Email: "New improvements to the purchasing experience" (automating the process more)

Just got this from my main man Tony.


As always, our goal is to get you behind the wheel of your Rivian as quickly and efficiently as we can. These new updates to the purchasing experience are designed to help.

You will be able to confirm your configuration directly from your Account Page.
Until now, order confirmation has been a manual process completed only with help from a Rivian Guide. This new self-service option will signal to us that you’re committed to your configuration, which will streamline production and delivery planning. We'll alert you by email once the feature is available in your Account Page. You’ll also continue to have Guide support for order confirmation, and any other questions throughout the purchasing process.

There’s less paperwork to sign.
With the ability to confirm your configuration directly from your Account Page, you’ll no longer need to sign a Preliminary Buyer’s Agreement (PBA). The less paperwork the better, right?

You may have the option to pick up your vehicle at a Rivian service center.
Starting today, if on-site pickup is available in your area, you'll see it as an option during the purchasing process. Pickups will be available at 12 service centers initially, with more planned in the future. You’ll have a chance to visit us, meet the team and get a closer look at the service network that’s supporting you. Home delivery is still available.

We’ll never stop exploring ways to make ordering, purchasing and picking up your Rivian as fun as driving it. Keep the feedback coming.

Until next time,

Tony Caravano
Head of Customer Engagement

Wish they'd let people outside whatever arbitrary radius Rivian has chosen to indicate they're willing to take delivery at a center. I bet a lot of people would be willing to travel to take delivery. It's asinine that 2022 reservations are taking delivery because of some arbitrary lottery.

CommodoreAmiga said:

Wish they'd let people outside whatever arbitrary radius Rivian has chosen to indicate they're willing to take delivery at a center. I bet a lot of people would be willing to travel to take delivery. It's asinine that 2022 reservations are taking delivery because of some arbitrary lottery.

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I'm pretty sure the delineation is direct sales laws. I cannot take delivery at a SC in TX for example, even if it were across the street. They have to drive it across the street to my driveway. Some have been bending the rules by going to a nearby park for people to take delivery, but I'm guessing Rivian lawyers are now shutting that down real fast after hearing about it (not to mention it's just weird and makes them seem bush league).

I didn’t seem to get this email. Is it only targeted to R1T customers?

Braindoc said:

I didn’t seem to get this email. Is it only targeted to R1T customers?

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great q. I'm a locked R1S order, but would still like to select the option to pickup at a service center.

Braindoc said:

I didn’t seem to get this email. Is it only targeted to R1T customers?

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Sometimes it just takes time for all the emails to go out. I also haven't received it yet

CommodoreAmiga said:

Wish they'd let people outside whatever arbitrary radius Rivian has chosen to indicate they're willing to take delivery at a center. I bet a lot of people would be willing to travel to take delivery. It's asinine that 2022 reservations are taking delivery because of some arbitrary lottery.

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I think it's a service infrastructure issue. When they sell a truck to someone outside of the service area of one of the SCs they are committing to that truck needing a long range tow if it needs to go to the SC for any reason. These early trucks are more service intensive and their service teams are still being built out, so limiting the number of deliveries outside of the specific service are of a SC allows them to reduce strain on the system until it's more robust.

I wonder how the ability to confirm your configuration will affect the ability of a guide to match you to a vehicle that isn’t your exact specification. I’m currently configured for LA Silver but wouldn’t say no to Glacier White or Rivian Blue.

If people are still getting guides perhaps it doesn’t matter, but I can see this move lightening the work for guides and limiting early guide assignments, which in turn could limit the ability of some people to get matched to a vehicle versus waiting for their exact configuration.

Edit: I’ll also add that I understand they are trying to improve communication, but this is yet another thing coming “s00n” without any indication of when it will actually roll out. People are still waiting on promised updated delivery windows and the ability to see how changes will affect delivery timing right from the account page.

Things are improving.

DJG said:

I'm pretty sure the delineation is direct sales laws. I cannot take delivery at a SC in TX for example, even if it were across the street. They have to drive it across the street to my driveway. Some have been bending the rules by going to a nearby park for people to take delivery, but I'm guessing Rivian lawyers are now shutting that down real fast after hearing about it (not to mention it's just weird and makes them seem bush league).

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That makes no sense. People buy vehicles out of state, all the time. Taking delivery out of your state shouldn't be a problem. If anything, having the vehicle delivered to you by Rivian seems like a larger problem.

DJG said:

I'm pretty sure the delineation is direct sales laws. I cannot take delivery at a SC in TX for example, even if it were across the street. They have to drive it across the street to my driveway. Some have been bending the rules by going to a nearby park for people to take delivery, but I'm guessing Rivian lawyers are now shutting that down real fast after hearing about it (not to mention it's just weird and makes them seem bush league).

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No, that's not at all true. I picked up my Tesla at the Austin service center. However, I had to use FedEx for all off the paperwork to purchase the car, as it was sold technically from Las Vegas. Once all that paperwork and the payment was sent back to LV, they shipped the car to Austin, then I went to go pick it up from there.

Braindoc said:

I didn’t seem to get this email. Is it only targeted to R1T customers?

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R1T reservation here, didn't get it either.

bd5400 said:

I wonder how the ability to confirm your configuration will affect the ability of a guide to match you to a vehicle that isn’t your exact specification. I’m currently configured for LA Silver but wouldn’t say no to Glacier White or Rivian Blue

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I think they are trying to eliminate that because it's slowing down the process to some extent. Personally I think "confirming" your configuration will move you up in the queue and they will stop reaching out to people who don't have their configuration "locked." Ideally they'd have a "committed to buying but flexible on options" status as well that would allow you to go first available, but I think that would result in a lot of work for the guides.

mpw81 said:

You will be able to confirm your configuration directly from your Account Page.
Until now, order confirmation has been a manual process completed only with help from a Rivian Guide. This new self-service option will signal to us that you’re committed to your configuration, which will streamline production and delivery planning. We'll alert you by email once the feature is available in your Account Page. You’ll also continue to have Guide support for order confirmation, and any other questions throughout the purchasing process.

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What exactly does this mean? I thought they wanted people to be flexible with their options, but this makes it sound like they want people to lock in a configuration online.

smiesguy said:

great q. I'm a locked R1S order, but would still like to select the option to pickup at a service center.

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What do you mean by a "locked" order?

P.S. I have an R1S order (actually two of them).

I dont' have the option to "Confirm" the order on their website yet...