Dealing with different Rivian?

[beyondgravity]

Whenever I read this forum or browse Reddit, I hear all these issues with Rivian as a car and how folks at Rivian service are not delivering, etc. I had simply an awesome experience when I purchased and the car got delivered. My guide jumped through the hoops to make it happen and made it happen sooner. He underpromised and over delivered with my pre-Mar cancelled/re-instated order. So I thought, maybe, I had a good guide.

Then, this week, I had to take my R1S for few items like - fix the seal on the back, a plastic tab at the bottom was missing etc.. The team at Brooklyn Service center went way beyond minimum needed e.g. the service counselor thought there was a panel gap and got it fixed; importantly they were open about it & few other items. I had initially thought that since it is a quarter-push around Christmas time/New Year, I should probably reschedule; but decided to follow through. I was regularly updated and got delivered the car the day they said they would.

We did have a ski trip during the time R1S was in the service center and they even arranged us a car with roof rack to carry the skis through enterprise. I really find them caring towards their customers. We are forever Rivian customers, even if some of our future interactions are not up to the mark; as life is never linear.

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[Npa201]

That’s good to hear. I see in your NJ and I absolutely dread the idea of having to take the R1S to Brooklyn from Northern NJ just from a traffic perspective. Do they always give a loaner at that center? Or will they sometimes give Uber credits like Tesla (was not a fan of that). I picked up my vehicle this week in Mahwah NJ earlier this week at a temporary pickup site (that was < 5 miles from my house which was a HUGE win). Would absolutely love if they consider making that site or a nearby site permanent. Would suspect a lot of people from the tri-state area would prefer that over having to go to Brooklyn just from a traffic perspective.

 

[PowerBugs]

Glad you have a great experience and wish we have the same. I guess it depends on which service center you go. When you have a 2-month wait to get an appointment, then you know…

 

[Rivdog]

I’m nearly 5 weeks without my Rivian because it’s at a private repair shop due to a deep scratch on the door and a dented fender…I cannot tell ya’ll how much I miss having my Rivian. Every vehicle has things that can annoy you, but going 5 weeks without it really reminds me how much I love that truck.

 

[RexRemus]

This is the internet reality - no one gets on the internet to share how great their vehicle is working every day, they get on to seek help for a problem, or to complain or seek commiseration/get internet asspats. So any forum - ANY - tends to be heavily weighted toward "look at this one cool thing I did" and "holy shit this thing is a dumpster fire!"

If you read the "enthusiast" forums for any given device - your impression is that there's nothing but issues and every employee is an incompetent fool. I mod for a digital music modeler discord - 10s of thousands sold - no one says how great it is, they just use it, but everyone shares when things go wrong. it's not any different from what you see here. it's just how these things work. no one gets online to post "yet another great day with my Rivian today!" You just go out and enjoy your great day.

 

[beyondgravity]

That’s good to hear. I see in your NJ and I absolutely dread the idea of having to take the R1S to Brooklyn from Northern NJ just from a traffic perspective. Do they always give a loaner at that center? Or will they sometimes give Uber credits like Tesla (was not a fan of that). I picked up my vehicle this week in Mahwah NJ earlier this week at a temporary pickup site (that was < 5 miles from my house which was a HUGE win). Would absolutely love if they consider making that site or a nearby site permanent. Would suspect a lot of people from the tri-state area would prefer that over having to go to Brooklyn just from a traffic perspective.

I didn’t even know there is a Mahwah, NJ location. You learn everyday! I do think they give the loaner always; but I could be wrong. Next time, whenever it is, I can ask them.

It is a long drive for me, since I am in Hunterdon county; but we make it a trip to go to the city, have lunch, shop, etc.

 

[beyondgravity]

I’m nearly 5 weeks without my Rivian because it’s at a private repair shop due to a deep scratch on the door and a dented fender…I cannot tell ya’ll how much I miss having my Rivian. Every vehicle has things that can annoy you, but going 5 weeks without it really reminds me how much I love that truck.

I so agree. I had a rental as Audi Q5. It is so hard to go back to gas from EV. I complained to my wife all the time in our ski trip and she agreed.

 

[entsurv]

I so agree. I had a rental as Audi Q5. It is so hard to go back to gas from EV. I complained to my wife all the time in our ski trip and she agreed.

I was without my truck for eight weeks while getting a rear door/gear tunnel door repair (I thought he was letting me into the adjacent lane, but no, he was looking at his phone) and having to drive the Dodge Charger rental was embarrassing! I've had Ford, Jeep, Chevy, Mazda, Toyota - nothing compares to you, R1T.

 

[Deacon]

Whenever I read this forum or browse Reddit, I hear all these issues with Rivian as a car and how folks at Rivian service are not delivering, etc. I had simply an awesome experience when I purchased and the car got delivered. My guide jumped through the hoops to make it happen and made it happen sooner. He underpromised and over delivered with my pre-Mar cancelled/re-instated order. So I thought, maybe, I had a good guide.

Then, this week, I had to take my R1S for few items like - fix the seal on the back, a plastic tab at the bottom was missing etc.. The team at Brooklyn Service center went way beyond minimum needed e.g. the service counselor thought there was a panel gap and got it fixed; importantly they were open about it & few other items. I had initially thought that since it is a quarter-push around Christmas time/New Year, I should probably reschedule; but decided to follow through. I was regularly updated and got delivered the car the day they said they would.

We did have a ski trip during the time R1S was in the service center and they even arranged us a car with roof rack to carry the skis through enterprise. I really find them caring towards their customers. We are forever Rivian customers, even if some of our future interactions are not up to the mark; as life is never linear.

I have over 30,000 miles on my R1T and have had no issues. My guide was fantastic and the Richmond service center has been exceptionally responsive when I did need something done. So far no complaints. And I love my truck!!

 

[COdogman]

I had a little confusion in the early going when my first guide disappeared, but a couple months later I got a new guide who was amazing and helped me over the finish line. Purchase process and delivery were by far my favorite of any vehicle I have ever bought. As easy as it gets. 6 months and 7k miles later I have had 0 issues.

That said, just because my experience has been amazing, it doesn’t mean others haven’t been treated differently or had an excessive amount of issues with their Rivians. That can really change your view on a brand even when you try to stay neutral. I understand why those folks have concerns and complaints. My experience was not their experience.

I strongly believe Rivian and its employees believe in what they are doing and want to get better, which is really all I can ask of a company I deal with.

 

[moosetags]

We have also had a very good experience with Rivian and our R1T. We took Factory Delivery in Normal in April of this year. Our Guide was good, and the whole purchase process went well. The delivery at the Factory was excellent and included a factory tour. One of the delivery technicians took SuEllyn for a delivery familiarization drive around Normal and spent more than an hour with her.

We have had Opal now for eight months and have logged 4,400 miles. We have not had any issues with her which is very good since we are over 300 miles from the nearest Rivian Service Center. Fortunately, there is a Discount Tire about 40 miles away in Panama City that can do a tire rotation and wheel balance for us.

We absolutely love this truck. Our son in Jacksonville has an R1S and loves his also.

Brian

 

[k3g]

I strongly believe Rivian and its employees believe in what they are doing and want to get better, which is really all I can ask of a company I deal with.

Every single Rivian employee I've interacted with has been stoked about what they're building, and is working hard to improve things.

My experience in purchasing was great. I've had a few service interactions, ranging from dropping it off for two days, all the way to a total truck failure to charge while on a cross country road trip. In the latter one, the SC crew helped me move my crossbars+rooftent over to a loaner truck just to keep me on the road. Absolute legends.

I think Rivian is experiencing growing pains. The Service Centers were understaffed for a while, but they're on the upswing there. For comparison, the SC near me went from ~20 employees to more than 100 during this year in order to keep up with demand. They're working hard to close the gap.

Most people don't bother to go onto the internet to talk about the good times: They just smile, pick their vehicle up, and get back to normal life.

 

[Greg Chick]

One observation is the people that buy certain things, they themselves are of a certain demographic. The common demographic of a Rivian buyer leans towards OCD, engineer, sort of person. As such, details matter and are observed and confronted.
OCD is a functional disposition, and some people use or deal with it differently.
I see the pioneering progressive product here as a very bold and brave step for both the makers and buyers, I give us all an A.

With special recognition to the Yellow Pet Guy with the headband.

 

[Mikebike97]

Maybe the guides and SC personnel who are doing an excellent job deserve to be recognized here.

 

[NineElectrics]

It depends on the service center. Some of them are extremely overloaded, but Rivian still sells additional cars into their service area anyway. If your SC has capacity, great!

Rivian will eventually follow Tesla into service center hell everywhere once margins drop, though. R1T leasing is effectively a price cut, and Rivian is spending big on R2 capacity they won’t be able to use.

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