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

[freshpow]

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

Are you saying that the policy they shared is different than at the time of your purchase? I don't think it is. Also disagree that early adopters provide more value than later adopters. If anything, it's the reverse...we (early adopters) received a 15% discount. They're still giving loaners as a courtesy when it makes sense and they are available. You can drop your pitchfork.

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[Donald Stanfield]

Are you saying that the policy they shared is different than at the time of your purchase? I don't think it is. Also disagree that early adopters provide more value than later adopters. If anything, it's the reverse...we (early adopters) received a 15% discount. They're still giving loaners as a courtesy when it makes sense and they are available. You can drop your pitchfork.

I'm an early adopter, and I wound up buying a second one. In a couple of years, when I get a new car, I'll still consider Rivian. Maybe the R2X if they make that a tri motor.

 

[BourboNole]

Are you saying that the policy they shared is different than at the time of your purchase? I don't think it is. Also disagree that early adopters provide more value than later adopters. If anything, it's the reverse...we (early adopters) received a 15% discount. They're still giving loaners as a courtesy when it makes sense and they are available. You can drop your pitchfork.

If you don't think the people who bet on an unproven startup provide more long term value than Johnny come lately who only bought because early adopters were willing to take the risk and share their experiences, then I'm not sure we can have a rational conversation about this. Most early adopters are true enthusiasts who do far more than simply buy a car and drive it. We come on to forums like this, but we also happily discuss our experiences with anyone who asks. Maybe that's not every early adopter, but its certainly a lot more than the average car buyer. Obviously the company relies on a consistent new stream of buyers to stay in operation, but enthusiasts like us provide immense value in free p2p marketing, and unlike the new buyers, I can tell people my truck has been amazing for almost 4 years and that even after 4 years there isn't anything new on the market except another R1T that could replace it.

 

[freshpow]

If you don't think the people who bet on an unproven startup provide more long term value than Johnny come lately who only bought because early adopters were willing to take the risk and share their experiences, then I'm not sure we can have a rational conversation about this. Most early adopters are true enthusiasts who do far more than simply buy a car and drive it. We come on to forums like this, but we also happily discuss our experiences with anyone who asks. Maybe that's not every early adopter, but its certainly a lot more than the average car buyer. Obviously the company relies on a consistent new stream of buyers to stay in operation, but enthusiasts like us provide immense value in free p2p marketing, and unlike the new buyers, I can tell people my truck has been amazing for almost 4 years and that even after 4 years there isn't anything new on the market except another R1T that could replace it.

Sure - I happily do all those things because my truck is far and away the best vehicle I've ever owned (or driven) and I basically stole it with the preorder pricing. I don't feel any sort of entitlement as an early adopter but it sure seems like you do given that you went straight to legal over a rumor about loaners no longer being offered.

 

[BourboNole]

Sure - I happily do all those things because my truck is far and away the best vehicle I've ever owned (or driven) and I basically stole it with the preorder pricing. I don't feel any sort of entitlement as an early adopter but it sure seems like you do given that you went straight to legal over a rumor about loaners no longer being offered.

Not a rumor but thanks for playing along. I had a service appt last week and was initially denied a rental based explicitly on this new policy. I spoke with both the service rep and the area service manager and even posted in this thread an email from the manager confirming they were making an exception this time for me. If you want to continue playing blind contrarian, feel free.

 

[freshpow]

Not a rumor but thanks for playing along. I had a service appt last week and was initially denied a rental based explicitly on this new policy. I spoke with both the service rep and the area service manager and even posted in this thread an email from the manager confirming they were making an exception this time for me. If you want to continue playing blind contrarian, feel free.

So they took care of you and you’re still complaining? In the future, you can probably get the same result just by being friendly with the service reps instead of immediately asking for the legal team.

 

[frostpine_82]

Hmm. Every service center seem to be different. My local service center always had a loaner available for me even if my car just stayed for 1 night with them. But also, they're not as backed up as some of these other terrible SC's.

This was for the past few months btw!

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Sure - I happily do all those things because my truck is far and away the best vehicle I've ever owned (or driven) and I basically stole it with the preorder pricing. I don't feel any sort of entitlement as an early adopter but it sure seems like you do given that you went straight to legal over a rumor about loaners no longer being offered.

It's not fair to call it a rumor. I got some pushback when asking for a loaner from the general dispatch. To Rivian's credit, the actual service center had no such hesitancy and took care of me as well as reasonably possible, but the impression I got last week was that Rivian is really tightening the belt. The guy had to put me on hold, get approval from someone, then read this whole disclaimer about how I would be on the hook for the loaner if I caused the issue with my truck. All of this happened to me directly, and with the time I've spent on this forum, I would say my word, especially on something negative towards Rivian, has some credibility.

Also, the guy you quoted is a lawyer. His job is dealing with stuff like this on a daily basis, so of course, he's going to go to legal. He was polite and professional, and ensuring Rivian holds up to their end of the bargain helps us all.

 

[freshpow]

It's not fair to call it a rumor. I got some pushback when asking for a loaner from the general dispatch. To Rivian's credit, the actual service center had no such hesitancy and took care of me as well as reasonably possible, but the impression I got last week was that Rivian is really tightening the belt. The guy had to put me on hold, get approval from someone, then read this whole disclaimer about how I would be on the hook for the loaner if I caused the issue with my truck. All of this happened to me directly, and with the time I've spent on this forum, I would say my word, especially on something negative towards Rivian, has some credibility.

Also, the guy you quoted is a lawyer. His job is dealing with stuff like this on a daily basis, so of course, he's going to go to legal. He was polite and professional, and ensuring Rivian holds up to their end of the bargain helps us all.

They're starting to tighten the belt but they haven't changed the service policies on us. They're just starting to enforce them more stringently, in some cases. And that doesn't bother me at all as a customer or supporter because they should be doing that, especially with R2 just around the corner.

A lot of people mistakenly expect the Rivian service experience to be on par with other luxury car brands because of the price point and that's simply not the reality. Having said that I've had nothing but excellent service experiences, but I think part of the equation is having reasonable expectations (e.g. being willing to schedule on a day where my wife can take the kids and I can get by ok with an Uber) and treating the service staff kindly. If you're nice to them, they'll almost always try to work with you (within the guidelines) to create a favorable outcome.

Obviously for situations like yours where you live extremely far away from a service center you should at the very least get a rental car, since an Uber isn't feasible.

Regarding our lawyer friend, he of all people should understand that as soon as you bring "legal" into the conversation with a service rep then you've fully taken away any agency they may have had. They can't help you anymore even if they wanted to. See below for his own quote on how quickly he raised the subject...

I just got a call for my Wednesday service appointment which includes replacement of my tonneau cover and I was advised I would not be given a rental/loaner unless the vehicle was to be kept more than 24 hours. I first asked if they expected to complete my tonneau replacement same day since the last time it took nearly a week, to which she advised it is considered a same day replacement. She then advised that if it ends up not being ready by the end of the day they would provide a rental/loaner. Having already seen this thread earlier today I asked her when this policy came into place and she advised this week. I asked to speak with a manager or legal and she advised she would have someone call me back.

He's also not wiling to accept Uber credits.

Having kids with various after school activities and a job that at times requires around town and around the state travel, uber credits doesn't cut it.

I have all of those things too and can manage to find a day to schedule service (especially if it's expected to be a same day turnaround) where I can make an Uber work. It's not ideal and certainly not luxury service but that shouldn't be the expectation here.

 

[BourboNole]

They're starting to tighten the belt but they haven't changed the service policies on us. They're just starting to enforce them more stringently, in some cases. And that doesn't bother me at all as a customer or supporter because they should be doing that, especially with R2 just around the corner.

A lot of people mistakenly expect the Rivian service experience to be on par with other luxury car brands because of the price point and that's simply not the reality. Having said that I've had nothing but excellent service experiences, but I think part of the equation is having reasonable expectations (e.g. being willing to schedule on a day where my wife can take the kids and I can get by ok with an Uber) and treating the service staff kindly. If you're nice to them, they'll almost always try to work with you (within the guidelines) to create a favorable outcome.

Obviously for situations like yours where you live extremely far away from a service center you should at the very least get a rental car, since an Uber isn't feasible.

Regarding our lawyer friend, he of all people should understand that as soon as you bring "legal" into the conversation with a service rep then you've fully taken away any agency they may have had. They can't help you anymore even if they wanted to. See below for his own quote on how quickly he raised the subject...



He's also not wiling to accept Uber credits.


I have all of those things too and can manage to find a day to schedule service (especially if it's expected to be a same day turnaround) where I can make an Uber work. It's not ideal and certainly not luxury service but that shouldn't be the expectation here.

If it is truly same day service, then Uber credits is fine. The problem I had that got me to push back like I did is I didn't find out about the change until the Monday before a Wednesday service, and I only found out because I asked. Every prior service I have been given a rental or loaner without me even asking, so that was my expectation when scheduling. Putting aside the right vs wrong of the change in policy, it's a bad move to quietly roll it out without telling even the people with pending service. And what really got me was that they thought they would have me done same day which I knew from past experience was impossible. They ended up taking almost 3 full days which is about what I expected since replacing the tonneau was among the laundry list of items I had on the service list.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

A lot of people mistakenly expect the Rivian service experience to be on par with other luxury car brands because of the price point and that's simply not the reality. Having said that I've had nothing but excellent service experiences, but I think part of the equation is having reasonable expectations (e.g. being willing to schedule on a day where my wife can take the kids and I can get by ok with an Uber) and treating the service staff kindly. If you're nice to them, they'll almost always try to work with you (within the guidelines) to create a favorable outcome.

I have all of those things too and can manage to find a day to schedule service (especially if it's expected to be a same day turnaround) where I can make an Uber work. It's not ideal and certainly not luxury service but that shouldn't be the expectation here.

If I had a service center in Knoxville, I wouldn't even bother with the Uber credits, I'd just use one of my other cars until my Rivian was fixed. That said, I do expect my level of service to be on par with other luxury brands, since I paid 113K for my R1S. At that level, I can buy most of what other luxury brands are offering. I think my Rivian is a great value, but part of that value is service.

People aren't going to spend the high-end dollars on a car if they don't get commensurate service. That's fine for the dual motors, or when you get a deal on your Gen 1 at pre-order pricing, but if they want to continue selling the six-figure vehicles, they will need to offer service comparable to what the other manufacturers offering those cars offer.

So far, I have gotten that service and I will remain a Rivian customer so long as that remains true.

 

[freshpow]

If I had a service center in Knoxville, I wouldn't even bother with the Uber credits, I'd just use one of my other cars until my Rivian was fixed. That said, I do expect my level of service to be on par with other luxury brands, since I paid 113K for my R1S. At that level, I can buy most of what other luxury brands are offering. I think my Rivian is a great value, but part of that value is service.

People aren't going to spend the high-end dollars on a car if they don't get commensurate service. That's fine for the dual motors, or when you get a deal on your Gen 1 at pre-order pricing, but if they want to continue selling the six-figure vehicles, they will need to offer service comparable to what the other manufacturers offering those cars offer.

So far, I have gotten that service and I will remain a Rivian customer so long as that remains true.

I get what you're saying but sadly don't think that's going to happen. Rivian needs to ship R2s in large volumes and the Quads will never sell enough to warrant revamping the entire service experience to be on par with true luxury brands. They're doing their best but it's going to be hard to scale with R2 and there will be growing pains. It's going to be very similar to Tesla. I don't think people buy $120k Plaids expecting amazing service - it's for the amazing performance/capability you get.

 

[coasties]

Update.
I had not heard from the SC or manager for a week. My appointment is on the 16th. I decided to visit the SC yesterday (April 7th) and find out what they would do for me. I'm over 2 hours away (each way).

In my case, they would offer me ride-share credits. Approximately 100-150 $. But that wouldn't be sufficient to get me home and back to pick up my car.

My options:
1 - reschedule for a morning appointment and hope it is done the same day
2 - rent a car or hotel.
3 - wait x months for a mobile appointment or get a lucky cancellation

Rivian is in a position to control the service experience, unlike most car manufacturers. But not all SC follow the same rules. If they did, IMO this current policy wouldn't survive.

The rules/policy:

1 - service > 48 hrs - offer rental or loaner
2 - same day service - maybe rideshare credits
3 - service overnight but < 48 hrs - rideshare credits

Rivian Corporate did not think this through. Or if they did, they clearly decided customers like me are not worth it. Rivian Corporate has put the SC and Customer Service in a difficult position.

Anyone who lives outside the rideshare area and whose vehicle is kept overnight faces having to make their own arrangements.

A possible tweak - customers without access to rideshare services or who are > 100 miles from nearest SC are provided a rental or loaner.

 

[MikeWilliams_R1T]

Update.
I had not heard from the SC or manager for a week. My appointment is on the 16th. I decided to visit the SC yesterday (April 7th) and find out what they would do for me. I'm over 2 hours away (each way).

In my case, they would offer me ride-share credits. Approximately 100-150 $. But that wouldn't be sufficient to get me home and back to pick up my car.

My options:
1 - reschedule for a morning appointment and hope it is done the same day
2 - rent a car or hotel.
3 - wait x months for a mobile appointment or get a lucky cancellation

Rivian is in a position to control the service experience, unlike most car manufacturers. But not all SC follow the same rules. If they did, IMO this current policy wouldn't survive.

The rules/policy:

1 - service > 48 hrs - offer rental or loaner
2 - same day service - maybe rideshare credits
3 - service overnight but < 48 hrs - rideshare credits

Rivian Corporate did not think this through. Or if they did, they clearly decided customers like me are not worth it. Rivian Corporate has put the SC and Customer Service in a difficult position.

Anyone who lives outside the rideshare area and whose vehicle is kept overnight faces having to make their own arrangements.

A possible tweak - customers without access to rideshare services or who are > 100 miles from nearest SC are provided a rental or loaner.

Sounds like they are bracing for R2. The number of owners will double over the next 18 months. They might want to get their policies in place before the shitstorm hits.

R2 owners are also a much different market than R1 owners. The service experience will prove that true. There are only so many loaners and worse - only so many lifts / stalls to perform service.

Rivian better start expanding their service network or bringing other service CHAINS into the fold now before their limited capacity kills them.

Most R1 owners can get by for a day or two without a car. We won’t like it, but most of us will be ok. We bought a $100k car, after all. That’s not the market buying an R2.

R2 is hitting a market that competes with the family RAV4 or might be somebody’s only car. If reliability is similar to the R1’s, and the service experience overall doesn’t change, it’s going to get ugly.

Im in favor of the SC‘s keeping the uber credits flowing if a customer is dropping off their car. It’s the least they can do. Even better is a fleet of R2’s for loaners once sales demand is met.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

Just dropped my R1S off at Eastvale and had no problem getting a loaner. They didn't try to push Uber/Lyft credits at all. No way this is going to last once the R2 comes out!

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