Metropolitan Bond – another scam clone of the legitimate London City Bond site

NB: There are no miraculous stashes of wine left
over from
bust European Fine Wines.

'I can confirm that all the wine purchased by the Company has been sold and I am not aware of any wine held in bonded warehouses or overseas.'
From the liquidator's latest report filed at Companies House on 8th September 2020
 

Here follows the latest White Knight attempt to extract money from creditors of European Fine Wines. It is a scam:

  

Following on from Barkingside Premier Storage cloning the legitimate London City Bond website, a new clone bonded warehouse site – Metropolitan Bond – was registered on 28th August 2020.

 

  

Again as was the case with Barkingside the Metropolitan Bond website is a direct copy of the LCB site. 

'About' from the LCB site

Metropolitan Bond
Same words, same people:
Ben Jones and Alf Allington
A rip off copy

 

 

Metropolitan Bond claims to be based at 83 Baker Street in the West End of London. Anyone knowing anything about bonded warehouses would know that this is ridiculous. Bonded warehouses need a substantial space, especially one that sets out the Key Facts above – again a direct rip-off from the LCB site. Unsurprisingly 83 Baker Street is a virtual office/serviced office – not a bonded warehouse....

It looks like the clowns who put together the Metropolitan Bond website were in such a rush that they just copied their previous website Barkingside Premier Storage. Unfortunately they neglected to replace Barkingside Premier Storage with Metropolitan Bond in the section on Insurance: 

 

Metropolitan site: 'At one time Barkingside did offer...'
'This led Barkingside Premier Storage...'

 Metropolitan site: 'It is therefore important to note
that Barkingside Premier Storage....

Barkingside site: 'It is therefore important to note
that Barkingside Premier Storage....

  

LCB site (the original source):
'It is therefore important to note
that LCB....'

Letter (29th September 2020) to an European Fine Wines client from Scott Killick, Storage Manager at Metropolitan Bond: 

 

Scott Killick:

We are writing to you today in reference to a number of complaints highlighting the growing frustration surrounding 'European Fine Wines'. We understand a large percentage of clients have been patiently awaiting an update in regard to their assets, currently being stored with us under the 'European Fine Wines' company account.

For almost 36 months we have been working and collaborating with relevant parties to provide clients with a solution. We have now reached a point where clients can expect to have some level of insight in regard to their investment. In addition to the court delays, our main concern was allocating the wines that have been paid for but not officially assigned to clients. Through an extensive and thorough investigation, we have now managed to allocate a large bulk of clients' wines, which were initially frozen and seized within our administrator accounts. We can now confirm that the courts have given us the go ahead to officially release these wines from the bonded account in which they are currently being held.'
 

Killick's fantasy narrative continues for several more paragraphs.. What a shame that Killick has spent nearly 36 months on this project. Instead he ought to have contacted the liquidator who could have put him straight:

Note from the Liquidator's latest report:

 

 

Important statement and clarification:

From the Liquidator's report (above) for period 25.6.19/ 24.6.20 

Note (17th August 2020) to all known members and creditors: 

'I have been made aware that a number of investors have been approached by parties purporting to have located customer's wine in storage, or acting either on behalf of or in succession to Abbott Fielding in an attempt to extract money with the promise of the release of wine they have located or sale of the wine to a buyer. Please  be aware I will never ask creditors to pay any money to release wine or the payment of a dividend. I also have no intention in appointing a 3rd party to act on my behalf to release the wine of funds.

I can confirm that all the wine purchased by the Company has been sold and I am not aware of any wine held in bonded warehouses or overseas.'

•••

 

I have emailed Scott Killick (probably not his real name) and sent him a copy of the liquidator's latest report and drawn his attention to Page 4 of the report – see above. I have also invited him to comment on this post.

Metropolitan Bond - same words,
same people: Ben Jones and Alf