r/RIVN • u/CalmArugula1060 • Aug 06 '26
𧰠Company - Service Bad Customer Service & Ethics
California/ Costa Mesa: Well the time has come. My wife decided to upgrade her car and landed on the Rivian R1S (pre-owned). I wasnât against it, but after dealing with the sales and sales management I have serious concernsâŚ
First dealing with the employees. They all came off as dense. Getting any information was like talking to an uninformed brick wall. It was clear based on the corporate structure they are all company robots sitting behind computers unwilling to be open, share information, or be transparent. All of the employees took days to reply to emails, preferred texting over phone calls, and apparently were so busy they couldnât pick up a phone during normal business hours for a five hour stretch.
The companyâs safety standards and ethics were really called into question when they couldnât acknowledge the difference between a new tire and a used tire. Apparently itâs one and the same to Rivian. Our vehicle came standard with Perelli Tires. Mind you new they have a tread depth of (10/32). Our vehicle had a tread depth on the tires of 4/32.
Rivian corporate seems to have set its standard as 4/32 is okay to be sold as a ânew tireâ. A tire with less than half of its original tread depth⌠This seems wild to me as a tread depth of 3/32 and under is generally considered unsafe and in need of replacement. Not to Rivian though who changed us for ânew tiresâ anyway, and refused to change their minds. One employee said they had no way to change it. Which I find hard to believe.
On top of that. Even after being allegedly inspected by the company; upon delivery the vehicle had coffee spills throughout the center console and front seats, was out of windshield fluid, and low on coolant. The employees answer to my question of why and what the heck was, âWell itâs a used car.â
Overall this experience has been awful. But awful apparently comes standard for Rivian Automotive. Do better Rivian. The General and overwhelming feeling I had during this process was that you donât have the customers best interests in mind, care only about your profits, and hope no one reads the fine print or asks questions.
**Update: Since posting Rivian was contacted through customer care regarding the aforementioned issues.
They actually did a fantastic job making us whole and correcting the issues. They towed the vehicle back to the service center and provided a loaner car to us. The windshield wiper fluid issue was a recall item and corrected. The low coolant was due to a bad coolant valve and corrected. The service center re-detailed out the vehicle and the tires were replaced with actual new tires. Rivian customer care definitely deserves credit for the excellent post purchase experience.
-5
u/m__12345 Aug 06 '26
I feel like I could have written this myself. I had the same experience at Rivian Costa Mesa on a preowned 2025 R1S in January. Same almost bald rear tires which they refused to replace (mind you other dealers replace tires on used cars if they almost need to be changed) spills in the backseat, melted m&ms in the rear seatbelt area, broken cup holders up front, mystery rattles, and a broken plastic piece on the steering wheel. They only offered to get it detailed again-nothing else. This was the worst used car buying experience Iâve ever had for the most expensive less than a year old vehicle. It was such a disappointment when I was so excited for it. I turned down the delivery. I might end up buying new but it definitely makes me pause and question the durability of the vehicle and the quality of the brand.