So what is up with this company?

[Asheville]

So I test drove a R1T in Chicago and liked it so I went ahead and placed an order for a fully loaded R1T EV Truck in January. Then I get a form letter email basically saying “hey we ain’t building your $100K truck” and if you want one you can find one from our existing inventory.

What kind of company does this? Nobody has reached out to me explaining the situation or giving me options - just a form email. I know most of the people on this forum are all in on Rivian but this is a really bad experience for new customers - I am going to bail and try and get my $1K down payment back as it just seems like this company can not be long for this world with this commercial ineptitude? thoughts

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[jjswan33]

A company that shuts down its production line for upgrades/efficiencies?

If you really wanted a truck why didn't you configure after you ordered?

 

[Dark-Fx]

Rivian is pausing custom builds until late summer because they are re-tooling the plant. A lot of rumours around what's coming or going from vehicles in this time period.

If you can't find what you want out of the shop, you'll have to wait until late summer to get one built for you. Think of it like all the allocations for this model year are already called for if you are buying from a legacy auto company.

Oh and welcome to the forum I guess.

 

[ThumprMN]

Sounds like it’s not a good fit for you. Good luck!!

 

[COdogman]

Please share the letter. It sounds like you are grossly misrepresenting what it says.

 

[s4wrxttcs]

So I test drove a R1T in Chicago and liked it so I went ahead and placed an order for a fully loaded R1T EV Truck in January. Then I get a form letter email basically saying “hey we ain’t building your $100K truck” and if you want one you can find one from our existing inventory.

What kind of company does this? Nobody has reached out to me explaining the situation or giving me options - just a form email. I know most of the people on this forum are all in on Rivian but this is a really bad experience for new customers - I am going to bail and try and get my $1K down payment back as it just seems like this company can not be long for this world with this commercial ineptitude? thoughts

What would you prefer?

A Rivian R1T that doesn't have the newest stuff on it after the refresh
A Rivian R1T that does have the latest stuff on it made after the refresh

Sure we don't know what changes will be made and suspect that some of them could take things away from the vehicle.

All we know is the plant is shutdown for retooling and orders will have to wait.

If it was me I'd probably just wait to see what's in the refresh.

I don't see any reason why you wouldn't get the $1K reservation back. Obviously they didn't start your build.

Position on Rivian -> Just one toe in.

 

[Riviot]

A company that shuts down its production line for upgrades/efficiencies?

If you really wanted a truck why didn't you configure after you ordered?

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

....What kind of company does this? One that is thinking of putting you into the best possible vehicle with an impending plant shutdown, so you have the option for the latest and greatest?

.......I am going to bail and try and get my $1K down payment back as it just seems like this company can not be long for this world with this commercial ineptitude? Say the man with a 750 Series BMW.....

We're all just having fun with you. Cutting edge online start-ups, with a fresh new vision, deliverables that rate them the "Highest Brand Loyalty" in the world, and the only company to achieve that within a few years of production, are not for everyone. They are for a select few of risk taking visionaries, like those you see posting here

 

[Zoidz]

What kind of company does this? Nobody has reached out to me explaining the situation or giving me options - just a form email. I know most of the people on this forum are all in on Rivian but this is a really bad experience for new customers - I am going to bail and try and get my $1K down payment back as it just seems like this company can not be long for this world with this commercial ineptitude? thoughts

Q: What kind of company does this?
A: A company that is trying to be honest and transparent in telling you they can't do a custom build in the near future. A company that is shutting the factory down for efficiency and profitability improvements.

If you feel that is a bad experience, move on to another manufacturer for one of these "good" experiences:
- Tesla, who routinely has dropped prices putting people underwater $5000 - $7000 just days after they bought a car.
- Chevrolet, whose CEO said in 2021 that they would surpass Tesla in deliveries by 2025, and has repeatedly failed on delivery promises since then. I still have a day one Silverado EV reservation, after over a year, last week I finally got some communication from Chevrolet telling me I could reserve either black or white with no firm timeline, or I could wait for another color with an even less firm estimate of an unknown timeline, lol. And I got that email on Thursday March 21, with the email stating that (after waiting for years) I had to decide what I was doing by Thursday March 20. March 20 was Wednesday, not Thursday, lol. So I had to decide the before, or the day I got the email. Really?
- Hyunda/Kia who has class action lawsuits regarding EV failures and misleading advertising.

 

[drivetorun]

I still have a day one Silverado EV reservation, after over a year, last week I finally got some communication from Chevrolet telling me I could reserve either black or white with no firm timeline, or I could wait for another color with an even less firm estimate of an unknown timeline, lol. And I got that email on Thursday March 21, with the email stating that (after waiting for years) I had to decide what I was doing by Thursday March 20. March 20 was Wednesday, not Thursday, lol. So I had to decide the before, or the day I got the email. Really?

Was that for the First Edition/RST whatever it is that's $100k+? I too have a reservation, but I didn't reserve the high trim one, and it's been crickets on communication (and yes, it has been over 2 years...reservations opened in Jan 2022).

 

[rbrak29]

I still have a day one Silverado EV reservation, after over a year, last week I finally got some communication from Chevrolet telling me I could reserve either black or white with no firm timeline, or I could wait for another color with an even less firm estimate of an unknown timeline, lol. And I got that email on Thursday March 21, with the email stating that (after waiting for years) I had to decide what I was doing by Thursday March 20. March 20 was Wednesday, not Thursday, lol. So I had to decide the before, or the day I got the email. Really?

I received an email on March 11th stating that I should contact the dealer I specified in my RST First Edition reservation to order the RST First Edition with free 19.2 kW charger as a gift. Received an email today 3/25 that Friday 3/29 is the last day to order.

 

[Zoidz]

Was that for the First Edition/RST whatever it is that's $100k+? I too have a reservation, but I didn't reserve the high trim one, and it's been crickets on communication (and yes, it has been over 2 years...reservations opened in Jan 2022).

Yes, it was the Silverado EV RST FIrst Edition.

 

[R1 EVY]

I am going to bail and try and get my $1K down payment back as it just seems like this company can not be long for this world with this commercial ineptitude? thoughts

I think it's a good idea. If you're not happy, then get your money back.

Disclaimer: This poster is not a lawyer, so please don't take his advice as legal services unless there's a settlement in favor of the reader. In this instance, a 33% fee will be added to the bill payable immediately.

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

Was that for the First Edition/RST whatever it is that's $100k+? I too have a reservation, but I didn't reserve the high trim one, and it's been crickets on communication (and yes, it has been over 2 years...reservations opened in Jan 2022).

We're off topic, but I got the call on Friday from the owner of the dealer I reserved the RST and got the White or Black only and that it would be built according to my spec, as the first deliveries for each dealer (whatever that means) don't count against their alotment.....I can't justify the cost of the RST.....as a side note, I had no idea where I was on the list at this large dealer, and he said, you are No. 1. I always thought I was

Back to topic....

 

[240vPlug]

Two opportunities here. First, while I am "all in" on Rivian I am not going to sugar coat anything when Rivian needs to do better.

With that said this email, without seeing it, sounds like its related to the shutdown for retooling that's been planned for a while now. This is good for you as a potential R1T owner in two ways:

1) If you want to save some $$$ you can pickup one from inventory or lease one if that's your thing. I hear they are adding some extra incentive like wheel upgrades (I haven't confirmed this though) for inventory trucks.

2) If you want to wait, you will have one of the newest models which has fewer ECU and less wiring as well as other improvements. While many of these improvements are designed to simplify production and reduce cost for Rivian they two above, IMO, will also do good for long term reliability as well.

So I challenge you to look at this as an opportunity vs "hey we ain't buildin' that there truck fer ya"

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