Phoenix - I had some observations/questions after I visited Sleep Essentials in Roanoke yesterday - wasn’t sure whether to tack that onto my original thread, or start a new thread since I can’t quite tell what proper protocol is around here, but ultimately decided to add it here and hope you’ll see it - I suspect you read everything that’s posted regardless of where it is.
I had spoken with Lee earlier in the week and he’d asked what time Friday we’d be there to see the mattresses, and I gave him an accurate time. When we got there, he apparently had totally forgotten that I’d told him we’d be making a trip of more than 60 miles, had a limited amount of time that trip - in other words, he seemed to have never heard of me before, even though only 2 days prior he’d gone to the trouble to email me a copy of the prescription needed to buy one of his mattresses. He’d forgotten that as well, and went into how I’d need a prescription to buy a mattress.
When I gave up on reminding him that we’d talked (“I talk to so many people I never remember them” was what he finally said), I told him again that I wanted to look at his latex mattresses, and he pointed to the section where the latex mattresses were and went back to talking to a couple who were already there. He talked to them about religion for the first half hour we were in the store, and ignored us completely.
I did like two of the mattresses - the 16-18 top over a 19-23 core, and the 19-24 over a 23-27 core - but couldn’t decide which I liked “more”. He finally did come over and ask if we had any questions, so I asked if his Dunlop was made by continuous pour or molded, and he said all latex was molded. I again stressed the “continuous pour method”, and he said then that he would never use that. He kept repeating that his latex was 98% natural, made from “the sap of the rubber tree”. Now, I know I’ve seen several places, including at least one article here at MU, that the material used is NOT the “sap” of the rubber tree. He also repeated several times that he would never use Talalay latex because 98% of the Talalay latex sold is synthetic. Apparently he’s fond of the 98% number, but even though I know most Talalay is a blend, I didn’t know such a high percentage is blended. So - I was left questioning both his business practices and his degree of knowledge.
That being said, I really liked the mattresses. They come with a very nice, soft bamboo cover that is removable and washable. I don’t think I’m dissuaded beyond the point of making a second, longer trip to his store again to check out these mattresses but I was concerned about the whole situation, and don’t really know if I should be concerned enough to simply end up purchasing elsewhere. I mentioned your website, and he acknowledged that he had spoken with you one time and that he had had perhaps a half dozen customers who had come into his store and mentioned the website as being the reason why.
I guess I just thought he was rude, and of no help. I told him I would have trouble deciding which of those two mattresses I liked better, and he just looked at me and walked off. He came back a few minutes later, said something else and then his phone rang, and he walked off again and then went back to the other couple. Truthfully, I’d expected someone who was the business owner to be more informative, and more interested in finding out exactly what I was looking for, and help me decide what might be best suited for my needs.
My husband did ask if the mattress would become more soft with time, wondering if perhaps the softest one might end up being too soft, and Lee’s response was that the feel of the mattress wouldn’t change at all after it had been used for years. I was under the impression that there would be some change in the feel of a latex mattress after a “breaking in” period, altho I could certainly be wrong about that and so would like your opinion.
We didn’t really have chance to inquire about things such as his warranty, his willingness to work with us after purchase if we weren’t happy with the initial configuration, or several other things. When we left after about an hour, he was still sitting and talking with the other couple who were buying pillows - we couldn’t tell if they were also interested in a mattress, but it didn’t really matter.
I guess I’m wondering if I was simply being over-sensitive, or if this is the way business is done in a specialty store such as this. I certainly can’t accuse him of being over zealous in his salesmanship techniques, rather the opposite to the point where I wonder if his product is good enough to keep him in business long-term since I know several people who would never walk back in that store again after being paid so little attention. I certainly wouldn’t go back without a written list of very specific questions.
I have trouble imagining that I’d prefer Talalay over the feel of the Dunlop, having heard more than once the analogy between Talalay seeming more like angel food cake while Dunlop is more like pound cake. I really liked the feel - my problem in deciding between the two was that while I preferred the softer (his softest) mattress, I wonder if over time it would provide adequate support with such a soft inner core. My husband and I were having difficulty determining if both provided adequate spinal alignment, but there was no question about pressure point relief and that I was quite comfortable when lying on mattresses for 15 or so minutes.
I’d said I would let you know what I thought after visiting this store, so there it is.
I still really don’t know what to think - it did bother me that after leaving I realized I felt bad about the whole experience, which is just complicated by the fact that I liked the product itself. I wanted to give my business to a local seller because I know I’d be more comfortable buying a mattress I’d actually tested, but I just can’t help the rather sour taste left by the visit.
