BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — June 1 was supposed to be an exciting day for Mike and Katie Haefner, because the couple was moving into a new home they're renting in South Buffalo.
Unfortunately, that day took a turn they never expected, and has kept them out of their new home.
"It's definitely devastating, and uprooting our whole lives," said Katie Haefner.
The couple rented a truck from Penske Truck Rental, and hired movers to move from Lockport to South Buffalo, but as the movers were taking things into the home their skin started turning blue.
"When we went to unload we noticed [the movers] were tracking in a blue chemical," said Mike Haefner. "The movers started turning blue, and we noticed some of our stuff were turning blue as well."
Pictures taken from that day shows the movers covered in what looks like blue paint. The Haefners said the substance only turned blue when water or sweat came in contact with it.
Mike Haefner washed the empty truck once everything was already loaded into the home, and blue liquid started to drip off the truck.
"Basically everything in the house is contaminated, anything in the truck was turning blue as we were cleaning it," said Mike Haenfer.
They called a hazmat team. The Haefners said they were told the substance is believed to be copper sulfate, a toxic pesticide. It still has yet to be confirmed what the substance is.
"Definitely very concerned, it was covering our entire household," said Katie Haefner. "I didn't know with my daughter how this would affect us."
The couple took a suitcase and packed up two cars with their two dogs and 1-year-old daughter.
"Penske couldn't really give us answers, they gave us a refund on the truck right away," said Mike Haefner. "We got a quote from a local cleaning company of $20,000 approximately to clean."
Days later they also called 7 Problem Solvers to help expedite the cleaning operations.
7 Problem Solver Michael Schwartz called and emailed a Penske representative. That spokesperson told him:
“Penske Truck Rental’s top priority is customer safety and satisfaction. While it is unclear where this unknown substance came from, Penske has taken several steps to address this situation. First, Penske isolated and locked down its truck so that we could hire the appropriate engineering company to conduct a forensic inspection and analysis of the quarantined truck. Penske has removed the truck from its operations until such time that it is properly inspected and sanitized. Next, Penske is working through the process of paying both the remediation costs incurred by our customer to clean the house and her household belongings, as well as related costs. Although the source of the substance remains unknown, Penske’s focus is on safety and customer satisfaction, including reimbursing our customer her rental charge for the truck.”
Meanwhile, the Haefners were headed to their third AirBnb on Monday, and this is after they stayed in a hotel right after the situation.
"It's a weird feeling bouncing back and forth between houses, "said Mike Haefner. "We're kind of in a holding pattern with Penske."
As this looks to get resolved, if you have a consumer problem email Michael at 7ProblemSolvers@WKBW.com
