Assurance Fire & Safety, Inc Actual charges for fire extinguisher were almost 5 times quoted price -they change the price after the work is done Elmhurst Illinois

Elaine,

We are a family owned business that has been built on integrity and honesty. When I stumbled across this posting I was shocked at the perception you have about our company. I feel the need to defend the honor and veracity of the intensions of Assurance Fire & Safety. Your claim states that we charged you almost $100 for the maintenance of your extinguisher. The fact is the charge was $46.35, which is far less than the cost of a new fire extinguisher as you claimed. The other item I am confused at is you signed the proposal, invoice and issued the check for services rendered which all clearly stated the amount and breakdown of charges all without any previous dispute or a phone call to owners/management or our company to express your dissatisfaction.

Please understand Assurance Fire & Safety, along with other reputable fire extinguisher companies adhere by the standards set by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). I have added section numbers below that justify the maintenance of your fire extinguisher in accordance to the NFPA Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers.


Below is the call/service timeline

May 8, 2008 Pricing was sent you per your request for 4 10lb ABC Fire Extinguishers at $74.95 each.

May 14, 2008 Our technician delivered the new fire extinguishers to your location. The technician, whom I have professional and personally known for 15 years, told me that you approached him about refilling an extinguisher you had at your location. At that time he told you the refill was $20.00. After he took a closer look at the fire extinguisher he noticed that it was out of date and need to be hydrostatic tested in ordered for it to be certified. He completed the proposal which clearly had a breakdown of changes in addition he wrote in large letters 361.60 + tax and parts if needed* you signed one inch below the total. Below I have broken out the charges that are on the proposal that you signed, the ones that pertain to the fire extinguisher in question are indicated by **.

- Inspection Tag 1 @ $3.00 (7.3.3 Maintenance Record Keeping)**
- Recharge of 10lb ABC Fire Extinguisher 1 @ $20.00**
- New 10lb ABC Fire Extinguisher 4 @ $74.95
- Department Of Transportation (DOT) Label 1 @ $1.50 (4.1 Listing and Labeling)**
- Hazardous Material Identification (HMIS) Label 1 @ $1.50 (4.2 Identification of Contents)**
- Verification of Service (VOS) Collar 1 @ $1.50 (7.3.3.2 VOS Collar Maintenance or Recharging)**
- Hydrostatic Testing 1 @ $14.35 (8.3.1.2 Hydrostatic Testing)**
- Service Call Charge 1 @ 19.95 (trip charge for the maintenance of fire extinguisher)

May 19, 2008 Our technician delivered the maintenance fire extinguisher. At that time you signed the invoice which clearly had the breakdown of changes and the total in bold numbers of $390.03 and you issued a check for the services rendered. The reason why the final invoice was higher than the proposal amount of $361.60 is because it included tax ($23.93) and a pressure seal ($4.50)*. The pressure seal is required as a stated in Table I.1 (a) Mechanical Parts Maintenance section of the NFPA Standards. Later in the day my technician received a call from you disputing the charges. You stated at that time that you were quoted $20.00 for the refill and were not told about the additional costs. My technician discussed the situation with me. Based on the events; there was a sign off by you on the proposal that clearly had a breakdown of charges, there was a sign off by you on the invoice at the time your extinguisher was brought back to your location which also clearly state the total and breakdown of charges and you issued a check for the services rendered, I felt that we disclosed the charges and made it very clear what the charges were. My technician called you back and explained to you the breakdown of charges and the basis behind them.