Why We Had to Stop Calling It a Fire Pit — A Lesson in Compliance, Language, and Resilience

Over the past few weeks, we’ve had a bit of noise surrounding one of our Pit & Seat products the gas BBQ unit we’ve proudly brought to market after many months of development and certification last year.

An individual claiming to be a potential customer recently questioned the legal compliance of our product, suggesting that it couldn’t legally be sold as a fire pit in Australia. While their tone made it fairly clear they weren’t genuinely interested in buying one more so questioning our compliance and gas certification but the issue they raised did require a closer look.

Yes, It’s Certified!

Our unit is AGA Gas Certified as a barbecue appliance, and fully compliant under Australian gas regulations. We worked directly with our manufacturer and AGA to ensure every requirement was met. That’s the reason our product is legally allowed to be sold and used in Australia. It’s tested. It’s approved. It’s compliant.

Why We’re No Longer Calling It a “Fire Pit”

When we first brought the product to market, we referred to it as a “BBQ fire pit” or BBQ Pit, a term that reflected the visual appeal of the flame and the social warmth it brought to outdoor settings.

But here’s the truth: in Australia, selling a fire pit comes with a completely different set of regulations. Fire pits require shielding, protective guarding, and other specific safety controls. Our unit doesn’t fall under that classification and legally, it can’t be marketed that way. It’s certified as a gas barbecue, and that’s exactly how we’re able to sell it across Australia and New Zealand, fully compliant and above board.

That’s why we’ve now updated all language across our site and platforms. We sell it as a gas barbecue, because legally that’s what it is.

What You Do With It Is Up to You

Plenty of our customers use the unit for cooking. Others roast marshmallows, enjoy the flame, or gather around it like a campfire. That’s entirely up to you in your own space.

But from our end, we remain 100% transparent: what we sell is an AGA-certified gas barbecue appliance, and we’re proud of that.

The individual, Mr Rosch, took things to another level. After finding our contact details on the Pit & Seat Facebook page, he attempted to call several times including one call on Tuesday afternoon, followed by another at 7 AM Wednesday morning. Thankfully, I didn’t answer, as I didn’t feel that a productive or respectful conversation would’ve been possible over the phone. These discussions are best handled in writing.

But it didn’t stop there. Mr Rosch then began leaving multiple comments on our social media posts, initially stating he was "very keen" to buy a couple of units, but quickly shifting to demands for certification and statements like "you can't use these as a fire pit" and "is anyone going to answer the phone call?"

He also contacted the AGA directly in an effort to challenge our certification and bring us down. Fortunately, because of our direct relationship with both our manufacturer and AGA, we were aware of what was happening behind the scenes. His intentions were clear: to discredit and damage a small business that had found a way to succeed within the rules. We’ve worked closely with AGA throughout the process, and we continue to do so. Some minor adjustments were requested and have been made, but at no point were we non-compliant. At no point were we acting outside the law. And at no point did we stop doing things the right way.

It’s public record that Mr Rosch was once connected to a high-profile Gold Coast business that later collapsed, and he declared bankruptcy in the mid‑2010s under substantial debts. While this blog isn’t focused on rehashing his past, it does provide context, particularly in light of his persistent attempts to question our compliance and certification. The pattern of disruption felt less about legitimate safety concerns and more aligned with a history of instability and failed ventures and it’s disappointing that energy was spent trying to tear us down instead of supporting an Australian enterprise.

We took a clever, fully legal approach to bring a unique product to market and unfortunately, some people don’t like seeing that kind of innovation from a small, homegrown business.

We won't be deterred!

Thanks for reading,

Jeff Kendall

Director – Perth Developments & Investments Pty Ltd

www.perthdni.com.au