RJ, Rivian Service is Broken

[hekhl00]

I don't like to complain but I do believe that Rivian needs to be aware, if they were not, of the situation with the service center in Tampa, FL. I have been driving a rental car for 8 days now without any idea when my R1S is going to be serviced. It has about 6,000 miles and it needs suspension service plus a few other details, including a noisy AC unit that seems ready to take off. I think Rivian is bleeding money by this lack of proper scheduling. I told them that I didn't need to be driving a rental (GMC Acadia) if they had told me that the service was falling behind. I was happy to reschedule as my car was drivable. That day, June 5th, they told me that was going to take 2-3 weeks as they didn't have enough help around. Sad. I work at a boat dealership and now very well how customers can make you successful or take your brand down, according to how good your post sale service is and how secure they feel.

My R1T is also at the Tampa SC right now. But it was the same when I took it to Orlando. Why in the world do they tell us to bring it in at 9 AM on a Wednesday when they know good and well they won’t touch it for at least a week? And give us rentals the whole time to boot? I mean I appreciate the rental but just tell me to bring it in when you’re ready to work on it.

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[RivAW]

I love my R1T. I am an early adopter, having received my truck in March of 2022. I am also a shareholder. Those things said, Rivian service is downright painful. In my current encounter, I dropped my truck at the temporary service center in Trenton, NJ eight days ago for the tonneau cover update and a comprehensive inspection.

I‘ll Spare you the details of how difficult it was just to get the status of my repair. My truck has not been taken into the shop yet. “When should I schedule a day to come pick it up? We don’t know yet. When will it go into the shop. We don’t know.” I can see the writing on the wall. When they finally look at my truck, they will find that they need a part. I will be driving this wonderful Chrysler minivan for weeks. I cannot arrange my life around an unknown pickup date. This is not the service I was promised when I purchased the vehicle and it is certainly one of the worst customer service experiences of my life.

RJ, this is fixable. It is costing company money, prestige and customers.

Absolutely agreed. They should have gotten rid of the mostly useless guide program a long time ago and focused on service center development and operations.
The one closest to me is generally good, but can’t even provide an accurate estimate for a tire rotation. They literally couldn’t come up with the information or explain when they wanted to charge ~$100 extra for a “complimentary vehicle inspection” which wasn’t requested (and literally says “complimentary”….

The SC mess can and should be a major focus for improvement if Rivian is interested in keeping their customers…

 

[nc10]

I think it’s more of a “not enough service centers in regions where there are more Rivians.”

Fixing items correctly the first time would help a lot also. Although I like my truck a lot, I suspect the big problem is still poor reliability and poor "repairibility". Just too many vehicles need fixing, and repairs are complicated. It took 4 visits over a year an a half to get to where I could fast charge my truck more than once after a SC visit. Its been 2 years and my AC still needs fixing. Its been worked on and recharged on each of those 4 visits, they tell tell me the can't find a leak, so it works for 2-3 months after a SC visit, till i notice it is degrading over time. 5th SC visit pending.

 

[jemkewl]

Same situation at the Brooklyn SC right now. I scheduled a tonneau cover replacement 16 weeks out. Confirmed 4 separate times at 3 week intervals I would have it fixed same day; received several details how it would take 4 hours and has over 200 screws, etc. A week prior we were all set with last confirmation. Scheduled a 10am visit since I need to drive 125 miles to get there. Took a day off of work, made arrangements for wife and kids, etc. since I'd be gone for whole day.

Get a call 2 days prior that they'll need the truck for 7 to 11 days.

They've now had the truck for 5 days with the hope that it might be fixed by the 26th. The truck hasn't been moved in 5 days at the SC and is now below 20% battery sitting outside in the hot sun.

A lot more complications and grievances with this "adventure" Rivian has provided, but more I've kept it short and would agree with the same as others have described:
1) Inability to fulfill promises and obligations
2) Service staff are all extremely nice, but apparently are uniformed / lack ability to share actionable information within Rivian's walls
3) Concierge pickup is no longer a flatbed service, but where they drive the truck on your behalf
4) Timeliness of of the work to be done VS the time they have your vehicle would be highly complimented if it was only noted to be inefficient

The amount of money this costs Rivian in hard dollars has to be close to 8 figures a year and maybe near 9 figures in soft costs.

 

[Yossarian]

As a new Rivian owner of some 10 days, reading through this thread was not particularly comforting. Worse, as a new Rivian owner living in a part of the world where my service location options are presently limited to Brooklyn & Gaithersburg, it was more than a bit disconcerting to read of the experieinces of Rivian owners with those SC's. I'm actually only about 55 miles from the the Trenton SC (the other two are 135 and 155 miles away respecively) but I was told that it is no longer available to schedule and is taking only vehicles with serious driveability issues.

What does give me some hope is that my R1T seems quire well put together, though in the 10 days I've owned her, the longest drive I've taken was to my home in the Philly suburbs from the delivery center in Mahwah, NJ. An aside: I grew up only a few miles from Mahwah, and knew from my teen years that it was the home of Lester William Polsfuss, far better known as the legendary gitarist/inventor Les Paul. We actually used to drive by his mansion in Mahwah, hoping to get a glimpse of him, or of one of the many other artists he often hosted, or at least was supposed to host, at his home recording studio. There were always rumors: "Did you hear that Clapton was at Les's last weekend - and Jeff Beck's gonna be recording there next week?", but the only artist we ever saw (or thought we saw) there was Buddy Miles, and even that was through a darkened limo window in the long driveway of his mansion.

Back to delivery. It was actually a very positive experience and I spent more than 2-1/2 hours with my rep going over the truck and its systems. There were no major issues, with the flaws being some minor panel misalignments. I took photos of the panels at the delivery center, and with the rep's help, posted them and scheduled an appointment at the Gaithersburg SC. Only Brooklyn and Gaithersburg show as available to schedule, and it's far easie, quicker and significantly less expensive to get to the latter location than the former. The appoinment is a ways out - early August - but that's not really an issue, unless, as seems all but inevitable, the appoinment is just to come and park the car in Gaithersburg and return to take it back home sometime in the fall.

Speaking of which, the R1T was delivered sans its PTC, which Rivian tells me will be available for installation "sometime in the fall." If that's the case, it would make sense to defer the panel alignment work and do both at the same time. After I got home, and had a chance to live with the R1T, I discovered a couple of other minor issues that I added to the service ticket. I hope that I can schedule everthing to coincide, but of course that assumes that PTC parts are available as promised, "in the fall."

As far as the location, I contacted Rivian and asked about using Trenton rather than Gaithersburg. The guy I spoke with was sympathetic and very nice, but told me that Trenton is not taking any appoinments for routine service for the forseable future, and as noted above, are concentrating their efforts on vehicles with more serious problems. I'm hoping that will change between now and "sometime in the fall", so that I can not only get all the issues resolved at one time, but also at the far closer and easier to get to Trenton SC.

 

[Hopper]

Terrible service was the reason I sold my R1T and it’s the only thing holding me back from jumping back into Rivian ownership. Driving into Brooklyn from PA was such a pain in the ass, I still can’t believe they chose that as an initial east Coast location.

Agreed. Once Trenton is up to speed, that will hopefully help. I was about to preorder a new tri-motor, but the service and communications are so awful I just cannot do it.

 

[André]

As a new Rivian owner of some 10 days, reading through this thread was not particularly comforting. Worse, as a new Rivian owner living in a part of the world where my service location options are presently limited to Brooklyn & Gaithersburg, it was more than a bit disconcerting to read of the experieinces of Rivian owners with those SC's. I'm actually only about 55 miles from the the Trenton SC (the other two are 135 and 155 miles away respecively) but I was told that it is no longer available to schedule and is taking only vehicles with serious driveability issues.

What does give me some hope is that my R1T seems quire well put together, though in the 10 days I've owned her, the longest drive I've taken was to my home in the Philly suburbs from the delivery center in Mahwah, NJ. An aside: I grew up only a few miles from Mahwah, and knew from my teen years that it was the home of Lester William Polsfuss, far better known as the legendary gitarist/inventor Les Paul. We actually used to drive by his mansion in Mahwah, hoping to get a glimpse of him, or of one of the many other artists he often hosted, or at least was supposed to host, at his home recording studio. There were always rumors: "Did you hear that Clapton was at Les's last weekend - and Jeff Beck's gonna be recording there next week?", but the only artist we ever saw (or thought we saw) there was Buddy Miles, and even that was through a darkened limo window in the long driveway of his mansion.

Back to delivery. It was actually a very positive experience and I spent more than 2-1/2 hours with my rep going over the truck and its systems. There were no major issues, with the flaws being some minor panel misalignments. I took photos of the panels at the delivery center, and with the rep's help, posted them and scheduled an appointment at the Gaithersburg SC. Only Brooklyn and Gaithersburg show as available to schedule, and it's far easie, quicker and significantly less expensive to get to the latter location than the former. The appoinment is a ways out - early August - but that's not really an issue, unless, as seems all but inevitable, the appoinment is just to come and park the car in Gaithersburg and return to take it back home sometime in the fall.

Speaking of which, the R1T was delivered sans its PTC, which Rivian tells me will be available for installation "sometime in the fall." If that's the case, it would make sense to defer the panel alignment work and do both at the same time. After I got home, and had a chance to live with the R1T, I discovered a couple of other minor issues that I added to the service ticket. I hope that I can schedule everthing to coincide, but of course that assumes that PTC parts are available as promised, "in the fall."

As far as the location, I contacted Rivian and asked about using Trenton rather than Gaithersburg. The guy I spoke with was sympathetic and very nice, but told me that Trenton is not taking any appoinments for routine service for the forseable future, and as noted above, are concentrating their efforts on vehicles with more serious problems. I'm hoping that will change between now and "sometime in the fall", so that I can not only get all the issues resolved at one time, but also at the far closer and easier to get to Trenton SC.

The fact that a Service Center can’t take any appointment for routine service to focus on « serious problems »… is an indication that there is a concerning number of serious issues. I am beginning to question my desire to acquire a R1T this summer.

 

[SparkyR1t]

Fixing items correctly the first time would help a lot also. Although I like my truck a lot, I suspect the big problem is still poor reliability and poor "repairibility". Just too many vehicles need fixing, and repairs are complicated. It took 4 visits over a year an a half to get to where I could fast charge my truck more than once after a SC visit. Its been 2 years and my AC still needs fixing. Its been worked on and recharged on each of those 4 visits, they tell tell me the can't find a leak, so it works for 2-3 months after a SC visit, till i notice it is degrading over time. 5th SC visit pending.

It appears many of us agree the vehicles are excellent. Fun to drive and fairly reliable. The issues begin when you need service. It has also been said if you address the manufacturing issues one at a time you eventually free up a lot of service availability. Wonder why we are not hearing anything from Rivian management sharing improvements in manufacturing and working towards a zero defect out of the plant mentality. At least talk to us.

 

[TTedP]

Man, and I thought I was rolling the dice when I bought my Alfa Stelvio. In reality, reliability and dealer service were great.

Hoping for the same outcome with my R1T but these posts leave me anxious.

 

[R1Tom]

Hopefully RJ is listening and prepared to take appropriate action to fix service....much better scheduling....work on vehicle day dropped off and till complete....show some urgency to get a customer their vehicle back..communicate while in service proacrively......repaired...and not damaged. Clean would be nice too.

These are all the basics....nothing complicated about it.

 

[Yossarian]

The fact that a Service Center can’t take any appointment for routine service to focus on « serious problems »… is an indication that there is a concerning number of serious issues. I am beginning to question my desire to acquire a R1T this summer.

In fairness to the Trenton SC, I don't believe that it ever had an official opening, and is even now in a temporary location. Still, the point about the need for more, and more efficient service centers is valid. Rivian is a new company and their vehicles have improved significantly over a relatively brief period. I'm sure that the service centers will follow the same trend.

Poor service is not unique to Rivian either. My other car is a Telluride, which is, fortunately for Kia owners, a very reliable and durable vehicle because the Kia dealer network and the service they provide, is not much different than what I see folks getting from Rivian. I worked for many years for a very large and well known aerospace company that to this day, struggles with product support.

All of that said, the current issues with the service centers could, and probably should, have been foreseen and planned for, or at any rate, better planned for than seems to be the case.

 

[DuoRivian]

In fairness to the Trenton SC, I don't believe that it ever had an official opening, and is even now in a temporary location. Still, the point about the need for more, and more efficient service centers is valid. Rivian is a new company and their vehicles have improved significantly over a relatively brief period. I'm sure that the service centers will follow the same trend.

Poor service is not unique to Rivian either. My other car is a Telluride, which is, fortunately for Kia owners, a very reliable and durable vehicle because the Kia dealer network and the service they provide is not much different than what I see folks getting from Rivian service. I worked for many years for a very large and well know aerospace company that to this day, struggles with product support.

All of that said, the current issues with the service centers could, and probably should, have been foreseen and planned for, or at any rate, better planned for than seems to be the case.

Exactly this was foreseen and they have seven centers planned in the northeast and for over 18 months the only one to open is in Connecticut. They should have the others open. There are rumors of one in the mainline since Lucid has opened facilities in the KoP area.

 

[nc10]

It appears many of us agree the vehicles are excellent. Fun to drive and fairly reliable. The issues begin when you need service.

In my mind, reliability is far from acceptable. (I get it was a new company, new vehicle, still disappointing)

 

[Wilsonos]

I’m sure money prevents Rivian from expanding SC’s any faster. One solution maybe to get outside help. Setup a training system for independent service centers to take care of small issues. My truck was in for AC issues. Any good AC tech with the information/schematic’s could fix the AC. Had the AC on Suburban repaired in a day.
R1T also had to have the rear motor disconnects replaced. That might not be as easy for quick training.

Keeping everything in house isn’t sustainable for them right now. They need help somewhere. I will give the Gaithersburg SC props, got my truck done 1 week early. 3 weeks not 4. Thanks Gaithersburg.

 

[moosetags]

Rivian's service model is terrible. They just can't seem to get their crap together. They may be using some self-invented computer program to manage their service appointments and service regimen. They have created a service debacle worse than any of the franchise auto dealers. They come up with something much better. When R2's hit the road, service appointments will be two years out.



We have had our R1T for about fifteen months. Fortunately, we have not needed any service. We hope that our luck holds until we can get our hands on a Silverado EV RST.

Brian

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