dleewla
Well-Known Member
Honestly, I think the guides are a failure. Not because of the guides but because of Rivian not being ready and putting them in position to succeed. Its a great idea, just hasn't executed well up till now. Feel bad for them doing the best they can with either handcuffs or little info.I don't think string along is the right phrase (meaning intentionally), I think that until the Guide receives a fresh script from the printer/fax machine, they will continue to do what they were trained to do and read the one they have. Last month is an example of this. Nothing is nefarious, just is what it is.
But again, I've allowed for the possibility of there being a handful of non-employee deliveries before the end of the year and he may very well be one. There are exceptions to everything and the only reliable information we have is for the whole. So, I'm just saying that if I were him (or others being told November), I'd put about 1% probability in a Guide timeline prior to final order and expect to receive it by end of Spring like they have provided guidance for, and if I'm asked to finalize an order before then, well then it's a nice surprise. Don't expect precision in an unprecise reality.
It's like being in the back of the line at a food truck, and asking the person making lobster rolls to give you an exact time when you will receive your roll even though there are dozens of people ahead of you in line and he's never made lobster rolls or operated a food truck before. He'll probably throw something out there, but I'd just file it away, and then ask again once I get to the front and place my order.
I'm hopeful they will turn into a nice value add later on, but I think in the short term it was a bad decision to roll them out now. There were only two things that could have happened - everything went according to plan and thus neutral, or what has happened and they were giving people who were inclined to rely on dates as promises false hope (with good intentions) and creating upheaval. They should have just had people finalizing orders with order processors when they were ready, not speculating about possible delivery dates far in advance. Again, noble cause but bad idea in hindsight. Then, they should have assigned a Guide after delivery.
Heck, maybe Rivian realized this themselves and why they stopped Guides reaching out. They provide nothing but potential negatives until delivery. I applaud them for trying something innovative but probably learned a lesson that if it ain't broke (order process), don't fix it because people will only crucify you for it.
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