Fort Myers Dollar General had no AC for weeks, customers say

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)—Shoppers and employees at a Dollar General on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard have been dealing with no air conditioning for weeks during record-breaking heat.

Customers say they've been frustrated and worried about the people who work there. Derricka Truttling says she's been coming to this Dollar General for years.

"My biggest concern is the workers," Truttling said. "You could just see the sweat coming off them."

She says instead of escaping the Florida heat, customers were walking into more of it.

"There's no relief," Truttling said. "It's a slight release, and it's a bit better than three days ago, for sure. But not enough for me to want to keep shopping there."

She says she even called Dollar General's corporate office but never heard back. After WINK News reached out, the company responded.

Dollar General says the HVAC issues have now been addressed. In a statement, the company says while waiting for repair parts, it installed several fans and operated under limited hours:

"Thank you for reaching out. Our store located at 3409 Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard in Fort Myers, Florida is currently operating at normal hours, and HVAC maintenance issues have been addressed.

While we awaited delivery of specific parts needed for repairs, we installed several fans and operated under limited hours, amid other measures, to help ensure a comfortable working environment for our employees and pleasant shopping experience for customers.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our customers."

But after reading the company's response, Derricka says she's still not satisfied.

"This is Florida," Truttling said. "It doesn't take months to do that. They have a lot of resources. To me that's just an excuse."

Raymond Johnson was concerned about the food in that heat.

"It's been too hot," Johnson said. "It's gonna make somebody sick."

Dollar General addressed food concerns, saying food safety policies were followed, including removing any damaged or temperature-compromised products. Jacqueline Battles Upshaw believes the store can bounce back.

"It's nothing that can't be repaired," Battles Upshaw said. "It's not going to stop me from coming to Dollar General."

Dollar General says the store is now operating under normal hours and that the HVAC issues have been addressed. Customers say there is only a slight difference, but they also hope it never takes months to resolve an issue like this again.