Counterfeit Lift Inspection Labels Found in Multiple First Student Charter Bus Locations in New York State
CORTLAND, NY – (January 20, 2021) The Automotive Lift Institute, Inc. (ALI), an ANSI accredited product certification body (Accreditation ID# 0584), hereby makes a public announcement that counterfeit lift inspection labels have been found in multiple First Student Charter Bus locations throughout New York State.
Donald Kelly Mechanical, LLC is NOT, and has never been, a recognized Participant in ALI’s Automotive Lift Inspector Certification Program and, as of this “Buyer Beware” posting, is NOT authorized to infer compliance or depict the registered corporate mark of the Automotive Lift Institute as displayed on the images below.
The claim presenting “certified lift inspector” and the unauthorized use of ALI’s registered trademark IS MISLEADING TO CONSUMERS.
“These types of situations can potentially put lift operators in danger, which is why ALI and our members advocate for safety throughout the lift industry and even take responsibility for exposing these fraudulent incidents,” says ALI President R.W. “Bob” O’Gorman. “The best way to confirm that a lift inspector is certified by ALI is to check the directory on autolift.org. When in doubt, the ALI team also can confirm the authenticity of the ALI inspection label and the inspector. For their own safety, employers and owners should make it standard practice to demand ALI’s annual lift inspection label at the time of contracting inspection services from anyone other than the lift manufacturer.”
Use of ALI’s Certified Lift Inspector mark on an unauthorized inspection label unethically leads shop owners, service technicians, Department of Transportation inspectors, and Occupational Health and Safety officials to believe that an inspection performed by an ALI certified inspector had occurred. The fraudulent labels depicted in this Public Safety Notice resemble ALI’s annual inspection label but have been applied by a company that is not affiliated with ALI in any way. Representation of ALI’s registered mark on labels such as the one in the images presented above is not authorized. Automotive lifts bearing the label depicted should have this label removed immediately, and the lift should be re-inspected by a qualified lift inspector.
As of this notice, there have been no reports of damage or injury presented to ALI related to this counterfeit inspection service. The labels were found in two First Student Charter Bus locations in Ulster County, New York. If you have contracted the services of Donald Kelly Mechanical, LLC said to be located at 4 Horizon Dr., Rochester, NY, be advised that this company is not eligible to use ALI’s Lift Inspector Certification mark and is not affiliated with ALI.
Consumers with lifts bearing the labels depicted above are advised to contact ALI immediately and seek out inspection services from a qualified lift inspector. To locate the ALI Certified Inspector nearest to you, visit the Directory of ALI Certified Lift Inspection Providers at https://www.autolift.org/find-a-certified-auto-lift-inspector/.
ALI continues to promote the safe design, construction, installation, inspection, and use of automotive lift products. The integrity of the ALI annual inspection label and the ALI Certified Inspector mark are of paramount importance.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Janelle Storey at 607-756-7775 or [email protected]
Automotive Lift Institute P.O. Box 85, Cortland, NY 13045