They went 2 weeks with no heat, a sick kid at home and no fix from Reliance

It would be hard to find someone who isn't feeling some effects of pre-holiday "stressmas" these days, but consider the case of the Gillespie-Buchanan family of London. 

Back on Nov. 30, they woke up to a chilly house and a non-functioning furnace. 

At the outset, it looked like nothing more than a minor annoyance in the making. The furnace, which they bought from Reliance Home Comfort, is only four years old and still under warranty. The couple called the company, and a technician was sent out. They were told a part was needed for the repair but that it was ordered and on its way.

The problem is now, 20 days later, they're still waiting for Reliance to deliver that part. 

"We've been calling them daily, multiple times a day, trying to get them to let us know where the part is, is it ordered? When should we expect it?" said Jennifer Gillespie. "Every once and a while, they'll try and have a supervisor call us, but there was no follow-up with those phone calls."

Meanwhile, the family with two kids worked to keep the house from freezing. 

"We had space heaters going in the basement, on the main floor and upstairs to keep the house warm," said Gillespie. "Obviously, it's challenging trying to get up and go to work when the house is cold and warm it back up to get the kids ready for school and out the door. It's frustrating when you can't get a response from the company." 

Their wood-burning fireplace helped. Another plus was that temperatures over that stretch of December stayed mostly around the 0 C range. Cold for sure, but southwestern Ontario is certainly capable of much worse at this time of year. 

While waiting for the part to arrive, they were dealing with other challenges. Their house is undergoing an extensive renovation. 

The most significant concern though was for their 12-year-old son Jonathan, who'd spent weeks battling a respiratory infection. It's the kind of childhood illness that has filled pediatric emergency departments across the province since the fall. The family had him back and forth to hospital, and the doctor's a few times while dealing with the illness. 

Early last week and still without heat, Jonathan's health took an unfortunate turn. His symptoms landed him in the emergency department at Victoria Hospital on Monday, Dec. 12. He was sent home at around dinner time but was then called back the next morning once doctors got his lab results. 

Couple's son 'was very sick'

In addition to influenza A and pneumonia in one lung, doctors also found pneumonia bacteria in Jonathan's blood. He was admitted and spent four days in hospital.

"He was very sick," said Gillespie. "So trying to navigate fighting with a company on top of trying to navigate a sick child and everything else ... it was a lot." 

While getting treatment for Jonathan, Gillespie and her husband, Jeff Buchanan, got a front-row seat to the extreme pressures at hospital pediatric departments. 

"Everywhere I looked [in the hospital], it was babies and toddlers very sick coming in," said Gillespie. "[Staff] are being pushed to the max, and they are doing a great job. I'm grateful for them."

Jonathan was discharged from hospital on Thursday evening. 

While he was in hospital and the family's wrangle with Reliance continued, Gillespie and Buchanan were worried their son would be sent home to a house without heat. 

The couple also found themselves caught up in another health-care story making headlines: the shortage of the liquid form of the antibiotic amoxicillin. 

Finally, late last week, the furnace got fixed, but not by Reliance. Gillespie's brother-in-law is a contractor and, through his connections, managed to find a heating technician who was able to order and install the part they needed. 

Reliance responds

Reliance provided a statement in response to an interview request from CBC News about this story. 

The statement says no Canadian should have to worry about heating their home in the winter. It goes on to say the company has apologized to the couple and offered to pay them back the cost of having the furnace fixed. 

As for the long delay in getting the part, the statement says, "We are not immune to the challenges facing the global supply chain and, as such, are reviewing our part escalation process to ensure this issue never happens again."

Now, with Christmas almost here, the house is heated, and Jonathan is recovering at home. It's all added up for a holiday the family won't soon forget. 

"I am very grateful for all the help we've been receiving for the past couple of weeks for sure," she said.