Are there any store brands that are similar to the Aloe Alexis of Brooklyn Bedding? I recently purchased a topper from them and enjoy the topper. I purchased a bed from Novosbed, which the company as far as customer support is fantastic, but I do not think the bed is for me and am looking once again. I use to have a S&F Hainsworth which was amazing but has worn out and am looking for something similar to that bed but easier to move.
Thanks,
Mike
I wasnt personally able to find any store brands with 2 three inch layers of latex. I did find a pure latex bliss model that had a 2 and three inch latex layer over polyfoam. It was close enough to get a feel for what latex felt like and helped in making a decision. You also have to factor in what ild you are testing as the aloe alexis is customizable which does give some assurance you can exchange if you order the wrong comfort layer
EverReady,
Thank you for your thoughts. I just do not want to get burnt if you will. Sadly, I am trying to keep cost down as much as possible, and that is why I am hoping to find a store brand that is similar. I just asked where the mattresses went that were returned and I was told a charity. I asked why can it not go to a local charity so that I do not have to pay a reshipment fee and was told “thats not what we do!” Am I wrong to ask that question? Here is the conversation…
Carlos: The owner donates them to local charities But we don`t get the latex products back
Then my question is if I do not like it, why can it not go to a local charity here so that I do not get hit with a return shipping cost? If it is going to charity no matter what, I do not see an issue.
Carlos: That is not what we do!
Why is that? At the end of the day if it goes to a charity, why does it have to go there and not a place that will cost the consumer money?
He left the chat so i do not know what his response will be.
It’s relatively a moot point as to why it cannot be donated to a local charity - and the answer they gave is legit, that it’s not how they work. Quite honestly, it’s relatively lucky that you get the opportunity to return it. That they happened to donate it once they get it back is their right. It’s not unreasonable for them to request that you return their property (which is what it is once a rebate is issues) to them.
Among other reasons I could imagine them not wanting your input are that once you’ve decided to return it, they don’t want you to be able to influence where it goes, since you could potentially do harm to their name and/or personally benefit from the donation even where you get a full refund. One big risk were the consumer in control of the to be returned property is where someone devises a scheme whereby they buy a mattress, “return it”, and cause it to be donated to a charity in some fashion where they get the bed themself but without needing to pay for it. It’s hardly impossible to develop such a scheme…
@DN
My question then to you DN is why can they not find a local charity to donate too? They can still do the arranging of the product and I will still be willing to pay the cost which would be much lower than sending it back to them. I still do not see how that is something outrageous. I get it it is part of doing business online. What I do know is if I find something I like better than the Novosbed, I do not lose any out of pocket money. They will find a local charity and have it picked up without costing me a dime.
I am not trying to come off smart or disrespectful. All I am trying to do is keep my cost low since do to my job of being a Teacher does not afford me to spend out more than I can.
Note that I’m just an interested observer. I don’t work in the mattress business at all. That said, I am a business man, have owned my own business before, and have been involved in product delivery. Therefore, don’t treat my words as a reflection of anything more than some random business guy’s comments - I certainly don’t represent the companies you’re talking about and if you really have a beef talk with them…
That said, if it were me running the business… It’d be pretty simple, once you don’t want it, then it’s my property. I’ve already lost the customer account, so I don’t want to invest more time and labour into the situation (time is money… Finding a reasonable local charity for everyone who returns a mattress isn’t free, especially if the charity interacts with the customer, in which case I need to ensure they are a professional representation of the company and don’t become a liability in their own right). I may have established a charity with whom it’s standard operating procedure to return mattresses and get a tax receipt, so it’s easy and quick. Also, I might have a preferred charity I want it to go to. Finally, I may craft the return such that some of my out of pocket expenses are reduced by charging return fees.
In any event, these are all decisions a business is free to make. And you can certainly inquire if they are willing to do something different, but they might not even if it seems like the outcome would be the same.
You’re in a far more powerful position to negotiate when you’re buying, so if $0 cost return is important then asking up front is more powerful than asking at the end. As Phoenix has written, these are all part of your personal value equation of the different companies.
I appreciate you’re trying to lower your costs… (Aren’t we all).
Feel free to talk with them… If you’re in a position to negotiate (I.e, you’re buying something, and not currently returning something), they might have an appetite to do something 
@DN
That was the conversation I was having with them when the chat was disconnected. The other part is I just purchased their Talalay Topper and that is why I inquired about their mattress. It is not like I have not purchased from them recently, within the pass 2 weeks. Was looking to spend more with them, however a $400 shipping charge in the worse case scenario is not something that makes sense to me.
As a business man yourself, I am sure you have had to work with customers so that there is a better meeting in the middle. If you had a repeat customer come back to you DN within 2 weeks of purchasing a product from you, how have you handled the situation especially if they are wanting to spend more with you.
When I currently need to process returns, which happens from time to time, it’s with specialized medical computer equipment. We require all material returned to us so that we can (simplified version):
Now, if a customer asked what do we do with returns, we might say 'as part of good community spirit, we donate to schools. But as you can see, there’s a series of procedures we follow to ensure a professional experience for the customer, adherence to regulatory requirements, research by our specialists on any defective units, and finally asset disposition.
Our front line support staff know 1, maybe 2 of those steps are performed. At the end of the day, it’s the process we use to be successful in that matter. If a customer, returning a product, asked if they could just donate it to a school the answer would be a resounding no… Even though the outcome, from the customer perspective, looks the same.
Anyhow, feel free to negotiate with them - you asked why would they might have that procedure, and I feel I’ve given a semi rational answer - both of us purely speculating.
@DN
Thank you for your responses. I am trying to negotiate but if that is not in their best interest I will move on to another company. I do thank you sir!
Is the topper you bought 3 inch latex? Maybe they would reduce the cost if you used your topper as part of the mattress( if it’s the right sizea and material). Just a thought
It’s not the cost of the mattress i have an issue with it’s the cost of returning the matress if i do not like it. I look at a worse case scenario before every purchase and if it cost me $400 to try out a mattress i feel it’s a high cost.
Hi mikeh59,
In a word (or two words) … probably not.
If you found a mattress that used latex in the top 5" or 6" then this would be most of the initial “feel” of the mattress and could provide a reference point for how a mattress with that type and firmness of latex felt like (if the cover was also similar because that will also affect how a mattress feels and performs). Using it as a reference would also depend if the retailer can provide you with the ILD of the latex which in many cases they don’t because ILD isn’t a quality spec and isn’t important with a local purchase.
For example The Pure Latex Bliss Beautiful has a 3" layer of 21 ILD over a 3" layer of 24 ILD talalay over a firmer 36 ILD latex support core. It has a stretch knit cover though that isn’t quilted so this would change how it felt compared to a similar mattress with 6" of latex that used a quilted cover but it would at least give you a reference point for two latex layers in the approximate ILD range.
The PLB Celebrate Hybrid has a 3" Talalay latex layer over a 2" firmer Talalay latex layer over a rebond polyfoam/latex support core (90% polyfoam and 10% latex).
You can find a list of the PLB retailers on their website here.
Savvy Rest has a mattress that uses 3x3" layers of 100% natural Talalay which is quite similar to blended Talalay and has a wool quilted cover so this would also have some similarities (although wool quilting feels different from polyfoam/wool quilting).
To fine others you would need to call the retailers or manufacturers in your area to ask if they had a mattress with 5" - 6" or so of Talalay latex in the upper layers. These could give you a very general reference point (if the retailer or manufacturer can tell you the ILD of the talalay) but they wouldn’t be an “exact” duplicate by any means. Even a mattress that has 3" of Talalay latex in the top layer can give you some reference points for the firmness of different ILD’s because the closer to the top of a mattress is the more it contributes to the initial “feel” of the mattress.
I didn’t chime in on the return discussion because my thoughts are very much along the lines of dn’s that it’s strictly up to the manufacturer or the retailer and is something that would be part of your personal value equation before a purchase. It’s just part the business decisions made by each business for reasons that are probably private and part of the internal discussions and decisions that every business makes.
Phoenix