I-Team's Call For Action Helps Palmer Couple Get Propane Delivery After Days Without Heat

PALMER (CBS) - Marisol Aponte and Robert Daignault say they ordered propane to heat their Palmer home, but when the delivery was late – they ran out of fuel. Robert says, "we couldn't take showers, it's the point that we were freezing."

The couple used space heaters and opened the oven door to keep warm. They even had to boil water to wash up. Marisol says AmeriGas, the company she contracted with to get the fuel; told her she would have the delivery by Monday.

But when Monday came and the delivery didn't arrive, Marisol tells the I-Team, "I got pretty scared, and then by 5 o'clock I'm like I better call them because they haven't arrived yet and the house is getting really cold, plus we were afraid that the pipes were going to freeze."

Robert says AmeriGas told them they had 10-15 days to deliver the propane. Marisol says by now they had been without heat since Saturday and had no hot water since Sunday. "That's ridiculous," Marisol said.

That's when the couple reached out to the I-Team's Call For Action. AmeriGas released a statement saying, "AmeriGas takes pride in ensuring that our customers have full tanks and warm homes, and there isn't a day that goes by where we don't take that responsibility seriously. Like many other companies, we have not been immune to weather delays, driver shortages and a lingering impact of COVID-19 on our workforce."

And within hours of our call to AmeriGas, Robert says he was looking out the window. "I said to my wife guess who's here it was AmeriGas," he said.

"We appreciate you guys, if it wasn't for you we would be stuck here in the cold," Marisol said.

"Talking to the I-Team was one of the best things we could have done," Robert said.

The best advice for anyone who needs fuel delivery to heat their home- order early so you don't get left in the cold.

Full statement from AmeriGas: "AmeriGas takes pride in ensuring that our customers have full tanks and warm homes, and there isn't a day that goes by where we don't take that responsibility seriously. Like many other companies, we have not been immune to weather delays, driver shortages and a lingering impact of COVID-19 on our workforce. We've taken action to add resources in Boston, including flying in delivery staff and reallocating trucks from other areas. As our teams work seven days a week, we're asking for partnership, as we must always prioritize the safety of our drivers, customers, and communities. We recommend signing up for automatic deliveries or ordering early and online when tank levels are between 35-40% as that will allow us the notice we need to make your delivery. It's also crucial to prepare in advance and make sure your driveway is clear so that our trucks can get to your tank."