The ABIA

Q

QuickEdward

New member
Silver Member
After getting yet another email (this time requesting to follow me on Twitter) from ABIA, I decided to do some checking.

I went to the ABIA website here's what I found:
  • No mention of anyone's name.
  • No email addresses for anyone.
  • Claims to have "negotiated" a great deal on cloth from a company called IC Billiard Cloth. (IC stands for Installer's Choice.)
  • Claims to have "negotiated" a "special" deal where ABIA installers can register with a company called "Install Gurus" for $25 (half of their regular price) to get jobs installing Chinese Internet tables.
  • Whois lookup shows ABIA in Portland, Oregon with the Administrative Contact being a company called CISManagement, LLC.
  • Site was registered in the summer of 2009

So I went to IC Billiard Cloth's website and found:
  • One page website with not a single link on it.
  • No mention of anyone's name.
  • No email addresses for anyone.
  • No phone number.
  • No address.
  • Whois lookup shows no real information for this company - it is all blocked by "Whois Privacy Protection Services" of Bellview, Washington.
  • Site was created spring of 2010.

Then I went to Install Guru's website and found:
  • No mention of anyone's name.
  • No email addresses for anyone.
  • No phone number for anyone.
  • Whois lookup shows Install Gurus are in Vancouver, WA with the Registration services being a provided by CISManagement, LLC.
  • Site was created in the summer of 2009

Here are some things to think about....
  1. All three company websites are completely devoid of any information regarding their owners, administrators or employees.
  2. The two that provide real locations on their WhoIs lookup are in Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR - cities separated by only nine miles.
  3. All three sites were registered within less than a year.
  4. None of these three companies has any real standing in the billiard community.
  5. Not a single one seems to encourage or even allow 1-on-1 or voice contact.
  6. Why would a simple pool table cloth company need to protect the identity of who owns the website?

I'm no Columbo, but this seems to be a no-brainer to me. They're frauds. They have no business presenting themselves to be some kind of "certification" organization. As far as I can see, you don't even have to be "certified" to be a member. They're just setting up shill companies to collect whatever money they can from every angle.

The sad thing is that they've been able to negotiate deals with MBS and Seybert's, and has been trying to get Billiard Wholesaler's on board. All the while concealing the fact that they are actually competing with those companies by wholesaling cheap Chinese cloth through their shill company IC Billiards. "Installer's Choice"???? What a joke - sorry, my customers want "Customer's Choice" billiard products.

The worst part is the "Install Gurus" bullshit. The few internet tables I have done have been big enough pains in the ass without throwing in another middleman.

I encourage everyone to avoid this crap.
 
Last edited:
There are a few of us who know exactly who the ABIA is, to be honest I don't really think it is something that should be public knowledge though. The certification isn't "ideal" but it is at least something. I wouldn't call it a scam as much as a great way for one company to squeeze a cent out of the same thing several times.
 
ChrisShanklin said:
There are a few of us who know exactly who the ABIA is, to be honest I don't really think it is something that should be public knowledge though. The certification isn't "ideal" but it is at least something. I wouldn't call it a scam as much as a great way for one company to squeeze a cent out of the same thing several times.
Click to expand...

Why shouldn't it be public knowledge? It's unethical for them to go to a business like MBS or Billiard Wholesalers and ask for discounts without disclosing the fact that they are actually in competition with those companies.

And "isn't ideal" is quite and understatement regarding the "certification". As I read it, for me to be "certified", I'd need to put my skills on display for a local "ABIA Certified" installer - i.e. my competition.

Are you an "ABIA Certified Installer"?
 
Last edited:
QuickEdward said:
Why shouldn't it be public knowledge? It's unethical for them to go to a business like MBS or Billiard Wholesalers and ask for discounts without disclosing the fact that they are actually in competition with those companies.

And "isn't ideal" is quite and understatement regarding the "certification". As I read it, for me to be "certified", I'd need to put my skills on display for a local "ABIA Certified" installer - i.e. my competition.

Are you an "ABIA Certified Installer"?
Click to expand...

Now you know why I haven't been interested in this program right from the begining;)
 
Let's not overlook the latest opt-in offer - a monthly fee of $30-something allows you to buy as much
as you want of the $30-something 8' IC cloth. I saw no option for 7', 8'OS, 9' or 10' cloth.

Actually received a paypal request for payment on this yesterday. :confused:
 
Dartman said:
Let's not overlook the latest opt-in offer - a monthly fee of $30-something allows you to buy as much
as you want of the $30-something 8' IC cloth. I saw no option for 7', 8'OS, 9' or 10' cloth.

Actually received a paypal request for payment on this yesterday. :confused:
Click to expand...

Me too. You can buy the cloth as an ABIA Member (If you've paid your fees to prove that you're worthy to be a member) for $45 anyway. OR if you pay your $39 monthly membership fee into the opt-in program, you can buy the cloth for $35. No thanks. The ABIA seems to me just an organization set up to get every dime they can out of table mechanics while offering member benefits that anyone in legitimate business can already get or don't want.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top