So, can you return a defective product if you don't have a receipt?
John Cunningham's tiny garden is bursting with vegetables and fruits.
"Zucchini, green beans some chives," he said.
His deck blooms with a rainbow of potted plants. That means a lot of watering and for Cunningham; it also means a daily tug of war with his garden hose.
And so his ears perked up when he saw one of these ads on TV touting the Pocket Hose. It was just what he needed. It's lightweight and fits on a shelf, until you turn on the water and it grows.
Cunningham went to Home Depot and bought two of them, one for the backyard and one for the deck. At first, he was delighted.
"It was very lightweight and it would curl back up after you let the water out," he said.
However, a couple of weeks later, one hose began leaking; and then, the other, right beneath the nozzle. He says the leaks got worse.
"Eventually to the point where it was just spewing out water, and I was getting more wet than I was getting the plants wet," he said.
Consumer Reports had just tested the Pocket Hose in an exclusive partnership with 7 On Your Side. Testers found the hose did live up to the claims in the ads. However, Consumer Reports said some readers also reported the hoses had sprung leaks or burst.
Unfortunately Cunningham didn't keep his receipt. He emailed Home Depot asking if he could return the hoses anyway.
"And they said without a receipt, we can't do anything for you. That's when I called 7 On Your Side," said Cunningham.
We contacted Home Depot. The company said its headquarters had given Cunningham the wrong information. He could return the hoses. Home Depot gave him a full refund, plus a $45 gift card.
We also contacted TELEBrands Corporation, the parent company for Pocket Hose. A spokesperson said every hose is tested for leaks at the factory.
"We have taken the quality of the Pocket Hose seriously from the very beginning. We have been striving for a zero defect rate, but even with all the quality control and testing, we still have some instances of hoses that leak or break."
"We have made improvements in the design and materials at the connectors that should significantly reduce these issues going forward. Customers can return defective hoses for an exchange or refund," said TELEBrands in a statement.
"I was happy about that. I think I was more happy that it got attention," said Cunningham.
The people at Pocket Hose tell us some leaks are caused when customers screw on an extra spray nozzle. If you do that you should unscrew the main one, and your hose should work fine.
