Glendale woman lived with a broken A/C unit for weeks: 'Worse than a sauna'
AC woes prompt apartment tenant to move out
As Arizonans endure extreme hot temperatures, it can be hard at times to imagine how life would look like without air condition. Unfortunately, some Phoenix area families are living that, and that includes a woman who lives at an apartment complex. FOX 10's Lindsey Ragas reports.
GLENDALE, Ariz. - In the middle of Phoenix's sweltering, relentless heat, Jacqueline Williams has been without A/C for quite some time.
For the past three weeks, she's been relying on a portable air conditioning unit at the Portola Glendale Apartments that isn't able to keep up with this heat wave.
"It went out again on the 26th, and it's been out since then," Williams said.
She's running out of options when it comes to getting her air conditioning unit fixed in her Glendale apartment.
"It feels like a sauna, well, worse than a sauna," Williams said. "It's just pure steam, and it's like everything starts spinning, I see spots because of how hot it is in here."
Williams' portable A/C unit. She says it isn't doing enough to keep her cool in this heat.
Her air conditioning unit started acting up last year. When maintenance went to check it out, she says they told her this:
"The wires was connected, my A/C was connected to my hot water heater, so every time my hot water heater comes on, it causes the air conditioner to break, to shut off," Williams said.
The Glendale woman says management has yet to properly fix the issue.
"I explained to her, had it been fixed last year when I reported that the circuit breaker had sparks and burning wire coming from behind it, I wouldn't be having this issue time and time again," she said.
It's getting to the point where she has to break her lease and find an apartment with A/C.
"I have to take the pallet, one of the cushions off of my sofa and make a pallet in the spare room to sleep in there because it's hot in my bedroom," she said. "It's hot in my living room, as well as the dining room."
The heat is impacting her health.
"I have hypertension, I have high blood pressure," she said.
Williams is sharing her story because she says she's not the only one with a broken A/C that isn't getting fixed.
"It feels like they can care less about the tenants," said Williams. "All they care about is the rent being paid."
AC fixed after initial story
AZ woman happy her AC has been repaired
A week after we first reported on problems faced by a Glendale woman whose air conditioning went out, the woman said her unit was finally fixed. 'It's like my body is just leaping for joy because the air conditioning is on,' said Jacqueline Williams. FOX 10's Lindsey Ragas reports.
A day after our initial story on Williams' plight aired, her A/C was fixed.
"It feels like I've won the lottery," said Williams. "Coming home to a hot house, now to a house with A/C, it's like my body is just leaping for joy."
As we mentioned earlier, the heat has impacted Wilson's health, and she gave details on a close call she encountered.
"My daughter came on the 11th and found me stressed out, halfway on the bed and halfway in the bed. I mean, delirious because of the heat," said Williams. "I couldn't focus because of that, and I have heart issues, palpitations. Had she not thought quickly and got the cold packs out the freezer and brought my temperature back down to normal, I probably would have had a heatstroke in this apartment."