I love the way you all can either speak for Randy or read his mind...

Please allow me to amend that statement, taupo.

Out of respect, if one has a �beef� with any FlyerTalk member, please keep it private.

When someone is kind enough to let me stay in their house for free, I avoid using their living room as the bathroom.

And when the rent for that living room is $80,000 a year, I'd make sure to leave it a lot nicer then when I found it.

aloha

Absolutely agree with this comment. ^

A few months ago I sent Randy a PM offering to make a connection between F/T and a friend who will be doing some major advertising on the internet. Randy did not answer.

I presumed that he was not interested and that the last thing he needed was still another e-mail/PM that he had to answer. I imagine that my inbox isn't 10% as full as his and even with that I sometimes just ignore letters, so I could well understand his reaction.

While I can empathise with the OP's point, have to agree with the thrust of the last 7 posts.

Over the years I have emailed Randy on several things he quickly responded to, and others he didn't. I saw no need to start a thread on those he didn't. He is a very busy guy, and gives us all a great resource, and we all need to accept that.

Yeah, I agree with you, oz.

Thank goodness that someone around here had the good sense to actually give me a call that there was a thread dissing me. So, let me address the MANY inaccuracies here and then close this thread since I can't see any way that it serves to better FlyerTalk.

I'll explain what happened first from my POV then get in to addressing the inaccurate statements of other members, who seem to have become experts on me.

Let's back up a bit. I think it would be very-accurate that on many occasions I have stated on FlyerTalk that I've always been disappointed that I simply can not read nor reply to the nearly 800 emails I get a day. While most are asking for advice, etc. on their frequent flyer programs, there are as well a constant flow of invitations and other such things. I think that it is also well documented on this board that several years ago i turned renaissance and threw away my cell phone and have no Internet access at home and travel without a computer and rarely if ever even check email or FT when traveling. The only reason i repeat this again here, is to indicate what it must be like when i return from traveling. The emails number in the tens of thousands that get backed up and while i used to have an auto-reply, found that doing so made spam grow larger since it proved that my email address was "active." Anyway, i do remember an invitation to this event. I'm not positive, but it seemed it was early July? I looked at my calendar and it was quite full around that period (France, India, MSP, MIA, Portland, ATL, NYC and then South Africa - all in a period of three weeks and remember India and France was 10 days). But, always trying to try to do more than is ever possible, I filed the event in the back of my head and thought I'd see if anything broke from my schedule to make it happen. I've learend over time that my schedule changes so much that RSVPing or otherwise indicating an interest often got hopes too high. I remember thinking that it's not about me anyway so let's see what happens and likely i was distracted before really thinking of replying anyway, though i can't state for sure that was the case. I do know that i have no negative thoughts either way to this PineyBob member or others memtioned here so it wasn't a sleight.

As is typical, things around me often get in the spin cycle and i think with trying to make deadline before departing for India (it was close, i closed literally hours before catching that flight) and other things I simply forgot about it. I wasn't checking FT much during that period and with the travel was falling ever further behind in my email and what time i had was to radomly grab an email to try and answer - screening never works since these types of emails are not from people i know and thus not in my Outlook address book and I'm not that bright to decifer who is behind an email address i don't recognize, since because of the additional 1,000 pieces of spam i probably get daily, I've learned not to get caught up in the subject title. Those spammers are really good at catching you there.(I happened to glance up at the number of Private Messages I have listed here on FT as "unread" and it alarmingly says..... 86).

Anyway, it appears while my best intentions were my usual, I offended someone on this board. I'm very sorry. No defense. I know for my own sake and practices, I have learend to simply reply on RSVP's only. I don't hear back from someone, I don't berate them. We live busy lives and these things happen. In May I had a grand opening of a Tequilla Bar I built in my house with some 77 types of tequillla. I got maybe 6 RSVP's back but 80 of my friends showed up and it was a resounding success. I know i was not upset that 74 of them came without letting me know nor would i have been upset that only 6 came when 80 RSVPed. Again, Those that I call friends I know live busy lives and while decorum of the past might indicate a reply of any sorts is always welcome, I personally am comfortable with the way things are and lucky for me, my friends know that i always try to do more. And it continues today. While in Miami the other day, instead of taking the three or four free hours i had for myself (really could have used it after coming in from India) and relax by the pool or beach there in Miami Beach, i spent three hours or so enjoying conversations with FlyerTalk member Stagedoor Suzie and Rob (wonderful members BTW). So I do think my actual efforts and practices do indicate i really do try to give back to FlyerTalk. So to wrap this part up, I saw the invitation early on, knew my schedule was full was was going to try and make it anyway. Got cuaght up in the rip tide of business deadlines and travel, forgot about it and schedule didn't break up to allow it to happen. Got it?

Now on to some of these other comments here. I've got to say, some of you are better suited for the tabloids. I think that 99% of what i've seem posted here is absolutely untrue and really have to question what the hell kind of members we have here. I know after reading some of this that I could never trust any opinion they have about travel that i might want to trust. For instance (and remember, the mantra on FlyerTalk is to always be responsible for what you post....) this BillMorrow member purports that my "non-responsive is probably rooted in the dichotomy of his business relationships." Uh, hello Bill, care to tune in for some facts here? Largest users of my consumer products? Bill, I've been in business for 18 years and FT has only been around the last 6 years, What do you think came first? FlyerTalk did not invent me, nor my business. Enhances the "guru" label? Do you even know where that came from? It was 1987 and USA Today tagged me with it. If you were to stop for just a minute, you'ld see that the value of FT is not from any posts I have contributed to FT. New guru's have been born daily because of FT and I'm glad that I encourage a forum of new stars to be quoted in articles and magazines and appear on TV. Guru I think refers to knowledge. FlyerTalk is not my knowledge, it's the contributions of tens of thousands of members whose opinions and information we can trust. Now, let's move to this "significant $$" bet you have boasted about. You seem to have knowledge that 70% of my customers are active FlyerTalkers. You've really lost be a long shot. My guess - less than 15% of my customers are active FlyerTalkers. Remember, the typical customer of mine was with me long before FT was ever invented. And then BillMorrow, you go on to purpost that it must be something about my relation with travel suppliers. Gee, should I apologize? Not really, When i write something, it's because i have actually talked with the industry and visited them, not written an opinion, but real research and been doing it for 18 years. As for this RoachFest..... do you really think there was anything talked about there that i don't already know? I've been on a first name basis for the marketing people there for years and years and keep up with what is going on there and many other places. This consulting work you mention? Uh, BillMorrow, please get any fact correct. Consulting? When I visit, programs love to chat "shop." Perhaps they see me as a one-man focus group since i don't have my head in the sand with just one program. Consulting? That usually refers to getting paid. You will not find that any program has ever paid me for consulting. I've said that for years and everyone has had a chance to prove me wrong there, including programs who may not care for me too much. The fact is, i enjoy visiting programs and listening to what they have to say. I certainly do pass along my own opinions and thoughts, etc. because that helps the industry move along. But getting paid? They may give me a plane ticket if asking me to come but i've bought most of mine to visit them, again because i'm doing research at the same time. I learn more from listening to the questions they ask me than listening to the answers of questions I ask them. Oh, and while we're on US Airways and your subtle comment about conflict of interest..... I would assume that you've done your research.... let's see, no advertising from US Airways with us in 2004, only three ads in 2003 and three ads in 2002. And Delta, no advertising in 2004, none in 2003 and none in 2002. Boy, that's a smoking gun. And conflicts? Gee, did you notice that while Continental may be an occasional advertiser that in last months issue of InsideFlyer, they rated out as among the worst program for award availability in our study. A real conflict of interest probably would not have allowed that to happen. Don't you just hate it when facts get in the way? But before i finish this, let's go back and look at the mileage run i did on US Airways. It was never about US Airways as there were several other airlines interested in helping plan such a trip. It was soley about trying to help people heal after 9/11 and gettting a feeling that it was safe to travel again. It's nothing that just one person can champion, but i'm still pretty proud that I think I helped. It was painful and really no rewards (i didn't keep the miles), but it's what i could do that i know how to do to contribute to helping the world get their wings back and start flying again.

And finally BillMorrow, you state that I am paid "for writing columns about freqent travellers in various publications." You said it not me so let's see how utterly smart you really are. While i answer some questions for visitors to the travel site for USA Today, we get paid $500 a month for supplying technology for MileMarker and the Mileage Manager service. My contributions for answering questions is really just a favor because i sincerely love to help people get more out of their programs. I don't get paid directly for that nor is there a separate contract for anything else. Now, I do write two columns for SkyGuide, one for their pocket flight guide and one for their "Executive Travel" magazine. Guess what..... I don't get paid for that. I do it because they asked me and frankly it's fun for me. I'm sure based on your other assertions that you think I'm lying on this one. Here's the publishers email address. Her name is Janet Libert and she's a great lady. I appoint you the Salem Witch Trial judge Billmorrow and it is up to you to contact her and find out if indeed they pay me any moeny by contract or billing to write these monthly columns for them. Please report back so that you can answer to those very inqusitive minds that shadow the good of what FlyerTalk is and can be better at. Her email address is [email protected]. I will copy you in BillMorrow in an email to let her know I would ask that she answers any enquiry truthfully.

So BillMorrow and others such as deelmakur, please re-read the above as it will answer your interest for now. I suspect some time in the future you'll forget everything you learned here and start all over. It must really bug you that a guy really loves what he does and put motives aside to try and help as many people as he can with their frequent flyer information. I resepct that you both and others may live in a world where everyone has an agenda, but if i really did, you wouldn't be here today - there would be no FlyerTalk.

As for this thread, it frankly has little or no value to me and I suspect to many others on FlyerTalk. Maybe I can take the next few minutes I have for FT and contribute something worthwhile. For me, that's the best part of my day.