Outland Living FMPPC2 Portable Propane Fire Pit User Guide

Outland Living FMPPC2 Portable Propane Fire Pit User Guide

Description of customer complaints received from Amazon

• The box had been opened and contents are pet stairs, not a fire pit.
• Uses a 20lb cylinder of propane every day. Something must be wrong with it
• Theres no cover
• no cover-needd one
• LEAD Defective
• Too small
• Too small
• Too small
• Does not turn on hose must have a hole or something
• Missing rocks packet
• Didn’t warm as expected. Smaller than expected.
• product did not come with lid
• product did not come with lid
• I didn’t have a cover
• The flames show very high in description. When attached to a new propane tank, the flame was about.
• Gas smell over whelming
• No original box
• Propane leaked out lower areas of the fire ring. I am actually in critical care as we speak with 3rd degree burns on both legs and hands. So my holiday turned into an almost death sentence
• Does not work just tried for first time very upsetting when you are cold hosting a yard party
• All rocks out and dirty , doesn’t work . Piece of garbage
• There is only half a bag of rocks. The end of the regulator that is supposed to be attached to the propane cylinder is very loose, and thus rather unsafe.
• • has no cover (as stated in description) • more than
• Propane leaked by knob. Couldn’t turn off at knob.
• The burner explodes the fire which is not safe at all.
• This was not a new item. Lava rocks all over the box. Burn marks on unit.
• This fire pit is much heavier than I expected, the word portable may apply to a strong man, not a 77 year old female. I can’t lift it to put in my Jeep.

Amazon Instructions

Action required from your end to resolve the issue:

• Please confirm whether the units in your inventory are free from the above mentioned defect. If defect is confirmed, kindly share the RA number and shipping address so that we can return the on hand inventory.

• Kindly Provide us Quality & functional test report covering atleast 5 units in stock (that will confirm item’s functionality).

• Kindly share us User Manual (PDF Version, less than 15 MB) or other documents (Trouble shooting steps, Specs sheet or video/images,compaitibility sheet) that provides necessary information to the customer)

• Kindly confirm if there were any updates made to the product recently, if yes, please provide the details and updated documents (manual, instructional videos,etc)
  Kindly provide us a Plan of action(POA) to reduce the repeated customer issues.

• Confirm if any preventive mechanism has been implemented to avoid such issues in future.

Report Re: ASIN # B007UMD2L0 Customer Complaints

Amazon emailed regarding the 823 Portable Propane Campfire, model number FMPPC2-2/823, ASIN # B007UMD2L0 and certain customer complaints around the quality, functionality, and safety of the appliance.

To speak to the specific customer complaints they seem to be grouped into three main categories; 1) cleanliness and completeness; 2) dissatisfaction with the size and/or the heat output’ 3) safety and functionality of the product.

Cleanliness and completeness:

We inspected 5 units randomly in our warehouse and found that none of the units had any of the defects mentioned in the Description of Customer Complaint regarding the cleanliness and completeness of the units. Some complaints allude to missing components such as the lid, however the 823 standard firebowl model only includes the firebowl, hose and regulator, rock set, and propane tank stabilizer as specified in the Amazon product listing, shown here:

What’s in the box

• Outland Living Firebowl (no assembly required)
• Pre-attached 10′ hose + regulator
• 4.4 lb natural lava rock set
• Propane tank stabilizer ring

If a customer wants to receive a lid or soft carrying case with the 823 unit they must either order a Cover and Carry Kit that includes the lid and lid straps/handle or a soft carrying case separately which is also called out on the Amazon listing here:

• Complete Fire Pit Kit: Includes pre-attached 10-ft hose to keep your standard 20-lb propane tank cylinder (not included) safely out of sight, fully adjustable regulator with chrome valve knob for varying flame height, and 4.4 lb natural lava rock set designed to enhance flickering effect. Optional accessories (not included) of CSA approved natural gas conversion kit 780, cover & carry kit 730, and standard carry bag 760 available separately.

As far as missing rocks, there weren’t any missing rocks in the inventory that we checked from our warehouse as evidenced in the pictures below and our factory has a very robust QA&QC system in place to reduce/eliminate the instances of missing components in the packaging. Please see section “QA&QC Systems At Factory” for more details.

Regarding the cleanliness issue, there are some instances where there could be some rock dust on the internal components due to dropship shipping damage under extreme circumstances, however there should not be any loose rocks or missing components under any circumstances.

With respect to the customer that found pet stairs inside their firebowl box we cannot comment on this as we do not make, sell, or trade in pet stairs and we can only state that this couldn’t have originated from our factory due to the robust QA&QC systems in place and the fact that we wouldn’t have any pet stairs at the factory to make this mistake with.

One customer complained that the firebowl was too heavy to lift. The product weights are clearly listed in the Amazon listing as well:

Dissatisfaction with the size and/or the heat output of the appliance

The bowl diameter and the heat output are listed clearly on the Amazon listing page, so the customer can visualize the physical size of the product before ordering.

Furthermore there are few firebowls on the market today that have a higher heat input rating than 58,000 BTU’s. The vast majority of the firebowls on the market by any manufacturer are rated at 58,000 BTU’s which is the same as the 823 unit in question, meaning there is no more or less heat output from this model as from the vast majority of firebowls on the market today.

There is a safety device built into the regulators that are used in North America called a excess-flow check valve. Basically the function of this check valve is to limit the propane flow downstream from the regulator in the event that there is too high of a flow rate through the regulator. This could be an indication that the hose is compromised and is flowing at far too fast a rate, however this check valve can also be triggered if the firebowl main valve is left on and the tank valve is opened quickly. There are warnings about this in the product manual and in a separate ‘STOP’ sheet provided with the manual, and processes in the product manual to reset the check valve in the event there is a very low-flame complaint. This is not unique to this product or our company, as all regulators sold in North America require this safety device.

If a customer complains of a very low flame or no ignition due to lack of propane flow we instruct them to reset the excess-flow check valve before doing anything else as that is usually the issue.

Safety and functionality of the product

Our product undergoes many, many levels of safety and quality assurance during its production, including:

1. Product is certified by CSA to the ANSI Z21.97-2017 Outdoor Decorative Gas Appliances standard as a complete unit.
2. Regulator/hose/valve assemblies are separately certified by CSA to their own product standards.
3. Assembly processes include torquing the hose at the valve with a torque wrench to the proper spec.
4. In-phase product testing uses a highly sensitive gas leak detector capable of measuring a leak rate of 1 ml of gas per hour. Every firebowl is leak tested to ensure that the leakage rate does not exceed the standard of 1 ml of gas per hour with 100% frequency of testing.
5. In-phase product testing also burn tests each unit to ensure that the firebowl functions properly and burns at the correct rate.

Regarding the complaints of gas leaking out underneath the firebowl or flames occurring where they should not, there is also a section in the product manual that deals with burner tube debris and how to properly clean out the burner tube in case there are bugs or spider webs inside the burner tube that might cause this problem.

As far as the product functionality there are very few components that would fail after production that would also affect the product’s heat output or flame height; 1) the excess-flow check valve described above; 2) the regulator; 3) the valve getting some dirt or other debris inside of it.

1. The excess flow check valve issue is described in the section above named ‘Dissatisfaction of the size and/or heat output of the appliance’ and is repairable by the customer with a few very simple steps as listed in the product manual which is included with each firebowl or available on our website or by calling our excellent customer service department.
2. The regulator can fail due to various causes, including mistreatment/damage, using gases other than propane with the regulator, or just by bad luck. This is not unique to our firebowls and would affect all product on the market. Regulators also have a fail-safe where the regulator will flow a minimum amount of propane if it fails for whatever reason.
3. The valve getting debris in it is a very unusual issue however it has happened. In almost all instances either cleaning or replacing the valve will fix this problem.

Product Inspection – 5 pcs from FMI Warehouse

None of the complaints/defects noted in the Customer Complaints section were found in any of the 5 units chosen for random testing (the ‘missing lid’ complaint notwithstanding; this product does not include a lid and is so defined in the listing. If a customer wants a lid they can either purchase an 893 Deluxe model firebowl or buy a cover and carry kit from FMI Brands Inc., available through Amazon as well).

Here are pictures of the state of the 5 randomly selected units from inventory:

As demonstrated by the above photos, each and every 823 firebowl was complete and functional.
Furthermore the product was clean, had no dust or debris on them, and were complete.

Inspected product all contained:

What’s in the box

• Outland Living Firebowl (no assembly required)
• Pre-attached 10′ hose + regulator
• 4.4 lb natural lava rock set
• Propane tank stabilizer ring
  

QA&QC Systems At Factory

The factory in which we produce the firewbowls and firetables, called FMIM, is wholly owned by FMI Brands Inc./Outland Living®. It is located in Nansha District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong, China and was commissioned in 2018. FMIM is a state-of-the-art factory that utilizes automation where possible and relies on highly skilled labour where required. The factory size is 10,000 m2 (~100,000 ft2) and is capable of making up to 100 containers of product per month.

The QA&QC systems in place are robust. All incoming materials and components are inspected diligently by a dedicated Incoming/Receiving QA&QC worker, as are all in-process product and finished goods spot checked by dedicated QC workers. Final production/packaging processes are monitored by a dedicated QC worker as well who ensures that the final packaged products are all complete, fasteners tight, and all product clean and tidy.

In-phase QC processes are performed on the assembly line include pressure testing all hose/regulator/valve assemblies (100% frequency testing on all production units) with a highly sensitive pressure testing apparatus, shown below:

*Shown above is a gas pressure tester capable of measuring to industry standards and provide a pass/fail light. Failed product leaks 1.0 ml/hour of gas or more which is a very conservative industry standard.

All product is then flame-tested to ensure proper operation and functionality, as well as testing for any leaks not found in the pressure test such as burner malfunctions or upstream/downstream leaks in the gas train. This test is also performed with 100% frequency.

Product is also randomly selected to undergo product testing in which a QC worker will select a unit from the warehouse, open it to ensure that it is packaged properly and complete, and functions per design. Any discrepancies found are evaluated for their severity and further investigation is performed on the production batch to ensure that the entire batch of product is complete and functional.

Furthermore all of Outland Living®’s products undergo a GAR Risk Assessment by all R&D, NPD, QA&QC, and engineering staff both in Canada and at the factory to determine any risks and spell out mitigating measures to reduce/mitigate the risks. All risk mitigation steps are taken as this is a critical step for any CSA or CE listed products, which the 823 firebowl is.

Product Updates:

There have been no product updates to this model of firebowl recently. This model in its current form has been in production and selling for well over a decade.

Plan of action to reduce repeated customer issues:

The QA&QC staff for FMI Brands Inc./Outland Living® will open dialogue with the factory QA&QC to determine what, if any, steps can be taken to avoid the customer issues listed in the opening of this document. More attention will be paid to ensuring that the units continue to be clean and complete when they leave the factory.

Preventative mechanism to avoid such issues in future:

We will continue to rely on our robust QA&QC measures at the factory and will engage with the factory QA&QC staff to implement further mechanisms to avoid the issues listed in the customer complaints listed above.

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