Rivian Service policy - no alternative transportation unless vehicle kept for 48 hrs

[DKM_R1S]

Which service center is this? This is the exact opposite of my experience. I’m always greeted by someone smiling, there are always plenty of drinks, merchandise is stocked, the area is neat and clean. I would take a few pictures of the disarray and email them. That is not how it is supposed to be.

Chicago. Plus the door has a lock and customers must be buzzed in by the security guard. It’s surrounded by not so nice neighborhoods. This was the first SC opened by Rivian in the Chicagoland area. The Normal (HQ) and the new Melrose Park (a suburb near Ohare Airport) centers are nicer, more like you’d expect.

honestly guys and gals, I’ve had better experiences at the nearby Tesla centers, the last time I was there in 2024.

Sponsored

 

[Count Orlok]

TBH, unless a service center opens within an hours drive The Count might punt on the R2 and retire the Royal R1S if this is the end of loaner accommodations. Right now Rivian cheerfully says The Count can visit his choice of the three service centers 2+ hours away. If he wanted to be treated like a Dodge owner he'd buy another Ford.

 

[Rade]

"Opened a service request at the Canton MA site through the app. Eight weeks until I can get in. Nary a call from a service advisor, just... the app. Sent app texts of the time stamp on the log; my question was - "Is that issue really resolved or did it flag something else?" Crickets. "Did your technician look at the error log?" Crickets. A week out from the appointment. "Do I still need this appointment? Did the technician review the error log?" Crickets. Feeling somewhat disappointed, I cancelled the appointment. Just too damn much on my plate to be driving the 40 miles to Canton for a dubious appointment."

Oh, an since CANCELLING the service call a week ago; no follow up. Nothing. I hope to Hell this is not portent of things to come. I am hoping this is just that fu*king AI app not being bothered enough to relay content to the service center.

I hate the service portion of the mobile app. There is no "Call this number to reach a human" ability; just AI-driven slop menus.

 

[godfodder0901]

"Opened a service request at the Canton MA site through the app. Eight weeks until I can get in. Nary a call from a service advisor, just... the app. Sent app texts of the time stamp on the log; my question was - "Is that issue really resolved or did it flag something else?" Crickets. "Did your technician look at the error log?" Crickets. A week out from the appointment. "Do I still need this appointment? Did the technician review the error log?" Crickets. Feeling somewhat disappointed, I cancelled the appointment. Just too damn much on my plate to be driving the 40 miles to Canton for a dubious appointment."

Oh, an since CANCELLING the service call a week ago; no follow up. Nothing. I hope to Hell this is not portent of things to come. I am hoping this is just that fu*king AI app not being bothered enough to relay content to the service center.

I hate the service portion of the mobile app. There is no "Call this number to reach a human" ability; just AI-driven slop menus.

If you canceled the appointment, why would they follow up? That signals to them that you no longer require service. And it's very common for them to only reach out a week or so before the appointment date.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

TBH, unless a service center opens within an hours drive The Count might punt on the R2 and retire the Royal R1S if this is the end of loaner accommodations. Right now Rivian cheerfully says The Count can visit his choice of the three service centers 2+ hours away. If he wanted to be treated like a Dodge owner he'd buy another Ford.

Yeah, I'm about there myself, except the service centers are all 3.5 hours away instead of 2. I can get to several Dodge and Ford dealers within 20 min drive and you can add BMW, Mercedes, and Land Rover if you extend it to 40 min drive. That opens a lot of options I wouldn't need a rental car for. The whole point of spending this sort of money on a vehicle is so the company takes care of you when you have an issue.

"Opened a service request at the Canton MA site through the app. Eight weeks until I can get in. Nary a call from a service advisor, just... the app. Sent app texts of the time stamp on the log; my question was - "Is that issue really resolved or did it flag something else?" Crickets. "Did your technician look at the error log?" Crickets. A week out from the appointment. "Do I still need this appointment? Did the technician review the error log?" Crickets. Feeling somewhat disappointed, I cancelled the appointment. Just too damn much on my plate to be driving the 40 miles to Canton for a dubious appointment."

Oh, an since CANCELLING the service call a week ago; no follow up. Nothing. I hope to Hell this is not portent of things to come. I am hoping this is just that fu*king AI app not being bothered enough to relay content to the service center.

I hate the service portion of the mobile app. There is no "Call this number to reach a human" ability; just AI-driven slop menus.

Sounds like the sort of follow-up I'm getting

 

[MikeWilliams_R1T]

@Donald Stanfield if a rumor I heard recently is true, the situation here in Knoxville will be very different in 2 months.

The story is Rivian has been adding non customer facing service centers in markets like Knoxville. Much of it originally related to supporting Amazon. If Connor can’t fix it in your driveway, it’s a local tow.

I’m holding my sell my truck decision until the summer to see what happens.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

@Donald Stanfield if a rumor I heard recently is true, the situation here in Knoxville will be very different in 2 months.

The story is Rivian has been adding non customer facing service centers in markets like Knoxville. Much of it originally related to supporting Amazon. If Connor can’t fix it in your driveway, it’s a local tow.

I’m holding my sell my truck decision until the summer to see what happens.

Hopefully, but I heard this all the way back in October. Like many of the other things Rivian related, I'll believe it when I see it. Fingers crossed.

 

[NY_Rob]

"Opened a service request at the Canton MA site through the app. Eight weeks until I can get in.

I'm looking at this period as "the calm before the storm", where "the storm" is the R2. IF I had any minor issues that I would like eventually addressed, I'd get that SC visit booked soon because who knows what policy changes might be in the works once the new vehicles start being delivered to actual non-employee owners. If Rivian starts prioritizing R2 repairs over R1 just to keep things looking good for their new product, it's not going to be pretty. It could happen...

 

[Rade]

If you canceled the appointment, why would they follow up? That signals to them that you no longer require service. And it's very common for them to only reach out a week or so before the appointment date.

That something got flagged on their SC calendar. And it was less than two days before the scheduled visit without so much as a courtesy call.

The FIRST (and only time) I had to get into the SC was when Canton opened up. I was slated to go up to Chelsea MA (they bumped me to Canton MA morning of). They texted and called well before. I got none of that on this go around. Again, I suspect it was the AI App intervening.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

I'm looking at this period as "the calm before the storm", where "the storm" is the R2. IF I had any minor issues that I would like eventually addressed, I'd get that SC visit booked soon because who knows what policy changes might be in the works once the new vehicles start being delivered to actual non-employee owners. If Rivian starts prioritizing R2 repairs over R1 just to keep things looking good for their new product, it's not going to be pretty. It could happen...

This was exactly the fate that Tesla suffered. I bought a Model S before the Model 3 came out, and service was great. Once the 3 came out, it took forever to get appointments and the Service Center (Costa Mesa) was so swamped that every time I brought my vehicle there, they damaged something on the car. Was SUPER frustrating. I've been saying this for awhile, Rivian needs to UP their service center game AND improve the quality of the vehicles coming out of the factory.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

As a bright spot, I dropped my Rivian off today at the Duncan, SC service center, and while they do have to keep it overnight, I got a R1S loaner with zero hassle.

 

[Dave Cundiff]

I was a lot more confident about Rivian than you were, @Donald Stanfield.

Glad it's working out for you!

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I was a lot more confident about Rivian than you were, @Donald Stanfield.

Glad it's working out for you!

For sure. I got a bad vibe from the guy on the phone, but everyone at the service center gave me the same level of service I've had previously from Rivian.

 

[BourboNole]

I just got this email and was surprised to see that Rivian is citing Archive.Org as the source of verified records from the time of my purchase. This is pretty humorous for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that they already provide historical agreements on their website that contradict what is contained here. What it really shows is that they haven't even bothered to do an analysis of these old agreements to determine what the true, in-practice terms were at the time of purchase. Regardless I responded with a calm email explaining this, but also pointing out the value that early adopters and enthusiasts like us provide compared to the absolutely de minimis cost of provide us with rentals and loaners. I'll see if she ever responds, but I spent a little more time reviewing the agreements and it seems I may have to send my email to [email protected] if I want an official response.

https://web.archive.org/web/20220804190154/https://rivian.com/legal/terms
https://web.archive.org/web/20220927183730/https://rivian.com/legal/service
https://web.archive.org/web/20220811050643/https://rivian.com/experience/service

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I just got this email and was surprised to see that Rivian is citing Archive.Org as the source of verified records from the time of my purchase. This is pretty humorous for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that they already provide historical agreements on their website that contradict what is contained here. What it really shows is that they haven't even bothered to do an analysis of these old agreements to determine what the true, in-practice terms were at the time of purchase. Regardless I responded with a calm email explaining this, but also pointing out the value that early adopters and enthusiasts like us provide compared to the absolutely de minimis cost of provide us with rentals and loaners. I'll see if she ever responds, but I spent a little more time reviewing the agreements and it seems I may have to send my email to [email protected] if I want an official response.

https://web.archive.org/web/20220804190154/https://rivian.com/legal/terms
https://web.archive.org/web/20220927183730/https://rivian.com/legal/service
https://web.archive.org/web/20220811050643/https://rivian.com/experience/service

Stuff like this is why the world needs lawyers. Thanks for the efforts.

Sponsored