Rivian deposit refund refusal

[COdogman]

On the planet where I live if I agree to things without reading it first, it’s my fault…. Not everyone else’s.

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[mkennedy1996]

On the planet where I live if I agree to things without reading it first, it’s my fault…. Not everyone else’s.

Right. But . . . Let's apply the reasonable person test. The request to confirm does not come with a delivery date. Would a reasonable person expect to receive an order confirmation request for an order that Rivian did not intend to deliver in the near future? Said another way, would a reasonable person expect a car company to ask for an order to be confirmed over a year before they intend to deliver it?

I am confident that I could convince a judge that Rivian would fail the reasonable person test in this case and require the deposit to be returned. While I am not a lawyer, I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express at some point.

 

[COdogman]

Right. But . . . Let's apply the reasonable person test. The request to confirm does not come with a delivery date. Would a reasonable person expect to receive an order confirmation request for an order that Rivian did not intend to deliver in the near future? Said another way, would a reasonable person expect a car company to ask for an order to be confirmed over a year before they intend to deliver it?

I am confident that I could convince a judge that Rivian would fail the reasonable person test in this case and require the deposit to be returned. While I am not a lawyer, I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express at some point.

That’s a fair question. If I were the judge I would probably ask if Rivian had promised any specific timeframe for delivery post confirmation. If not, then the customer should factor that into their decision whether they should confirm or not.

And if I were Rivian I would say how can we give someone a delivery window, then ask them to confirm, which may include changes to the order that may affect their ability to deliver int he promised timeframe?

 

[JWreck]

Wow tough crowd... I think its unfair that they asked the op to confirm an order 1 year out... If they offered a vehicle in the next 1-2 months. That would be reasonable, but, 1 year out. No one even knows if they would even offer the same vehicles a year out.

I put a deposit on my Taycan ($5k) for a 12-18 month delivery window - but it was fully refundable (and I did get it refunded as I found one that came in to my spec early).

So if even Porsche is willing to refund a (much larger) deposit, who does Rivian think they are?

Yes, getting out of a legal contract is tough luck. That doesn’t mean the company isn’t being ridiculous. Flame suit on.

 

[Golfer04]

I put a deposit on my Taycan ($5k) for a 12-18 month delivery window - but it was fully refundable (and I did get it refunded as I found one that came in to my spec early).

So if even Porsche is willing to refund a (much larger) deposit, who does Rivian think they are?

Yes, getting out of a legal contract is tough luck. That doesn’t mean the company isn’t being ridiculous. Flame suit on.

Rivian has done lots of $hitty things. This being just one. For instance they are legally obligated under the terms of THEIR warranty to fix the tonneau covers every time they broke. They decided not to and dared people to sue (btw, if you did sue their atty is in California and will settle).

In this case if the $1,000 was a big deal I would talk to a dealer about buying the Rivian from you upon purchase. They should be able to make some coin on it and you get your $1000 back.

 

[Headingley]

I'm fairly certain a "click" wouldn't hold up in a court of law (not that it should get to that point). However, it is in Rivian's best interest to refund the money. Keep asking and escalating. I don't think you'll find much sympathy in theses forums, but I think the majority of non-Rivian die hards would think you request is resonable.

 

[Jdcorbitt3]

OP can make more keeping the $1,000 with Rivian than putting it in the bank. As delivery time comes close, post here the specs and split the difference between. The current price and the contract price. I suspect there is several thousand dollars to be made, and saved by doing this. If it is the quad motor max pack That Rivian decided to delay indefinitely, I will do it with you.

 

[Kenmecca]

Ill bet there is no one on this thread that confirmed and then was hit with a 12 mo wait. Confirming implies that Rivian is locking in your config so they can start building it. It doesnt take 12 mos to build it and seems they want to lock people in so they can confirm demand in certain outlying areas it seems. Id escalate and threaten legal action.

 

[docwhiz]

Stinks but it is well documented that once you confirm you can't get a refund on the deposit.

Even when they delay delivery by more than a year?
That's outrageous.
They have an obligation beyond just taking your money.

 

[milliemc]

I put a deposit on an R1S in 2021. for quite a while my delivery window showed an estimate of 4th quarter 2023. In July 2023 my delivery estimate disappeared from my order. On 8/24/23 I received an email with a heading: "Action required: Please confirm your order". I assumed (wrongly) that my delivery was drawing near so I confirmed the order. The new delivery estimate did not appear until 11/30/23. It was for the 4th quarter of 2024! You can imagine my disappointment. I assume the delay was due to geographic undesirability ( I live in Bishop,CA). I gave up on the Rivian dream and bought a PHEV from the only car dealer in town. When I tried to get my deposit refunded, they refused saying I had confirmed my order. This seems extremely unfair as my delivery was well over a year (and who knows how much longer) away. This does not seem right and gives Rivian a poorer image than I once thought they deserved. I have sent an email similar to this post to Rivian and we will see what happens.

so sorry

 

[Dark-Fx]

Ill bet there is no one on this thread that confirmed and then was hit with a 12 mo wait. Confirming implies that Rivian is locking in your config so they can start building it. It doesnt take 12 mos to build it and seems they want to lock people in so they can confirm demand in certain outlying areas it seems. Id escalate and threaten legal action.

OP is price advantaged and Rivian is pushing their order past the refresh. Lemme go find my tiny violin if they really want to cancel.

 

[docwhiz]

OP is price advantaged and Rivian is pushing their order past the refresh. Lemme go find my tiny violin if they really want to cancel.

So Rivian has no obligation to deliver the car at the agreed price at any reasonable time in the future?

 

[Runinova]

Sorry to hear that you lost out! I too live in Bishop, CA and I placed a reservation in November 2022. I figured that due to my distance from the nearest service center, my reservation would be overlooked for some time to come. I changed my delivery location to a friend's address in Pahrump, NV (75 miles outside Last Vegas) last month, and I've since received my build request and delivery date (December 30th). I really do think our remote location makes a big difference when Rivian wants to fulfill our reservations!

 

[emoore]

So Rivian has no obligation to deliver the car at the agreed price at any reasonable time in the future?

No they don’t. That’s what the fine print says. We were lucky they kept the original orders at the same price. They didn’t have to at all.

 

[COdogman]

Ill bet there is no one on this thread that confirmed and then was hit with a 12 mo wait. Confirming implies that Rivian is locking in your config so they can start building it. It doesnt take 12 mos to build it and seems they want to lock people in so they can confirm demand in certain outlying areas it seems. Id escalate and threaten legal action.

OP assumes this is because of where he lives, but we know a couple months ago Rivian sent emails to many customers living outside the normal delivery radius offering them a chance to take delivery. His delay could be because of his configuration.

That “legal action” would get laughed out of court. The deposit agreements that we all signed never promised a specific timeline at all. ALL of us went into this with that knowledge. There is no implication of anything. The contracts and agreements are what they are….

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