Hi jcat_3,
I’m sorry to hear that your mattress isn’t working out as well as you hoped for.
While “some” pain for a short time would be “normal” for some people (especially if the mattress is very different from what they are used to sleeping on) … more significant pain certainly isn’t the norm and if the pain isn’t improving then I would certainly return the mattress as well.
While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful … I would always keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you. In many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here). Having said that … it’s always great to know when someone has purchased a mattress that they sleep well on even if how well you sleep on a mattress may not be particularly meaningful to someone else.
I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but just in case you haven’t read it yet … the best place to start your research for your next mattress 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.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for them in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well they will sleep), durability (how long they will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
If you are also interested in researching local choices that you can test in person before a purchase then if you let me know your city or zip code I’d also be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area as well.
Phoenix