Mum reduced to tears in Watford Asda after Henry Hoover row

Kate Ronan says she didn’t want a second-hand vacuum over Covid fears but was left shocked to discover a different dust-filled model inside the box at home.

The married mum-of-two, from Carpenders Park, says she immediately returned to the store where an employee told her there was nothing they could do.

Ms Ronan, 42, said: “I asked her why and she said there is no way you bought this hoover from here, I asked her ‘are you calling me a liar?’, and she said yes.

Ms Ronan found a dusty Hetty Hoover inside the Henry Hoover box.

“I was told that they don’t sell pink Hetty hoovers, so I suggested someone had brought it back and duped them and she told me I must have done it.”

Ms Ronan claims she was reduced to tears after then being told to leave the store and ring head office.

“I started to cry at this stage as I was extremely upset and embarrassed,” she continued.

“As I struggled to pick up the heavy box and make my way out of the building they stood and watched on and pointed at a part I had dropped.”

The second-hand Hetty Hoover.

Ms Ronan, who works as a company director for a travel agent, said Asda’s head office offered a £15 voucher but that was unacceptable and she wants a new hoover.

After being approached by the Watford Observer, an Asda spokesperson reiterated it was unable to provide a refund.

They said: "We always want our customers to enjoy shopping with us and we have apologised to Ms Ronan for her experience.

“However, the product returned to us by Ms Ronan is not a model that we sell and we can only provide refunds for items that were bought at Asda.”

Ms Ronan believed she was buying a new Henry Hoover but claims it turned out to be a second-hand Hetty.

Ms Ronan branded the situation “disgusting” and said she may contact the vacuum brand’s head office to trace where the Hetty was originally purchased from.