Don’t buy a Rivian and why?

[rivianfun]

First off the car is not a lot of car for the value but most brands can have this issue. The number one reason is communication or lack of any sort of communication at any level. Service centers have no way to call them same with the sales department. There is only one way to communicate with them and that is the main number. This is from sales to services issues. They know nothing, the excuse that this is better for everyone and what everyone wants. I can’t wait to get rid of this car. It has lots of bugs that need constant fixing. A lot of people ask me how I like the Rivian and I tell them to stay away. Communication is the most cheapest service any company or someone can provide and it costs you nothing!!!!
If you want frustration and a headache buy one, if you don’t want that don’t buy one.

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[cbrcanuck]

This should be mildly entertaining...

 

[Nixapatfan]

I get your frustration but there is a reason why they only have one way to communicate with them and that is because communications costs a lot, not nothing.

I don't like their method of communications either but hasn't really hindered me from communicating with them when I need to, I find it best to visit the SC if you live near one.

 

[Taco Corp]

Agree that the lack of a consistent way to communicate with the SC, and in my experience a lack of timely responses while in service is a bit annoying. The constant bugs though, hasn't been my experience going on four years now with gen1 and gen2. Issues, sure but nothing that really caused life altering problems. Not to say the don't exist since some have absolutely had some poor experiences but that doesn't seem to be a majority by any means.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

How can you say it’s not a lot of car for the value? How many other 850HP 3 row EV SUVs can you buy for 110k? As for the communication and the service, it’s hard to argue with you there.

I’ve owned a Rivian since ‘22 and in that time they’ve scaled back their service a lot. Now they treat it like any other dealership, but I have a ton of choices that have dealerships within 40 minutes from me. Rivian’s closest is 3 hours one way with no traffic.

During my last service, where they replaced a defective radar, they didn’t connect a windshield washer hose back correctly or broke something else related to that system and now the reservoir will not hold washer fluid. It’s not the biggest deal in the world, but they won’t send mobile out to fix it.

Instead they expect me to waste another entire day at a minimum driving through a ton of construction to allow them to rectify their mistake. I don’t really want to do that.

Rivian went from bending over backwards to keep customers from experiencing inconvenience to the standard experience. If I’m gonna have that I’m going to have it with someone who has local service centers. I’m probably going to start looking and trade this in.

 

[rivianfun]

When I say it’s free the hard cost of communication is of course $$$, what I am talking about is using the tools that are given to you to communicate that is free. If your model is to use this type you better be able to back it up.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I get your frustration but there is a reason why they only have one way to communicate with them and that is because communications costs a lot, not nothing.

I don't like their method of communications either but hasn't really hindered me from communicating with them when I need to, I find it best to visit the SC if you live near one.

Your last sentence is the key. If you live near a service center it’s not so bad. I’m 3 hours one way in no traffic from the closest one. Rivian used to go out of their way to acknowledge that and accommodate it but now they are scaling way back on their customer service. I get it, that level of service is expensive, but I cannot live this far away and continue to deal with it.

 

[NY_Rob]

I think many owners agree Service is the most frustrating aspect of owning a Rivian currently. Even Tesla lets you speak directly with the SC Service Writer (or whatever they refer to them as) and it definitely makes getting to the actual issue a lot easier and the two-way back and forth between two humans is faster and can convey much more then one person typing to an AI host.

I don't see Rivian changing their mode of operation any time soon, but who knows? Once the R2 floodgates open and repairs are needed, if the SC experience/frustration starts to boil over and draws lots of attention, things may possibly change?

 

[Eric9610]

I own 2 Rivian's, An R1T QM and R1S QM. No problems and my SC is very communicative when I have had to replace windshields and standard inspections. I also think you have the value proposition wrong. Rivian has a very unique nice for the buyer in this price category. Its the primary reason Rivian is the #1 car by volume in cars $80k plus.

 

[R1TCntrlMaIzzy]

I hope the R2 launch does very well, exceeds their expectations. I also hope that launch does not fully blow up and expose the weaknesses in their current support model, service times and yes, communication. It could be very bad publicity.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Service is still awesome if you have an issue that prevents your vehicle from being drivable. Of course those issues are at the expense of every other problem, since they have to keep room in the schedule to accommodate the big issues.

The "not a lot of car for the money" from the OP is the most inaccurate thing I've read today.

 

[SANZC02]

Funny how different everyone’s experience is and how people expect their experience is the same as everyone else's.

My 3+ year ownership between reliability and service is polar opposite of OPs so my rose colored glasses have me scratching my head and asking what are you talking about.

 

[Doug]

I know all service centers are not equal in how they take care of their customers. But I just had our new Tri in for some issues all covered under warranty. They gave us a rental and every couple days we received an update thru the app or a phone call. When I had a question, they responded quickly thru the app. I have always been pleased with the Minneapolis service center. I live 2 1/2 hours away and they try to be accommodating so it as painless as possible.

 

[windblowlc]

I care about EV form and function and in terms of these things not even Tesla can compare to Rivian. The minimalist interior on a Tesla sucks and quality is really cheap looking that I refuse to sit in one of those. Other EV brands with nice enough interior can't rival with Rivian in terms of performance or software build. The one EV brand which has both performance and build quality - Porsche - costs twice as much and their software is very much dependent on Rivian in order to be successful. I've gone through 2 Rivian R1Ts and now an R1S and have no complaints. When I call for service at the main, they have a local SC advisor call me back promptly to discuss the issue(s). I have 3 SCs to go to - they're all 3 hours away but I don't mind to go there once in a while since I don't get many problems needing to go there. I had a 12V battery Rivian replaced in warranty in my garage for which I can't complain about. I have 3 reservations for an R2 on day one which I will be converting at least 1 now for an LE, one next year with Tri Motor and upgraded hardware, and one in which I'd love to convert to an R3X. The R1S gen 2 Quad stays. The Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe I have will be gone, only the 911 Turbo S will remain.

 

[Ecupip]

Never had an issue here. They are more communicative via message than any other company I've dealth with. You should sell now, it's only going to sting more the longer you hold on to it.

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