Torrington Toyota — Local services in Torrington

I've had such great service from this dealership I want to take the time to write a review for Randy (sales) and Corey(service) at Torrington Toyota. And a review of the dealership as a whole...

Randy has been a wonderful salesman over they years. It is always so wonderful to see him in the showroom when I come in for service. I have now bought my last 2 vehicles from the dealership through him as my sales person, over the span of several years. This purchase I did not even look anywhere else. I would not hesitate to recommend him as a sales person. Both times he has been wonderful to work with. He is quick to understand my needs and make recommendations. He is not pressuring. He listens and then offers suggestions. And once the deal is done I always feel that I have been treated fairly. Randy has been in the car business for a long time, and he has been at the dealership for a long time. It's rare in car dealerships see the same sales people, even 6 months later. But Torrington Toyota clearly has a commitment to making working conditions such that employees want to stay, and as a result it has been wonderful to have the consistency of having Randy there when it's time to buy the next vehicle. I don't take the time to write reviews often. But in this case Randy and the dealership deserve my effort in taking the time.

Corey is a newer service manager. The dealership has gone through some major renovation and dealership design upgrades, and the service area has all been reconstructed. So this was my first experience working with Corey, and I could not be more impressed. He started out as a technician and has now is a service advisor. It's always nice to have a service advisor that got their hands dirty fixing the cars first as they always seem to now the products better. In this visit with an older vehicle I own, I had kind of a tricky problem with my air conditioning. It's the first time I have ever worked with Corey. And all I have to say is what a wonderful young man to work with. Pleasant. Takes the time to explain things. They had to order parts for my repair. Corey took care of everything. From contacting the warranty company, to setting up a loaner without my asking, to working around my challenging schedule. Car repairs are never easy to fit into ones life. But Corey just made the process simple and easy. I look forward to working with him as a service advisor well into the future.

One final comment about the dealership as a whole. They are just wonderful. It's a smaller dealership so you get customized attention. Danny, who is one of the sales managers was wonderful to work through the details and final negotiation with on my last purchase. Dave, who I believe is the owner or one of the owners, is always friendly and cheerful and helpful. And everyone else is the same. People just seem to like working there, and it shows in the pride they take in their work. The dealership is smaller, so I believe that's why they seem to have more bargaining power in being able to make deals that feel fair. Their purchasing process is full service. They handle everything, which makes buying easy. But the dealership is small enough to make it feel like a family. It's definitely a nice wonderful non-threatening experience to buy and get service at Torrington Toyota. I highly...

Short version: Tee Hamzy is a God among men. He is the most extraordinary salesman I have ever worked with and he made the whole process extremely simple. Don't just go to this dealership, go to Tee. He's a superhero.

Long version: I have been stalking and desperately searching for a specific car with specific options for 4 months. I've called everywhere, I've put down deposits just to find out weeks later they couldn't get the car. While checking the online inventory it looked like Torrington was getting the car I wanted, and I'm an hour+ away. When I called and spoke with Tee, he confirmed all the details and timeline immediately, exactly where the car was in transit, and within moments the deposit was down and the car was mine. Tee explained the process, worked with me to get all of the stuff done in advance, and was both accessible and thorough (he even answered my call while he was at the Drs office, which I felt a bit bad about but goes to show how far he will go for his clients). Because he set such clear expectations, the day I was to get the car everything was signed and sorted so quickly. He then took the time with me to show me all of the features, answer all my questions, setup my Toyota profile and I was on my way!

It's worth mentioning this is the 3rd dealership in the area I've visited and talked with to get this car. One dealership gave me the "you know, you should settle for something else little lady, these cars are hard to come by" which is gross and demeaning. Another made promises they couldn't keep.

Tee was kind, thoughtful, knowledgeable and exceeded my every expectation. He even entertained a few additional questions the day after I bought it, demonstrating that the customer experience does not stop after he's made a sale. I will shout it from the rooftops if ever my friends are in the market for a new vehicle.

I will also say, everyone I interacted with at the dealership, albeit briefly, was extremely kind. They all seemed attentive and made me feel respected (none of this "little lady" business) and I really enjoyed everyone I interacted with. Car buying is intimidating, but this didn't feel intimidating for a moment.

Thank you, Tee. You're a true...

Worked with Larry and Dave in buying a new car. Great folks - highly recommend.

UPDATE: I unfortunately need to update my review from 5 stars to 1 and want to recommend everyone steer clear of Torrington Toyota.

After having a very positive buying experience, I found out a few months later that my radio wasn't working because my antenna was loose, which meant the roof was no longer waterproof. I had never used the antenna prior because I always used Android Auto, which plays music through my phone instead of the radio.

After bringing it in to Torrington Toyota, I was told that the loose antenna/leaky roof was caused by "outside influence." I was confused because I repeatedly told them there was no "outside influence" nor any scratch marks on the antenna that would indicate "outside influence." I even submitted a third party assessment showing the defect was either caused in assembly or transportation to the dealership.

Unfortunately, Torrington Toyota stood firm on their initial assessment, which meant they denied my warranty claim on my brand new truck. After appealing for several weeks through Toyota USA, they told me they couldn't help because of Torrington Toyota's initial assessment. To this day, they still have no proof of an "outside influence" - just their personal belief something like that happened. Despite having repeated opportunities to make it right, Torrington Toyota instead stuck it to me because they could.

Bottom line: They sold me a truck with a defective antenna/roof and refuse to make it right. I'm stuck with a truck I can't get wet. No one can keep a truck that isn't waterproof, so at this point my only recourse is through the Lemon Law process that I'm doing now. This has been an absolute nightmare and another example of a company taking advantage of you after they already have your money. Please be warned and steer clear of Torrington Toyota.

Second Update: Dave the owner helped with some of the costs. Took a while to get there, but they landed in the right...