Another Electrify America Gripe

[BigSkies]

I realize this isn't the biggest of issues, but it ended in one of those infuriating exchanges with EA customer service where the conversation goes in circles and is completely unable to do anything useful. It felt like dealing with Comcast.

I stopped at the EA just south of Garberville CA on a recent roadrip. It was a long stop where we sat down for a picnic lunch and ended up adding 107kWh for over $60.

I purchased the EA+ pass (or whatever they call it) before the trip because it makes financial sense. I used it without issue for several charges along the trip. However, I couldn't use it in Garberville because there's no cell phone service there. I used plug & charge, and it worked fine.

I get home and decide to ask customer service to apply my EA+ pass rate. I feel that's a reasonable request.

Rivian doesn't list any customer service contact on their receipts (I'm open to ideas here?), so I contact EA. EA customer service goes in circles and refuses to do anything about it. They eventually offer a complimentary charge at some point in the future if I deal with their customer service phone tree at the exact moment I need a charge (no thanks).

Am I being unreasonable here? It seems like if I pay for a discount pass, I should actually be able to use that pass, even when bad phone service prevents me from using it at the moment.

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[Dark-Fx]

You aren't EA's customer when you plug and charge, Rivian is.

 

[supervlover]

I don't see why this is an EA issue (similar stories regarding Tesla membership). Anytime you plug & charge, you are billed by Rivian. Rivian has no clue if you have a pass or membership to another charging network unless they partner up (Porsche has a plan where you do get Pass+ membership that's $1 more than EA's monthly rate).

 

[supervlover]

Porsche's plug and charge also is invoiced as a single bill at end of month.

 

[BigSkies]

I don't see why this is an EA issue (similar stories regarding Tesla membership). Anytime you plug & charge, you are billed by Rivian. Rivian has no clue if you have a pass or membership to another charging network unless they partner up (Porsche has a plan where you do get Pass+ membership that's $1 more than EA's monthly rate).

So how do I get the pass rate from Rivian?

Genuine question, as the receipt doesn't give any way to get support. None of the options in the app seem appropriate, but I'll go down that rabbit hole next.

This isn't 1997. Both EA and Rivian are interfacing directly with each others hardware and software stacks just to get the charge to work. Custom contracts were created to handle data transfer and payments. Identifying a membership status in this process would be among the simpler things in the arrangement.

 

[SANZC02]

I realize this isn't the biggest of issues, but it ended in one of those infuriating exchanges with EA customer service where the conversation goes in circles and is completely unable to do anything useful. It felt like dealing with Comcast.

I stopped at the EA just south of Garberville CA on a recent roadrip. It was a long stop where we sat down for a picnic lunch and ended up adding 107kWh for over $60.

I purchased the EA+ pass (or whatever they call it) before the trip because it makes financial sense. I used it without issue for several charges along the trip. However, I couldn't use it in Garberville because there's no cell phone service there. I used plug & charge, and it worked fine.

I get home and decide to ask customer service to apply my EA+ pass rate. I feel that's a reasonable request.

Rivian doesn't list any customer service contact on their receipts (I'm open to ideas here?), so I contact EA. EA customer service goes in circles and refuses to do anything about it. They eventually offer a complimentary charge at some point in the future if I deal with their customer service phone tree at the exact moment I need a charge (no thanks).

Am I being unreasonable here? It seems like if I pay for a discount pass, I should actually be able to use that pass, even when bad phone service prevents me from using it at the moment.

Next time you do not have cell service see if you can connect to the Rivian hot spot. It has a better antenna than the phone and sometimes gets service when the phone cannot.

As stated above, probably an exercise in frustration trying to get a credit. For that session you were a Rivian customer not EA, not sure what their contracts are in those charge sessions.

I keep hoping that at some point the plug and charge will be able to use the membership pricing but have not heard any rumors about that yet.

 

[supervlover]

So how do I get the pass rate from Rivian?

Genuine question, as the receipt doesn't give any way to get support. None of the options in the app seem appropriate, but I'll go down that rabbit hole next.

This isn't 1997. Both EA and Rivian are interfacing directly with each others hardware and software stacks just to get the charge to work. Custom contracts were created to handle data transfer and payments. Identifying a membership status in this process would be among the simpler things in the arrangement.

Currently you can't, unless additional integration happens between charging networks and Rivian which I doubt will happen. It seems easy but is it worth the effort for EA to share membership data to Rivian or another car manufacturer? Your EA membership is independent of any vehicle so now that's one more data point that has to be tied between the EA membership account and specific VIN/s. Where does that happen? In EA's app? another added feature in Rivian?

The only reason why Porsche has it is probably due to EA being part of VAG.

 

[cwintermeyer]

EA is unquestionably shitty IMHO. After many failed charging experiences with them from 2023 through 2025, I won't ever use them again.

 

[superfly_snook]

The only thing I can think of is to do the math on the difference for your session and present that to EA support and ask for a credit in that amount to be applied to your account. Maybe they would go for that.

 

[BigSkies]

The only thing I can think of is to do the math on the difference for your session and present that to EA support and ask for a credit in that amount to be applied to your account. Maybe they would go for that.

That's what I tried with support. I felt it was a reasonable request. They gave me a hard no.

 

[Aardvark]

I second the @SANZC02 recommendation on using the Rivan's hotspot. I had the same issue with a Tesla SC stop in a very rural section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. My Verizon phone had no service but the car was getting an ATT signal. I was able to connect to the car hotspot and charge using my member rate.
Of course this only works if the car's getting a signal.

 

[emoore]

Agree with others, try using the Rivian hotspot and if not then try not to charge as much there. It's probably $15 so not a huge deal. Biggest thing is that the charger worked. That's the big worry about EA so I'm happy to pay their non member prices as long as the chargers work.

 

[VSG]

Well as others have said, this is not an Electrify America issue - this same thing would happen with Tesla chargers in the same situation.

Rivian does document this in several places, for example: https://rivian.com/support/article/how-can-i-use-my-third-party-charging-membership

To use a charging membership at Tesla or Electrify America stations, initiate your charging session through the respective network's app before plugging in your vehicle.

If you plug in first, your charging session may initiate automatically and the cost will be billed to the payment method stored in your Rivian app.

 

[supervlover]

EA is unquestionably shitty IMHO. After many failed charging experiences with them from 2023 through 2025, I won't ever use them again.

I don't understand the EA hate. I've charged probably 50K+ miles (lots of road trips) using EA charging network over the past 4 years and my success rate is close to 100% (this is over 25 states, majority Western US). Besides inner city locations where there may be a queue of slow Bolts charging, I've had no problems with the chargers themselves.

Recently returned from a 4.5K mile trip in a Porsche, charged all using EA except for a single Tesla location on 287 between Amarillo & DFW.

 

[emoore]

I don't understand the EA hate. I've charged probably 50K+ miles (lots of road trips) using EA charging network over the past 4 years and my success rate is close to 100% (this is over 25 states, majority Western US). Besides inner city locations where there may be a queue of slow Bolts charging, I've had no problems with the chargers themselves.

Recently returned from a 4.5K mile trip in a Porsche, charged all using EA except for a single Tesla location on 287 between Amarillo & DFW.

3 or 4 years ago they were hit or miss. I think they have gotten a lot better in the last few years and will continue to do so. They need to if they want to survive.

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