Hit by an EDV while sitting at the service center

[ATL_R1S]

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse regarding my 1 month old, 2100 mile R1S which left my wife and I stranded over a week ago, I have learned of yet another Rivian failure that was beyond my control.

On Wednesday of last week, I was checking my Rivian app and noticed an additional service ticket on which listed "rear bumper" and "exterior lights" as service items. I found that to be odd, so I texted a screenshot to the Rivian employee who had given me their number when I had initially had it towed there, and asked them why that was there, since I have never had issues with my rear bumper or exterior lights. No response. A couple days later, on Friday morning, I received a call from a different employee informing me that an employee at the Atlanta service center backed an Amazon EDV into my R1S and significantly damaged it while it was sitting disabled on the lot awaiting service, and they texted me photos.

Rear quarter panel sheet metal got a huge dent, rear bumper scuffed badly and rear tail light cracked.

This is the repair "in progress", after a PDR was performed on the rear quarter panel. Apparently the reflection of a R1 tail light is misleading as a sanding mark. Rear bumper and tail light removed in preparation to be replaced with new parts.

I was shocked and upset about this, to say the least. Considering the EDV has a backup camera and proximity sensors, this kind of gross failure in operational/facilities management has gotten me to the point where I need to share this and seek some advice. When I spoke with the employee and asked the obvious insurance questions, they reassured me that this incident and resulting repair would not be reported to my insurance provider, and if I was not satisfied with the repair, that they would foot the bill for a certified body shop to handle it and even then, it would not hit my insurance/carfax report.

I am at a loss of what to do at this point. I don't know if Rivian would entertain a buyback/vehicle replacement, and I don't know that I want to go that route either considering the unknowns regarding a new vehicle purchase, pricing and interest rates, along with what kind of time frame I'd be looking at to get the same vehicle that I waited 2 years for. I know I will not get a diminished value claim since it won't be hitting my insurance, so I believe Rivian needs to go above and beyond to restore my completely broken confidence in the vehicle and the service provided. I was informed there were two vehicles ahead of mine waiting for (mechanical) service and they would look into expediting mine when techs become available. That seems like what should've been done even if my R1S hadn't been damaged on the lot.

I asked if my vehicle would be washed and detailed when it was repaired and they promised that it would. I mentioned bird poop and hard water stains that I noticed on the hood at delivery that weren't bad enough for me to reject the vehicle, as I had planned to have the paint corrected and possibly ceramic coated in the future. I asked if they would consider a goodwill gesture of covering a ceramic coating job to make this right, and they said they would do their best to detail the exterior and polish the paint and would "look into" possibly covering a ceramic coating job for me.

Should I be pushing for more in this situation, or should I just let it go and wait until my vehicle is fixed before determining how to move forward? I want to give them a chance to make it right, but I'm losing confidence. I have a feeling they aren't going to do anything beyond eventually fixing my R1S, then letting me make the call on if the repairs are satisfactory.

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[Forager]

Sounds like they are taking care of you. All the SCs I have been to and seen are very tight, maneuvering is difficult in an R1, let alone one of the EDVs. The design team doing their parking lots used the minimum standard stall width and depth, which is odd considering the size of the R1 platform —this has to be more common than one thinks.

Getting fixed is the minimum they could do, and they are going to cut and buff your car (not sure if I would trust them with this TBH, they aren’t detailers, my truck had halos from where they buffed out delivery scratches). Getting a ceramic coat job is asking too much, IMO, but I’m more laid back and understand sh!t happens. What really sucks is how they waited until you confronted them about the new items on your ticket and then didn’t respond for 2 days, very bad communication —I’d hammer this issue with the management.

I’d make sure you have an R1 loaner since it’s now there for a longer period due to an issue caused by Rivian, and maybe get a credit to the gear shop.

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse regarding my 1 month old, 2100 mile R1S which left my wife and I stranded over a week ago, I have learned of yet another Rivian failure that was beyond my control.

On Wednesday of last week, I was checking my Rivian app and noticed an additional service ticket on which listed "rear bumper" and "exterior lights" as service items. I found that to be odd, so I texted a screenshot to the Rivian employee who had given me their number when I had initially had it towed there, and asked them why that was there, since I have never had issues with my rear bumper or exterior lights. No response. A couple days later, on Friday morning, I received a call from a different employee them informing me that an employee at the Atlanta service center backed an Amazon EDV into my R1S and significantly damaged it while it was sitting disabled on the lot awaiting service, and they texted me photos.

Rear quarter panel sheet metal got a huge dent, rear bumper scuffed badly and rear tail light cracked.

This is the repair "in progress", after a PDR was performed on the rear quarter panel. Apparently the reflection of a R1 tail light is misleading as a sanding mark. Rear bumper and tail light removed in preparation to be replaced with new parts.

I was shocked and upset about this, to say the least. Considering the EDV has a backup camera and proximity sensors, this kind of gross failure in operational/facilities management has gotten me to the point where I need to share this and seek some advice. When I spoke with the employee and asked the obvious insurance questions, they reassured me that this incident and resulting repair would not be reported to my insurance provider, and if I was not satisfied with the repair, that they would foot the bill for a certified body shop to handle it and even then, it would not hit my insurance/carfax report.

I am at a loss of what to do at this point. I don't know if Rivian would entertain a buyback/vehicle replacement, and I don't know that I want to go that route either considering the unknowns regarding a new vehicle purchase, pricing and interest rates, along with what kind of time frame I'd be looking at to get the same vehicle that I waited 2 years for. I know I will not get a diminished value claim since it won't be hitting my insurance, so I believe Rivian needs to go above and beyond to restore my completely broken confidence in the vehicle and the service provided. I was informed there were two vehicles ahead of mine waiting for (mechanical) service and they would look into expediting mine when techs become available. That seems like what should've been done even if my R1S hadn't been damaged on the lot.

I asked if my vehicle would be washed and detailed when it was repaired and they promised that it would. I mentioned bird poop and hard water stains that I noticed on the hood at delivery that weren't bad enough for me to reject the vehicle, as I had planned to have the paint corrected and possibly ceramic coated in the future. I asked if they would consider a goodwill gesture of covering a ceramic coating job to make this right, and they said they would do their best to detail the exterior and polish the paint and would "look into" possibly covering a ceramic coating job for me.

Should I be pushing for more in this situation, or should I just let it go and wait until my vehicle is fixed before determining how to move forward? I want to give them a chance to make it right, but I'm losing confidence. I have a feeling they aren't going to do anything beyond eventually fixing my R1S, then letting me make the call on if the repairs are satisfactory.

Wow... i feel terrible for you guys! The management at this SC needs to look into why this happened. Sounds like a more senior level employee should have been handling the EDV. On the bright side... at least they didn't have to respray it... PDR is best possible outcome for body damage. Please keep us abreast on how this turns out.

 

[tyfly867]

Probably not the answer you’re looking for, but this may fall under the “sh*t happens” category. It wasn’t your fault, and they’ll make it right, no doubt. But my experience of the service centers is that they are so freaking slow, it’s painful (19 days sitting to do 1 service hour of work on my last appointment). My big ask would be make your vehicle priority number one.

But sure, ask for the moon. You may just get it.

Sounds like you’ve had a rough go with Rivian. Their service center is their biggest pain point. But I’m 22k miles into an R1T, and it’s been a stellar driving experience. I hope you get there!

 

[ATL_R1S]

I’d make sure you have an R1 loaner since it’s now there for a longer period due to an issue caused by Rivian, and maybe get a credit to the gear shop.

Thankfully been driving a Compass Yellow R1T since it all went down. They have been very polite to me in all my interactions so far, including my request for a Rivian loaner as that was not initially promised to me and only provided after I asked for one. Phone support had originally lined up an Enterprise rental prior to me showing up at the SC with the flatbed driver.

 

[COdogman]

I totally understand you losing confidence, but I’m not even sure what you expect them to do other than fix your vehicle? What does “above and beyond” mean?

Ultimately the accident was just that - an accident. And it sounds like they are handling it. I wouldn’t be happy about it either, but as long as it’s fixed and didn’t affect the Carfax/ insurance I would be happy.

This kind of stuff does happen at dealers too. Just last week this brand new Corvette falling off a lift while going through pre delivery checks went viral.

 

[Killer95Stang]

Totaled!!!


Justin kidding. Having had an R1S that was damaged while being serviced, requiring a third party body shop to fix and repair again after I found issues with the first repair, I feel for you. With that said, besides a couple hours of our time for trips to service, we were never treated badly , or inconvenienced without a comparable vehicle. As much as it irked me, one month past that debacle, we are as happy as can be with our Rivian.

 

[ATL_R1S]

I totally understand you losing confidence, but I’m not even sure what you expect them to do other than fix your vehicle? What does “above and beyond” mean?

Ultimately the accident was just that - an accident. And it sounds like they are handling it. I wouldn’t be happy about it either, but as long as it’s fixed and didn’t affect the Carfax/ insurance I would be happy.

This kind of stuff does happen at dealers too. Just last week this brand new Corvette falling off a lift while going through pre delivery checks went viral.

I appreciate this response. I want to chalk this up as "shit happens" too, but it just feels like insult to injury and I don't know if I should be expecting them to go above and beyond to satisfy me or not, considering the circumstances. I totally understand they don't have to do anything but fix my Rivian, but it wouldn't make me feel whole again if nothing else was done. Sure I'd be glad to have my R1S back, but I wouldn't feel happy with their efforts to satisfy me as a customer.

 

[COdogman]

I appreciate this response. I want to chalk this up as "shit happens" too, but it just feels like insult to injury and I don't know if I should be expecting them to go above and beyond to satisfy me or not, considering the circumstances. I totally understand they don't have to do anything but fix my Rivian, but it wouldn't make me feel whole again if nothing else was done. Sure I'd be glad to have my R1S back, but I wouldn't feel happy with their efforts to satisfy me as a customer.

I totally understand the disappointment and loss of confidence, but in the end all Rivian, or any other business owes you is honestly admitting to the mistake and making it right as quickly as possible.

Maybe I feel that way because I own a business and we are always having to find that balance as well. From our experience it doesn’t help us keep an unhappy customer to throw a bunch of free stuff at them. The only thing that really helps is admitting we made a mistake and handling it like professionals to hopefully rebuild that trust. Sometimes that is impossible because it’s just not a good match. And in those cases it is usually better to just cut your losses and let them go. In the end it will be best for everyone.

If you are feeling that way then it might be best to try to get them to buy back your S and move on to something else. I guess my point is there are no guarantees something similar couldn’t happen with another manufacturer/ dealer.

 

[Paradigm_Shift]

What surprises and disappoints me is that it sounds as though the SC did not contact the owner immediately to inform him of what happened and what the remedy would be.

 

[ATL_R1S]

If you are feeling that way then it might be best to try to get them to buy back your S and move on to something else. I guess my point is there are no guarantees something similar couldn’t happen with another manufacturer/ dealer.

That's the last thing I want. I love my R1S and I'm certainly a big Rivian enthusiast that wants to own and drive an R1S for a long time. This just makes it harder to maintain that enthusiasm.

 

[ATL_R1S]

What surprises and disappoints me is that it sounds as though the SC did not contact the owner immediately to inform him of what happened and what the remedy would be.

My guide agreed and said that was the thing she was going to specifically address with the team. I shouldn't have learned about the incident days after it happened and repairs were already underway.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

The delivery driver backed into a tree while delivering my R1T last year so I get where you're coming from. When it happened to me I realized that I had two choices. The first, I could let Rivian fix it and put up with the few weeks delay and get over it or I could let Rivian fix it while being extremely pissed off and wind up ruining the whole experience with my truck.

I know I signed up to take a risk when I bought this truck. There were a lot of unknowns and a year into it I'm glad I decided on buying this truck. So what started off pretty rocky has been a really great experience a year on.

My Truck also went to ATL service center and the repair is 100% factory fixed. You cannot tell the damage happened.

 

[ATL_R1S]

The delivery driver backed into a tree while delivering my R1T last year so I get where you're coming from. When it happened to me I realized that I had two choices. The first, I could let Rivian fix it and put up with the few weeks delay and get over it or I could let Rivian fix it while being extremely pissed off and wind up ruining the whole experience with my truck.

I know I signed up to take a risk when I bought this truck. There were a lot of unknowns and a year into it I'm glad I decided on buying this truck. So what started off pretty rocky has been a really great experience a year on.

My Truck also went to ATL service center and the repair is 100% factory fixed. You cannot tell the damage happened.

Appreciate the anecdote. I've read your previous comments on the ATL service center being among the best and they had given me a lot of hope that my Rivian would be repaired by some of the best techs in the country. I'd love to also hear that the inverters have been revised by the factory to prevent another failure like mine, but that remains to be seen.

 

[LL75]

Probably not the answer you’re looking for, but this may fall under the “sh*t happens” category. It wasn’t your fault, and they’ll make it right, no doubt. But my experience of the service centers is that they are so freaking slow, it’s painful (19 days sitting to do 1 service hour of work on my last appointment). My big ask would be make your vehicle priority number one.

But sure, ask for the moon. You may just get it.

Sounds like you’ve had a rough go with Rivian. Their service center is their biggest pain point. But I’m 22k miles into an R1T, and it’s been a stellar driving experience. I hope you get there!

wow. I thought the dallas center is painfully show. 14 days sitting before the vehicle is being serviced (took them 1 day to fix all the stuff). The amount of rental and uber credit rivian wasting is abusrb.

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