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MilesBar - An Open Letter From S. Chenowyth

MilesBar - An Open Letter From S. Chenowyth

Old Jun 14, 2001, 11:25 am
  #16  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Los Angeles, CA, US
Posts: 58
Thankfully, I did not fall for this company's scam. Have those of you who have tried to cancel your Platinum memberships contacted your credit card company? They will usually be able to stop further billing, but good luck getting any type of refund from the crooks at MilesBar.

PS Didn't someone say this company was based in Canada? If so, why does it have a Los Angeles area code? Hmmm....
sftrick is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2001, 11:30 am
  #17  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: New Orleans, LA USA
Posts: 63
Translation of disclaimer:

Dear milesbar members:

Pleasant Greetings: (a favorite milesbar phrase)

Don't believe anything we say on the website.
We may or may not do what we say. Please understand that we could be lying through our teeth.

But give us your $12.95 a month and
maybe one day we'll give you a couple of miles but if we don't there's nothing you can do about it.

We do want you to know that our elite members are our most valued members (of course that's only because we're getting $12.95 a month for delivering nothing).

Have a nice day ... we have to go laugh all the way to the bank to make a deposit.

-The Milesbar Team

:P


Davenola is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2001, 12:09 pm
  #18  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 10
Thank you Davenola for your various posts. I appreciate your questions and candid feedback. I am indeed grateful to you for your sincere input as this helps us to improve our program and services.

I have asked our webmaster to update the "Frequently Asked Questions" on our web site so that it can address the various questions asked by you and other FlyerTalk community members. You will see more information added to our site in this regard. We are also working on a new interface and design for the MilesBar site as well. However, I have instructed the webmaster to update the requested information as soon as possible.

Davenola, we know that you want to see a simple and fair member incentive program that rewards its members with free travel and other benefits. Your input helps us achieve this goal for all members.

Thank you again for your valuable time and well-meaning thoughts. We look forward to improving our program and services to your standards and to be worthy of your support in the near future. Have a great day!

Respectfully,


S. Chenowyth,
MilesBar Charter Team
milesbar is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2001, 1:13 pm
  #19  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: New Orleans, LA USA
Posts: 63
Dear S. Chenowyth:

Thank you for your response. Please understand that the phrases you are using in your numerous responses to questions are getting very old.

I note that YOU FAILED TO ANSWER A SINGLE ONE OF MY QUESTIONS. I highly doubt that you will do so on your website (you allege, in your response, that the webmaster will be addressing our concerns). Let's look at the logic of what you have said. IF your webmaster were to address the questions, you would have to disclose that a major airline has launched an "investigation" into your operation because you are using their logo and indicating you have a partnership with them that does not exist. You would have to disclose that your firm does not deliver what it offers. And, you would have to disclose that numerous former members of milesbar who have cancelled their paid membership are still being billed (months after the cancellation) for services you don't provide. I very much doubt you are going to disclose all of that on the milesbar website.
Davenola is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2001, 2:26 pm
  #20  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: New Orleans, LA USA
Posts: 63
As of 3:27PM 6/14/01 milesbar's internet site no longer displays rotating airline
logos.
Davenola is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2001, 3:19 pm
  #21  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Sunny Switzerland
Programs: BD / BA / AF
Posts: 4,388
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by sftrick:
PS Didn't someone say this company was based in Canada? If so, why does it have a Los Angeles area code? Hmmm....</font>
Website is registered to:

Registrant:
MilesBar.Com, Inc.,
975 McKeown Avenue
North Bay, Ontario P1B9P2
Canada

Registrar: Dotster (http://www.dotster.com)
Domain Name: MILESBAR.COM
Created on: 19-SEP-00
Expires on: 19-SEP-01
Last Updated on: 03-JUN-01

Administrative Contact:
Miles Bar, Miles Bar [email protected]
MilesBar.Com, Inc.,
975 McKeown Avenue
North Bay, Ontario P1B9P2
Canada
3105070146

Technical Contact:
Miles Bar, Miles Bar [email protected]
MilesBar.Com, Inc.,
975 McKeown Avenue
North Bay, Ontario P1B9P2
Canada
3105070146

SOME OTHER INTERESTING FACTS:

Other businesses/people listed at this address and telephone number include:

Directory of Muslim Businesses c/o
CompanySite.Net
975 McKeown Avenue #5A, Ste 306,
North Bay, Ontario P1B 9P2
C A N A D A

CompanySite.Net Internet Services,
975 McKeown Avenue, Ste 5A-306,
North Bay, Ontario P1B 9P2
Canada

Domain Innovations
975 McKeown Avenue #5A, Ste 306
North Bay, ONTARIO P1B9P2
Canada

Bisma Haider
975 McKeown Avenue, Ste 306-5A,
North Bay, Ontario, P1B 9P2, Canada
Voice/Fax 310-507-0146
Founder & C.E.O, Cool Banners

Further information on Sohail Haider is available here. Seems to be some connection at one time with Continental Onepass:

http://www.thestandard.com.au/thenet...7,1950,00.html

There is no company incorporated in California under the name Milesbar. I was not able to access Canadian records.

This appears to be a one-man-band kind of operation, with a hand in just about everything under the sun. It goes without saying that anyone considering doing business with this company should be deeply skeptical and approach only after sufficient due diligence.

I trust S. Chenowith will be along shortly to explain the connection with these businesses?

MatthewClement is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2001, 3:29 pm
  #22  
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 70
whoa.
Good detective work MatthewClement.
I wanted to top that so I did a quick newsgroup archive search for CompanySite. Looks like I found a 1998 resume of the guy who started this thing!

Sounds like a gentleman from Pakistan, who worked at IBM for a while...hmmm

Here's the URL:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=Co...jobbankusa.com
custombagel is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2001, 3:31 pm
  #23  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Sunny Switzerland
Programs: BD / BA / AF
Posts: 4,388
I only included business/individuals with an association to the address and telephone number associated with Milesbar. Further searches on these names provide numerous links with Pakistan.

Something smells mighty shady.

MatthewClement is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2001, 3:38 pm
  #24  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: New Orleans, LA USA
Posts: 63
It's been "shady" for days!

I've been trying to warn people about this but until now, very few people paid attention to me (and quite a few BASHED me).

THANK YOU for joining the bandwagon to expose the truth!
Davenola is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2001, 3:42 pm
  #25  
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 70
Here's the connection folks:

Goto http://www.companysite.net .
As soon as it opens in your browser, a 2nd window pops up with guess what? MilesBar.com in it. This establishes the connection between CompanySite.net and MilesBar (thanks to Matthew Clement for the address check, although I'm sure this popup will be disabled very soon, just like the airline logos).

Anyway, now visit http://www.haider.com.pk and you will see the bios/resume of 4 guys, atleast 3 of whom claim to be the founders or managers of CompanySite. I believe these are the people running MilesBar.com.

See for yourself before it vanishes.

Particularly interesting is the bio of "Imran" because it has the same stupid quotes that you see plastered all over MilesBar.com (meaning he may be the web master). He also promises to have his "e-quote" page up soon. heh.

Man, those quotes are so gay.

[This message has been edited by custombagel (edited 06-14-2001).]
custombagel is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2001, 3:53 pm
  #26  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: New Orleans, LA USA
Posts: 63
Oh this is REALLY getting funny now (and very sad, actually).

Not only are the airlines saying "Hunh? Milesbar? Who?" . . .

At least one advertiser shown on the bottom of the milesbar site (the banner ad) when contacted says "Hunh? Milesbar? Who?"

Davenola is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2001, 4:01 pm
  #27  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Sunny Switzerland
Programs: BD / BA / AF
Posts: 4,388
These sites do list home telephone numbers for some of the people involved:

http://www.haider.com.pk/imran/resume.htm

Imran Haider
975 Mckeown Avenue, Suite 5A-306, North Bay,
ON P1B 9P2. Phone No.: (705) 840-5496
E-mail: [email protected]

IRFAN HAIDER
Apartment 4-C, GF 16 MARY ROAD,, BATH ISLAND, KARACHI, PAKISTAN
PHONE: 9221-583-4920 E-MAIL: [email protected]

MatthewClement is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2001, 4:11 pm
  #28  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: New Orleans, LA USA
Posts: 63
5:12PM Central Time 6/14/01

Milesbar site is DOWN.
"Cannot find server."
Davenola is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2001, 4:15 pm
  #29  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Sunny Switzerland
Programs: BD / BA / AF
Posts: 4,388
Suspect that's something at your end; it's still up from here.

Davenola, contact me offline by e-mail please.
MatthewClement is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2001, 4:20 pm
  #30  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: New Orleans, LA USA
Posts: 63
hmmmm. OK. It's still up where you are ...
not here though.

Davenola is offline  

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