginning to think that we will take delivery of our flying pig before we see our R1T.

As we approach the fourth anniversary of our Rivian order, we are feeling very neglected. Each and every day on the Forums we are seeing folks who ordered earlier this year raving about the new Rivian that they are now driving.

Our current estimated delivery date is just the year 2024. That could easily put us six years from our original order date. This makes us wonder if our price will hold.

We also wonder if those who already have a Rivian because they live in or near a big city are allowed to ever move to an area not near a Service Center. If they do move, do they have their Rivian repossessed? So much for the "adventure vehicle" moniker if you have to use your Rivian only in the vicinity of major metropolitan areas. The only "adventure" related to Rivian is getting your hands on one.

Please excuse my rant. I just have to vent every once in a while.

Brian

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[NY_Rob]

Others have had success by renting a mailbox closer to a SC then updating their address on their Rivian account, give it a try.. can't hurt.

 

[Dark-Fx]

We are very early adopters with an order date of Nov. 28, 2018. Rivian is telling us that we can not get a truck because we are too far from a Service Center. We are in the Florida Panhandle. We are 300 miles from Atlanta and 400 miles from Orlando. For this same reason, we will not be permitted access to the R1 Shop.

We are wondering how many others are in this same predicament. We also wonder how many others have gotten a truck even though they live in the boonies.

Rivian tells us that they deliver our R1T when they build a Service Center in our area. We are beginning to think that we will take delivery of our flying pig before we see our R1T.

As we approach the fourth anniversary of our Rivian order, we are feeling very neglected. Each and every day on the Forums we are seeing folks who ordered earlier this year raving about the new Rivian that they are now driving.

Our current estimated delivery date is just the year 2024. That could easily put us six years from our original order date. This makes us wonder if our price will hold.

We also wonder if those who already have a Rivian because they live in or near a big city are allowed to ever move to an area not near a Service Center. If they do move, do they have their Rivian repossessed? So much for the "adventure vehicle" moniker if you have to use your Rivian only in the vicinity of major metropolitan areas. The only "adventure" related to Rivian is getting your hands on one.

Please excuse my rant. I just have to vent every once in a while.

Brian

Do you really want to have to drive the vehicle 300/400 miles one way to take it in for service for minor issues?

 

[Jac]

I completely appreciate your frustration, as an early preorder holder, that folks who preordered long after you are getting their Rivians generally because they live much closer to a Rivian service center. From following this forum, my impression is Rivian initially delivered vehicles to some people who lived far from a service center —- but they pretty clearly have now decided that is not a good business practice and stopped doing that.

My sense is Rivian is prioritizing opening service centers where states allow them to operate them, where the density of existing and likely future Rivian customers (preorder holders) justify it, and maybe an assessment of market growth potential based on regional wealth/disposable income. I assume building out service centers in areas that don’t check all those boxes are just lower priorities —- especially as Rivian works to contain expenses.

 

[Bkasten]

I'm definitely not a day one pre-order (12/21 pre-order), but I feel the same. I got the email saying too far from service center (I'm in South Carolina) about 300 MI from Atlanta. I know of a handful of rivians in my area though..one probably within 10-15 miles of my house. Don't get it!?

 

[COdogman]

Venting, ranting, cursing and nearly any other reaction are totally understandable in your situation, Brian. I really feel for everyone in the US and Canada who were only recently told they were too far away from service centers and won’t get their trucks anytime soon.

I don’t think Rivian set out to do this, but they could have avoided this situation from day 1 if they simply said they could only sell preorders in certain areas where they knew they would have service. The only alternative I can think of would be for them to have anyone who lives outside of those areas sign a waiver for the pick up/ delivery if service was necessary. That is still crappy but it at least gets those customers their trucks.

The rented mailbox is a good idea too. I’ve used it myself in the past. Find a UPS Store, Mailboxes Etc. or similar store in Atlanta and use that only for your Rivian address until the order is delivered. Sometimes the smaller, independent mailbox/ shipping stores, like Postnet are better to use for these purposes because it’s harder to do a simple search and figure out it’s a retail location.

 

[domoplaytime]

We are very early adopters with an order date of Nov. 28, 2018. Rivian is telling us that we can not get a truck because we are too far from a Service Center.

That's so frustrating.

I'm lucky to be close to a major service center. However in a year or so I will be moving a very long way from a service center, and I fully expect to pay shipping / towing costs if I have to send the vehicle back for warranty repairs or recalls. I got my truck three weeks ago and it's already back at the service center for warranty repairs because I've been stress testing it. Rivian doesn't know this is my plan, and I'm not sure why they would care.

It's a shame Rivian won't let you sign an agreement that you will cover towing costs or rental vehicle miles incurred by your distance. Are they afraid your vehicle will be so popular in your town that everyone will want one?

 

[moosetags]

We have thought of using the address of close friends in Orlando and see what happens. We have sort of already done that when we changed our delivery address to the Rivian Factory in Normal. We did this because we wanted to take factory delivery. This resulted in a rather curt email from Rivian telling us that this was not permitted. They told us that they had "flagged" our account and had changed our delivery address back to our home address.

Brian

 

[moosetags]

That's so frustrating.

I'm lucky to be close to a major service center. However in a year or so I will be moving a very long way from a service center, and I fully expect to pay shipping / towing costs if I have to send the vehicle back for warranty repairs or recalls. I got my truck three weeks ago and it's already back at the service center for warranty repairs because I've been stress testing it. Rivian doesn't know this is my plan, and I'm not sure why they would care.

It's a shame Rivian won't let you sign an agreement that you will cover towing costs or rental vehicle miles incurred by your distance. Are they afraid your vehicle will be so popular in your town that everyone will want one?

I guess that when you move you will need return your Rivian. What ever happened to Rivian's mobile service that they were touting at one point????

 

[domoplaytime]

I guess that when you move you will need return your Rivian. What ever happened to Rivian's mobile service that they were touting at one point????

I believe there were some mobile service arrangements for handling the torque spec recall. Aside from that, I don't see what mobile service could do for the major issues that worry me with being remote:

• possibly fragile windows that only Rivian SC can replace
• half shaft issues
• drivetrain failure
• HV battery pack replacement
• dead 12V battery or failure in system that recharges the 12V using the HV traction battery
• failed DC fast charging hardware
• windows stuck permanently open
• Halloween mode being short lived

 

[Gavinmcc]

I’ve heard a rumor that Rivian may work with Goodyear for some local service. This would open up lots of potential locations.

I don’t know if 100 % true, nor how fast this could happen…but I remain hopeful.

 

[emoore]

We have thought of using the address of close friends in Orlando and see what happens. We have sort of already done that when we changed our delivery address to the Rivian Factory in Normal. We did this because we wanted to take factory delivery. This resulted in a rather curt email from Rivian telling us that this was not permitted. They told us that they had "flagged" our account and had changed our delivery address back to our home address.

Brian

You’re going to either have to wait for a service center to open near you or change your address and not to the factory location. There’s a big difference between a residential address and the factory one. Sucks that you have to wait so long but I think you would get one fairly shortly if you change to Orlando. Why havent you yet?

 

[moosetags]

I’ve heard a rumor that Rivian may work with Goodyear for some local service. This would open up lots of potential locations.

I don’t know if 100 % true, nor how fast this could happen…but I remain hopeful.

I hope that you are correct.

Brian

 

[lmr]

I'm definitely not a day one pre-order (12/21 pre-order), but I feel the same. I got the email saying too far from service center (I'm in South Carolina) about 300 MI from Atlanta. I know of a handful of rivians in my area though..one probably within 10-15 miles of my house. Don't get it!?

You are in a tough location as neither North Carolina nor South Carolina allows vehicle manufacturers to directly or indirectly own or operate service centers providing warranty service, along with six other states. So you will be completely reliant on available capacity from nearest SCs in Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia, until these states change their laws, or Rivian finds a third party to partner with to provide warranty service in these states.

 

[ciderarchitect]

Do you really want to have to drive the vehicle 300/400 miles one way to take it in for service for minor issues?

I'm stuck with "Processing Estimate" as I'm 290 miles from the Bellevue (WA) Service Center. I have talked to three R1T owners who live in eastern Washington (one lives about a mile from me) and while they have minor issues, none of them have yet to NEED to take their trucks in for service. While neither Rivian nor I want to pay for a 290 mile tow, I have no problem driving a functioning truck 290 miles to get a service ticket addressed once or twice a year. In eastern WA you can always come up with a reason to drive to Seattle every now and then.

I decided to give Rivian Chat a try yesterday for the first time and couldn't get anything encouraging out of the CS agent, just "you'll get another update in January". I'm curious why those in my area are "Processing Estimate" because we are too far but @moosetags is a declared "2024" for the same reason. Maybe there is something in the works for service in my area, but nothing planned in panhandle FL...

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