ComplaintsforFireboy - Xintex

• Initial Complaint

  10/02/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a fire suppression system from a distributor for approximately $1500. The unit was shipping direct from the manufacture, Fireboy. When I went to pick up the fire suppression system out of the packaging a switch broke off the unit. When I called. I was told to send it back and Fireboy would inspect the unit and determine if it was under warranty and if it was not, they would charge me $1400 to replace the switch. I paid for shipping. And packaging and returned the unit. I was asked to send pictures of the gauge verifing the unit was full with the unit packaged for shipment, which I did. Fireboy claims that the unit was discharged before it was shipped, the unit is not warranted and the charge to repair and refill is more than a new unit. I have pictures of the gauge that I sent to them show the bottle was full. I want my system warranted or my money back. I will seek legal action if this is not resolved in a favorable manner.

  Business response

  10/22/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2021/10/22) */ Contact Name and Title: Keith L***** VP Sales & Contact Phone: ************ x *** Contact Email: ************************** ******* ******* ordered a new MA0800NVC fixed fire extinguisher from us for his boat. On August 10 he sent us an e-mail that said: "I recently purchased a fire suppression system for my boat. I had placed the extinguisher in the engine compartment in preparation for installation. My mechanic moved the bottle and knocked the pressure switch off. I see it is missing the pin inside the switch. Is it possible to purchase the pin or a replacement switch? Thanks, ******* We asked for pictures of the damage and on August 11. Once he found out it would cost $1,000 to repair and refill he changes his story and sent us the following: "Here are a few pictures of the part. Please let me know if you need any other pictures. Like we spoke about, the switch piece fell off the first time I touched the bottle while it was still in the box. That is how I know it had a small white pin inside. I stuck it back on. My mechanic went to move the bottle. He said he just tipped the bottle over and the switch fell off. Now the little white pin is lost. I am really surprised this is "lifesaving equipment" and this super important part is so poorly attached, and you want nearly the cost of a new unit to fix it. Please let me know what we need to do to get this resolved." TOTAL change of story! On August 13 we told him the switch cannot be replaced in the field and we need to bring it back for analysis and repair. We received it back on 9/9 and it was discharged in the box. There was no damage to the shipping box but as you can see in the pics their was severe damage to the unit guard and pressure switch before it was re-packed for shipment. We told him it was not warranty and offered to repair and refill the system at a nominal cost. The pressure switch was probably damaged from the fall and "fell apart" during return shipment, discharging the system. We brought it back for inspection where we determined it discharged because of damage to the unit when it fell over. He did not like our response and on October 11 he ordered a new system from one of our distributors We offered to repair the damage his mechanic caused but evidently that wasn't good enough so he reported us to you. Please review and let us know what else we need to do to resolve this. Thx! Keith L***** Fireboy-Xintex / Aetna Engineering **************************** ********************** Office: ************ Ext: *** / *** Cell: ************* ************************** Consumer Response /* (3000, 10, 2021/10/26) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) While I appreciate the response, they are still not warranting their equipment. The switch is obviously flimsy made for it to fall off with the slightest touch taking the unit out of the original packaging. Then they claim the system discharged inadvertently in shipping. They never mentioned to me shipping damage to the unit. In fact they told me they could not tell why the bottle discharged in the return shipping. Now they claim it discharged due to miss handling and damage. Ultimately, I do not feel it is right that I have to pay 2 times for a product that is nearly $1,500 because it is so poorly made (especially considering it is considered "life saving equipment") that when removing from the box it breaks. I did purchase a new unit as there are few alternatives and I have already bought and installed the associated engine kill devices for my boat. I find it interesting that the company no longer will ship this part via FedEx ground, the way I originally received it. It now has to go freight on a pallet to avoid damage in shipping. That would indicate that the company should be held liable for damage as they were the shipper that determined how the product would be shipped and the shipping method that was originally used was not adequate to avoid damage. I am still not happy I bought a $1,500 piece of equipment that was faulty when I received it and I had to turn around and buy it again and the company will not warranty their equipment. I should not have to pay $3,000 to get a $1,500 part. I just hope my new unit does not break before I get it installed. Business Response /* (4000, 12, 2021/10/28) */ "We build world class quality equipment that is designed and tested by third parties for the marine environment. We have warranty returns less than 0.4% and all of it, including this extinguisher, passes rigorous testing, including shock and vibration testing at FM labs. By his own initial e-mail, the mechanic knocked the extinguisher over as evidenced by the crushed safety guard. The pressure switch was obviously damaged by the impact but held together enough to re-pack it. Subsequent vibration / impact on the return trip shook the damaged parts loose and the extinguisher discharged inside the box, which was not damaged. Given all of the shipping and logistics problems of the last 18 months, we have started shipping the large extinguishers on a skid on a truck so they don't get tossed around by freight carriers, i.e. UPS or FedEx. That is a sign of the times and an improvement we made, NOT a correction to an error on our part! We build quality safety equipment and back it up with a three year warranty on our extinguishers for quality and workmanship, but not damage to the unit during installation or use. We could have given him a reduced price for the repair and refill but he already went out and bought another new unit from a third party distributor so we are not sure what he expects." Consumer Response /* (4200, 14, 2021/11/04) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) This response is laughable to say the least. They probably only have a 0.4% return rate because they charge more to refill their "warranted" returned bottles than it costs to order a new bottle. The world class unit broke before I got it out of the box. I pressed the broke switch back together and intended to use the unit because I wanted to avoid the headache of trying to return a defective part. Then my mechanic laid the bottle with the broken switch on its side, the broken switch fell apart again and the pin inside was lost. Only then did I have no choice but to try and return the unit. I first asked for just a pin, but they would not sell me a pin. They basically told me that I was going to pay more than I bought the bottle for if they determined that it was not warrantable and they were most likely going to determine it was not warrantable. Like they did not want to take their defective product back. As asked, I submitted pictures to them of the broken part and showing that the guard was undamaged, even when it was repackaged for return. The charge was completely full, the guard was completely like new and undamaged. The only thing that was broken was the switch. They said they would have to look at the unit in person to determine if the unit was warranted. They also said if the bottle was discharged, it would cost more to refill it than if I bought a new bottle which I thought was strange for them to tell me because you could clearly see the th e bottle was not discharged and it should not discharge form shipping. I have a FireBoy bottle with Halon in it from the early 80s. It feels like you would have to hit the switch with a hammer to break it. Not so with the current model. I guess it is cost reductions offshoring parts to China, but the switch on their new units are obviously trash. "Given all the shipping problems in the last 18 months" Maybe they should check when they started using this switch. Was it 18 months ago? The switch literally broke the first time I touched it and what good is a warranty if I cannot even get the unit out of the box to use the equipment, then they want to charge more to fix thier warranted part than I paid new. Like I said, I did not even want to deal with returning their crappy product, even though it broke before I got it out of the box. At least if they are not going to warranty it, people can read here how they treat their customers and what their warranty is worth. They claim to do extensive vibration testing, but "Vibration shook the parts loose and caused the unit to be setoff. ...there was no damage" LOL. Is it just me or does this does not instill confidence in their would class product. The switch that was defective only indicates a reduction in pressure to active an engine shutdown and alarm, it does not cause the unit to discharge. The unit discharges by temperature or a manual release. I would hope vibration alone would never cause this unit to discharge as it could go off unintentionally while the boat is in operation from the vibration of the engines and displace the air inside possible suffocating occupants. They choose the shipping method, but now they are choosing a different shipping method because the first was damaging equipment, but that is also not their fault. Now they say they could have offered me a reduced price. They could have, but they didn't. They could have fixed the damaged equipment, but they didn't. They never offered me a reduced price, they told me to order a new unit because it would be cheaper. I think anyone reading this gets the picture that FireBoy does not stand behind their products and their warranty is complete trash, at least that is my opinion of them after this matter.

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