SGP Racing a Scammer?
03-25-2009, 06:31 AM
#1542
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I really hope they hang him by his ***** and you follow through with this to the fullest extent of the law. Now the other people who were ripped off have to do the same.
03-25-2009, 08:18 AM
#1543
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Well, imagine my surprise when I go online to check up on how SGP is doing, only to see this thread pop up. I first visited the houston-imports site, only to see that SGP has been removed as one of the sponsors ( along with a lot of other shops) and there was a link to this thread.
I've read most of the thread ( had to skip to about every 4 pages ) and I feel like I'm watching a train wreck unfold right before me.
I worked at SGP about 3 years ago ( Kyle was still around ). It was my first mechanic job after I had just graduated automotive tech school. I had a buddy that worked there to help me get my foot in the door. It was like everything I had ever dreamed of had come true. We worked on some sick cars, went in at 10 and stayed there till all hours just havin a good time and working, making some good friends along the way, both with co-workers and customers.
After Kyle left / got booted things went down hill from there, Mark had to spend more time up front handling orders and phone calls as opposed to being at the welder or at the dyno where he was needed and that was just the start of where we were getting backed up. More jobs kept coming in, even while the stuff we were doing at the moment had to be put on hold due to whatever the circumstances were, waiting on parts, waiting on customer payment or what have you.
At some point someone should have realized that we couldn't continue to work that way, but all of that was out of sight out of mind when we had cars doing 600hp dyno pulls next door and customers coming back from their test drives with smiles glued to their faces.
Employees were always coming and going, during the two years I worked there I watched at least 4 techs come and go for different reasons. I think this was one of the problems, because many cars had been there longer than the techs and no one knew what the hell was going on. My first job there was a 3000gt that had moved with the shop from Deer Park, I'll never build another 6G as long as I live.
Thomas was brought in to work the front, some folks have said that he was the source of a lot of their woes, but in truth he really is a good guy, prolly just wasent very good at what he was doing and most likely didnt have the knowledge it required of him.
For those of you who apparently found stock parts in your " built " transmissions... we never built trannies there. Whoever Mark sent your transmissions to jacked them up and in a normal situation I would tell you to get a hold of Mark because he needs to know this sort of thing and not deal with these people anymore. I have installed z33 valve bodies and torque converters while working at SGP and unless things have changed, they don't ever actually open up your tranny. If you have never opened up an automatic tranny, i can tell you its no fun, there is a whole mess of parts, friction discs, plates and gears, more moving parts than anyone in their right mind would like to deal with. Someone needs to bring this to Mark's attention ( through email i suppose) asap so no one gets another one of these trannies if it was assembled the way Chris claims.
I will always look back on my time at SGP with fond memories. We were like a family and did everything together. I believe that Mark is a good guy deep down and is not intentionally trying to screw people, but I also know that the shop is everything to him and he would do just about anything to keep it going. This stuff about him being on drugs... you can just throw that out right away. He is likely pushing 40 now, back in the day he's done his share of drugs and drinking, but he wouldn't even smoke with us when we had offered it to him several times. Hell, after the meds he was on for his second back surgery, he couldn't even drink.
R.I.P. to Mark's dad, Terry ( Bub ) who was quite possibly the nicest guy I've ever met.
I've read most of the thread ( had to skip to about every 4 pages ) and I feel like I'm watching a train wreck unfold right before me.
I worked at SGP about 3 years ago ( Kyle was still around ). It was my first mechanic job after I had just graduated automotive tech school. I had a buddy that worked there to help me get my foot in the door. It was like everything I had ever dreamed of had come true. We worked on some sick cars, went in at 10 and stayed there till all hours just havin a good time and working, making some good friends along the way, both with co-workers and customers.
After Kyle left / got booted things went down hill from there, Mark had to spend more time up front handling orders and phone calls as opposed to being at the welder or at the dyno where he was needed and that was just the start of where we were getting backed up. More jobs kept coming in, even while the stuff we were doing at the moment had to be put on hold due to whatever the circumstances were, waiting on parts, waiting on customer payment or what have you.
At some point someone should have realized that we couldn't continue to work that way, but all of that was out of sight out of mind when we had cars doing 600hp dyno pulls next door and customers coming back from their test drives with smiles glued to their faces.
Employees were always coming and going, during the two years I worked there I watched at least 4 techs come and go for different reasons. I think this was one of the problems, because many cars had been there longer than the techs and no one knew what the hell was going on. My first job there was a 3000gt that had moved with the shop from Deer Park, I'll never build another 6G as long as I live.
Thomas was brought in to work the front, some folks have said that he was the source of a lot of their woes, but in truth he really is a good guy, prolly just wasent very good at what he was doing and most likely didnt have the knowledge it required of him.
For those of you who apparently found stock parts in your " built " transmissions... we never built trannies there. Whoever Mark sent your transmissions to jacked them up and in a normal situation I would tell you to get a hold of Mark because he needs to know this sort of thing and not deal with these people anymore. I have installed z33 valve bodies and torque converters while working at SGP and unless things have changed, they don't ever actually open up your tranny. If you have never opened up an automatic tranny, i can tell you its no fun, there is a whole mess of parts, friction discs, plates and gears, more moving parts than anyone in their right mind would like to deal with. Someone needs to bring this to Mark's attention ( through email i suppose) asap so no one gets another one of these trannies if it was assembled the way Chris claims.
I will always look back on my time at SGP with fond memories. We were like a family and did everything together. I believe that Mark is a good guy deep down and is not intentionally trying to screw people, but I also know that the shop is everything to him and he would do just about anything to keep it going. This stuff about him being on drugs... you can just throw that out right away. He is likely pushing 40 now, back in the day he's done his share of drugs and drinking, but he wouldn't even smoke with us when we had offered it to him several times. Hell, after the meds he was on for his second back surgery, he couldn't even drink.
R.I.P. to Mark's dad, Terry ( Bub ) who was quite possibly the nicest guy I've ever met.
obviously that was a long time ago.
03-25-2009, 09:20 AM
#1544
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I feel bad now since some guys on here are worried about getting there cars,parts,money,etc..... and we are talking about trannies.It was not my intenion to steer this thread completly off track, so I wont post in this thread anymore. I will start another thread as soon as I can but give me a little time since I am putting together more info and pictures and stuff, maybe even a little video, for the tranny illiterate types. LOL.
03-25-2009, 09:55 AM
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Unfortunately while the PD is very anxious to bust somebody the sheriff out there has pretty much the same amount of tenacity as SGP. Something in the water
I'm gonna have my secretary call daily for updates though 
I wonder WTF he is doing about all of this.. 
04-01-2009, 09:28 PM
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Chatted with Mark today for a bit. Turns out he was fkd like we've been fkd. He was talking pretty straight and pissed off about finding out that his transmission builder was doing this. He said he was gonna have an old guy re-inspect mine. I've already moved on and going to have Tim do my tranny but I'm gonna have him inspect it and send it out to me or one of the others that have been ***** on here. Appeared very stressed and was apologetic for all the *****.
04-01-2009, 11:14 PM
#1554
Chatted with Mark today for a bit. Turns out he was fkd like we've been fkd. He was talking pretty straight and pissed off about finding out that his transmission builder was doing this. He said he was gonna have an old guy re-inspect mine. I've already moved on and going to have Tim do my tranny but I'm gonna have him inspect it and send it out to me or one of the others that have been ***** on here. Appeared very stressed and was apologetic for all the *****.
04-02-2009, 07:45 AM
#1555
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Chatted with Mark today for a bit. Turns out he was fkd like we've been fkd. He was talking pretty straight and pissed off about finding out that his transmission builder was doing this. He said he was gonna have an old guy re-inspect mine. I've already moved on and going to have Tim do my tranny but I'm gonna have him inspect it and send it out to me or one of the others that have been ***** on here. Appeared very stressed and was apologetic for all the *****.
just tell him to build you a tranny and sent it back to you... it should be his own cost to come up with a core too.
And when you get it... sell it.
04-02-2009, 03:30 PM
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I guess what I'm saying is I no longer need the tranny and I highly doubt it'll sell on here so I'm writing it off and saying fawk it. What I was offering is that he finish it and send it out to somebody who got one with stock parts in their "built" tranny. Just tying to be a trooper for somebody but I think everybody who got one that ended up crapped already rebuilt through somebody else anyway...
04-02-2009, 06:02 PM
#1558
Chatted with Mark today for a bit. Turns out he was fkd like we've been fkd. He was talking pretty straight and pissed off about finding out that his transmission builder was doing this. He said he was gonna have an old guy re-inspect mine. I've already moved on and going to have Tim do my tranny but I'm gonna have him inspect it and send it out to me or one of the others that have been ***** on here. Appeared very stressed and was apologetic for all the *****.
If Mark is sincere (which I doubt), he will contact Intense (which he knows how to do) and offer a refund for the troubles that Marshall and I experienced. Otherwise, Mark is just FOS and playing
games with you.Bottom line: Mark thus far has made no attempt to make things right with Marshall and I. If Mark makes no effort or attempt to resolve the matter in a satisfactory manner (IMO a refund is appropriate at this point), then I will pursue criminal prosecution against him.
BTW... FYI to those considering pursuing a criminal case against SGP/Mark... You should contact the Texas Attorney General instead of the local sheriff department. The Attorney General's Office handles cases involving consumer fraud.
Last edited by RudeG_v2.0; 04-02-2009 at 06:12 PM.
04-02-2009, 08:00 PM
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Just as a note the sheriff told me to talk to the AG about fraud and the AG told me to talk to the sheriff about THEFT as opposed to consumer fraud. That was the route I took. I don't have time to fawk with either anymore and nobody on here at the time I asked was willing to jump in with me hiring an attorney so I have written off my loss and moving on.
I'm not siding with SGP's actions in handling our problems and remember I'm out a transmission as well, just giving and update... I think Mark is leaving the shop very soon or closing it down from his texts.
I'm not siding with SGP's actions in handling our problems and remember I'm out a transmission as well, just giving and update... I think Mark is leaving the shop very soon or closing it down from his texts.
04-02-2009, 08:40 PM
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Just as a note the sheriff told me to talk to the AG about fraud and the AG told me to talk to the sheriff about THEFT as opposed to consumer fraud. That was the route I took. I don't have time to fawk with either anymore and nobody on here at the time I asked was willing to jump in with me hiring an attorney so I have written off my loss and moving on.
I'm not siding with SGP's actions in handling our problems and remember I'm out a transmission as well, just giving and update... I think Mark is leaving the shop very soon or closing it down from his texts.
I'm not siding with SGP's actions in handling our problems and remember I'm out a transmission as well, just giving and update... I think Mark is leaving the shop very soon or closing it down from his texts.
sgp needs a strike against them so that when they try this $hit again the judge,sheriff or ag see's a pattern and will respond more aggressively.right now they only see you.....one pissed customer.guess how many of those they see a day?
