AVOID the Omaha Bedding Company. The customer service could not be worse.

I literally had the worst customer service experience ever with the Omaha Bedding Company, and I want to warn other people about them as I had issues finding anything about them online. BUT FIRST: THEY DON’T HAVE A RETURN POLICY. THEY WON’T TELL YOU THIS, SO WATCH OUT. They also don’t normally work with consumers directly–they usually sell directly to hotels- and it shows. So I found a listing in Forbes saying that this company supplied beds to the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville. I called, they confirmed, and I ordered a bed. Mind you, you have to write them a letter, send them a check and then wait about 30 days for it to arrive–it’s not exactly the best customer experience. I also paid $1,500 for it—not exactly a bargain. It arrives and it hurts my back. I called the hotel and talked to the director of house keeping who told me that in the eight years he’s worked at the hotel, they’ve only ever used Jamison beds. When I called the Omaha Bedding Company to discuss this, they could not have been worse. They did send me a foam pad which probably cost all of 10 bucks and got gross quickly, and it did nothing to help. I’ve slept on beds at Motel 6 that were more comfortable than the one they sent me. They basically told me it was all my fault, and that I should have asked more questions. They accepted no responsibility for anything whatsoever. I guess I’m just supposed to know how the company works. I called to talk to the Irving–the owner–two to three times. He did say sorry, told me he would discuss it with someone else, and I never heard back. Of course. On the second or third time, he transferred me over to someone named Janet, who could not have been nastier. She called me disgruntled and then mentioned that if Julia Roberts and Warren Buffet liked the bed, I should too. Because apparently those celebrities have anything to do with me. If Julia Roberts didn’t like this bed, I’m sure they’d do something about it. I guess you have to be important for them to care about you. BOTTOM LINE: DO NOT PURCHASE FROM THEM. They look great on paper, but could not be worse in real life. Ugh. I’m also not the type to write negative reviews like this, but this company was so awful that I had to say something.

Hi ttobat,

Thanks for taking the time to share your comments and feedback about your experience and I’m sorry to hear that the mattress you chose didn’t work out as well as you hoped for.

Having said that … some of your comments are somewhat unfair and could be misleading to others that are considering purchasing a mattress made by Omaha Bedding so I’ll add a few comments for the sake of others that may be reading this and that may also help you with your next mattress purchase as well.

There are many companies that don’t have a return policy and when you are purchasing a mattress that you haven’t tested in person then it’s always important to make sure you are comfortable with any options you have available after a purchase to exchange or return a mattress before you make a purchase. I agree with them that this is a customer’s responsibility.

Return/exchange policies are built in to the cost of a mattress and consumers that don’t return or exchange a mattress are the ones that pay for the ones that do. There is more information about return and exchange policies in post #25 here and in post #3 here). While they aren’t as important with a local mattress purchase that you can test in person … with an online purchase they can certainly lower the risk of buying a mattress that may not turn out as well as you hoped for and a return/exchange policy can certainly be an important part of the “value” of an online purchase and each person’s personal value equation.

Return and exchange policies are part of risk management and how important a return or exchange policy may be for any specific person will depend on the person, on where they are in the range between “princess and the pea” and “I can sleep on anything”, on their confidence that the mattress will be a good “match” for them in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and their own Personal preferences) and on the level of risk they are comfortable with. Some people are very comfortable without one and for others it would be much more important part of the overall value of a purchase.

As you mentioned they are primarily a wholesale manufacturer that sells to stores (such as Nebraska Furniture Mart) or hotels and wholesale manufacturers aren’t generally set up to deal directly with consumers and aren’t normally as good at dealing directly with consumers as the stores that carry them are.

I would also avoid buying a hotel mattress … particularly if they don’t provide any specs about the quality and durability of the materials (which would probably be the case for most if not all of them). They are often significantly overpriced compared to similar consumer mattresses made by the same manufacturer because hotel mattresses don’t need to be as durable as a consumer mattress that is used every night and that is generally used for longer periods of time than a hotel mattress before it’s replaced. They are one of the most common sources of buyers remorse because lower quality and less durable materials can lead to premature softening and the loss of comfort and support and the need to replace the mattress much too quickly after a purchase (and foam softening and the loss of comfort and support isn’t covered by mattress warranties). You can read more about hotel mattresses in general in post #3 here and the posts it links to.

There is also more about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).

Each person has unique needs and preferences in a mattress so a mattress that would be a “perfect” choice for one person in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on that has a different body type, sleeping style, or preferences and sensitivities so I certainly wouldn’t suggest that anyone purchase (or avoid) a mattress based on anyone else’s experience when they sleep on it. The suitability of a mattress for any particular person also has nothing to do with the quality of the mattress or the materials and components inside it.

While it’s not possible to “diagnose” mattress comfort issues on a forum with any certainty because they can be very complex and there are too many unique unknowns, variables, and complexities involved that can affect how each person sleeps on a mattress in terms of “comfort” firmness, and PPP or any “symptoms” they experience … there is more about the most common symptoms that people may experience when they sleep on a mattress and the most likely (although not the only) reasons for them in post #2 here that can help you decide on the type of changes that would have the best chance of success.

If you are experiencing back pain then it sounds like the mattress isn’t keeping your spine in good alignment but I don’t have enough information about you or the mattress to be able to guess whether this would be the result of a mattress that is too soft or too firm.

If the only issue with a mattress is that it is too firm and there are no soft spots or sagging in the mattress and it’s still in good condition (which would be no problem with your mattress because it’s new) then a good quality topper can be an effective way to add some additional softness, “comfort” and pressure relief to your sleeping system but the only way to know for certain whether a specific mattress/topper combination is a good “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP is based on your own careful testing or personal experience on the combination. If you can’t test the mattress/topper combination in person then there will always be always some risk and uncertainty involved in adding a topper because the specifics of the mattress itself along with your own body type, sleeping position, and preferences can affect which specific topper would be a suitable choice for any specific person on any specific mattress.

There is more information about choosing a topper that also includes a link to the better online sources I’m aware of in post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to which along with a conversation with a reliable and knowledgeable supplier (that can provide you with good information about how their toppers compare to each other or to other toppers they are familiar with that are available on the market) can help you use your sleeping experience as a reference point and guideline to help you choose the type, thickness, and firmness for a topper that has the least possible risk and the best chance for success.

Because of the uncertainty involved with purchasing a topper where you can’t test the combination in person … a good exchange/return policy can also reduce the risk of an online topper purchase so I would also make sure you are comfortable with the options you have available after a purchase to exchange or return the topper and any costs involved just in case a topper you choose also doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for.

On the other hand it’s generally much more difficult to fix a mattress that is too soft because the best solution would normally be to open up the mattress and remove the layers or components that are too soft and replace them with new layers. A firmer topper will generally just “follow” any sagging or soft spots underneath it and at best it may be a partial or temporary solution and at worst it can make any issues that you are having with your mattress worse.

There are some suggestions in post #4 here that may be helpful for a mattress that is too soft or is sagging at least on a partial or temporary basis but if you do decide to go in this direction I would keep your expectations low because the odds of success wouldn’t be very high … particularly over the longer term.

I’m not sure what you mean by looking good on paper (they don’t to me) but I think that the biggest reason that your purchase was unsuccessful was that you made a very risky purchase without doing the type of research first that can lead to a more successful mattress purchase.

I’m not sure if you are considering purchasing another mattress but if you are then the best place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

In its simplest form … choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …

  1. Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.

  2. Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight/BMI range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress (see the durability guidelines here).

  3. Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix