Novosbed reviews

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
50

Hi RickNY,

Thanks for taking the time to share an update and I’m sorry to hear that your mattress ended up being too soft for you.

Congratulations on your new mattress as well.

[quote]One of the things I did want to point out is that Novosbed has changed the design of the Aria over what we purchased. The version that we purchased had 7" of 2lbs/ft3 poly support foam, 2" of 5.2 lbs/ft3 memory foam, and then 4.1 lbs/ft3 memory foam for the top layer.

The design they are shipping now has changed the 7" support layer to 1.8 lbs/ft3 poly foam, then 2" of 5lbs/ft3 memory foam, and then 2" of “plush” 5lbs/ft3 memory foam.

I’ve only tried the former design. Perhaps Phoenix can comment on how those design changes may manifest themselves.[/quote]

I would expect that with the change from 4 lb to 5 lb memory foam in the top layer the new version may be slightly more durable for some people.

NOTE ADDED JAN, 2016: They have now introduced their new simplified choice mattress which has replaced their previous models and have also become a member of this site.

Phoenix

51

I have a Novosbed Aria and I really love it. It is not quite as “squishy” as the Tempurpedic Cloud I liked in-store, but that’s been fine. I’ve had the bed about a month now and the back pain I experienced in my old bed and on the Leesa I tried are a thing of the past.

52

Hi loraxc,

Thanks for the update on your Aria … I appreciate it :slight_smile:

Phoenix

53

TERRIBLE is the best I can say. The mattress is stiff with no give whatsoever. I ordered the softest mattress, but Novosbed suggested changing my order to another mattress. They sent a few questions and I agreed. Whether it was a mistake to change to the other mattress or just to order from Novosbed at all, it’s the same result. Stuck with a TERRIBLE mattress for 60+ days. After ordering, I realized the other online mattress companies let you return after 30 days. My arms fall asleep at night because the mattress is so hard.

Good luck with the return process. If you like jumping through hoop after hoop, Novosbed is for you. You have to take multiple picture to even initiate a return. After those are sent in you get to send in more pictures. HASSLE. HASSLE, HASSLE. Friends of ours ordered a Leesa bed and returned it and it was easy. “I want to return.” Okay, we’ll schedule the pick-up." Novosbed has a terrible mattress and awful customer service. DO NOT BUY NOVOSBED.

54

Hi Edison,

I am Sam Prochazka, President of Novosbed. Reviews such as yours are immediately escalated to me as they are far from representative of how we do business. The vast majority of our customers, including those who return, rave of their experiences Novosbed (as you can see on this site).

You are correct that we ask our customers to try their mattresses before initiating a return: this is because we use ultra-dense memory foams in our mattresses, similar to Tempur-Pedic. It can take a little longer to adjust to these dense foams than it does to adjust to the low-density foams than many of the other bed-In-box companies use. The advantage is that Novosbeds last longer, and don’t form body impressions early in their lifetimes. Important to note is that we have just added our patent-pending “Adjustable Comfort Guarantee” that allows Novosbed owners to tweak the firmness of their mattress after 30-days. We are the only company, online or offline, to offer a product like this.

We do ask that customers take photos of their mattresses so we can determine whether their firmness issues were caused by a design issue or manufacturing defect. This almost never delays a return pickup, but is crucial for us to maintain quality and improve the design of our products.

Please know that your concerns do not fall on deaf ears. I cannot reach out to you personally because I cannot identify your purchase through your MattressUnderground handle, however if you would like to contact me directly, please do contact our customer support and reference this post:

[email protected]
1-877-496-3626

All the best,
Sam

55

Hi Edison,

I’m sorry to hear that your mattress purchase didn’t work out as well as you hoped for but your “so called” review is completely misleading and unfair … to say the least … and your experience is also very different from most of the people that purchase from Novosbed.

Reviews like yours that are trying to “influence” or “recruit an army” of other people that share your thoughts about a mattress before they have even tried it are one of the reasons that one of the most frequent comments on this forum is this one …

While a review that shares your personal experience in a more “neutral” way is certainly welcome … it’s clear that you have very little knowledge about mattresses or mattress materials and you also don’t appear to understand that a mattress that works well for some or even many people may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on because each person is unique and not everyone fits inside the averages of other people that have a similar body type or sleeping style (which is what a manufacturer bases their suggestions on). Your review would be similar to shouting to the world “don’t buy this pair of size 10 shoes because I don’t like them and they don’t fit me” which of course is ridiculous.

The mattress you purchased uses good quality and durable materials and is certainly a great quality/value choice and unlike many other mattresses on the market there are no lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress that would reduce the durability or useful life of the mattress relative to most weight ranges. Unlike many other manufacturers … Novosbed is also completely transparent about the quality/density of the materials in their mattresses.

It also seems clear to me that you didn’t read the mattress shopping tutorial before making your purchase. Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists (based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).

You are also responsible for making sure that you are comfortable with the exchange/return policy of any company you purchase from BEFORE you make your purchase and the goal of good research is to replace hindsight with foresight.

I’m not sure how long you have slept on your mattress but I would also keep in mind that there will be a break in and adjustment period for any new mattress or sleeping system as the mattress loses any of it’s “false firmness” and the cover stretches and loosens a little and the materials settle and your body gets used to a sleeping surface that is different from what it is used to (see post #3 here). This would typically be a few weeks but it can be shorter or longer depending on the specifics of the person and the mattress (and as Sam mentioned it can take longer for some people or with higher density materials). Some of the information in post #2 here may also be helpful as well because there could be other reasons for your experience besides the mattress. It can be surprising to many people how much their sleeping experience can change over the course of the break in and adjustment period.

If I was “rating” your review on a scale of 1 - 5 (with 1 being the lowest) I would rate your review as a 1 because it is so deceptive and misleading and it certainly wouldn’t be an indication of other people’s experience on the same mattress.

There are many possibilities that may improve your sleeping experience outside of a return (even though this of course could end up being the outcome of your purchase) and I would suggest that you avoid “rushing to judgement” and focus on resolving your issues with a more open mind during your first 60 days rather than just “ranting” about them. Outside of the suggestions in this reply (and Sam’s as well) I would take the time to take a few breaths and talk to Novosbed on the phone with a little bit more “neutral”, calmer, and receptive approach so that they have the chance to make some suggestions that may be helpful for you as well. When you take the “angry” approach you are taking you can end up becoming your own worst enemy and you take the risk of losing the “goodwill” of people that really want to help you resolve any issues that you may have.

Phoenix

56

I didn’t leave a “so called” review. I left a review based on my actual experience sleeping on a mattress from Novosbed and dealing with Novosbed customer service. It is not “completely misleading and unfair,” it is based on MY ACTUAL EXPERIENCE.

It is ridiculous to say that I have an aim to ““influence” or “recruit an army” of other people that share your thoughts about a mattress before they have even tried it.” I tried the mattress for nearly 90 days. My review states specifics about my experience, e.g., arms falling asleep. My aim is to provide a review of MY experience.

It is laughable to suggest that someone that doesn’t give a glowing review has “very little knowledge about mattresses.” I sleep everyday. I use a mattress everyday. I have knowledge and experience with mattresses. Giving an honest assessment doesn’t mean that I lack requisite expertise to understand how a mattress works.

I did review the tutorial and selected a mattress. I reviewed the Novosbed website and selected a mattress. Novosbed suggested I choose a different mattress.

There was NO WAY to know about Novosbed’s unduly complicated return process until I needed to initiate a return The Novosbed site mentions nothing about multiple photo sessions, etc.

I’ve slept on the mattress for nearly 90 days, more than enough time (even by Novosbed’policy) to “break in a mattress.” Sharing an honest experience isn’t ranting. I contacted Novosbed during the first 30 days for suggestions about making the mattress feel more comfortable. I was told that there is an unusually long break-in period and that it would get better or that I could return the mattress. There was nothing to suggest that this exchange wasn’t calm. It was professional and businesslike.

My husband and I have a combined 80+ years of “mattress experience”, as we both sleep everyday. We tried a Novosbed Aria. I found it very uncomfortable. I tried it for more than 90 days. Upon trying to initiate a return, I have been asked to jump through silly hoops, unlike other online mattress companies. The Novosbed site does not fully explain the arduous return process. This has been my experience.

If Novosbed wants photos to document whether the issue is due to “design issue or manufacturing defect,” then Novosbed may want to ask their moving company to take such photos, rather than customers. .

57

Hi Edison,

I’m not sure if you took the time to read all of my reply because nobody is questioning that your review was about your actual experience but it also included opinions and suggestions that wouldn’t be relevant to anyone else and was much more than just a “neutral” description of your experience. Again … you don’t seem to recognize that your experience may not contain any meaningful information that would apply to anyone else but you.

If you also take the time to step back and reread your “review” and recognize the “tone” and the specific suggestions that you were making to others and “how” you made them then my reply may also make more sense to you.

Again … you didn’t seem to read my reply which said that I would pay little attention to ANY reviews … either positive or negative … because the information they generally include are only applicable to one person and nobody else. Reviews in general are among the least reliable forms of legitimate mattress research. It makes no sense that you are suggesting to avoid a mattress that many thousands of other people are happy with (including many of the members of the forum here). Sleeping on mattresses also doesn’t give you the type of detailed knowledge and experience that would qualify you as an expert that has the knowledge or ability to help others that may be very different from you to choose a mattress or know which mattress to choose for anyone else but you.

Just like the analogy I used with shoes … it makes little sense to suggest that other people will have the same experience as you on the same mattress or recommend that they avoid it because just like shoes or clothes or food or any purchase that involves more subjective and personal preference considerations, everyone is unique in terms of the size and style that works best for them and there may be thousands of people that love shoes or mattresses or clothes or food that you don’t like or that don’t work well or aren’t the best “fit” for you.

Buying a mattress online can be a very successful experience for many people but there is always some risk that any online purchase (or any mattress purchase for that matter) won’t turn out as well as you hoped for in spite of the “best efforts” of everyone involved and if you had read the tutorial and the links I added in my replies you would know this already. This is just reality and certainly isn’t a reason to write the type of “angry” and misleading review that you have written.

When you can’t test a mattress in person then in most cases the guidance of a knowledgeable and experienced online manufacturer based on the information you provide, their experience, and the “averages” of their many customers over the years will tend to be more “accurate” than the “gut feel” of a customer but of course nobody has a crystal ball that can predict which mattress you will sleep well on for certain because not everyone is inside the averages and even the “best efforts” of a knowledgeable retailer or manufacturer to help you choose a mattress may not turn out as well as you (and they) hoped for. This would be true with any online purchase and is the reason that a good return policy can be an important part of the “value” of an online purchase (and why you should make sure you are comfortable with the specifics of the return policy before a purchase not afterwards).

I hope that you can step back from your feelings of frustration and anger somewhat and learn from your experience and if you have already slept on your mattress for 90 days then you are already eligible to return it for a refund without a problem. I also don’t see why asking you to take a photo of your mattress would be a reason to make the comments you have made (and if you were to talk with them using a more reasonable “tone” and approach they would possibly waive this as well).

Working “with” people to resolve any issues with a purchase is usually a more effective approach than working “against” people that in the end have both your and their best interests in mind.

I think it’s probably time to move on (and most likely return your mattress for a refund that costs you nothing) and use your experience to help you choose a mattress that is a better “match” for your unique needs and preferences and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you, regardless of whether it would be the most suitable choice for anyone else.

Phoenix

58

I just placed an order for a bed… and I thought I would share my pre-purchase ( and soon to be post purchase ) experience with everyone in case it might be helpful.

THE PROBLEM:
My wife keeps kicking me out of the bedroom complaining that my moving about in bed is waking her up. Plus - our mattress (which was very expensive and some top-of-the-line innerspring) is 11 1/2 years old and likely needs to be retired.

THE PROCESS:
I had heard from commercials as well as friends that memory foam mattresses were fantastic at isolating movement so that you don’t disturb your partner. I had heard of Tempurpedic and assumed they were the premium end of mattresses. I don’t mind spending money - but I hate wasting money though… and I suspected that the markups on something like the Tempurpedic were outrageous. So I started looking online for better deals…

I went to Amazon and was heartened to see all these foam mattresses rated 4 1/2 stars and that were dirt cheap. I almost bought. I enjoy doing research though (being an engineer) - and so I started googling around on what someone should look for in a good memory foam mattress. Turns out that the inexpensive memory foam mattresses on Amazon didn’t have very high foam density… so they might feel great at first (hence the high ratings) but then would quickly breakdown. Looking at the ratings on Amazon - they are mostly from folks about 2 days after they receive their mattress. I’m all about being frugal - but I’m not about having to replace my mattress every 2 years. Talk about hassle.

So begins my search for the ultimate mattress… something affordable $500-$1500 in King size. Something with 4-6 inches of memory foam… something with 4lb or 5lb density… Something with good ratings overall (of course memory foam probably is terrible for some people, so not looking for perfect scores)… and something where if I make a purchase and it turns out memory foam is not for me - I can back out of it.

Novosbed seems to fit the bill. Technical specs seem on target. Price point is on target. Review sites (some likely biased) seem on target. SleepLikeTheDead site seems to like them. Yes companies try and manage their reputation online - but you can’t completely bury bad reviews and there really are few if any bad reviews online. So I’m encouraged.

But what about firmness? Uhm… I guess Medium is probably good… I stop by a mattress store and lay down for 5 minutes each on several Tempurpedics… I like the feel of the Tempur Cloud Supreme and Tempur Cloud Supreme Elite.

I ping the online chat at Novosbed and get a guy named Jeremy. He says that if I liked the Cloud Supreme that I would like the Medium firmness… I had also read someplace in the forums that it is easier to go softer with the Comfort+ add on than to go firmer (unsure if correct, but that is what I read)…

THE SOLUTION (?) :

So to make a very long story short - I ordered the King Size Novosbed in Medium this evening. Supposedly it ships out the same day if ordered by 2PM… so mine will likely ship tomorrow, Thursday, May 26th, to the Atlanta region. Tried to get a better deal over the phone earlier as well as over online chat - no haggling. I actually like companies that do that - I don’t mind spending money but I hate paying more than the guy next to me.

I plan on opening the bed up and leaving it in an empty room for a couple of days to let it offgas and fully expand. I’m hoping that we love the bed. I’ve read comments that we have to give the bed as well as our bodies some time to adjust… so I’m expecting some poor nights of rest to start. I’ve already prepped my wife that a lot of people hate these types of beds the first couple of days. I have a slight concern about comments that a small percentage of people find these types of beds hot to sleep in… hope I’m not one of them. I have a slight concern that the bed may be too firm - but at least I have the option of adding some cushion later.

I look forward to coming back here and posting my review once we’ve given the bed a try and then again once we have let ourselves and the bed get used to one another!

Wish me happy sleeping!

59

Since this thread has been bumped, I will update to say that I continue to be happy with my Novosbed. I still have occasionaly back pain, but it is nothing like it was on my old mattress and NOTHING like the extreme discomfot I experienced in the Leesa (which was a terrible fit for me). I really look forward to getting into this bed at night and I see absolutely no wear since my purchase 7 month ago,

60

Hi dontletthembite,

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you ended up deciding … and congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

You certainly made a great quality/value choice and I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback once you’ve received it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.

Phoenix

61

Hi loraxc,

Thanks for sharing a 7 month update and it’s great to hear that you are still sleeping well on your mattress :slight_smile:

Phoenix

62

Hi,

1st time leaving a post in this site. I’m leaning towards purchasing the Novosbed Medium, in a king. I was hoping to see if dontletthembite had any updates in regards to their purchase.

63

Here is how everything panned out.

TL;DR: I like the bed.

EXPERIENCE:

I received tracking promptly. The bed was left by a small package carrier (UPS?) at my front door. The box was pretty huge - although small considering it contained a king size mattress. I am pretty independent and usually try to get things done myself… but there was absolutely no way I was going to be able to haul that box up my staircase without risking injury. Called a friend over and we hauled the mattress up - not bad with two people to lift.

Upon unboxing and unwrapping - the bed did give off an odor. Gradually dissipated over a couple of days. If you have the ability - I would wait two days to use it to let the odor decrease. I let the bed fully “inflate” for a couple of hours that first evening before laying on it. I had read that walking on the bed would help to speed up the break-in process so I did that as well.

The first night - right off the bat - my wife liked the bed. Thought it was the perfect firmness. I liked the bed but felt it was slightly firmer than I wanted. That first night I woke up several times and I felt a little hot the whole night. During the course of a week my sleep got better (less wake-ups) but I still felt a little warm and resorted to wearing less clothing to bed. I had been having some back pain in the morning due to my last mattress not offering proper support - that back pain was gone immediately. In addition there were many less occurrences of my wife and I waking each other up - as the bed transmits very little motion from someone getting up / getting into the bed or from tossing and turning.

Now many weeks later I sleep very well with no wake-ups and love the mattress. Wife still loves the mattress as well. I don’t feel hot anymore - although I do wear less clothing to bed as my new norm. My back pain has not returned. I think I prefer something just a tad softer (slight preference) so I contacted Novosbed to send me out the additional comfort layer to add to the top of the bed - it is on the way. I’ll add it to the bed and see if my wife and I both like it better or worse. If worse - I won’t use the extra layer and I will sleep well regardless as the bed is very comfortable as is.

Not only is the bed comfortable and will likely hold up well - but I also sleep better knowing that I saved a good deal of money over the overpriced alternative in the store!

64

Hi dontletthembite,

Thanks for taking the time to share an update with your comments and feedback … I appreciate it :slight_smile:

It’s great to see that your choice worked out well for you.

I’m also looking forward to any additional updates you have the chance to share once you’ve received your comfort + attachment and had the chance to try it out as well.

Phoenix

65

I am writing this post just to warn everyone who ordered a Novosbed.

I unpacked the bed, customer service said it can be used right away. I know that off gassing is a common issue for memory foam mattresses. I smelt it and I don’t mind the smell, so I slept on it the first night after unpacking. Let me tell you, it was a mistake.
5am in the Morning, I woke up with a painful burning nose inside my nasal and on my throat. I immediately switched to my old bed in the same room for the rest of 2 hours sleep, the pain was significantly reduced. It is clear to me that the chemical is being evaporated during the first 48 hours and this vapor is harmful to human beings.
What Novosbed should have done is to warn people about it instead of advising us to use it right away.

Regardless the bed’s quality, my first night is unhappy at the moment. Whether this experience left prolong or permanent damage to my health is remain to be seen.

66

Hi Fencor,

I’m sorry to hear about your experience and I can certainly sympathize with it since I also had a similar experience a number of years ago on a different memory foam formulation and it wasn’t pleasant at all (although it has never happened on any memory foam that I have slept on since).

There are thousands of people who have slept on their Novosbed the first night they received it without any ill effects and they are also CertiPUR certified for harmful substances and VOC’s but it’s always possible that a very few people are sensitive to a material that would be fine for the very large majority of people.

It certainly isn’t necessary for either you or Nobosbed to “warn” people because this would mean that every mattress in the industry would need a warning because of the possibility that a very few people may be sensitive to the materials that they use but for those that are more sensitive or that are uncertain it can be a good idea to let a mattress that has been compressed and wrapped in plastic for shipping air out for 48 hours before you use it.so that any offgassing that you may be sensitive to is greatly reduced.

Phoenix

67

Hi Fencor,

I’m Sam Prochazka, president of Novosbed.

First things first: As mentioned by Phoenix, all foams used in Novosbeds are Certi-Pur certified foams. This means that they have been tested, and proven to contain no harmful chemicals. Also - our foams come from the same American factories that produce for Tempur-Sealy, GM, Toyota, and many other well-known companies around the world. If you have been in a car, sat on furniture, stood on airport security foam pads, or used foam in any other application (including in hospitals) then there is a good chance it came from the same factories. All foams go through rigorous quality testing to ensure that they are safe and that they meet their design specifications; foams that fail are tagged and recycled. They are safe.

Now, about the smell: we have observed over the years that, to a tiny percentage of our customers, new foams smell bad. Over the years we have investigated these extremely rare cases by picking up the mattresses, cutting out samples from them, bagging them (to preserve the odor during transportation), and sending to a lab for analysis. In every case the results showed that the foam was normal and safe. We further analyzed these issues to see if we had received a suspiciously high number of complaints within a single shipment of mattresses, as this could indicate a problem within a batch. We found no issues.

Although not yet scientifically proven, we hypothesize that there are a very small number of folks that are bothered by the smell of new foam in a similar way that a small number of people find that cilantro tastes like soap. This would explain why these issues are so erratic. For the record, I am one of these people, which is one of the reasons we have done such a large amount of due-diligence on the subject.

I hope this addresses your concerns. If you would like to discuss further, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Warmest regards,
Sam

68

Hi Sam,

Thanks for taking the time to post such a detailed reply and explain the lengths you go to to make sure your customers are happy with their mattress … I appreciate it :slight_smile:

Phoenix

69

I work for a company that sells all sorts of air treatment products online including air purifiers. I’m not joking when I tell you that we have people who return air purifiers back to us because when they are running they irritate the people’s sinuses, throats, or bodies.

Pretty much anything that is synthetic might offgas something… now for most people that doesn’t matter as they do not have any particular sensitivity to that certain something. But for a very small minority of people - it is a disaster. Those people typically have some variant of MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity). This is not some make believe condition - many of the things in our everyday lives bother these folks.

There is a wide-range of severity amongst MCS sufferers. Some can use an air purifier after letting it offgas for a couple of days or even weeks. Others will not be able to use a high-end ($800) air purifier no matter how long they wait… and for those folks we can upgrade them to very very specialized air purifier ($2000) built for MCS sufferers… and even then, it isn’t a 100% guarantee that there will not be an issue.

Long story short, I would let your mattress air out a little before sleeping on it. Even if you aren’t sensitive to anything off gassing, probably not a bad idea and it will smell better when you do decide to sleep on it. I don’t think this is anything particular to Novosbed. I don’t know much about the Certipure thing, but it sounds like Novosbed may actually be better than most in terms of off-gassing.