Buyers beware??! Please read before purchasing....

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
1

So this is going to be a long post, but I do want to share our experience with all of you here. I hope this will help someone:

After a long research process, trying various mattresses and asking questions here we decided to purchase the SleepEZ 9000 mattress with F/M/S configuration (E King).

I must say that we didn’t feel so comfortable with the telephone sale process and felt that our salesman had no patience for our questions (we did speak 2 times before ordering the mattress and had some questions).
On our third conversation we ordered a complete Dunlop mattress for all three layers, since both my wife and I preferred the feeling of it to that of Talalay. We were advised that we should split the mattress even though we have the same configuration on both sides. I agreed but insisted to have a single top layer (more on that later).

We received the 5% discount thanks to this forum.

Assembly was pretty straight forward, but it took me time because I did it myself. No complain here.
However, here was the first time when I thought something is NOT okay with the mattress. The soft layer felt very soft to me.
ALL of the layers looked different than those we saw when we tested mattresses in local stores.

Also, the cover seemed a bit larger than what I read here that almost everyone had problems fitting the mattress in. I thought we received a larger cover…

In any case, we decided to give the mattress a try, and so we did for 6 nights or so. It felt okay, but nothing amazing (like some experiences we had testing).
To me it felt too soft and too bouncy. My wife said it is softer than expected, but she liked that. She said it is more bouncy, but wasn’t bothered with that.

Here I’d like to add some other notes:

  1. The top layer arrived glued. Nobody mentioned that this will be the case.
  2. All of the layers feels different and LOOK different (some with more voids, cracks etc. Some with a “border” around the edges, some without…
    So, after the sixth night I also received some foam samples that I asked for. This confirmed my first assumption that we received a Talalay top layer. I wasn’t sure about the other layers.

I called SleepEZ and spoke again with the salesman. He suggested that I will speak with the factory directly… strange, but I did.
I told the guy that I am almost certain we received a Talalay layer instead of a Dunlop one. His immediate reaction was: “so you bought the SleepEZ 9000, right”? I said yes, and he said that this happens to them…??!
Only then he asked for my order information and confirmed that they sent us a Talalay layer. When I asked him why they didn’t contact us if they knew that this is the case he had no answer but "we should have catch that.

I told him about my suspicion about the other layers and the cover. I said that I thought this is the case from day one, but couldn’t imagine that they will do that. I said it adds to my feeling that I have zero confidence in what I actually received, especially after paying almost $2K for that mattress. I was in shock to hear that they know they sent a wrong mattress and didn’t think they should let me know about that.

His reaction? “I don’t want you to feel this way so you can return the mattress for a full refund”???!!!
Once again- this is not what I expected.

We concluded the conversation saying that they will send a new Dunlop layer directly from the supplier to us (it wasn’t arrived as of today, and we spoke last Thursday), and I said that I still need to think about this whole expirience.

Some notes here as well. During the conversation I learned that:

  1. SleepEZ do NOT manufacture anything…. They only cut the mattress to size and only make the cover. This may not be a surprise to you. It was to me. Basically they are a “marketing factory’”.
  2. The factory guy said that they do not recommend splitting the top layer for the 2" layer (900 series). I told him that this is not what we’ve been told by the salesman. He was surprised.
  3. Out of 5 layers/mattresses only one was marked with quality check sticker. It was made back in October…
  4. There is no mention of the manufacturer/supplier itself anywhere.

I must say that I still have very low confidence (if any) in what we received. It well could be the cheapest foam or a “real” latex. It doesn’t seems like it is going to last. When we open it- the cover is full with “crumbs” and feel very soft.

Nevertheless- I must say here that although bouncy and not to our liking, it is not bad as other Talalay mattresses we tested. My complain about the mattress is that it seems that we sink in it a lot.
I looked at my wife last night when she was sleeping and it seems that she was almost 3" below the mattress’ “surface”. Is it common (she is 125lb, 6ft 4")?

Overall, we still wait for the Dunlop top layer. I will keep you posted.

By the way-this might have been less of a problem if we weren’t relocating abroad soon. A fact that I mentioned to the salesman (that BTW, said it won’t be a problem to keep the mattresses in the box for two/three months during shipment. And the guy at the “factory” said they have no previous experience with and that he would not recommend doing it for more than couple of weeks…so what should we do about that?? How should we ship it??)

Because we are moving soon we don’t have the privilege to swap layers, return the mattress, or buy a new one. We won’t have the chance to “enjoy” SleepEz’s warranty, even thought we paid for it.

Another point to mention- when I checked their website a few days ago, I saw that they had a March special (pretty much like the one for this month) where they sell the 8" mattress for $1595, instead of $1895. I may be missing something, but isn’t that the exact same thing as what I purchased and they charged me more??

I do not feel like others here that I got a great deal, or best value. I actually feel I was lied to as a customer. I hope that the new layer will be better. I hope this mattress will last “at least 15 years” according to the “factory”.
I must also say that when I spoke with the “factory” I repeatedly said all of the above about what we feel and about the whole process, and I also said that I know I am saying harsh things but very carefully, because I do not know how they usually do their business, but in my case I have many reasons to be skeptic. In fact, the only reason that made me purchase from them was this forum…
In my book of how to do business- if a supplier knows that he made a mistake he needs to fix it and not hide it or wait for the customer to call and ask about it.
Also, if the special price is for the exact same thing that we ordered- they should have come and mention that to us. I will first wait for our replacement (or actually original) layer to arrive before contacting them again.

To be continued… Will be happy to answer any questions/ hear your thoughts.

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Hi PhilP,

Sometimes in reading posts like yours it becomes clear why consumers can be their own worst enemy. It also makes me wonder why some people seem to be able to find a conspiracy or intent to deceive hiding under every rock. Even attempts to make things right or acknowledge mistakes are treated as excuses or further problems and criticized even more.

So I decided to call Shawn and find out some of the facts behind your case so that your implications and innuendos don’t go unchallenged.

First to a couple of your preliminary points …

This is normal for most latex. If you had asked they would certainly have told you (as many others have been told) and there is no “secret” here but it’s just not reasonable to expect that any merchant can predict all the thousands of questions they “could be” asked and then answer every one of them without even being asked.

This is also normal and if you had spend any time on their website or talking to them and asking you would know this as well (see this page for example).

So first to be clear you did receive a Talalay top layer in error. One of the most common layering schemes for the 9000 would be 2 layers of Dunlop with a layer of Talalay on the top. This would be an easy mistake to make.

When you called Shawn he was not at the office. He had just had a death in his family and was dealing with some of the issues connected with this so he suggested you call the factory because he had no access to your order to be able to check. You were told that mistakes are certainly possible but that they could pull your order to confirm it.

When you called the factory … you talked with Jeremy (Shawn’s employee) who guessed that you had a 9000 because this would be the most likely model for a mistake like yours. He then he looked up the order and confirmed you had been shipped the Talalay. No evasion only acknowledging the truth.

How in the world would you expect someone to inform you they had made a mistake before they were even aware they had made it? Of course he had no answer. If I was asked a question like that I would be rather dumfounded as well that someone couldn’t figure that out for themselves.

[quote] I said it adds to my feeling that I have zero confidence in what I actually received, especially after paying almost $2K for that mattress. I was in shock to hear that they know they sent a wrong mattress and didn’t think they should let me know about that.

His reaction? “I don’t want you to feel this way so you can return the mattress for a full refund”???!!!
Once again- this is not what I expected.[/quote]

Again … you once again expect them to tell you about a mistake before they even know about it. You then tell them that you didn’t like their answers and have zero confidence that what they are telling you is accurate (when it is). When they do the only thing that would be reasonable in a case like that and reply that a refund is available to you if you aren’t happy … then you “react” to that and criticize this as well? This is just bizarre. How many “conspiracy rocks” do you plan to turn over? If you don’t have confidence in what you are being told then a refund is your best recourse plain and simple and making sure you knew that a refund was available is the most honorable thing they could do.

Most manufacturers and businesses are well aware that if they try to “convince” someone who is already predisposed not to believe what they are being told anyway that they will only find more and more reasons to doubt, criticize or complain about what they are told anyway. If I had a customer that was finding things that were wrong in every nook and cranny I would offer them a refund as well (and probably be hoping they took it).

This is one of the most ridiculous things I have heard on the forum yet. SleepEz is a mattress factory and has been for decades. It may be worthwhile to look into just what that means… Mattress factories make mattresses … not the foam that goes in them. Just like cabinet makers make cabinets … not the raw materials used to make the cabinets.

I could go on but the bottom line is that in my experience with people who are looking to find fault everywhere when it doesn’t exist no matter what I say it will only lead to an avalanche of more ridiculous comments, accusations that you are being “victimized” or “lied to”, protestations that somehow your circumstances are “different” and deserve special treatment, or worse.

Unfortunately … the internet gives consumers like yourself a venue to say anything they want to regardless of whether the facts, allegations, or innuendos they present have any truth to them or worse yet have some truth but this truthful “piece” is used as an excuse to say or imply much more that isn’t.

The bottom line is that you ordered a mattress, discovered a mistake, the mistake was verified, and you were presented with a solution (actually 2 which were to replace the layer or to refund the mattress). In the meantime you decided to come here and misrepresent every detail of your purchasing process to paint a picture that is just not accurate.

IMO consumers need to be responsible for what they say just as much as any manufacturer and being “loose with the truth” doesn’t do anyone any favors … except perhaps to expose an agenda that is only seeking to throw so much mud against a wall that some of it will stick.

I certainly welcome legitimate criticism … but I have no intention of allowing the forum to become a site where anyone can just “vent” about anything regardless of the truth behind what they are saying without being challenged.

It’s too bad you didn’t just talk about ordering the mattress and receiving an incorrect layer and what they did or are doing to fix it. If you don’t like your mattress you can either fix what you don’t like or get a refund. This is part of the reality and risk of the online ordering process. Nothing could be more fair IMO and the rest of the “stuff” you have written is mostly just that … stuff.

Perhaps your title should be “Sellers Beware” so your post can help them recognize and avoid the types of customers who will so easily misrepresent what really happened and criticize anything they can find under every rock so they can avoid dealing with consumers that will say anything to justify a preconception or agenda.

I could say so much more … but hopefully you get my drift. When you criticize and misrepresent the efforts of a legitimate business to correct a mistake they make and find hidden demons everywhere … you certainly won’t find any support in my corner and you can expect to be challenged.

In today’s society … the willingness to use critical thinking rather than emotional reaction, to talk about things with discernment and balance instead of from a victim’s perspective, to be responsible for our own decisions, words, and actions as much as we expect others to be, and seeking solutions instead of constantly seeking “blame” … seems to be sorely lacking.

Phoenix

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Mr. Phoenix,

  1. Speaking of “critical thinking rather than emotional reaction”, I do not recall that I ever gave you my permission to contact ANYONE on my behalf, or that you ever asked for my permission to do that. Specifically while this is still a case in progress as I wrote and Is till expect a solution from SleepEZ.

  2. You wrote that you “certainly welcome legitimate criticism … but I have no intention of allowing the forum to become a site where anyone can just “vent” about anything…”, however, I find it interesting that the first criticism of a shopping experience (again not a resolution just yet)- and I becomes YOUR target… So only positive experiences with your customers are legit?

  3. I NEVER referred to myself as a “victim”. I also want very much that this will be fully resolved directly with the manufacturer, and this is the reason I told them that I will go with their solution instead of a full refund. I wanted them to correct what they acknowledged as their mistake. This is only fair.

  4. AGAIN, I only decided to put that here because I wanted people to know what happened. I also do not hide anything and said several times (also now) that this is still in progress.
    I resent your blames and I do think now that you are not objective and looking at it from the customer stand point, i.e my own - not your other customer- SleepEZ. Am I the only one that think that they should have contacted me if they knew they sent me the wrong mattress???
    I will emphasize again- SleepEZ might be the best value provider of Latex mattresses, I cannot and have no knowledge to confirm or reject that. I only told my story with facts. and lat time- I still wait for this issue to be solved between me and them directly. I really DO NOT appreciate that “you allowed yourself to call them”. Specifically not now.
    I must say that I am also a bit puzzled that they actually discussed this with you while this is still not solved between us and with out my consent.

I am a bit confused by your answer to this informative post. I said that I was very careful blaming them in anything, and I did not expect to be a victim, of you…

I will keep you posted.

4

Hi PhilP,

I didn’t call on your behalf. I called because i wanted to know the whole story and have a more balanced picture presented on the forum. It was obvious to me that you were willing to say whatever you needed to say to support a position regardless of its accuracy. I don’t require any permission to want to know the whole story or to do what I can to find it out.

It was clear to me that much of your post was just not accurate or legitimate. I will certainly criticize this yes … or at the very least make sure that the rest of the story is presented. Legitimate criticism doesn’t include innuendo and allegations or implications that clearly aren’t accurate or true. You need to be responsible for what you write and hold yourself to the same standards that you expect of others.

I didn’t say you referred to yourself as a victim … it was in the overall tone of your comments where you were looking for “blame” for the choices you made and were clearly wiling to scrape the bottom of the barrel for reasons to complain. I have already said that your comments about their mistake were legitimate. Had you left it at that and commented on their response to this things would have been fine. It was the rest of your post and your allegations and implications where you crossed the line and which called for a response. If you make these kind of criticisms then you leave yourself open to be criticized yourself in the same way. I would have more justification for accusing you of lying (because what you said wasn’t accurate) than you had to say the same thing about them. Rather than make accusations though … I will stick with facts and highlighting the things you said that have no basis in fact. I have no intention of allowing this site to become a tool for this kind of posting but rather than delete it which is also against my nature … I would rather just respond to it … with or without anyone’s permission.

[quote]4. AGAIN, I only decided to put that here because I wanted people to know what happened. I also do not hide anything and said several times (also now) that this is still in progress.
I resent your blames and I do think now that you are not objective and looking at it from the customer stand point, i.e my own - not your other cust[/quote]

The overwhelming weight of evidence indicates that what you say happened isn’t what happened at all and there is no benefit to “telling people” something that didn’t happen occur in the way you describe it at all. The majority of your post was filled with negative speculation, innuendo, and implications. If you resent the response … then just imagine what real people will feel when they read these types of accusations that they know as well as you do aren’t true. Customers need to be responsible for what they write and they don’t have a “magic pass” to write what they want here just because the are a customer or because the internet makes it easy. “Customers are always right” doesn’t apply on a forum such as this which looks for the truth and a more balanced approach.

You can react all you like … this is the way things are and part of the reason for the site in the first place.

Phoenix