The director of a fire safety company, who was ordered to stop operating after selling non-compliant equipment, continued to do business in violation of a court order.
According to the Commerce Commission, Mira Singh, the owner of Aero Fire, historically targeted small businesses in Auckland and Waikato. Singh also used the business name Safety Plus.
Singh would enter businesses and tell staff he was there to check their fire extinguishers.
"After inspection, staff were typically advised the fire extinguishers needed to be serviced or replaced," the Commission said.
"He would then remove the device, before returning and reinstalling a supposedly serviced extinguisher, or a purportedly new one."
Investigations by the Commission found issues with the services and equipment provided by Singh, including non-compliant services or tests, the use of old or non-compliant extinguishers as replacements, and the installation of the wrong types of extinguishers.
In 2020, Singh, his company, and his wife were jointly fined $60,000 for breaching the Fair Trade Act.
They had faced charges related to false or misleading representations made regarding the installation, servicing, and maintenance of fire extinguishers and the need for those services.
The company and couple signed enforceable undertakings not to knowingly be involved in the supply of fire or safety equipment, not to knowingly offer services connected with fire safety equipment, and to remove Aero Fire from the Companies Register.
The District Court ordered that the undertakings be complied with in 2023, after the Comission found evidence of non-compliance.
A year later, investigators found that Singh was still not complying with the order, which he admitted to.
"We take a dim view of such flagrant disregard for agreed enforceable undertakings,” the Commission said.
The Commission urged anyone with fire equipment provided or serviced by Singh to get it checked to ensure it is working and compliant.
“The possible safety risks resulting from Mr Singh's conduct means it is crucial businesses who have had dealings with him check their equipment.”
The proceedings against Singh have been adjoured due to his personal circumstances, hence the Commission issuing a safety advisory.
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