Hi BobLoblaw,
Sorry to hear about the issues you are having with your replacement Leesa Mattress. Unfortunately, Leesa, like many y of the major retailers, are not transparent regarding the composition, density, and firmness of their components, which makes it impossible to tell what they’ve changed since 2016. It sure seems disingenuous to tell you it’s the ‘exact
same mattress’ 7 years later, with all the supply chain issues with raw materials over the last few years as well as the fact most big retailers ‘refresh’ their offerings every year or two.
Potentially another forum member may have suggestions on this, but I’m not sure how you can ‘prove’ to Leesa that this mattress ‘feels different’ in photos, if they will not take your word for it, though it’s not surprising the old Leesa ‘wore out’ after 7 years, if inexpensive or less dense foam was used in the original (not to mention the replacement). Memory foam of insufficient density can wear prematurely causing ‘divots’ or ‘ridges’ which can cause aches, pains and even alignment issues. You can compare the Mattress Specifications You Need To Know to the Mattress Durability Guidelines to see how different mattress components hold up over time.
If you are looking at foam, we suggest any foam in a potential mattress has no more than an inch or so of lower grade foams (for memory foam no lower than 4 lbs/cuft for normal range weights, and 5lbs/cuft for higher range weights) and if polyfoam is used, with at least 1.8 lbs/cuft density, just to ensure you have support.
If the replacement Leesa sent is what they consider the same model as you originally purchased, I’m not sure you want to trust your sleep on one of their mattresses as at best you might get a few years out of the new one before it too wears out. If you are stuck with it and need to replace it, you may also want to take a look at the Trusted Members of the site, who are vetted for quality, transparency and customer communication. Please keep us posted on resolution of your Leesa issue!
~ Basilio