Service times will kill Rivian

[C.R. Rivian]

Even without production continuing to ramp up, service times are going to kill Rivian. A minor window issue and the next available service is NOVEMBER. I know they need to make and sell more cars/trucks to remain viable, but if people are waiting 4 months for service they are going to go elsewhere.

Thoughts?

My son in Palo Alto has a significant wait time...will go to Sacramento and stay with a friend for faster service. My son in the Portland area, not an issue. Likewise, for me since multiple service centers have opened in the Seattle area. Looks like a real push up here for more service centers/techs.

Perspective: when my 2019 Kia EV had a problem (air conditioning, under warranty) I had to wait a month till the EV specialist at the local Kia dealership (the only one who is allowed to work on EVs) had a slot and then wait for parts. Dealers that are mostly ICE may not prioritize EV service.

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[Tarkus]

I literally just contacted them earlier today... Started a ticket on their interweb site for a past due schedule maintenance visit while I'm near Boston, MA (I'm almost at 37,000 miles already) & the earliest I got was Aug 19th, way too far out for me as I will not be in the area at that time, so I closed the interweb page & 10 mins later I get a call from them (they are 24 hrs. a day 7/24/365 per the caller) anyway, after I explained their is nothing wrong with Tarkus (My R1S) and I'm only looking for a missed scheduled maintenance visit, he indicates they can dispatch a mobile unit to conduct the comprehensive maintenance inspection to my motel as needed, So we scheduled a visit on 07/24/2024. Perfect-O

 

[luriaj]

Thoughts? My thoughts are that you’re frustrated and wishing Rivian was able to be more responsive at this point in their companies growth. I don’t think you’ll find anyone who would disagree that service should be more available and responsive.

But…. Seems a bit hyperbolic to go straight to “… will kill Rivian”. You have a minor window issue where the vehicle still functions, the drivetrain isn’t impacted, doesn’t sound like an immediate safety issue. Rivian Service center managers are probably prioritizing appointments based on issue criticality and getting vehicles into owners hands.

Not denying it must suck to wait that many months, but they are still growing out their network/capabilities and a minor window fix is not going to kill Rivian as a company.


The sky isn’t falling.

Yes...I agree the sky isn't falling and yes it is drivable... but not washable... not weatherproof, and SUPER noisy. Yes, frustrated. But not sure if hyperbolic. With the purchase of a $80K vehicle (hell, any new vehicle), the expectation is that one would not have to wait 3 months for warranty (or any service. Further, as a brand that is trying to expand and grow, more vehicles means more potential issues and with more vehicles there will be less and less availability of service appointments. People will not tolerate that and it will cause significant buyer angst...not something you want as an owner and a stock owner. I want them to survive and this is something that should not be status quo.

 

[savethemanual]

Does Rivian still come to the customer with some of these service appointments?

 

[SteveInBend]

Can you provide any details on your minor window issue> Is it all windows or one window? Describe what is happening. Is it a window calibration issues? If so, have you gone through the window re-calibration process?

I had an issue where the window would roll all the way up and then back down about 2/3's of the way. I was able to slowly nudge the window (passenger side) up and get it to close. I told my passengers not to wind down the window until Rivian could fix it.

The problem was resolved by a visit from a Rivian mobile tech.

 

[Tarkus]

Does Rivian still come to the customer with some of these service appointments?

Yes, just open a ticket & they will call to discuss the options.

 

[LL75]

Clearly this is _very_ location-dependent--which means Rivian needs to get someone to do some serious resource-balancing. I just had my first SC appointment (to address a couple of minor issues identified when I took delivery). I got an appointment for a date less than a week from when I called. When I brought the vehicle in, it was whisked into a service bay immediately upon my arrival. And the manager said "somewhere between one and two hours" (which I expected--I brought a sandwich and a book!) and it was done in 1.5 hours.

My local mechanic is booked at least three weeks out, so I really can't say anything but great things about my experience with Rivian service! I am not at all doubting the bad-experience stories that have been posted to this forum. Just saying that they're not universal. Rivian needs to look at what they're doing _right_ in places like Hazelwood, MO (which is my SC) and then provide the necessary resources to the places that have been mentioned in this thread. _Probably_ (just my guess), there are a small handful of high-customer-density locations that need work while the others are fine.

In Dallas area, I can get appointment within a few weeks. However, the car will sit there in the lot for 2 weeks without being service. So it doesn't help their cause at all. The rental car bill is 1k or more. Smh

 

[luriaj]

Window issue is that the driver window will only open outside of the weatherstripping and won't close all the way. This is the second time this has happened. They are going to fix it "soon" and it looks like I won't have to wait 3 months, but I have a friend who just told me he has one interior issues that they will not touch until November (he is pissed).

 

[Electron]

Let's not be so soft on Rivian. The wait times are ridiculous. So instead let's look at the root cause.

Piss Poor planning and not thinking ahead.

Is that the customers fault or is that Rivian's fault? Simple.

So what Rivian needs to do is to get creative in compensating customers either by offering them free charging credits, hotel accommodations, rental car compensation etc.

If the customer is willing and able to make it to another SC that will be able to service them sooner, then at least give the customer an option to make a trip out of it, paid for by Rivian.

Sound ridiculous? Actually no, what's ridiculous is leaving customers with long wait times due to Piss Poor Planning.

What's the slogan? "Keep the World Adventurous Forever?" Ok well, let the customer be adventurous on your dime Rivian.

What's the other saying, "Forever Starts Now?" Alright, if you want to keep customers forever, then start now.

Being so passive with all of this and trying to justify for Rivian will do no justice for a company that we want to see succeed.

 

[Dave Cundiff]

Much useful information in this thread, but many of our collective complaints remind me of the saying (uncertain who said it first) that, "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded!"

We live about 2.5 hours from Portland Service Center, which appears to be one of the best. I'm grateful.

Achieving consistent high performance, in an organization of this size, is very difficult -- but not impossible, given time and focus.

Very best wishes!

 

[evlavista]

I have my window trim lifting and next available appointment to fix is a month and half out.

I had mine replaced via mobile service several months ago and it is now coming off again. I put in for service via the mobile app a week ago and still haven't heard from rivian.

 

[Captain JB]

unfortunately, you are correct. it would be bad with a $30K vehicle much less a supper pricey one.

 

[martymande]

Even without production continuing to ramp up, service times are going to kill Rivian. A minor window issue and the next available service is NOVEMBER. I know they need to make and sell more cars/trucks to remain viable, but if people are waiting 4 months for service they are going to go elsewhere.

Thoughts?

Besides the waiting everytime i have had my truck in for service they don’t even start the repair for several days after it is brought in. They need to streamline the process.

 

[DaveA]

The main issue is QC is non-existent at the factory and the pre-delivery inspections at the SC delivering the vehicle is sorely lacking. Half of all service calls could be eliminated.

 

[Laserboy1054]

(uncertain who said it first) that, "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded!"

That's Yogi Berra--known for making statements that appear contrdictory but nevertheless contain wisdom.

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