Rivian Guide Contacted Finally! (For Real) ?

[kylealden]

We covered a lot of more ground around accessories, test drives, service stations, mobile repair teams, winches - but the above are the main take-aways.

Did you hear anything interesting about the winch or is this just "winch-ready"? Thanks for sharing your experience!

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[Hmp10]

They need to know what exactly has been SOLD to plan production efficiently.

This is an interesting point that is often overlooked in debates about whether it's better to buy cars through dealers or directly from the manufacturers.

Dealer networks are essentially storage facilities for factory output and from which sales rates of various configurations can be used to generate demand feedback to the factory, thus giving the factory a longer cycle time for production adjustments.

Direct sales models put much more pressure on the factory to tailor output more exactly to demand on a real-time basis, and we should not be surprised to see manufacturers struggle a bit to refine this process in its early days.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

@SeaGeo, you are quite correct! Perfect day yesterday for a trip into the mountains.

Yes, I did have my guide call yesterday (about 30 min), and this will probably be more of what we have heard so far from the other guide calls, but here is a brief rundown form my call and my perspective:

My guide was super friendly and seemed genuinely happy to finally be making some of these calls. She did ask quite a bit about my hobbies, my family, and how I would be using the truck. She has been working at Rivian for about a year and did migrate over from the CS team. She even mentioned that she is quite familiar with some of the outstanding questions and concerns from the Rivian community.

• We did review the same address/configuration questions that other are reporting. I asked if one particular configuration was more likely to get a build earlier, and she mentioned that they are still working out the production runs, so not quite a direct answer.
• Before I could ask, she acknowledged that most folks had been asking about range numbers and UX details. She mentioned that there will be a series of emails forthcoming with much more information about both of those questions.
• I asked if it would be possible to get the wall mount earlier to get a jump on installing it and it seemed like that would be possible, but not a direct yes. She did ask about how I intended to handle home charging and we discussed it for a bit. I have a dedicated circuit already to charge my 3, so should be a straightforward install.
• I asked her if tank turn is still a ‘thing’ or if it has disappeared into the ether. She said that it was still a feature.
• Like @Shzeph reported, the only timeline I was given with any degree of certainty was November. She mentioned it could be possible beforehand, but not sure of details.

To be clear, I don’t think this means that deliveries are even further behind and Rivian should be criticized for their misinformation, I just think that they are still not quite sure of production schedule and did not want to over promise. It did still let the wind out my sails a bit, though.

• There will be digital store at some point. She even asked me what I would like to see in the store and she mentioned some of the items others had asked for.
• I did ask a lot of questions about the timing of the actual production/financing/build cycle. From the time your number is pulled, is it a 3-week process? 4-weeks? She is going to get some more detail about that.
• I asked about the app. The magical elusive app that can be used to track production, handle financing/insurance, etc. as well as manage the truck. *shock* More info soon. I then asked about whether the app would be released one day on the iOS/android stores or if it would be sent to each person before the production cycle begins. She was going to find out about that.

Overall, I am still excited as ever, but didn’t quite get the excitement boost I might have been hoping for. That’s more an issue of what I expected in my own head, not necessarily Rivian letting me down. I mean, why would the guides tell me something about a detail or feature that they wouldn’t make available to everyone? If Bezos was my last name, maybe.

We will see what happens from here, and I am more than happy to keep posting about my experience and I hope other do as well. Our collective experience and excitement are what makes these forums so much fun.

Thanks for the write-up from one Adam to another.

Your run down actually built me up more than the customary soon responses we are used to getting, not hard information, but some ball park time frames which is nice.

Honestly, I won't deviate from getting the Rivian bar some financial disaster, and if I have to wait to get it, so be it. I put money into my current paid off vehicle a year ago which should keep it going until Old Blue, or El Cap shows up in my driveway

 

[SoCal Rob]

Disappointing that Rivian hasn't implemented such a simple control.

I view companies like Rivian/Tesla to be "tech" companies... so when they miss easy/obvious tech problems then it does give me concern.

This kind of thing is maddening to me because it squanders some of the biggest advantages computers have over people when it comes to user input tasks: perfect retention & recall of information and precise application of logical rules.

When I took programming courses in high school a very long time ago, we were taught to protect the user from themselves when gathering input: show what is permitted/required on-screen, verify that input is a valid type, range, format, etc. before processing it. The idea was that extra time spent getting it right when writing code would be saved many, MANY times over when people start using the program.

It seems as though there is less emphasis on that these days or the concept of user testing and improvement was a casualty of cost-cutting. I've noticed this with companies of all sizes and from startups to those with decades of experience. Microsoft lets me do some things in their admin tools which are prohibited actions and can have dire consequences so I am not at all surprised that Rivian would, too.

I'm not saying it’s right, just that I’m not at all surprised.

 

[LoneStar]

sort of shocked that Googling "Rivian Guide contacts" doesn't (yet) point to some EV blogger sites talking about mixed signals and vague commitments from early contact's feedback. Not trying to hype it here, just saying its a bit surprising no controversial news reflecting what we're reading here has hit the 'net.

 

[Kmann1994]

Ok, so I wonder if there is still a batch of vehicles that will be delivered in July/August. Why would they make calls to the first group of people and give them these late Fall dates only to call another group next week and tell them they will get their trucks first in July?

You have to remember that you're only hearing from a tiny handful of people on these specific forums. Remember people, there's a big huge world out there outside of this bubble! It's entirely possible – and very likely – that many many more people were contacted by Guides who don't obsessively refresh these forums every few hours like we do.

 

[Ladiver]

I am not expecting contact from my guide for 6+ months, but here is how I expect it to go. Hint, it WILL NOT be a 45 minute+ phone call...

Guide: Hello Jeff, this is Mr(s) Rivian and I am your Guide. I look forward to working with you and finalizing your configuration....blah blah blah...I would like to confirm your information so that we can deliver your vehicle.
Me: Hello Mr(s) Rivian, I am so excited to work with you through this process. I look forward to providing you more information as you get closer to delivery. I will note the portal with the current contact/delivery information. Please reach back out to me when more details are needed or an actual delivery date needs to be scheduled. I hope you have an adventurous day! CLICK

 

[eggpaul]

You have to remember that you're only hearing from a tiny handful of people on these specific forums. Remember people, there's a big huge world out there outside of this bubble! It's entirely possible – and very likely – that many many more people were contacted by Guides who don't obsessively refresh these forums every few hours like we do.

I'm sure there were many other people contacted. But this forum should give us a good idea of what's going on. If the first batch of people contacted on this forum are all hearing August to November, looks like everything is getting pushed forward again.

 

[2021R1T]

5) Delivery Day (for me set to Week 4, October): Just to recap - 2/16/19 reservation with an El Cap Granite, 20" All Terrain, Black Mtn interior build. Delivery options are touchless, or guided walkthrough/instruction at your house.

Congratulations! I am a bit frustrated with the mysterious selection process that is currently in play by Rivian. I have a 1/5/19 reservation in Denver, CO where Rivian Amazon vans are on the road, but there is no way to know if I will be one of the lucky ones to take delivery of my R1T this year. I would have never thought putting my reservation/deposit in on 1/5/19 then my wife and I going to the Rivian Denver reveal where the R1T and R1S were proudly on display that I am still waiting two years later just for hard information much less the truck. Just amazing!!

 

[Kmann1994]

But this forum should give us a good idea of what's going on.

I wouldn't be so sure about that and I'm not sure that I agree with that. We just simply do not have enough information here on these forums to know about the broader Rivian reservation holder base and what their status is.

 

[kanundrum]

If we do some simple math.

16 Guides. 1 hour calls. Let's just say they're working 8 hours total but most likely more if you include breaks and such. We are on day three of calls.

384 people so yes what do we have here on the forums five calls maybe.

 

[azbill]

Congratulations! I am a bit frustrated with the mysterious selection process that is currently in play by Rivian.

I am not sure it is mysterious. The two main factors for early deliveries are location and having an LE. After that it is order number and colors.

Living in Phoenix I can find no indication of where a service center will be yet, but I know they were hiring here. Without an open service center, there seems to be almost zero chance of getting a vehicle. And I do not have an LE anyway, so my expectation was for Jan 22, now that seems doubtful.

Ordered a Mach E on May 24 and also have a Hummer reservation. Advantage to the dealerships.

 

[jimcgov3]

Ok, so I wonder if there is still a batch of vehicles that will be delivered in July/August. Why would they make calls to the first group of people and give them these late Fall dates only to call another group next week and tell them they will get their trucks first in July?

Just a WAG, but I would say yes. Strictly based off their timeline they gave of "Deliveries starting in July"...

 

[St Bernard]

If we do some simple math.

16 Guides. 1 hour calls. Let's just say they're working 8 hours total but most likely more if you include breaks and such. We are on day three of calls.

384 people so yes what do we have here on the forums five calls maybe.

40% of all messages on this Forum come from 20 people. So you have another over 2,000 people that really have no interest in reporting info on their calls. I would assume this Forum has 10% of all Deposit Holders. So based on our limited info there are a lot more calls taking place. Nevertheless what’s disturbing are people, who gave deposits over 2 years ago, being told they may not get their Vehicles until Nov. That would mean people who are on the end of the LE Deposit date are going to be well into FALL/Winter 2022.

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