Mobile Service Invoice - Full of Lies

[good2go]

I’ve been a way for a while. What’s the score? Who is winning logic or no logic.

Last thing I read sounds like you get bonus points if you been in the forum for a while. Must be first to market advantage.

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[TXR1SMD]

Donny boy huh? You have a really great attitude. Seems like you're getting the sort of service your attitude warrants.

For someone who was so adamantly pointing out what the OP does or does not know about Rivian's diagnostic codes and documentation, you really shouldn't make assumptions or insinuations about my "attitude" when your confrontational and argumentative replies have drug this post pretty far off topic.

For the record, I can assure you, I've been nothing but polite. Now you, on the other hand...

Just to recap, your arguments have been:
1) 30 min is the shortest time they can code so get over it, to
2) Okay so they have a 10 min code, but you don't know they didn't drive 30 min, to
3) Okay so you know it wasn't 30 min but why are you counting, to
4) You should be happy with unresolved repairs but they're probably not repairing your vehicle on purpose because I think you have a bad attitude.

OP, I hope your issue is resolved and doesn't reappear. I don't agree that that there is any valid reason a mobile service tech should document a test drive that didn't happen. Book times for trade labor certainly make sense and if a repair is calculated to have X hours but the tech completes it in much less than X, they deserve to get compensated for the expected time, not necessarily the actual time. I also don't think a tech can become so proficient at test drives that they can complete the the "work" of a 30 min test drive in 10 min (or a test drive that didn't happen at all).

 

[Redline]

LOL

Proved my point

 

[NY_Rob]

...I booked mobile service to see if they could figure it out.
I got the invoice and noticed that the tech "billed" for a 30 minute test drive, an hour long "interior general diagnostic" and a courtesy inspection and tire inflation - none of which happened.

Kind of seems like that 1.5hr services charge is how Rivian is covering travel time for "in warranty" vehicles?

Once warranties start running out (which has already happened to some owners) this will have to change because you can't charge a customer real $$$ for something that never happened, especially with you sitting there watching them work in your driveway. They'll have to have a base "Mobile Service Fee", then possibly a travel charge based on your distance from their SC (like my plumber has) then the more specific and accurate line item charges for your labor plus parts. It would be similar to most services homeowners now hire like plumbing, HVAC repair, Electrician, etc.. who have a basic Service Fee just for coming to your home plus specific charges related to your actual repairs.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

For someone who was so adamantly pointing out what the OP does or does not know about Rivian's diagnostic codes and documentation, you really shouldn't make assumptions or insinuations about my "attitude" when your confrontational and argumentative replies have drug this post pretty far off topic.

For the record, I can assure you, I've been nothing but polite. Now you, on the other hand...

Just to recap, your arguments have been:
1) 30 min is the shortest time they can code so get over it, to
2) Okay so they have a 10 min code, but you don't know they didn't drive 30 min, to
3) Okay so you know it wasn't 30 min but why are you counting, to
4) You should be happy with unresolved repairs but they're probably not repairing your vehicle on purpose because I think you have a bad attitude.

OP, I hope your issue is resolved and doesn't reappear. I don't agree that that there is any valid reason a mobile service tech should document a test drive that didn't happen. Book times for trade labor certainly make sense and if a repair is calculated to have X hours but the tech completes it in much less than X, they deserve to get compensated for the expected time, not necessarily the actual time. I also don't think a tech can become so proficient at test drives that they can complete the the "work" of a 30 min test drive in 10 min (or a test drive that didn't happen at all).

Yeah, I don't believe you've been polite with the tone of your posts here, including this one. I love your little 1,2,3,4 list of strawman arguments you've compiled there, too.

 

[Rividiculous]

OP,

Wow! There’s a lot of energy around this one but I think you did right. It could well be that the tech was following some sort of legitimate work-around. But it could also be that the tech was inflating costs and taking more from Rivian than warranted. It doesn’t sound like you went in guns blazing looking to get someone fired but rather that you called a discrepancy to Rivian’s attention. As a fellow owner, I appreciate that.

I’m also don’t understand why equating it to Medicare fraud touched such a nerve here. For warranty repairs, Rivian is essentially an insurer. Inflating costs on an insurer is fraud.

Again, there could be great explanations for this. But when I bill someone for my time, I do my best to invoice accurately—whether or not I think I could get away with charging for things I didn’t do. And I don’t add hours because I could have done it more slowly.

I know honesty is considered sanctimonious these days but I still consider it a worthy value—fashionable or not.

 

[jwanderson88]

There is something weird about this. The rattle only happens when the car is moving, so how can he verify that it was fixed without moving the car. Moving the car would be a normal/required part of the service. That's probably why it's in the work order. Why didn't he take the car for a drive? Even disregarding the billing, incomplete service seems like a serious lapse that is a problem. The tech isn't doing his/her job.

 

[lefkonj]

Did you get a pre-work estimate on the app? I always have for mobile service and for service center work. This explains the costs and what they did. I also was given an invoice to sign before they left. If someone treated me like you are describing I would have said something.

They don't just show up work and leave.

 

[DeafPug]

Once warranties start running out (which has already happened to some owners) this will have to change because you can't charge a customer real $$$ for something that never happened, especially with you sitting there watching them work in your driveway. They'll have to have a base "Mobile Service Fee", then possibly a travel charge based on your distance from their SC (like my plumber has) then the more specific and accurate line item charges for your labor plus parts. It would be similar to most services homeowners now hire like plumbing, HVAC repair, Electrician, etc.. who have a basic Service Fee just for coming to your home plus specific charges related to your actual repairs.

While ”call out” fees to travel to your house are common for plumbers, I would argue that a large reason Rivian (and Tesla and the other upstart EV companies) have mobile service technicians is that they physical service network is so sparse. Without a mobile service tech, I would not have considered a Tesla 6+ years ago or a Rivian a few months ago. The closest service center for both is 2.25 hours (150 miles) each way. The day either charge for travel time from there is the day I put that vehicle on the market.

Even out of warranty, Tesla doesn’t charge for travel time. Last month, I had the 12V battery on my 3 that is EXTREMELY out of bumper to bumper warranty (6.5 years, 116k miles). They came to my house, did the battery swap in my garage in less than 10 minutes and were on their way. Total cost was $117.62 (parts: $85, labor: $23.40, tax: $9.22). The standard labor charge (on the estimate before they showed up) was 0.12 hours or 7min12sec. The reported cost of $700+ for Rivian to swap the dual 12V batteries on the R1T is preposterous when compared to Tesla for the same job.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Just ignore. We just ignore fraud?

Clearly the American public doesn't care about punishing fraudsters.

 

[Zoidz]

 

[DJFrerichs]

Had a wicked rattle coming from above the rear passenger door so I booked mobile service to see if they could figure it out. After waiting 3 weeks, my appointment was yesterday and the tech fixed it in less than 5 minutes. Great outcome right?

Trouble is that I got the invoice and noticed that the tech "billed" for a 30 minute test drive, an hour long "interior general diagnostic" and a courtesy inspection and tire inflation - none of which happened. The tech never even turned on the car, in fact, I never even handed him the keyfob. There was no inspection. and certainly no tire inflation service (the invoice said all my tires were inflated to 49 psi - seems like a lot of specificity for a lie) . All he did was pop a cover on the grab handle and tighten one torx screw after I described the problem

He did fix the rattle for which I am grateful but I feel like "billing" Rivian for $340 and 1.5 hours of his time is fraud. Not sure who benefits - maybe the tech who might get paid by the service - but in any case, it just doesn't feel right.

Wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience and what they did, if anything, about it.

Reach out to the local SC to see what their service call time/fee minimums are if it is a quick fix. They may be able to adjust it is wrongly logged.

 

[SwampNut]

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...-on-the-invoice-could-be-total-fiction.31185/

Yes, the invoices contain total fabrications.

 

[goodoljake]

I only read the first two pages and got sick to my stomach. All the folks instantly defending the tech and even attacking the OP about what could be a bogus bill and one heck of a lunch break.

I had a mobile tech break my truck, didn't drive it, and left. Reported it all good. I the next day I went to drive it an fatal error. He didn't reconnect all the wires properly. No test drive...

Don't worry, not your problem, etc. BS.

We all spent $70k or more for a vehicle and we want the company we bought it from to survive and thrive. We want the stock price to soar and not crash.

I'm my line of work we'd call this 'death by a thousand paper cuts'

 

[malditofman]

Had a wicked rattle coming from above the rear passenger door so I booked mobile service to see if they could figure it out. After waiting 3 weeks, my appointment was yesterday and the tech fixed it in less than 5 minutes. Great outcome right?

Trouble is that I got the invoice and noticed that the tech "billed" for a 30 minute test drive, an hour long "interior general diagnostic" and a courtesy inspection and tire inflation - none of which happened. The tech never even turned on the car, in fact, I never even handed him the keyfob. There was no inspection. and certainly no tire inflation service (the invoice said all my tires were inflated to 49 psi - seems like a lot of specificity for a lie) . All he did was pop a cover on the grab handle and tighten one torx screw after I described the problem

He did fix the rattle for which I am grateful but I feel like "billing" Rivian for $340 and 1.5 hours of his time is fraud. Not sure who benefits - maybe the tech who might get paid by the service - but in any case, it just doesn't feel right.

Wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience and what they did, if anything, about it.

Take it up with Rivian, no one hear can help you with that issue. Drive well.

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