i’ve emailed them twice now to try and narrow down exactly what i want to order from them with 0 response. weird.
Hi thefastlife,
That’s certainly unusual and very much outside the norm.
I would give them a call because it’s usually much more effective to talk with a manufacturer in person when you are trying to decide what your best options may be. Emails are great for simple questions that can be answered in a single sentence but with anything more complex that you may need to “talk through” or that has an “it depends” in the answer (which is most mattress questions) a phone call or live chat is much more effective (see post #4 here).
Phoenix
There might be a number for Dreamfoam on their website, but it’s not listed on the Amazon pages where they sell products. Most of the mattresses if adjustable for comfort have an “Ask Chuck” button, but back when I was looking at Dreamfoam mattresses I used it several times and over the course of weeks never heard back either. They have “live chat” similar to Brooklyn Bedding, except it’s always down and instead instructs to email them. Finally I used the “live chat” feature at BrooklynBedding and Mario and Jacob both responded right away and tried to answer questions the best they could but were ultimately unfamiliar with all the details of some of their Dreamfoam models. They said Chuck was out of town and would respond back but that never happened. So there are some issues getting help when it comes to Dreamfoam. I get the impression Chuck is in charge of it solo and I’m sure it’s hard for any one person to be everywhere at once. Hopefully they’ll get someone to help him out and split the work load or something. My experience came about a few months ago. From what I’ve read from others’ experience, Chuck is extremely helpful. Getting ahold of him or getting a response recently seems more hit and miss though. Hopefully you can get in touch with him thefastlife.
Hi brass,
I know it’s a little difficult to find on an Amazon site but their phone number is listed on their Amazon site here. There is a “contact this seller” link there as well which leads to an online email form. I’m not sure which email address that thefastlife was using but their email address on the Dreamfoam site is [email protected]
Chuck is the “main” one there but not the only one and several of the Brooklyn Bedding staff are also familiar with the Dreamfoam mattresses and also look after the phones or questions at Dreamfoam when they are needed or when Chuck isn’t available.
I just tried it and the ask Chuck button is just like the other firmness choices and doesn’t link to an email form … it’s only a firmness choice that would appear on an order.
What was the email address you used? If some of their emails are going astray for some reason they would want to be the first to know about it because they do pride themselves on their customer service. They have even responded directly on the forum with their comments or assistance and a contact number when they don’t know who a forum username belongs to.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix, I looked back through my emails and don’t see a sent mail directly to the dreamfoam address. I do however have a message from Amazon back from April 9th when I asked the seller (Chuck) a question and it never got answered. (The Q&A section on Amazon products pages). I believe I left a message via the live chat where you can leave them a note along with your name and email for a response when they’re not there. I don’t remember the dates, it would’ve been around April same time I was asking questions on Amazon - but I recall the live chat feature never being “live”, rather always defaulting to leave a message even during business hours. (BB’s live chat was working at the same time). I asked Mario and Jacob some questions about different mattresses and they were very nice but unable to answer some of them and said they didn’t deal too much with the Dreamfoam models. That’s how I found out about Chuck being on vacation awhile back, I think it was during a chat with Mario that he told me Chuck was out of town and would return in a few days. I also left my email addy with Mario to be passed on to Chuck for a response (he said he’d make sure to let Chuck know). I still never got a reply though. Looking at Dreamfoam’s live chat feature now it looks different. Whether it’s a different live chat app or just a different template maybe. I’m not trying to say Chuck never gets back to people, I’ve seen where he’s spoken with many but there’s never been any indication that there’s anyone else to speak with in terms of Dreamfoam products. Inquiries tend to fall through the cracks quite a bit though. I don’t recall if I tried calling their number, but after asking a question in the product Q&A, leaving a note via the live chat option, leaving my email with Mario personally etc and still never hearing back I sort of gave up at the time.
Hi brass,
This may have been some issue they were having at the time with their Amazon site or some software glitch but I do know they would want to be the first to know if for any reason emails are going unanswered. It’s certainly not because they don’t want to answer or because they are “forgetting” or neglecting to reply to an email that they have received (they would have no reason not to). I know from my own personal experience and conversations with them that they are among the hardest working group of people that I know and if any communication issues become apparent that they would do whatever they can to “fix” them.
Phoenix
update:
so far, kind of unimpressed. chuck seems like a nice guy but rather hard to track down.
i ordered my bed on August 20th. never received a call to discuss comfort options so i had to call him a few times/leave a few voice mails.
we finally spoke and he told me it’d be ~3 days until i get a tracking number. still no tracking number. called yesterday, no answer. left voice mail regarding tracking. still no call back.
maybe they need more than 1 customer-facing guy over there?
Hi thfastlife,
They are usually very good with timely communications but there are certainly times where they are busier than others and then they deal with calls and emails on a first in first out basis. I’m not sure how long you were waiting before calling again but if you only called yesterday then it’s less than 24 hours later and their normal response time for phone messages (for those that leave a message) and emails is 12 - 24 hours.
They already have more than one person that takes care of their calls whenever it’s necessary and it’s not just Chuck dealing with their communications although he is normally the first in line.
They are also opening a Brooklyn Bedding store in a Phoenix mall where customers can try some of their mattresses in person and they have told me that there are occasional problems with cell reception in the mall if their call rollover system passes messages to the person that is in the store so this may cause a dropped call on occasion as well.
In any case … delays in responses or with shipping mattresses are certainly not the norm for them but there can always be occasions where some people slip through the cracks for whatever reason.
When you talk with them I would let them know that you were waiting longer than you hoped for to receive a reply (assuming that it was longer than 24 hours) because if they are experiencing any unusual delays then they would want to be the first to know so they can track down the reasons why.
Phoenix
appreciate the response. finally spoke to chuck today after calling twice. EXTREMELY nice guy but i really think he might be in over his head and rightfully so seeing as the beds are so popular (also with the B&M store).
it just throws me off that i had to call to find out my mattress was shipped. no automated email to let the customer know so they can track themselves?
i’d be interested to hear if any one else has run into these types of “hiccups”. do please realize i am in no way upset or angry and i am very excited to try the bed out. but i DO think that the company can benefit from these kinds of threads and customer’s experiences.
Hi thefastlife,
While I certainly agree that Chuck is a great guy … he is also exceptionally knowledgeable and has a remarkable track record of helping people choose a mattress that is the most suitable choice for them with a very high percentage of success. I’m not sure why you would think he is “in over his head” but my own thoughts based on many interactions with both him and the others at Dreamfoam/Brooklyn Bedding all the way up to the ownership is quite the opposite.
[quote]it just throws me off that i had to call to find out my mattress was shipped. no automated email to let the customer know so they can track themselves?
i’d be interested to hear if any one else has run into these types of “hiccups”. do please realize i am in no way upset or angry and i am very excited to try the bed out. but i DO think that the company can benefit from these kinds of threads and customer’s experiences. [/quote]
There are several ways that you can order a Dreamfoam mattress online. It can either be an Amazon purchase fulfilled by Amazon for some of their mattresses, an Amazon purchase fulfilled by Dreamfoam for any of their mattresses, or a purchase through the Dreamfoam site for any of their mattresses as well. If you order through Amazon (regardless of who fulfills it) then Amazon sends an order confirmation after the purchase. Dreamfoam then inputs the shipping information and tracking number into Amazon and this in turn generates a second email sent by Amazon with the shipping information and tracking number. You can also log in to your Amazon account and the tracking numbers are there as well. These are all automated Amazon systems but there are also cases where these emails end up in junk email folders because they come from a large provider that sends out many emails a day which ca trigger spam filters. If your order was through the Dreamfoam site then they send out both an order confirmation and a shipping confirmation with a tracking number themselves. Ordering directly from their site is a new option for them and they told me that there was a period of about 5 days where there was a glitch in their confirmation system but this has since been fixed. I’m not sure where you ordered from but if it was Amazon then your shipping information and tracking numbers would (or should) have been sent out by Amazon’s systems within about 12 hours (usually sooner) of when it was entered (and this isn’t something they “forget” because inputting the tracking numbers determines when Amazon pays them) and it would also have been available to you as soon as it was entered by logging in to your Amazon account as well.
I also agree that all the feedback here (as long as it’s “reasonable” and balanced which of course yours is) is valuable and helpful both to other consumers and to the manufacturers themselves. Dreamfoam often monitors this forum and they have also replied to some comments, questions, and feedback on the forum as well, and they are always looking for ways to proactively either solve any issues that come up from time to time (such as the confirmation issues from their own site) or find ways that they can improve the service or the value they provide to their customers.
Phoenix
I have to add that my experience has been similar to thefastlife’s experience.
I’ve been in contact w/DreamFoam regarding several mattress choices for about a week now, and at first, I called and left a message for Chuck but after receiving no response for more than 24 hours, I thought maybe they prefer email. I then emailed my questions, and it took a little over 24 hours to receive a response. I had some follow-up questions, and did not hear back. I sent the questions again and then received a response about 25 hours later (I just checked my emails to make sure I was accurately remembering the timing of all this).
Chuck seems knowledgeable and helpful, and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy from them, but I am not overly impressed with their service, which is odd because I thought it was what they are known for. Also, probably not important but I was a little surprised that Chuck didn’t know if the synthetic Dunlop latex in their Freedom mattress was continuous pour or mold and as it probably doesn’t matter much, I don’t really care, but I thought they were very involved in the process w/the manufacturer.
So again, nothing in my experience with them would be a showstopper and prevent me from buying from them, but it’s not “best in class” and is in contrast to what I’ve read about them.
I’m still weighing all our options and their DreamFoam Freedom mattress is at/near the top of the list…can’t seem to beat the price ($1099 for king size) for an all-latex mattress with flexible comfort levels. My main hesitation is that it is made up of 3 separate 3" layers without a larger core, and I’ve been told that it’s better (more of a stable feeling) to have one core layer of 6 inches or so, topped with comfort layer of 3" (ideally made in Talalay for softer feel). Phoenix, what are your thoughts on this?
This is my first post so I also want to take the opportunity to send a big THANK YOU to Phoenix and others on the forum for providing so much valuable information and helping me with this decision!!
Hi IzzysMom,
There are always times when every manufacturer or retailer is busier than others and there are minor delays in returned calls or emails (their normal time is about 12 - 24 hours and yours was a little longer than this) … and I don’t know of any manufacturer where this hasn’t happened on occasion … but they are certainly among the “best in class” when it comes to the help and guidance they provide to their customers and the quality and value of their mattresses. It’s unfortunate that you were caught up in one of the times where they weren’t responding as quickly as they normally do. Part of this may be that the labor day period can be a very busy time in the industry.
The process that is used to make the latex isn’t as important as the type and blend of the latex (in this case it’s synthetic Dunlop which would be from Mountaintop Foam who uses a continuous pour process) and it’s not unusual that someone wouldn’t know this because it really isn’t part of what makes a material better or worse than another. Dreamfoam/Brooklyn Bedding is the manufacturer of the mattress (they aren’t “involved” with a manufacturer) but the people that are involved in the actual design of a mattress and the selection of the materials aren’t usually the same people that are on the “front end” dealing with customers.
There would be little difference between a single 6" core and two 3" layers of the same type and blend of latex in the same firmness levels if they were inside a tight fitting cover. In “theory” … two single layers would act a little bit more independently and feel a little softer than a single core of the same type and blend and firmness level but in “real life” with a comfort layer on top then I doubt that most people would feel any difference. If the two 3" layers are a different firmness than the single 6" core then there would certainly be a difference in the feel and performance of the mattress and there would also be a difference if the type and blend of the latex was different from another mattress you were considering as well because different types and firmness levels of latex have a different “feel” and respond to pressure differently. Any differences in the cover between two mattresses will also have an effect on the feel and performance of the mattress as well. Multiple layers also have the option to rearrange layers for fine tuning if it’s necessary although if a mattress is already a good “match” in terms of PPP then this wouldn’t make much difference.
Synthetic Dunlop is a good quality and durable material but it’s also less dense and has a lower compression modulus than natural rubber which means that it wouldn’t become as firm as quickly when it is compressed as natural Dunlop so in the same thickness and ILD it would be a little less “supportive” than natural Dunlop (meaning you would sink into the material a little more deeply).
The choice between Talalay and Dunlop is really a preference issue between different types of latex and different firmness levels (see post #7 here) and I certainly wouldn’t treat it as a “better worse” issue. All types of latex are available in softer and firmer versions and continuous pour Dunlop can be made as soft as Talalay although it would still “feel” different even in the same firmness level.
Phoenix
IzzysMom,
If you decide to buy the Latex Freedom mattress I would really appreciate hearing any feedback you have on it, because we are considering the same mattress. Thanks.