Love my R1S, but frustrated by a "Principle of the Matter" Service Issue (Stuck Charging Cable)

[Soldier4Life]

I want to start by saying I absolutely love my R1S. It is hands-down the best vehicle I have ever owned. I find myself talking about it to anyone who will listen—my wife actually jokes that I’m basically a volunteer salesman for Rivian because of how much I talk it up to strangers.

That’s why I’m so disappointed by a recent experience regarding a mechanical glitch and a subsequent "denied" refund from service support. It’s not about the $2.50 fee; it’s about the principle and not wanting a "violation" on my account record.

The Incident:
While charging recently, the cable became completely stuck in my R1S. I tried the UI release and the manual release, but the locking pin wouldn’t move. I called Rivian Roadside Assistance through the app for help. While on the phone, another Rivian owner next to me mentioned she’d had the exact same issue and felt like she was going to break the port trying to force it off.

The Troubleshooting & The "Fix":
The Roadside agent had me perform a hard start (reboot) of the vehicle, but it didn't work. Before hanging up, the agent explicitly told me that if I was charged an idle fee during this process, I should call Rivian back and they would process a refund.

After the reboot failed, I walked away from the vehicle for a moment to hear my phone conversation better. The R1S proximity-locked as I walked away. When I walked back toward the car and it unlocked, I heard the mechanism click—it seems the proximity lock/unlock cycle finally reset the locking pin. I was finally able to pull the cable off.

The Support Disconnect:
I followed Roadside’s instructions and requested a refund for the $2.50 idle fee that accrued while the car was stuck. The other day, I received a voicemail from Service Support (transcript attached) denying the request. They claimed they "couldn't determine" if it was the fault of the charging station.

The Principle:

1. Contradiction: One department (Roadside) promised a resolution, and another (Service) denied it.
2. Clear Vehicle Issue: Since a proximity lock/unlock cycle is what eventually released the pin, this was clearly a software/hardware glitch on the vehicle side, not the charger.
3. Account Integrity: I don't want a record of "idle fee violations" on my account when I was literally on a recorded line with Rivian support trying to free my vehicle.

Has anyone else found that the lock/unlock cycle is a "secret fix" for a stuck pin? And has anyone had success escalating a small billing issue like this when it’s clearly a matter of principle?

I want to keep being a "salesman" for this brand, but these types of service gaps make it hard

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[CANCERDOC]

I agree a 2.50 refund is trivial for customer service. Did the agent on the phone suggest you lock and unlock the vehicle? If the vehicle is locked, it will not release the plug.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

Charge it back to Rivian and move on, my friend.

 

[Soldier4Life]

I agree a 2.50 refund is trivial for customer service. Did the agent on the phone suggest you lock and unlock the vehicle? If the vehicle is locked, it will not release the plug.

No, customer service didn’t suggest locking and unlocking at all. Instead, they had me do a full hard start of the vehicle, which didn’t even work.

I actually realized the lock/unlock fix myself. I had previously thought about the locking mechanism while charging at school, wondering how to prevent people from messing with my charging session. I put two and two together and realized the pin must be tied to the door locks.

The agent didn’t provide the solution, yet they are the ones who promised the refund they are now denying. I agree $2.50 is trivial, but being penalized for a hardware glitch—especially when I’m the one who had to figure out the fix—is a matter of principle for me.

 

[CANCERDOC]

No, customer service didn’t suggest locking and unlocking at all. Instead, they had me do a full hard start of the vehicle, which didn’t even work.

I actually realized the lock/unlock fix myself. I had previously thought about the locking mechanism while charging at school, wondering how to prevent people from messing with my charging session. I put two and two together and realized the pin must be tied to the door locks.

The agent didn’t provide the solution, yet they are the ones who promised the refund they are now denying. I agree $2.50 is trivial, but being penalized for a hardware glitch—especially when I’m the one who had to figure out the fix—is a matter of principle for me.

it’s not a fix. It’s just a normal function that when the vehicle is locked the charging plug is also locked in.

 

[Soldier4Life]

it’s not a fix. It’s just a normal function that when the vehicle is locked the charging plug is also locked in.

Actually, the car was already unlocked the whole time I was struggling with it. The reason I call it a 'fix' is because the pin was physically stuck and wouldn't retract through the screen or manual release.

I only thought to try the lock/unlock toggle because of a thought I had while charging at school once. That cycle is what finally forced the jammed mechanism to reset and release the cable. If it were just 'normal function,' the UI release or the first unlock should have worked.

 

[SwaziCAR]

If spending this much time on a $2.50 issue is that important to you, most of us won't be able to help you. I agree they should refund the money, but write a letter and move on.

 

[Time2Roll]

$2.50??? Forget the letter, email or post.... just move on. Customer service did their best and maybe that person came up short this time. The vehicle is running, time to get on down the road.

 

[SwampNut]

LOL, that’s a hell of a diatribe for $2.50. Even if you had AI make it ridiculously long and hard to read. “A record of idle fees” is hilarious though. It’s on your PERMANENT RECORD!

 

[rhumbliner]

The Violent Femmes had the perfect response in Kiss Off:

[Verse 2]
I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record
Oh, yeah?
Well, don't get so distressed
Did I happen to mention that I'm impressed?

 

[BTOR]

I want to start by saying I absolutely love my R1S. It is hands-down the best vehicle I have ever owned. I find myself talking about it to anyone who will listen—my wife actually jokes that I’m basically a volunteer salesman for Rivian because of how much I talk it up to strangers.

That’s why I’m so disappointed by a recent experience regarding a mechanical glitch and a subsequent "denied" refund from service support. It’s not about the $2.50 fee; it’s about the principle and not wanting a "violation" on my account record.

The Incident:
While charging recently, the cable became completely stuck in my R1S. I tried the UI release and the manual release, but the locking pin wouldn’t move. I called Rivian Roadside Assistance through the app for help. While on the phone, another Rivian owner next to me mentioned she’d had the exact same issue and felt like she was going to break the port trying to force it off.

The Troubleshooting & The "Fix":
The Roadside agent had me perform a hard start (reboot) of the vehicle, but it didn't work. Before hanging up, the agent explicitly told me that if I was charged an idle fee during this process, I should call Rivian back and they would process a refund.

After the reboot failed, I walked away from the vehicle for a moment to hear my phone conversation better. The R1S proximity-locked as I walked away. When I walked back toward the car and it unlocked, I heard the mechanism click—it seems the proximity lock/unlock cycle finally reset the locking pin. I was finally able to pull the cable off.

The Support Disconnect:
I followed Roadside’s instructions and requested a refund for the $2.50 idle fee that accrued while the car was stuck. The other day, I received a voicemail from Service Support (transcript attached) denying the request. They claimed they "couldn't determine" if it was the fault of the charging station.

The Principle:

1. Contradiction: One department (Roadside) promised a resolution, and another (Service) denied it.
2. Clear Vehicle Issue: Since a proximity lock/unlock cycle is what eventually released the pin, this was clearly a software/hardware glitch on the vehicle side, not the charger.
3. Account Integrity: I don't want a record of "idle fee violations" on my account when I was literally on a recorded line with Rivian support trying to free my vehicle.

Has anyone else found that the lock/unlock cycle is a "secret fix" for a stuck pin? And has anyone had success escalating a small billing issue like this when it’s clearly a matter of principle?

I want to keep being a "salesman" for this brand, but these types of service gaps make it hard

I'm with you, it's the "principle", not the dollar amount. At least they could acknowledge their mistake, even if they don't refund the money. Having said that, don't lose sleep over it if they don't make good. Your "mental health" will thank you.

 

[davei3]

I’m with you on the principle of the matter!

My R1S charging cable was stuck from day 1 of ownership, but seemingly only level 2 chargers. At the time I also didn’t know there was a manual release (which worked well, but only Chat GPT told me about it, not Rivian). Reboots and lock/unlock cycles wouldn’t fix it. Coincidentally, after they changed my 12V battery for that unrelated issue last fall, I could hear the pin actuator actually working in the car. It never did before.

Why it never got stuck with level 3 is beyond me.

Customer service did do right by me, however. Once when the cable was stuck, I pushed so hard on the thumb button of the cable that it broke the tab off the plug. Rivian is taking care of the replacement costs.

 

[iansriv]

Thank you for your service. I agree on the principle. You are the only one that can decide if this is worth your time and stress.

 

[NY_Rob]

You can go back and forth to your heart's desire with Rivian, but at one point when they've had enough they might hit you with the old "well, that person was not authorized to offer you a refund" response. Not much you can do when they go that route. I had that happen multiple times with our cable company, I even call them now from my office line which records every conversation.. still doesn't matter when they rest their case with "the rep was not authorized to offer that" reply.

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