GT car / Salesman - Shiraaz Sookralli - Champion Porsche's VP of Marketing
09-16-2018, 07:23 AM
#991
looks like the Fuhrer is also on the list of those with missing deposits...
http://captiongenerator.com/1101262/...ampion-Porsche
http://captiongenerator.com/1101262/...ampion-Porsche
09-16-2018, 08:51 AM
#992
Rennlist Member
Originally Posted by stealthpilot
People from South Florida have an unusual tendency to these problems. I lived in Miami for 15 years, and I noticed many of my neighbors spent way above their means. At first I used to think I was poorer than them, and then I realized that I saved 50% of my income and they spent 120% of theirs! The mantra of South Florida is "fake it till you make it". A mantra that leads to these types of outcomes.
09-16-2018, 09:12 AM
#993
Drifting
It’s stories like this that make me appreciate having a great dealership...msrp, cars go to local established customers. I hope everyone gets made whole. Porsche seems to be making about a billion RSs, should be plenty to cover these folks.
09-16-2018, 09:29 AM
#994
Race Director
09-16-2018, 09:38 AM
#995
Race Director
09-16-2018, 09:43 AM
#996
Race Director
This is unpopular opinion but I actually don't think champion's actions were as egregious as everyone else states OTHER THAN the fact this guy had a previous scam with the 911R and should have been canned then. He should have been given the boot long before any of this was able to happen, but I also feel this could happen at any dealer and it's not necessarily a "champion" issue.
- I've given many a deposit to dealerships via wire and CC. It's always been an assumed trust that 1// if they're a sales associate that I've met in-person or phone/email with an official dealer affiliation that they are providing me with a legit wire/cc charge and 2// once I receive a sales agreement or confirmation number I'm good to go.
- The above is easily faked. People keep criticizing champion's accounting but if this guy was doing all of this off the books with fake accounts and fake documents how would that even hit champions system for accounting, tracking allocations etc. to raise any flags? I'd actually love to know what flags people think should have been caught here because maybe I'm just naive and missing it.
- The #1 flag to me would be customers asking about allocations and orders after they placed a deposit but the dealership likely just directed them back to SS, who before skipping town would probably just provide more falsified updates and kept customers quiet.
- How many of us deal with SAs almost exclusively over text/phone? I barely ever email my SAs, so corporate oversight into skimming emails etc. wouldn't catch almost any of my conversations.
- Again, once I'm given a sales agreement and confirmation number/printout I trust everything is copacetic and in hindsight this is way too easy to fake. I guess my point is that this is all very easily manipulated and (although probably in the minority) I could buy the fact champion didn't know. Again, it's the prior 911R fiasco that tells me they should have gotten rid of this guy and aren't innocent, but everything else seems like it could happen to any dealer...
Yea I'm sure champion could have done more to catch this but their main failure in my eyes is letting this guy stick around after the Rampage 911R incident. Either way, I actually feel terrible for every other SA and innocent employee there. How many employees ("#1 dealer in America", so their employee headcount has to be high) are just operating in their own world looking out for themselves and their customers are now devastated by this and have to deal with a damaged reputation and lost sales? All I'm saying is I feel bad for the people not involved because I'm sure there's plenty. No that doesn't take away from the victims of the scam but I think you need to look at all sides here.
- I've given many a deposit to dealerships via wire and CC. It's always been an assumed trust that 1// if they're a sales associate that I've met in-person or phone/email with an official dealer affiliation that they are providing me with a legit wire/cc charge and 2// once I receive a sales agreement or confirmation number I'm good to go.
- The above is easily faked. People keep criticizing champion's accounting but if this guy was doing all of this off the books with fake accounts and fake documents how would that even hit champions system for accounting, tracking allocations etc. to raise any flags? I'd actually love to know what flags people think should have been caught here because maybe I'm just naive and missing it.
- The #1 flag to me would be customers asking about allocations and orders after they placed a deposit but the dealership likely just directed them back to SS, who before skipping town would probably just provide more falsified updates and kept customers quiet.
- How many of us deal with SAs almost exclusively over text/phone? I barely ever email my SAs, so corporate oversight into skimming emails etc. wouldn't catch almost any of my conversations.
- Again, once I'm given a sales agreement and confirmation number/printout I trust everything is copacetic and in hindsight this is way too easy to fake. I guess my point is that this is all very easily manipulated and (although probably in the minority) I could buy the fact champion didn't know. Again, it's the prior 911R fiasco that tells me they should have gotten rid of this guy and aren't innocent, but everything else seems like it could happen to any dealer...
Yea I'm sure champion could have done more to catch this but their main failure in my eyes is letting this guy stick around after the Rampage 911R incident. Either way, I actually feel terrible for every other SA and innocent employee there. How many employees ("#1 dealer in America", so their employee headcount has to be high) are just operating in their own world looking out for themselves and their customers are now devastated by this and have to deal with a damaged reputation and lost sales? All I'm saying is I feel bad for the people not involved because I'm sure there's plenty. No that doesn't take away from the victims of the scam but I think you need to look at all sides here.
09-16-2018, 09:52 AM
#997
Race Director
09-16-2018, 10:06 AM
#998
09-16-2018, 10:11 AM
#999
Three Wheelin'
Champion will be in the clear when each client actually receives compensation and it has been established that the lone wolf was lone. Phone calls and memos are reassuring but not substantive. Not critizing or impugning, simply stating fact.
09-16-2018, 10:22 AM
#1002
Perfect Angel
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Maybe I'm an optimist but imagine you are the top brass at Champion and this hits the fan. Don't you think you might need a few days to figure out what actually happened, consult a lawyer to figure out what you can and can't do, consult with PCNA as well and then figure out if you have the money and/or allocations to make these promises, weed thru the real customers and those trying to take advantage and separate wild rumor from fact?
Personally I wouldn't have made any statements before getting my ducks in a row either and I sure wouldn't let any employee speak out of turn or make any commitments to anyone until the circumstances were truly known. This is a big and complicated situation involving customers of means.
I don't think a couple days is tantamount to Champion running for the hills with money they never received or trying to weasel out of anything.
09-16-2018, 10:32 AM
#1003
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Originally Posted by Streak
Maybe I'm an optimist but imagine you are the top brass at Champion and this hits the fan. Don't you think you might need a few days to figure out what actually happened, consult a lawyer to figure out what you can and can't do, consult with PCNA as well and then figure out if you have the money and/or allocations to make these promises, weed thru the real customers and those trying to take advantage and separate wild rumor from fact?
Personally I wouldn't have made any statements before getting my ducks in a row either and I sure wouldn't let any employee speak out of turn or make any commitments to anyone until the circumstances were truly known. This is a big and complicated situation involving customers of means.
I don't think a couple days is tantamount to Champion running for the hills with money they never received or trying to weasel out of anything.
Personally I wouldn't have made any statements before getting my ducks in a row either and I sure wouldn't let any employee speak out of turn or make any commitments to anyone until the circumstances were truly known. This is a big and complicated situation involving customers of means.
I don't think a couple days is tantamount to Champion running for the hills with money they never received or trying to weasel out of anything.
09-16-2018, 10:38 AM
#1004
Race Director
Originally Posted by djcxxx
Champion will be in the clear when each client actually receives compensation and it has been established that the lone wolf was lone. Phone calls and memos are reassuring but not substantive. Not critizing or impugning, simply stating fact.
I like facts. Talk and fluff only go so far.
I'm sure there will be an investigation whether Shiraaz was actually in cahoots at some point with ownership or others in hiding any dealership revenue.
He was employed there for approx 10 years and has shill accounts open dating back a long time. He was like a family member and very close to the now deceased owner and his sons.
As far as GT car sales, you're telling me the General Manager or ownership never looked at what these cars were selling for over the past 10 years?? They get ALOT of GT car allocations. More than any US dealer. High demand cars and somehow he's skimming ADM's off them and NOBODY picks up on it?? I'm sure this has been going on for years.
I'm assuming whatever chain of events happened lately (maybe mysterious death of Dave Maraj), he decided to cash in on the tricks or internal scamming system and skip town.
I'm sure this will be on the State of Florida's Radar and there will be a lot more of this whole story unveiling.
09-16-2018, 10:40 AM
#1005
Race Director
Originally Posted by Needsdecaf
Shhhhh, don't say that. You won't fit in with the pitchfork and torch rhetoric going on.
Everyone can have an opinion. Look at what all the collective research uncovered in this whole thread. Maybe you wouldn't have been a fan of the OP starting it. Oh well. People have a right to demand justice when laws have been broken, fraud and theft committed, and posting of public documents that uncover the details.
Don't like it? Go debate PDK vs Manual somewhere.
You've offered ZERO help here in any of the above to help any victims here. Others here have been thanked by the victims in helping expose this. All of which Champion DID ZERO on their own. Never reached out to victims, and wouldn't even take their phone calls. Says something.