Can I change Rivian Guides?

[KeithPleas]

My guide (assigned back in September, took delivery last week) has been responsive and polite but I don't think I've had a substantive communication since September when he had - briefly - an ability to match me to a BM interior that was built / being built. I declined and then that capability was moved to central order processing.

The only added value is that he was able to tell me when my Shop selected vehicle was in transit and arrived at the SC - the app / page just showed "Delivery begins sOOn".

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[rapPayne]

Rivian told us early in the process that our guides will be studied up on the tax incentives available to me and/or know who to talk to. Nobody's expecting them to be a CPA, but they can point us to resources. So when I got a guide assigned I asked them. Their answer was effectively "Go ask your tax guy. That's not my job." Of course they said it in a more professional way, but that was the gist. I had hoped they'd do more than the minimum for us. It just seemed like a half-hearted response.

I thought maybe another guide would be more proactive.

Thanks for your replies, but every person read something I didn't write. I said "Nobody's expecting them to be a CPA, but they can point us to resources"

I'm not asking for tax advice.

All I'm asking my guide for is "If you're a US citizen, here's a link to how to get your Federal incentive. Oh, you're in Oklahoma? Here's a link to the Oklahoma state incentives".

That's not out of line for us to think that someone at Rivian is maintaining that list somewhere. Nor is it out of line to think that a guide would ask the others in a team meeting or something where that list might be.

 

[COdogman]

Thanks for your replies, but every person read something I didn't write. I said "Nobody's expecting them to be a CPA, but they can point us to resources"

I'm not asking for tax advice.

All I'm asking my guide for is "If you're a US citizen, here's a link to how to get your Federal incentive. Oh, you're in Oklahoma? Here's a link to the Oklahoma state incentives".

That's not out of line for us to think that someone at Rivian is maintaining that list somewhere. Nor is it out of line to think that a guide would ask the others in a team meeting or something where that list might be.

Rivian has sent out guidance about the federal incentives. They sent information before the IRA was passed last year, they offered a BPA to customers who had ordered but likely wouldn’t take delivery before the end of the year, and they just sent another email this week with a link to an IRS form.

Expecting Rivian to be an expert on the insane web of state laws and EV incentives/ non-incentives is actually “out of line”. Also, they never said they would as you claimed.

The reason you keep getting told to ask a CPA is because they are experts in federal and state tax laws. That’s who you should be getting tax advice from, not a Truck manufacturer.

 

[5cats]

I'll be your Rivian Guide for today. Here's all I'm allowed to say about the tax credit:

Without a binding contract:
https://rivian.com/support/article/what-vehicle-incentives-do-i-qualify-for
https://rivian.com/support/article/...t-impact-my-eligibility-for-the-electric-vehi

With a binding contract:
https://rivian.com/support/article/...EV-tax-credit-using-a-binding-order-agreement

This concludes my service.

I have seen many helpful posts on this forum, and I think this is the the best one so far.
Thanks!

 

[rapPayne]

Rivian has sent out guidance about the federal incentives. They sent information before the IRA was passed last year, they offered a BPA to customers who had ordered but likely wouldn’t take delivery before the end of the year, and they just sent another email this week with a link to an IRS form.

Expecting Rivian to be an expert on the insane web of state laws and EV incentives/ non-incentives is actually “out of line”. Also, they never said they would as you claimed.

The reason you keep getting told to ask a CPA is because they are experts in federal and state tax laws. That’s who you should be getting tax advice from, not a Truck manufacturer.

They never told *you*, but they did tell me that. All I asked for in this thread was if we could change guides.

 

[rapPayne]

This is exactly how it works in my business - if someone asks specific tax advice, I have to preface it with “I cannot provide specific tax advice for your situation…”

That said, I did ask for a new guide and was politely and essentially told no. They weren’t switching me. While I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, I believe mine was laid off and I was reassigned a few weeks later and since then the process has been amazing so I do understand how it can impact your experience.

Thank you for a helpful response. You read what I asked and answered it. You rule!

 

[COdogman]

They never told *you*, but they did tell me that. All I asked for in this thread was if we could change guides.

You seem to be conflating “Rivian” with a random Rivian employee who was obviously not your current guide. IF someone who works for Rivian told you that, you should not have believed it, nor should you want to get tax advice from a truck manufacturer.

And your stated reason for wanting to change guides is BECAUSE they wouldn’t give that advice, which is even more odd….they are doing you a favor and you aren’t even aware of it.

 

[Dark-Fx]

You seem to be conflating “Rivian” with a random Rivian employee who was obviously not your current guide. IF someone who works for Rivian told you that, you should not have believed it, nor should you want to get tax advice from a truck manufacturer.

And your stated reason for wanting to change guides is BECAUSE they wouldn’t give that advice, which is even more odd….they are doing you a favor and you aren’t even aware of it.

Maybe that was just one of the reasons. Rivian Legal has probably trained them to not provide tax advice even if they think they know the answer. Should they still be able to point people to Rivian's service articles? Maybe. I imagine the people in the Rivian chat would be able to do that.

At least if the guide is getting back to you and telling you they can't do something, that's better than just being left to dry. My guides could be better but it's not like they are being paid to be my best friend. Some people just need to be reminded that the Guides are doing what they do as a job, and not everyone is completely obsessed about all the minutia of EV and Rivian ownership as some of the posters here are.

If I had to be a guide, I imagine it would probably reduce my interests overall quite a bit.

 

[rapPayne]

Maybe that was just one of the reasons. Rivian Legal has probably trained them to not provide tax advice even if they think they know the answer. Should they still be able to point people to Rivian's service articles? Maybe. I imagine the people in the Rivian chat would be able to do that.

At least if the guide is getting back to you and telling you they can't do something, that's better than just being left to dry. My guides could be better but it's not like they are being paid to be my best friend. Some people just need to be reminded that the Guides are doing what they do as a job, and not everyone is completely obsessed about all the minutia of EV and Rivian ownership as some of the posters here are.

If I had to be a guide, I imagine it would probably reduce my interests overall quite a bit.

Great perspective. You are right. Thanks for the helpful input, Brian.

 

[COdogman]

Maybe that was just one of the reasons. Rivian Legal has probably trained them to not provide tax advice even if they think they know the answer. Should they still be able to point people to Rivian's service articles? Maybe. I imagine the people in the Rivian chat would be able to do that.

At least if the guide is getting back to you and telling you they can't do something, that's better than just being left to dry. My guides could be better but it's not like they are being paid to be my best friend. Some people just need to be reminded that the Guides are doing what they do as a job, and not everyone is completely obsessed about all the minutia of EV and Rivian ownership as some of the posters here are.

If I had to be a guide, I imagine it would probably reduce my interests overall quite a bit.

Maybe it was just one reason, but that was the reason he stated. OP seems to really want very specific tax advice from a car manufacturer instead of simply getting it from a professional.

Agree 100% on the guides in general. Honestly I wouldn’t want their job. Rivian doesn’t seem to give them access to much information that might help them give better customer service. Mine is great, but I only contact him once or twice a month to check in. I know he is limited in what he can tell me so there is no point in constantly bugging him. He’s also a really nice guy so I just check in to see how he’s doing in general.

Plus, some people are just bad at their jobs, guides included. We certainly have read stories with really bad service from guides. Others seem pretty great. Story as old as time itself…

 

[Kacey3]

Between this thread and the "Swag" thread, it sounds like the Guide experience is very different from one to the next... you know, like normal people. That said, my Guide has been one of the "least effort possible" kind of guides. Nearly all of her responses have been "put in a service ticket." even when I was just looking for information.

I, for one, think it would be a great job and would love to be the first contact for Rivian customers. But I'm a compulsive helper and love the brand.

 

[rapPayne]

Maybe it was just one reason, but that was the reason he stated. OP seems to really want very specific tax advice from a car manufacturer instead of simply getting it from a professional.

No, it wasn't. I wanted zero advice. Just to have them point me to some resources as a Rivian person told me they would early on. Sorry you got the wrong impression from my questions.

 

[rapPayne]

Between this thread and the "Swag" thread, it sounds like the Guide experience is very different from one to the next... you know, like normal people. That said, my Guide has been one of the "least effort possible" kind of guides. Nearly all of her responses have been "put in a service ticket." even when I was just looking for information.

I, for one, think it would be a great job and would love to be the first contact for Rivian customers. But I'm a compulsive helper and love the brand.

Yeah Kacey. That was my experience also. I had an unrealistic expectation that the guides were more empowered, more informed, more proactive. Your post is helpful because it shows my guide experience isn't unusual. I'll reset my expectation. I appreciate you!

 

[Kacey3]

Yeah Kacey. That was my experience also. I had an unrealistic expectation that the guides were more empowered, more informed, more proactive. Your post is helpful because it shows my guide experience isn't unusual. I'll reset my expectation. I appreciate you!

At the end of the day, they are just people... some are going to do exactly what is required of them and others are going to go above and beyond.

 

[Thedude]

Yeah Kacey. That was my experience also. I had an unrealistic expectation that the guides were more empowered, more informed, more proactive. Your post is helpful because it shows my guide experience isn't unusual. I'll reset my expectation. I appreciate you!

They’re just car salesmen by a different name, nothing special.

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