I had to file a fraud dispute with my bank, which eventually ruled in my favor to recover the funds. The refund DID NOT come directly from Autopia.
I HAVE NOT received any apology or follow-up communication from Autopia since my last email 30 days ago. The last message was a follow-up on the refund status from me, which went completely ignored.
Regarding the resolution:
The admins did step in quickly and informed me that Autopia received a formal warning for failing to post accurate broker fees after I notified them.
I believe the refund situation is a more serious issue that could harm the community, and I will leave that to the adminsâ discretion. I definitely WOULD NOT characterize the brokerâs handling of this as professional or âsatisfactory.â"
You have been a client of mine since 2020- this was your 5th car from me. We have 600+ all next level positive reviews with 0 issues from 2018. (2 of them from you).
Keep in mind we sell 70+cars monthly and have a die hard loyal fan base on LH. so 5k is nothing- the word âfraudâ is a big word to use. Just saying- you have the right to feel whatever it is you have to feel, but I can also say with certinity there was no fraud or intent of fraud.
I tried calling you twice, and on both occasions I was sent to VM. If you still feel you need the apology, I still have no issues getting on a call to clarify if you would like.
The issue was from Paypal- not from my end. and the minute you filed the disupte I approved it with the note " The client is right, I owe him 5k and approve the chargeback".
The car you wanted was a dealer trade. We have a way of processing these kind of deals. You could have asked why the DAS was showing 1k less and would have happily explained it. You signed the docs, picked up the car and didnt mention anything to me.
Victoria did reach out to me, and explianed the situation was told in the future to make sure the DAS is all included as on contract.
I work 18 hours a day, 7 days a week and havent had a day off since 2018. When you were emailing me at 1AM, I was still responding to you instantly. My reputation is everything. But again, sometimes things happen that are out of our hands- I try my best to resolve everything and keep everyone happy. Anytime you emailed me- you had a reposne from me within minutes as I always do.
Hope this clears everything to you and the community- and if you still want an apology- feel free to call me anytime.
You seem surprisingly proud of a situation where you caused a long-term client nothing but trouble.
It wasnât a refund; it was a chargeback. You NEVER initiated a voluntary refund, and PayPal confirmed that. My bank forced the recovery; a chargeback does not need your approval.
I paid the extra $5,000 upfront because I trusted you. I followed up 4 times and waited almost 3 weeks because I trusted you. You had an additional 2+ weeks to address this after I posted publicly, and you still chose silence.
I donât need a late apology. Iâm posting this so the community can make an informed decision based on the facts of my experience.
Had a great experience picking up an i4 through Sam. When delivery was pushed back due to delays on BMWs end, Sam went above and beyond to make sure I was taken care of. I wouldnât hesitate to lease another car from Sam & Autopia!
Been eyeing a CLE 53 AMG for over six months. Every car I liked was overpriced for the monthly payments, and even cheaper builds still came out high when contacting dealers directlyâthey were either inflating the MF or adding extra fees. For example, a NorCal dealer quoted $1,200/month for a $72K car, while a Bay Area dealer quoted $1,458 for an $89K CLE 53 AMG.
Last night, I dug into LeaseHackr and reached out to multiple brokers. Sam was the first to respond. I had checked his numbers, which seemed unbelievably low for the MSRP, and he assured me they were accurateâhe even owns the same fully loaded model and offered helpful recommendations.
This morning, he shared a car with features I thought would push the payment into the $1,500s. MSRP: $96.5K. Monthly payment? $1,234.50 with tax, for a 36/12 lease with $3,400 DAS, and no extra broker fees. I call this a unicorn deal! I even asked if the dealer could bring it down to $1,220âhe said he would try.
Within 12 hours of finding Autopia, Iâve already paid the DAS amount, with delivery in less than three weeks. Couldnât be happier!
Sam with Autopia helped with a lease for a CLE 53 AMG. As a busy professional, I donât have a lot of time but Sam was always available and made the process smooth. I reached out to several brokers on the forum and Sam answered all my questions promptly and was easily able to secure a vehicle to my specs. He made the whole process very easy and will definitely be reaching out to him in the future. Thanks for all your help Sam!
Sam stands out in an industry where itâs genuinely rare to find this level of service.
My experience overall was very positive. He was true to his word on the key details: $3,400 DAS on a 2025 C300 (MSRP $56K), $321.45/month, plus $599 to ship the car to Arizona â everything ultimately lined up as quoted.
What really separates him is the effort. I reached out to multiple brokers, and none of them were willing to deal with the logistics of getting a car to Arizona. Sam was the only one who stepped up and handled it end-to-end, which made a huge difference.
He was also transparent from the start â I was clearly given the option to either pay as I went or to pay Sam a lump sum for convenience and receive a refund once Sam took care of everything. I opted for the latter. When I needed a refund, it was processed within a few business days and resolved properly, which reflects a willingness to take care of issues when they come up.
Sam delivers where it counts, communicates well, and is willing to go the extra mile when most brokers wonât.
Sam is absolutely the best! After shopping around and speaking with several brokers in Northern California, he gave me the best quote for my Mercedes-Benz E350W4, with a configuration that matched everything I wanted. He is professional, responsive, and guided me through every step of the process, from signing the lease to delivery and pickup. I highly recommend Autopia and the amazing Sam. Iâll definitely be coming back to lease my next car with him.
Sam for the win AGAIN!! This is my second vehicle working with him! Heâs seriously the best. He takes the time to really understand what youâre looking for, gives you all the options, and doesnât hide anything. He cares deeply about building a relationship and making sure youâre cared for.
We were looking for a convertible for a couple months, but just werenât sure which one to get. We put it off for a while and when we were ready again to purchase, Sam was available and understanding of our situation. He was able to find the exact build we were looking for, with more than we could think of. On top of that, we got an unbeatable deal! He took care of everything and made our lives so much easier and better. Really looking forward to the next purchase we make, and definitely will be reaching out to Sam first!
Worked with Sam from Autopia on a fully loaded BMW X7 xDrive40i and had a great experience from start to finish.
Super responsive, transparent, and handled all the end-of-month chaos smoothly. He secured the exact spec we wanted and made the whole process painless. Communication was excellent throughout, delivery went seamlessly, and everything was exactly as promised.
Would absolutely work with him again and highly recommend him to anyone looking for a smooth broker experience.
A few years ago Sam got me an amazing deal on a BMW 330i while also making it as easy and stress free as possible. He helped me again with a deal on a Toyota Sequoia that was much much cheaper than anything else out there and he had them deliver the car to my house. I canât recommend Sam enough!!
I cannot recommend Sam at Autopia enough. I reached out to him on March 19th to start a custom build for a 2026 X5, and he managed every single step of the process until the car was delivered to my driveway today.
Sam is incredibly fast, and his continuous communication throughout the two-month wait was truly above and beyond. I never had to wonder where my car was in the production cycle. He secured a really great price and, most importantly, ensured I avoided all the typical dealer add-ons and high-pressure tactics from the finance office.
What really impressed me was his advocacyâwhen we hit a few logistical snags with the dealership and shipping, Sam stepped in and used his leverage to make sure everything was handled fairly, including securing a specific down-payment exception to make things right. If youâre looking for a broker who is as invested in your custom build as you are, Sam is the pro you want in your corner.He will get my business again in a heartbeat!
