Consumer struggles to reach safe room company

온라인카지노사이트 5 Responds to a North Texas consumer who paid thousands for a safe room that fits under her bed. She said she can’t get in touch with the business to keep it in working order.

Read on for what you should know when you service a shelter or shop for storm protection.

‘IT SCARED ME SO BAD’

In place of a box spring, Marian Beck-Edwards has a safe room under the bed at her home in Grapevine. It’s designed to expand at the push of a button.

“When a tornado watch occurs, the bed goes up. Crates get underneath the bed for the dogs, my file boxes,” said Beck-Edwards.

Beck-Edwards said she was sold on the safe room after watching an Oklahoma-based company pitch the product on the television show, Shark Tank. She shared a $5,545 invoice for a floor model of the Life Lift Systems Tornado Shelter purchased in 2021 from a safe room dealer in east Texas. 

According to the operator’s manual for the system, also known as Vortex Vaults, the company recommends regular maintenance. Beck-Edwards said a service person has come out in the past to make sure the safe room is level.

“The best way to explain it is kind of a grinding instead of a smooth operation,” said Beck-Edwards. “I know that something's rubbing on something, and I'd call one of the guys.”

Beck-Edwards said when she tried calling recently, the company didn’t call back. Beck-Edwards found a public Facebook group of Vortex Vaults storm shelter customers, created last year. Some wrote they couldn’t reach the company for repairs.

“I saw where all these people were having problems, that their bed wouldn't go down, the doors wouldn't close, and it scared me so bad. I thought, what if I raise up the bed and I can't get it back down?” said Beck-Edwards.

SEARCHING FOR HELP

The Better Business Bureau Serving Central Oklahoma said it logged 11 complaints, starting in , from customers in multiple states, including Texas.

“Customers reported that their storm shelters didn't function. They had issues opening and closing the door, there was some kind of mechanical failure,” said the BBB’s Casey Farmer.

Farmer said the BBB received a response from the company to one complaint, offering a refund for a deposit.

“Then after that, kind of crickets, no response, which can be really frustrating for a consumer,” Farmer said.

The Office of the Oklahoma Attorney said it has connected with the company to resolve six complaints starting in 2022. It said it hasn’t had a reason to reach out since April of 2024.

When 온라인카지노사이트 5 dialed the phone number listed on a Vortex Vaults social media page, a recording said it wasn’t set up to receive calls. We didn’t hear back from another phone number and email address for the person listed in Oklahoma business filings and as the inventor, holding the patent. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website shows the patent for the telescoping storm shelter expired in 2024 due to nonpayment of maintenance fees.

Shark Tank media relations said it doesn’t have contact information for the company. Another person who introduced himself on TV as a partner in the business told 온라인카지노사이트 5 Responds he hasn’t been involved with the company for about five years.

Beck-Edwards’ paperwork included a phone number to call for mechanical service. Someone texted 온라인카지노사이트 5 Responds back, saying they installed the safe room, but retired three years ago. The installer offered to try to help Beck-Edwards. Beck-Edwards told us she’d “absolutely” take him up on the offer.

“I'm not asking for any freebies. It's just help for me and those other people out there that have problems with their bed,” Beck-Edwards said.

TRIED AND TESTED

We wanted to know: how does a consumer find someone to work on a safe room or storm shelter – especially one that’s unique?

“I'd start with a manufacturer, then go to a contractor,” said James Bell, retired director of the .

Bell said if a consumer can’t connect with a manufacturer, look for a contractor who is knowledgeable about shelters. Or, an engineer.

“You want to get those drawings of how they tested and what they were approved with,” Bell explained.

Bell explains that every part, from the anchors to the door and its hinges, plays an important role in protecting people. Replacement parts should be the same as those that were tested with the type of shelter or safe room you have. Read more about finding doors and hardware for a safe room .

Some companies have construction or installation drawings on file with a trade association.

If you’re thinking of adding storm protection to your home, the NSSA checking that it meets the International Building Code ICC 500 and the FEMA Pub-320 standards.

FEMA said there is no federal certification for builders or manufacturers for safe rooms, but they need to meet the requirements for tornado storm shelters in the . If a homeowner receives a FEMA grant to help fund a safe room, FEMA said the safe room must also meet the FEMA Funding Criteria in .

FEMA said independent tests or engineering analysis should confirm a storm shelter meets minimum standards to withstand elements like high wind and impact. While FEMA publishes standards for building or installing safe rooms, it explains it doesn’t endorse contractors, companies or products. FEMA said a product should not claim it is “FEMA approved” or “FEMA certified”.

Bell said testing of a safe room product is critical.

“It may look strong and may be made of steel or concrete, but if it's not tested, you don't know at what levels it's going to start failing,” Bell said.

You can find answers to frequently asked questions on the NSSA’s website .

See FEMA’s for building or installing a safe room in a home. Chapter 4, which starts on page 41, has consumer guidance for homeowners. In this section, you can see an example of a door label that has been tested for safe room standards.

FEMA notes that consumers may see different terms. It said a “storm shelter” meets the requirements of ICC 500. A "safe room" meets both ICC 500 and FEMA P-361 FEMA Funding Criteria.

온라인카지노사이트 5 Responds is committed to researching your concerns and recovering your money. Our goal is to get you answers and, if possible, solutions and a resolution. Call us at 844-5RESPND (844-573-7763) or fill out our customer complaint form.