Looking for advice: 5 missed deadlines with Advance Auto broker (Ioniq 5 SE)

Ask the Hackrs
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1

TL;DR:
First-time using a broker (Advance Auto). Paid the fee on Aug 21 for a Hyundai IONIQ 5 SE lease. As of Sept 8, I’ve had 5 missed deadlines, no VIN, and only told the car is “on its way.” Broker has been kind on the phone, but I’m confused and would like to hear how others’ broker experiences have been.

Hi everyone,

I’d like to share my situation and get your perspective. This is for a Hyundai IONIQ 5 SE, 36-month lease. I’ve been working with Mike at ADV Auto Brokers (Advance Auto).

  • Within the first days of the deal, I already paid the broker fee.

  • The broker promised I would receive the deal I signed for and assured me not to worry.

  • This process started on August 21, and as of September 8 we’ve now had the fifth missed deadline.

  • Over the past 7–8 days, I’ve had to reach out each time; otherwise, I wouldn’t hear back.

  • Just to note: we were flexible with colors, knowing they can be hard to find.

To be fair: up until this recent silence, the broker was very kind in communication. He took time to answer calls, explain details, and reassure us.

But the fact remains: when the deadlines arrive, there is no VIN, no car, and no concrete result — only the fleet contact saying the vehicle is “on its way.”

Please don’t interpret this as me trying to bad-mouth the broker. This is my first time working with a broker, and I’m genuinely trying to learn. I’d love to hear from others who have gone through brokers — what has your experience been like?

Thanks for your thoughts,
Rafael

2

Hopefully you did that with a credit card, if so slam dunk chargeback

3

My 2 cents… all Ioniq deals with us right now are being scheduled for pickup from Sep 15 onward due to most units being in transit. As soon as we can, we assign a unit to a client, share vin, etc.

Our pricing has gone up because we are working with stores only willing to presell & being a bit better with communication & quickly getting us info to make sure our clients are updated.

Now, that being said, knowing Mike & how he works, he definitely is doing his absolute best to get you a car at the committed price. It has been a MESS with every single Hyundai store and if he is missing deadlines, it’s not because of him, things are happening on the backend and all of us doing these last minute cheap EV leases are experiencing the same thing. Truly, I had a client who had a car LOCKED for them and retail sold it under our sales manager the same day it landed on accident because he forgot to mark the car sold. Couldn’t do much, simple mishap. Client understood & now has a car.

We are now telling all our customers when the cars are landing + setting a clear expectation & also offering a FULL refund if they don’t want the car (if the waiting period passes what we committed to them). If you ask Mike, I had 0 doubt he will offer to do the same as he is a trustworthy & great broker and a “chargeback” is definitely not needed.

4

Show me any broker who takes credit card? Don’t be delusional. They all want Wenmo or PayPal F&F

5

@CoastalMotorGroup

Love this reply.

In nearly every line of work we have challenges with production, shipping, delays etc.

it’s great to see another broker having some frustration with the same brand and sharing that.

Great reply, to add some context to this situation and hopefully a little peace of mind for this buyer.

6

Take your money back and move on.

7

We take credit card.

8

It’s great to know. You must be the only one. I’ll keep it in mind.

9

I got my Ioniq 5 with them and it took some time but it worked out. Started August 14th, got car August 24th. I bet it’s way more busy now and dealer inventory is minimal now vs. what I saw in stock at dealerships back then

10

I don’t do Hyundai deals, so I can’t speak specifically about Ioniq supply and delivery delays, but I know Mike @ AdvancedAuto and he’s as great as they come. One of the most honest and hard-working brokers I’ve met and worked with on here. I’m pretty sure whatever mishaps are happening are not his fault, and it sounds like he’s doing what he can as a broker to keep you apprised of updates along the way when you ask.

Separately, I don’t understand the hostility towards broker payments. I personally accept several methods (Zelle, Venmo, and credit card), and if there’s an issue, you should discuss that with the broker to explore a refund. No need for a chargeback unless you’re getting ghosted and ignored.

Best of luck with your car, OP. I’m sure you will get it in due time.

11

I don’t think there’s a general hostility about the payments - you’re providing a very valuable service.

The concern seems to be the lack of “protection” for the person entering into the deal, especially when using certain payment methods.

As with their previous thread, I totally understand the concerns of the OP. But if the broker was taking fees & ghosting people, it would be reflected in their reviews.

Again, I hope you’ll reflect on all of the communication you had & leave them a fair review once your transaction is completed.

Best of luck OP! :crossed_fingers:

12

Hi Rafael and everyone,

First, I want to apologize for the inconvenience and also thank Rafael for his patience. I’d also like to take this chance to explain the situation clearly. Our goal is always to provide the best service and build trust with our clients.

Rafael submitted his application on August 21st for an Ioniq 5 SE in Teal. Later, he mentioned being open to other colors to help speed things up. I had offered him $4,000 off MSRP. Unfortunately, my dealer couldn’t deliver at that time due to inventory shortage, which caused us to miss the first deadline.

By September, all Hyundai dealers in SoCal stopped offering $4,000 off and the lease program changed with higher rates. I told Rafael I’d honor the same discount and same payment we agreed to, but I needed more time because my fleet partners were waiting on inventory that qualified for that exact deal. When they buy or trade cars from other dealers, their cost is higher than getting them straight from the factory, so they can’t match the same numbers on those units.

That said, I stand by my word: I will either get Rafael the car at the agreed payment, or if he prefers, I’ll refund the broker fee in full. But I don’t want him to lose this deal. I’m confident no one else can offer these same numbers right now.

About the VIN: I can only provide it once the dealer has the car in stock. Until then, there isn’t a VIN available for me to pass along.

Communication: I’ve always replied to Rafael’s calls and emails, sometimes with delay due to the volume we’re handling. For example, my last reply was on Sept 8 at 8:50 PM, where I wrote:

“Sorry for the late reply. I’ll check with my fleet department tomorrow to confirm if they have any units available at $4,000 off MSRP and update you as soon as I hear back. I’m trying to get this done as soon as possible since I have more applications in line as well, just need to get the vehicles on the ground first.”

I’m actively working on securing cars for all clients before the EV credit is gone, while also keeping up with emails, calls, and texts as quickly as I can.

Broker fee:
Payment options are Zelle, Venmo, or Credit/Debit card. If any client wants to cancel, the fee is refunded with no questions asked.

At this point, it’s Rafael’s choice: continue waiting a little longer and get the car with the agreed payment, or request a refund right away.

Here is our review page if you want to see what others say about our service.
Advanced Auto Brokers - Review Page

Thanks,
Mike
ADV Auto Brokers

13

Solid and transparent response Mike.

14

I want to say thank you to @CoastalMotorGroup and @ZZAutoDeals for the kind words about me and my company, and for the clear explanation about how broker deals and the process work. That means a lot to me.

As a broker, I really appreciate this kind of support. I know both of them personally, good people and true professionals. They work hard for their clients, and I can say the same about their companies as well. Always focused on getting the best service and best deals, saving people both time and money.

Thank you!

16

Thanks Mike for responding here — I appreciate it. It’s good for both sides to be heard. I know some will jump in with “great response, Mike,” or “Hopefully you did that with a credit card, if so slam dunk chargeback” but I think it’s also important to share how it feels on the client side. If nothing else, maybe this thread helps others see how leasing through a broker can actually play out.

My concern remains: since August 21, we’ve had five deadlines come and go, each time with no VIN or concrete confirmation of a car. As a first-time broker client, that leaves me unsure if this deal can really be delivered.

I also felt a little bit uncomfortable when you said it’s now my decision to either wait or take a refund. It puts the burden on me, when I’ve just been following your guidance and trusting your assurances. I even sold my car in good faith based on the timelines you gave me. After five broken deadlines, I think anyone would feel stuck.

I’m also trying to understand the logistics: if cars are “on the way,” don’t fleet managers usually have some kind of tracking info or at least VINs tied to incoming units? I’m not expecting FedEx-style tracking, but I would imagine there’s some record showing which vehicles are in transit.

I want to stress again: I’m not here to bad-mouth you or your company. This is my first time using a broker, and I’m trying to learn if this is normal. It’s been tough because right now my wife and I only have one car — so for the past two weeks it’s been a lot of Metro and Uber to cover commuting and driving our kids to school.

That said, I’ll be more than happy if the deal goes through. I’d gladly bring you a bottle of champagne and take a photo with a handshake and a smile to post right here if it happens. I truly hope we get there.

— Rafael

17

He was giving you an option to continue or get a refund. On his end, there’s really not much more he can do. So this seems like a great thing.

It normally wouldn’t put a “burden” on you. But since you sold a car in advance, I see your POV. Lesson learned on your end :grinning_face:

I share your thoughts re tracking, and am surprised that it’s not a little more advanced. But keep in mind that these are Hyundai dealers, not Porsche dealers, and pre-selling cars is probably not something that they do very often. So mistakes are going to happen. Then add in some dealer shenanigans and it gets worse.

Brokers - in recent memory, have you had other situations like this, where a mass market car is white hot & suddenly near impossible to get?

18

ID.4, Ioniq 5 when 13mo lease was a thing, for me, I get 10 equinoxes and sell out within 4 days lol, anything cheap that’s a stupid deal.

19

But imagine the alternative: the opposite scenario where you’re not offered that choice. No offer of a refund and being told your only option is to wait.

It sucks you sold your car so that’s obviously frustrating. Reminds me of ordering a car during peak inventory shortage from Covid and extending my soon-to-be-returned lease. If my wait had gone on past the last allowed extension I would have been in the same shoes.

20

How exactly should it be interpreted? From my perspective, that’s exactly the purpose of putting this out here and making this public. It also puts more stress on the situation.

Based on his response, he’s happy to refund you and it seemed very professional. Honestly, if I was him, after this, that would be my preference. But he sounds like he’s doing everything possible to get you a dirt cheap vehicle that everyone is trying to get their hands on rn.

21

I appreciate you taking the time to write this out and share your side. You’re right, both perspectives matter, and it’s important for others here to see the challenges that can come up with broker deals as well.

I completely understand your frustration. Since August 21 there have been delays, and I know having multiple deadlines slip without a VIN in hand hasn’t been easy, especially with you relying on one car for your family.

My commitment hasn’t changed. I told you we’d get this deal done at $4,000 off MSRP, and I stand by that. The challenge is my fleet partners don’t assign VINs until the cars are physically on the ground, so I haven’t been able to share one sooner. I emailed you earlier today, my fleet department is working on your deal now. Once I get the approval back, I’ll provide you with the VIN and schedule delivery for today or tomorrow.

As for the refund option, it was never meant to put the burden on you. I just don’t want you to feel stuck. If waiting no longer works, I’ll return your broker fee right away. If you decide to hold on, I’ll deliver the exact terms we agreed to.

I respect the patience and good faith you’ve shown throughout this process. My focus is on getting the car here, making sure the paperwork is right, and getting you delivered at the numbers we agreed.

Thanks again for raising your points here respectfully. I’m working to get this wrapped up and will keep you updated with concrete info.

Thanks,
Mike