Leon Bush says he felt lucky to have dodged the storm, but that luck ran out when he tried to return about $50 worth of sandbags.
"When I came in this morning to return them, I was informed that Home Depot was not receiving any returns on any hurricane-related supplies," Leon explained.
Leon says he spoke to the manager of the store and didn’t get anywhere so he called NBC 6.
The Home Depot told us "Our return policy is the same for hurricane-related items as it is for other purchases. Unused items may be returned with a receipt within 30 days."
When we went to the store, the manager told us the reason they refused the refund was because the sand inside the bags was wet and could get moldy. The Better Business Bureau says some stores may not take back damaged goods.
"Usually people have 15-30 days to return these things. Other things such as wood can’t be because they carry humidity," said Cynthia Lavin with the Better Business Bureau of Southeast Florida.
Leon says when he was denied the refund, he contacted his credit card company to dispute the charges.
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"I called them, they said no problem," Leon said.
He said the credit card company asked him, "'Is the material at Home Depot?' They said, leave it there, take a picture, and send us the picture."
After we reached out to The Home Depot, the company told us they looked up Leon’s receipt and processed his return.
As a precaution, protect supplies from damage if you think you might return them. And if you don’t need the money for important expenses, you may want to hang on to them as hurricane season runs through November 30.
