Photo: Rinzler017 via Rivian Forums, Rivian | collage
An early Rivian R1T reservation holder who recently took delivery of his truck discovered many quality problems after delivery. He was told that he could either wait for a repair or have his vehicle replaced. The only problem is that this means paying up to $18,000 more for the same thing.
Last March, Rivian was embroiled in a scandal after it raised the prices retroactively for those who had already placed an order. The backlash forced the EV startup to reconsider its decision. Rivian promised early reservation holders that they would get "price protection," meaning they would not have to pay the new price. Many considered this the right move to appease those affected. Still, Rivian later used all the tricks in the book to force the reservation holders to pay the full price.
The first measure Rivian took after this blunder was to remove the configurator and implement a "Visualizer" instead. This way, no one could lock a price before Rivian was ready to deliver the vehicle. Besides that, Rivian made sure that early reservation holders were constantly pushed to the back of the queue. For everybody else, Rivian bragged about delivering a vehicle in less than 14 days. Early reservation holders are rarely scheduled for delivery, depending on availability. They cannot change their configurations to speed up delivery because they will lose price protection if they do so.
A new complaint by an early reservation holder suggests that those who finally take delivery of a truck are given defective units. It's unclear what Rivian would gain from this move. Still, Ray certainly felt that way when he was forced to either keep his R1T riddled with quality problems or accept to pay the full price for a replacement. He picked up his R1T from Maryland and noted at delivery some body panel misalignments and two areas where the pain was bubbling up. When he got home, more defects, including paint defects, a broken trim piece, and a missing plastic screw, became evident.
After reaching out to Rivian, Ray was given a choice to either wait for Rivian to repair the issues or have his truck replaced. He opted for the latter and was immediately granted access to the Rivian R1 Shop. He could select a vehicle, and the price showed reflected his pre-March 2022 price. The following day he was notified that the R1T was ready for delivery. The only problem? The price changed to the current one Rivian asks for new vehicles.
After some back and forth with the Rivian regional manager and his guide, Ray is told that if he chooses another Rivian, he won't be able to keep the pre-March pricing he had for his current R1T. To add insult to injury, he was also told that repair would actually take a long time. As a consolation for his experience, Ray was offered center cap pieces for his 20-inch wheels.
Following this awful experience, Ray was under the impression that Rivian simply wanted him to go away. Other Rivian owners advised him to accept the refund and look for another vehicle. We're curious, what would you have done in his situation? Please, tell us in the comments section below.
The first measure Rivian took after this blunder was to remove the configurator and implement a "Visualizer" instead. This way, no one could lock a price before Rivian was ready to deliver the vehicle. Besides that, Rivian made sure that early reservation holders were constantly pushed to the back of the queue. For everybody else, Rivian bragged about delivering a vehicle in less than 14 days. Early reservation holders are rarely scheduled for delivery, depending on availability. They cannot change their configurations to speed up delivery because they will lose price protection if they do so.
A new complaint by an early reservation holder suggests that those who finally take delivery of a truck are given defective units. It's unclear what Rivian would gain from this move. Still, Ray certainly felt that way when he was forced to either keep his R1T riddled with quality problems or accept to pay the full price for a replacement. He picked up his R1T from Maryland and noted at delivery some body panel misalignments and two areas where the pain was bubbling up. When he got home, more defects, including paint defects, a broken trim piece, and a missing plastic screw, became evident.
After reaching out to Rivian, Ray was given a choice to either wait for Rivian to repair the issues or have his truck replaced. He opted for the latter and was immediately granted access to the Rivian R1 Shop. He could select a vehicle, and the price showed reflected his pre-March 2022 price. The following day he was notified that the R1T was ready for delivery. The only problem? The price changed to the current one Rivian asks for new vehicles.
After some back and forth with the Rivian regional manager and his guide, Ray is told that if he chooses another Rivian, he won't be able to keep the pre-March pricing he had for his current R1T. To add insult to injury, he was also told that repair would actually take a long time. As a consolation for his experience, Ray was offered center cap pieces for his 20-inch wheels.
Following this awful experience, Ray was under the impression that Rivian simply wanted him to go away. Other Rivian owners advised him to accept the refund and look for another vehicle. We're curious, what would you have done in his situation? Please, tell us in the comments section below.
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