Richard Gonzales | Page 2

Excellent customer service transaction was extremely easy and im very satisfied my experience purchasing my vehicle has never been any more easy and extremely happy and im very satisfied my experience purchasing my vehicle has never been any more easy and extremely happy More

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STAY AWAY FROM THIS DEALERSHIP!Hoffman Ford will STAY AWAY FROM THIS DEALERSHIP! Hoffman Ford will sacrifice your safety to make a quick buck! My experience with them was an absolute nightmare. STAY AWAY FROM THIS DEALERSHIP! Hoffman Ford will sacrifice your safety to make a quick buck! My experience with them was an absolute nightmare. So I was looking for a Toyota Tacoma and I found one at Hoffman Ford. It was exactly what I wanted. I had called to schedule an appointment the very next morning and they had informed me that they had sold the truck. I was pretty bummed but things happened and figured it wasn’t meant to be. Well about 3 days later they emailed let me know the truck was available again and if I wanted to come check it out. At this point it should have raised red flags but I was so excited the truck was available again. It was after hours at this point and called and left a message letting them know I was going to come first thing the next morning. I emailed the associate back as well letting her know the same thing. The next morning I got down there about a half hour before they opened. When I was pulling in I saw someone was underneath the truck. I parked and walked over and the guy got up from beneath the car and I asked him if the car was still available. At this point I noticed he was wearing a Hoffman Ford mechanic uniform and he got really nervous and told me he had put a deposit down the night before. He had the keys and everything and we looking through the truck. He closed it up and disappeared behind the building. I called my wife to let her know and she told me to stay just in case he didn’t really put a down payment on the truck. It was shocking to me because the sales associate had emailed me right before close and I’d imagine she wouldn’t do that if someone put a deposit down. Well they opened and it just so happens the associate that emailed me was the one who let me in. I immediately asked her if the truck was still available and she assure me it was. I had to wait a bit because there weren’t any salesmen in yet. I was eventually paired with Richie G and he also assured me that the truck was still available. I asked him why the truck came back and he told me that the financing on the deal fell through. I then asked him about the guy that was under the truck and said he put a deposit on it and he was unaware of this, or acted like he was. He then got me the keys and told me to look it over while he got a plate and stuff. There was no window sticker on the truck which I’m told is against the law, and he asked me how much the truck was. I was honest and told him what they listed it for. He then asked me if I had a trade and I told him I did and how much I would take on it. I then took it for a test drive and noticed the air conditioning wasn’t working. I brought this up when I came back and he told me they would have everything fixed before I came back and picked up the truck. We then sat down in the finance managers office and talked numbers. He showed me the CarFax and there were two accidents on it which I pointed out. He told me that they were probably minor since there weren’t any notes associated with them. He told me there was nothing structurally wrong with the truck, which eventually I found out was a lie. We filled out all the paperwork and I paid cash for the truck including my trade in. I was a little upset because they insisted on including all these nonsense fees. They didn’t give me ANY paperwork on the transaction and I asked Richie about it and he told me they would have that for me when I picked up the truck. So me and my wife left work early to go pick up the truck. Richie still didn’t give me any paperwork or the title for the truck and told me it would be mailed to me. On the way to dinner it was a little toasty and my wife put on the AC which we immediately noticed wasn’t working. The dealership was already closed for the night so I would call the next morning. I called the morning after and asked to speak to Richie. I mentioned that the AC was not working and it was supposed to be fixed before we picked up the truck. He then said “there’s nothing we can do for you”. After voicing my frustration he told me to hold for a minute and he was going to see if he could do something. He then comes back on the phone and tells me that he’s going to let me purchased a warranty on the truck for $2000 which would cover the AC fix. I was absolutely furious about this. After repeated calls and a complaint to the BBB the manager reached out to me and tried to tell me the truck was sold as is in which I let him know that the ONLY piece of paperwork I first received even before sitting down to go over exact numbers did not have the AS IS checked. I also let him know that they had promised me it would be fixed when I came to pick it up. After some back and forth he agreed to fix the AC and I told him I didn’t want to bring the truck back to Hoffman Ford and they would reimburse the bill from the place of my choice. It took me a while to even get the check from them as it seemed like they were stalling. At this point I was feeling a little uneasy about the truck and a friend had recommended bringing the truck in for a safety inspection to see if there was anything else wrong with it. So I actually called Hoffman Toyota, their sister dealership to schedule an appointment for the safety inspection. I dropped it off that morning and not too long after they called me letting me know that unfortunately the truck was unsafe to drive and they couldn’t let me leave the lot with it. Of course this was shocking to hear. Apparently they had found several LARGE perforations in the frame which meant the truck was unsafe to drive because the frame was bad. He then told me they were going to go over the rest of the truck and get a list of what else needed to be done. At this point I just purchased a truck for a significant amount of money that was unsafe to drive and basically useless. They then got back to me with a video and another large list of things they recommend getting fixed. The calipers were absolutely unrecognizable, the ebrake cables were ripped, the shocks were bad and there was a bunch of other things they recommended as well. It’s funny because after this report was sent to me I got a CarFax report from Hoffman Ford letting me know the things they did before I purchased the car and checking the calipers was on the list and Hoffman Toyota told me they were VERY unsafe and needed to be replaced. They also said they checked the AC which obviously was false as well. I felt like I just got take for all my money. So after everything was said and done Dan S called me to come down and discuss the results of the inspection and recommended fixes. I then told him how crazy it was that I JUST purchased the truck and the frame was bad and all the other safety issues. He then, dead serious, asked me what dealership would sell and let me leave with a truck in that shape. When I told him it was Hoffman Ford he looked so shocked and got all flustered and told me he was going to talk to his manager because there’s no way that they should have sold me a truck with a bad frame and that the Hoffman’s would not be happy about it. I told him it was illegal to sell a truck with a bad frame without disclosing it to me which it was never done. The calipers, ebrake and other safety issues they found were also things that should have been fixed before leaving the lot. I couldn’t believe they would sell me a truck like that and sleep at night. It was a VERY unsafe car and I was unknowingly driving it around with these issues. Well he had called me back to let me know that they would handle some of the important things on the list but its funny out the other recommended fixes weren’t so important anymore. They then found that the frame was under warranty so they put the request into Toyota and wait for approval. After it got approved for a new frame they told me they didn’t know when the new frame would come in and told me I would get a rental car that Toyota would cover for how ever long it would take. It took about 2 and a half months for them to get the frame in and get it swapped out. In the mean time I was having to bring cars back to swap for new ones at Enterprise which was a huge inconvenience for me. Communication with Dan was an absolute nightmare as I was trying to ask him questions about parts I was going to buy and get that all sorted out. He was completely unresponsive and it was making an already incredible stressful situation worse. I told them I wanted the truck even when it came out since it wasn’t when it went in. I even purchase parts for this to happen and told him to call if there were any questions. I had purchased back shocks as well that they put in. They were OEM shocks. I then received a photo showing the truck on the lift and it looked SO bad. The back end was so much lower than the front and it looked like the truck was squatting. He then told me he’d talk to the lead tech doing the work and get back to me. He never got back to me and called me to come pick up the truck. I told him the truck looked absolutely ridiculous with how low it was in the back which it wasn’t like when it came in to the shop. He them told me to take the truck home and I could order parts to get the back end even with the front. I had to order blocks for the back and then found out that the rear shocks I had purchased for the truck wouldn’t work with the blocks since they would over extend. I then asked Dan if I could order the new shocks and return the ones that were on the truck and he told me no because they were used even though I hadn’t driven the truck at all since they put them on. I told him they could keep the shocks I purchased if they would put on the new ones for me and he agreed. I’m sure they used the shocks for another customer. I then had to bring my truck back into the shop to get the parts installed and the squat fixed, which again took time out of my day to do. I’m guessing when the truck made it’s way back to the dealership for sale again the person who purchased it before me discovered the bad frame and made them void the deal. It’s SICKENING that they would then turn around and sell that truck to someone else knowing it was unsafe to drive. I get sick to my stomach just thinking that I was driving around in that truck with other people in there with me and our lives were possibly in danger because the truck wasn’t safe. This is just careless and speaks volumes. It’s my goal to prevent as many people as possible from doing business with Hoffman Ford so they don’t have to go through what I went through. It was an absolute nightmare. They clearly care more about making a quick buck than they do the wellbeing of their customers. I’m not sure how any of them sleep at night. After bringing up my story to others I found out this is a common practice of Hoffman Ford. It’s funny that their slogan is “Driven By Trust” when it couldn’t be further from the true. Please do yourself a favor and stay away from Hoffman Ford. More

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I want to thank Hoffman Ford of East Hartford Connecticut for restoring faith in the car buying process. The only dealership I will buy a car. !!!Thanks again and GOD bless. for restoring faith in the car buying process. The only dealership I will buy a car. !!!Thanks again and GOD bless. More

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Sales guy miscommunicated what was required of the buyer. Due to this, we couldn't pick up our car that day. Days later after promising certain enhancements out of courtesy for their mistake, they waited t Due to this, we couldn't pick up our car that day. Days later after promising certain enhancements out of courtesy for their mistake, they waited till we signed the papers and then told us they never promised anything. Not a dealership of their word. Their loss as my sister in law is also looking to buy a car and guess where we told her NOT to go. More

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Just purchased a truck from this stealership. Test drive went fine, everything seemed to be working. I worked with Richie and had a very pleasant experience going through the whole sale. They even swapped t went fine, everything seemed to be working. I worked with Richie and had a very pleasant experience going through the whole sale. They even swapped the aftermarket radio from my trade into the new vehicle since the one in there wasn’t working. I thought I had finally found an honest dealership I could work with going forward. Once the sale went through that’s when the good experience promptly ended. Me and my wife were driving home and it was getting warmer so she put the AC on. The AC isn’t even blowing cold air! It’s funny because the morning I test drove it i tested the AC and it was just blowing cool air but not cold. I did bring it up to the salesman and he told me if I purchased the vehicle it would be fixed for me. It’s a little ironic because this morning I received an email from CarFax asking me how I liked my recent service. Here are some things it says Hoffman did: 2010 TOYOTA TACOMA ACCESS CAB 09/22/2020 – 95,550 mi. Vehicle serviced Fluids checked Oil and filter changed Tire condition and pressure checked Tires rotated Front brake rotor(s) replaced Front brake pads replaced A/C and heating system checked Wheel locks installed Brake fluid flushed/changed Brakes serviced Windshield washer checked Wheel bearing(s)/hub(s) replaced Brake rotor(s) resurfaced Brake calipers cleaned/serviced So it’s a little ironic that the A/C and heating system is on there. They definitely would’ve noticed the absence of cold air if they actually checked it. The listing for the vehicle should have never included AC if it didn’t actually work. Also, after bringing it to my mechanic, the first thing he said was they should have rotated the tires for you since there’s chop in them yet it says that was done in the “service”. The key for the wheel locks is also no where in sight so I have to search for that as well. I then wrote Richie an email and he called me back a little later in the day and told me he was sorry and that unfortunately I hadn’t purchased the extended warranty. I then let him know that during the whole sale there was no mention of any extended warranty available. He then told me he’d see what he could do and call me back. Once he called me back he then gave me the opportunity to purchase an extended warranty for $1900 for two years! You’ve got to be kidding me! Not even one full day into my new car and you can’t even do me a favor and offer to fix the issue for me? I doubt this was coming from Richie so I don’t hold any ill will towards him, but I feel like that was a slap in the face. I had a few people tell me to stay away from Hoffman but I wanted to give them a chance. I wish I had listened to them! It’s unfortunate that they won’t stand behind their product they just sold me less than a day earlier. Horrible customer service. I will never do business with Hoffman again and will make sure I let people know of my experience so they don’t go through the same thing. You just lost me as a customer along with other potential buyers. I also never got my title or all the copies of the paperwork I signed. Shame on you Hoffman! Unfortunately there seems to be no other option than to file complaints with the CT Dealers and Repairers as well as the BBB. If Hoffman Ford doesn’t want to take ownership and do right by their customers I feel this needs to be reported and addressed to save any future buyers from going through the same thing I currently am. More

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Just a bit shady Back in June 2016. I went upstairs to consider purchasing a "new" used car, while my current car was down in service. I took a test drive a like the f Back in June 2016. I went upstairs to consider purchasing a "new" used car, while my current car was down in service. I took a test drive a like the feel of the Ford Fusion but did not like the smell. I was told to come back the next day and the smell would be gone. Unfortunately I signed the contract and handed over the credit card to put the car on hold during that time, and was promised orally that I would be refunded if I was not happy. The car still smelled like smoke the next day so I could not buy it. I can't blame them for not being able to get the smell out - I was hopeful. However, I can say that there is something a little off, or maybe unprofessional about this place. I feel I was really pressured (salesman raised his voice to me) to sign the contract ($250 deposit) and then the sales manager asserted I was crazy for still smelling smoke in the car despite everything they did. I did try talk with the GM to get that deposit back but I can tell it's not too high on their priority list - looking at past reviews I know I'm not the only one with this problem. Now that I've been to other dealership and have made my purchase, I know there are other place that one should probably be going - I'm glad I walked away from this place when I did. There's nothing Hoffman customer relations can do or say to change my mind. I just can't trust them. More

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Lied about repair When I first purchased my car, it had a noticeable scratch on the display. They said that they would repair it and would be in touch soon and even pro When I first purchased my car, it had a noticeable scratch on the display. They said that they would repair it and would be in touch soon and even provided a promisary note to repair. Not only did they not contact within the 5 months, but I always was given an excuse to call back whenever I called to ask about it. Now they are denying it ever happened. DO NOT TRUST THIS DEALERSHIP. I will update IF they get their act together and contact me and repair my display. More

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Awful Sales Experience Came in with the intention of buying/leasing a new Ford Explorer. As soon as we walked into the door, we were practically demanded to sit down. My hus Came in with the intention of buying/leasing a new Ford Explorer. As soon as we walked into the door, we were practically demanded to sit down. My husband started off the conversation and asked what their options are and the differences, at this point we were spoken to like we were xxxx that could not afford a new vehicle. I had to step in (otherwise we would've gotten up to leave) and advise Rich that our budget allows a new vehicle as we have just sold our previous luxury vehicle. He briefly snapped out of it and decided to take us out back to see their inventory, as we have not test drove an Explorer yet, we stuck around. Note: At this time he still has not asked us our names or even tried to get to know us. It wasn't until he asked for my husband's license to test drive that he even knew his name. Once we decided on which option we liked, we went back and Rich looked up what other color options were available. When I asked questions about what the difference was in the options besides pricing, he printed out 2 sheets and told us to look at them ourselves, did not point out where to look, or what the reason for the pricing difference was. At this point we were beyond fed up. I've never felt so degraded by anyone until that day. Save your dignity and go elsewhere. More

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New Fusion Helpful staff. Over it was a good experience. They were flexible and we are to get me into the car I wanted for the price I needed. Helpful staff. Over it was a good experience. They were flexible and we are to get me into the car I wanted for the price I needed. More

by ru5611 Verified Customer Verified Customer

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Car purchase Initial dealings - especially with Daniel, were very good and trustworthy. Once I made the decision to purchase, things got hairy. One manager, i be Initial dealings - especially with Daniel, were very good and trustworthy. Once I made the decision to purchase, things got hairy. One manager, i believe it was Billy, was a complete jerk and I walked out of the office. This is unprofessional and eventually required a call from the dealership GM and the deal was made with a price in line with what I wanted. This kind of nonsensical behavior no one should go through and makes buying a car not a great experience. I would not recommend this dealership for this reason that that initial manager should be fired. I really am not happy about the car either - because of the dealings, I am not very excited to drive it (I drove it today to work) and I could care less about it. Now I'm thinking I made the wrong decision. Note that I've used Hoffman for their emissions service and those representatives have been great. This is the first 'American' brand car I've purchased since 2000 and now I have another reason to not use these brands for another 17 years. Lastly, I told the dealership three times I was transferring plates and I was coerced into receiving a new registration, which is less work for the dealership and more work for me. In addition, I told the dealership threes time my wife was picking up the car, not me. The paperwork was all wrong and my wife had to wait 2.5 hours instead of a 0.5 hours. I'm not sure what else I need to do as a consumer to inform the dealership but buying a car again from Hoffman is out of the question. More

by john.delmonte Verified Customer Verified Customer

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