Rivian’s Sales Approach

[MidnightRun]

Your experience with your local Lexus dealer is not the norm, the latter experience helping a family member is the norm. I am so fed up with the sleezy car dealers, ( unwanted forced add ons such has carpet sealers, lo-jack, wheel locks, etc; hours of haggling, bait and switch, attempts to add extra charges when signing the paperwork) never again for me when there's a direct sales alternative.

I would agree that my Lexus experience was augmented by knowing someone that worked there. But even shopping at another Lexus dealer, the experience was not as bad as the lower end Toyota brand. That was my worst experience and I’ve even bought a few used cars that were better.

I do agree though that what I experienced at Toyota is prevelant in the market. It’s a major turnoff.

I shopped at Park Place Lexus locally for the GX and I asked what add ons they would add to MSRP for the GX. He told me the $1900 protection package. I said I’m particular about the tint and PPF I use, and he said no problem, we will take it off.

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[mkg3]

I’m simply pointing out that if they need to sell more cars, they have room for improvement outside of their Spaces. That’s just my humble opinion.

We agree.

Rivian needs more products so R2/R3 will help immensely.

 

[TexasBob]

If you buy a car from Sewell here in Dallas...

Glad you had a good experience with them. My experience with Sewell (Cadillac Houston) is one of the (many) reasons I would never ever buy another vehicle from an OEM that sells through stealerships.

But, yes, Rivian staff need to be much more expert in their vehicles.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

I’ve been blessed on my last two Lexus purchases as a fellow Lexus enthusiast worked at a local dealer. He coordinated everything for me and I just showed up, signed, and drove off. No extras. No hassle. I told him the spec I wanted to buy down to wheel and tire swapping that he accommodated for me. I told him my price based on discounts other recent owners were reporting. It was such a breeze.

i did help negotiate a Camry purchase for a family member and that was an entire day headache but I got it done. I can understand how no one looks forward to that.

I’ll be honest, if you are going to compare anything to Lexus service, Lexus always wins. They are awesome. Great experiences there every time.

Rivian deserves some slack. But, it’s been 3 years and the issues are growing with no long term vision to address them.

 

[McLovin]

My test drive was done on our way to the airport (SC is in Gaithersburg, MD, and we were flying out of BWI). The salesperson took the drive with us, and went over everything in the truck. As others have mentioned, I had already researched most of the vehicle, but did learn a few new things from her.

But, what I loved the most about the experience was…there was no “hard sell”…no “what can I do to get you in one today?” We were on a tight schedule due to our flight, and she was very accommodating. All in all, possibly the best experience as far as test driving a vehicle in almost 40 years.

 

[John G.]

I’ve been to the Rivian SC twice to test drive a Gen 1 R1S and most recently a Gen 2 R1S.

What role did the SC test drive play in your buying decision?

I knew I wanted an R1T and ordered one before I even got a test-drive. I also had been reading about all the cool innovative features and benefits about a year before I got an appointment to test-drive one.

In my case, the test-drive just helped me confirm that waiting for such an awesome vehicle would be well worth it.

 

[Eeyore]

What role did the SC test drive play in your buying decision?

None once so ever. All I needed was a test drive to know I was a buyer.

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

At this stage, Rivian is mostly following the Tesla formula with the exception of prioritizing the customer experience.

I am a huge Rivian fan but I will be the first to tell anyone that if they need rock solid reliability or quick service Rivian is not a good choice.

I expect Rivian to continue to burn cash until R2 starts rolling and probably for a bit after that. Up to this point the manufacturing has been outpacing the growth of the service network...by A LOT...and that has caused a generally poor service experience all around. Now, the folks at my local service center are totally awesome...but....they are slammed! Right now the first available appointment at Gaithersburg, MD SC is mid December unless you have a critical issue. That's three months.

Rivian is opening another service center in Glen Burnie, MD soon to help lighten the workload for Gaithersburg.

I think a lull may be good for Rivian if they use it to grow the service network for their existing fleet in preparation for R2 which will sell in MUCH higher numbers than a 70k+ vehicle.

To me, at this juncture, Rivian needs to be honest with customers. It is much worse for Rivian to sell someone a vehicle who has the expectation of rock solid reliability and prompt convenient service. It isn't worth it to sell a unit and then lose future sales due to poor customer experience.

So my take on it is that I think they did exactly what they should do and tell you that it may not meet your expectations. Now, I don't want them shouting from the rooftops that you shouldn't buy one ..because you absolutely should if its a good fit for you. When asked directly about these things I think honest is the best policy...better to set expectations ahead of time then to try to manage after.

This is why I don't classify myself as a "Rivian fan boy". I give credit where its due but I also do the same with constructive criticism. Rivian needs the next year to work on their service network and get ready for R2 as R2 will be here quicker than we all think.

 

[McLovin]

Rivian is opening another service center in Glen Burnie, MD soon to help lighten the workload for Gaithersburg.

Interesting that they chose Glen Burnie, and not somewhere in Northern VA, given that our two choices right now are Gaithersburg or Richmond, and there are a lot of Rivians in this area. Hell, my company is 14 people, and two of us have R1Ts…

 

[PaythePiper]

I’m also cross shopping the GX550. I’m actually on the waitlist for a Luxury+.

I didn’t like the very tame and short test drive with the GX, but my salesperson was pretty knowledgeable and helpful. Like you, I’ve almost always known more about the car than the salesperson. That said, I think in most situations, the salesperson should have a list of quick hits that every potential owner should know. Even better, a list of questions to find out how the vehicle could fit into a customer’s needs.

We’ll probably end up with an R1S, Model X, or GX. My wife’s preference is:

Model X (Plaid)
R1S
GX

My Order:

R1S
Model X
GX

As much as I love the feel of EVs (we’ve never owned one), I have a feeling that if Lexus calls with our preferred spec, that’ll be the smart move for our family SUV.

I don’t know that I trust the Model X doors long term, though they seem like a great fit because we have a 1 and 3 year old.

The R1S seems like a huge gamble if it ends up in service a lot, as based on where Rivian is today, it would seriously inconvenience our family.

We’ll see what happens. My wife will just be happy when we have a new family car. lol.

Offroad capability was very important for us, so the GX550 Overtrail was the trim. But the 3rd row situation is laughable just like the Sequoia. With 3 kids, a 3rd row was a must and there isn't one on the overtrail.

As for an X, again no off-road capability. plus the rear storage is laughable with a larger family. love our Y though for commuter!!

Just took delivery yesterday of our R1S. I'm really starting to believe that the reliability thing is a tad overblown, or NOBODY with positive things come here. I want to put some more miles on ours before I give my official review. And i was pretty damn negative here with all the problems. Ours was fantastic with quality and such. SO FAR ANYWAY.

 

[kenyee]

FWIW I test drove at the Boston Space and was very impressed. Test drove with a knowledgeable guide. Answered all my questions. Wish the drive was longer (city so you can only do so much in 30min) but was told I could come back and do another demo.

Space was also nice...well laid out space and outshines a Tesla showroom in the area ?

 

[MidnightRun]

Offroad capability was very important for us, so the GX550 Overtrail was the trim. But the 3rd row situation is laughable just like the Sequoia. With 3 kids, a 3rd row was a must and there isn't one on the overtrail.

As for an X, again no off-road capability. plus the rear storage is laughable with a larger family. love our Y though for commuter!!

Just took delivery yesterday of our R1S. I'm really starting to believe that the reliability thing is a tad overblown, or NOBODY with positive things come here. I want to put some more miles on ours before I give my official review. And i was pretty damn negative here with all the problems. Ours was fantastic with quality and such. SO FAR ANYWAY.

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts as an R1S owner over time, especially since you also considered the GX and Model X.

Off road capability is not critical for us nor is the third row. We’re coming from a 3 car family of an NX, CT200h, and an IS-F. Unfortunately we’re down to just the IS-F due to some unfortunate accidents. We’d already been considering upsizing one of the cars for more room, but the recent events have accelerated our timing.

I like the more SUV nature of the R1S, the third row is a plus if we consider to grow our family beyond our two girls, but the storage is what really intrigued me too, plus the tech of an EV.

 

[Tucker74]

I kinda agree with whoever posted above that was waved off, if you’re expecting a white glove pamper me service experience this ain’t your brand. I had that at Audi, it was nice and I enjoyed the coffee until the warranty ran out and I was paying. I am sad to hear they are tossing folks the keys and saying have fun as it was not my experience as an early reservation holder. I got cold feet buying a $90k vehicle w/o driving it when my reservation came up, scheduled a drive and had an extremely knowledgeable service person ride along and point out everything (even though I had many months of internet knowledge). The new space in Austin is top notch, maybe come down for the weekend and ask away if they don’t have one in DFW yet.

 

[PaythePiper]

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts as an R1S owner over time, especially since you also considered the GX and Model X.

Off road capability is not critical for us nor is the third row. We’re coming from a 3 car family of an NX, CT200h, and an IS-F. Unfortunately we’re down to just the IS-F due to some unfortunate accidents. We’d already been considering upsizing one of the cars for more room, but the recent events have accelerated our timing.

I like the more SUV nature of the R1S, the third row is a plus if we consider to grow our family beyond our two girls, but the storage is what really intrigued me too, plus the tech of an EV.

I'm the biggest toyota/lexus fanboy you'll meet. And my opinions on the company as of now is this. It's a very boring brand. reliability. That's all they have going for them. Used to be price, but toyota has really priced themselves way higher than they should IMO. You seem to have owned the some of the best products they make, so I'm sure you were like me lol.

I was going to buy a prius because my lovely company made us go back to the office two day a week. I'm 55 miles one way to work. But I said screw it, and went all EV. Bought our model Y and we freakin love it. it's so cheap to run and its very fun to drive (and i don't even have the performance model). Fast forward to now, we decided to turn my Raptor and our 8 year old Sienna to one vehicle - a 3 row SUV that can hit some dirt. Now you get why rivian was on my radar. I hate gas cars now. they seem very archaic and horrible lol.

Rivian's reliability (again my toyota background) scared me a lot. But you can't deny the quality. I'm not going to compare my Y to the R1 - it's a 60k difference in price. But boy am I impressed 2 days in. With Gen 2 you can tell they tried to smooth things out. It rides very smooth. But i'll be honest- if rivian couldn't use tesla SC's I wouldn't have gone Rivian. The 3rd party chargers are trash and tesla's are fantastic. We looked at Yukon's, Expeditions, the GX and the Sequoia. For your needs the GX will work, and it isn't a bad option to consider. But man is EV awesome! (sorry for the long post lol) hit me up in IM whenever. I love talking cars!

 

[Zoidz]

...
Rivian should really consider offering SC installed running boards because a lot of people would buy them.

I posted the same here years ago. They should have offered factory running boards as an option instead of the camp kitchen from day one. Simple market research. Factory running boards would outsell camp kitchen 100 to 1, perhaps 1000 to 1, or more.

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