Rivian has ended one of its very generous policies, taking away the option for customers to return their vehicles within specified timelines and under certain conditions.
Ever since Rivian delivered its first vehicle, a R1T, back in September 2021, it has allowed customers that are not satisfied with their purchase return the vehicle for a full refund. The generous offer had several stipulations to prevent abuse, like completing the return within 7 days or before the vehicles reaches 1,000 miles in the US, or 1,610km in Canada, and having no accidents during that time.
The policy was in place to help attract customers that may have been wary about putting down up to $100,000 or more on a vehicle from an EV startup, but now with nearly three years of production and deliveries under its belt, Rivian apparently felt it was time to end the policy.
The support page on Rivian’s website titled “What is the return policy on a Rivian vehicle” has been removed, and presents as a 404 error, with the ‘0’ cleverly using Rivian’s signature headlight design. (h/t: @Hilbe)
Instead, Rivian has published a new support page, titled “Does Rivian have a vehicle return policy?”, with the company answering the question by simply saying “Rivian vehicles do not have a return policy.”
The page goes on to encourage potential customers to schedule a demo drive. Rivian also reminds customers they will have an opportunity to do a vehicle walk-around with a Rivian employee prior to accepting delivery.
Rivian this week announced steady deliveries in Q2 compared to Q1, but a fairly significant drop in production. This was expected however, as Rivian’s factory in Normal, Illinois was shut down for nearly a full month for upgrades.
In Q2, Rivian marked another significant milestone by announcing a partnership with the Volkswagen Group. The German automaker has invested $1 billion in Rivian to form a joint venture, with plans to invest up to an additional $4 billion, contingent upon the achievement of certain milestones.
