So I am going to Philly early tomorrow morning to pick up my seaside AI (#5) prius tomorrow morning!!!! (Ordered on October 16th). At the time I was working, what looked to be, a never ending consulting project in the Philly area. Well that came to an end this week. ANyway back to the point. I reside in Redding CT (between Norwalk and Danbury, about an hour south west of Hartford) and I am wondering if there are any Prius owners out there that can recommend a dealership in regards to servicing my new car? Thanks,
Hi there, fellow CT-ite! I don't have my Prius yet (end of this month), so I can't recommend a service place. I'll be getting mine from A-1 Toyota in New Haven (woohoo for lifetime free oil changes!). I'll let you know how they do. In the meantime, if you happen to be passing through Milford and see a Silver '05 after 3/31 that will probably be me. Haven't seen too many Prii in the wild yet--only two, actually, and one had Mass plates. Enjoy!
I just got my Prius from A1 on March 7th, 2005!! Since the car is so new, I have yet to get service on the car. Only time will tell... As for A1 (in general), I was not treated as well as Saturn of Hartford treated me. Therefore, I am nervous that they will not be terribly honest with me. The A1 treatment: 1) Gave HORRIBLE trade-in value (blamed their "wholesalers" and made NO attempt to get better offer for client - me) 2) Unfriendly managers (but rest of staff was top-notch) Again, only time will tell !! I would love to hear about some POSITIVE CT service experiences! Looking for a shop I can trust... preferably a Toyota dealership with emphasis on customer relationships... Brian
On recieving my car I took it by a neighbors home, who has a 2004, and he recommended GreenTree Toyota in Danubury CT. As a matter of fact they have an "Open House" type of thing once a month where they bring their customers down to the shop and go over the facilities and walk through the car, it's features and their service dept. (so I am told). Anyway, my neighbor was under the impression that it is only for people that bought their car from GreenTree, but they called today and said that I was welcome to drive down with them for this week's meeting. They do this for all their cars, not just the Prius. I will have some more details for you on my return. It sure sounds promising. My neighbor had a great experience at GreenTree and have purchased 2 cars from them in the past 8 months. A Prius and the Scion box, I forget the name. My experience was less than stellar, note that I never actually talked to a salesman. it happened like this: My fiancee and I walk in on a saturday, read the sign which says "Please see receptionist for assistance". We walk over to the desk, after a minute or two she pulls the phone from her ear (if I had to guess I would say a personal call, but that is PURELY SPECULATION) and asked if she could help us. To which I reply "Yes I am interested in talking to someone regarding the Prius" and her reply, Get this: "Everyone is busy right now!" and immediately back to the phone call?? that is a direct Quote. I took it to mean they didn't want my business and took it elsewhere. Obviously that has no reflection on the service department but...... Of course a salesman comes up to us on our way out asking if we need help but mind had been made up, for better or worse.
I also use Greentree in Danbury. It was recommended by a fellow Brewster NY Priusnik in great preference to Northern Westchester or Dutchess places. Have found them courteous and competant. Do not confuse service with sales. I have some routine services like oil change when it is cold and tire rotation done by a local pleasant generic mechanic.
I hope you informed him WHY your mind was made up. Otherwise, how will they correct their (or maybe just her) behavior?
Of course, what fun is being upset if you don't get to yell at someone?? I told the salesperson what happened and why I was walking away, he was none to pleased.
I shopped around by sending emails out to the dealers within my area and got the most positive response back from Branch Toyota in Watertown. I knew I wasn't going to get a deal on the car, but I was concerned about service. They really shined with their "non-pushy" responses. They seemed honest, were frank about availability and their sales policies. I've heard good things about them, so I placed the order for my Prius with them on Feb 5th. The dealership is relatively close to 84, but they may be a little far for your service needs (convenience wise). Time will tell.
