Hey Phoenix,
Wondering if you could provide some advice. I bought one of the new Evo Sleep bio-gel mattresses by Sherwood back in December. Since then it has already developed a noticeable impression and makes movement difficult on the mattress. I requested an inspection and of course I’m not surprised they tell me it is “within spec” and deny me any type of customer support.
I left a comment on their Facebook which was no unreasonable, but stated my complaint and rather than respond, they simply deleted my comment.
I’m pretty appalled at their response and customer service. For a mattress I paid $1700 for through an authorized retail outlet I expected much more than this. Is there any suggestion you have on how to approach them on this? I think 8 months is very quick for a mattress to begin sagging and failing. This one is supposed to have a 20 year warranty. At the very least I’d like to have some sort of outlet to post up a comment warning people and forcing them to respond and that they can’t simply delete.
Thanks much in advance, I found your posts extremely helpful when I was conducting my search!
That’s certainly unfortunate … and frustrating … but warranties only cover “defects” which is determined by the warranty exclusion and they don’t cover “virtual impressions” that comes from foam softening and the loss of comfort and support that can go with it. You can read more about warranties in post #174 here.
According to their warranty here … the warranty exclusion is 1.5" but there is also a “?” in the brackets which mention smooth top mattresses and I believe the exclusion for the bio-gel mattresses are .75". Do you know how deep the measured impression was?
There is really not much you can do except perhaps through the goodwill of a retailer that goes to bat for you and argues your case with the manufacturer and hopefully convinces them to make an exception. You could also of course tell them you plan to write reviews about their mattresses that don’t reflect well on them and try to “force” them to respond but in most cases this would have little effect if they are only complying with the terms of their warranty and could harden their position even more. Gaining their goodwill is usually more effective than threats. Ultimately they are “in the right” if they are only complying with the listed terms of their warranty.
Which version of the bio-gel did you buy … and do you know the specifics of the layering?
It may help to turn your mattress (if you haven’t already) to even out the wear (90 degrees if it’s an Eastern King and 180 degrees for any other sizes) and there are also some suggestions in post #4 here that may rule out some of the other causes that can lead to sagging and has some suggestions that may be helpful as well.
The first place I would start though (if you haven’t already) is by talking to the retailer where you purchased the mattress.
Thanks for the quick reply, I did go to Sit n Sleep where I bought it and they are the one who dispatched the inspector and sent the findings along to them. the inspectors are careful about not saying much at all and not providing you with any details of their findings leaving that all up to the interpretation of the manufacturer who has the luxury of not looking a dissatisfied customer in the face when they respond. Their findings went to Sit n Sleep who in turn sent me a simplified letter of denial. They are obviously pretty conscious about separating themselves from direct contact on warranty issues. I’m sure if I ask Sherwood they would say the same and direct me over to Sit n Sleep again and throw their hands up in the name of protocol.
While I do understand that it may not qualify yet as a defect, the rapid deterioration and the lack of a real response or a real desire to inspect my problem. Someone like you who has nothing to do with the situation and nothing to do with the manufacturer ends up being far more interested and responsive and I find that tragically backwards.
I’m pretty aware of the futility of doing anything here and I guess that adds to my frustration compounded with not getting good sleep these days. I’m just left with a $1700 mattress that gives me back pain now and even if I replace it, what do I do with this one?
Based on these specs … there are no obvious weak links or low quality materials in this mattress so it may be interesting to see what may be happening.
If you have any other information about the layers in your mattress then feel free to add what you know. It would also be helpful to know your weight and body type and sleeping positions if you are comfortable sharing these.
Other than the difficulty with movement which can be a side effect of memory foam itself (because it is a very low resilience material) … are there any other symptoms that you are experiencing on the mattress (pressure points, back pain etc)?
If you don’t know the depth of the impressions they measured you can check them yourself. If you place a straight edge like a yardstick over the impression then you can measure it’s depth with a ruler or tape measure. This would be a good place to start to see how much the materials have actually impressed and how close you may be to the .75" exclusion.
I’m about 190 lbs 6’0", i tend to be a side sleeper usually. Impression wise I guess it is not totally visible, its when you sit down into it that you just feel it give about half its height… so when on side or back, it drops my hips giving me back strain. I got the firmest one to avoid this issue, but its my first non-spring mattress and I guess I’m not accustomed to how they break in maybe…
The sides of this mattress aren’t reinforced either, so maybe it has to do with edge weakening leading to weakening of the inner areas of the mattress.
This is normal for all mattresses but more so with foam mattresses (memory foam, latex or polyfoam) or even pocket coils which are more “point elastic” and will sink down more with the more concentrated weight of sitting where most of your body weight is concentrated in a much smaller surface area. Sitting on a mattress really has very little correlation to how evenly supportive a mattress is or how well it keeps you in alignment when you are lying down.
It sounds to me like the mattress may not have been the most suitable design for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and you may have been close to the edge or being out of alignment when it was first purchased and a relatively small amount of foam softening both in the initial break in period and over the months that for others would still be fine may have put you “over the edge” (see post #2 here). This would likely be more connected with back sleeping which needs thinner comfort layers than for side sleeping although it is “in the range” where it would be OK for others that have a similar body type and sleeping style. It may also be that your weight distribution or body type needs firmer support layers or that you need slightly thinner or firmer comfort layers although the gel layer on the very top may have given the impression that the mattress was firmer than it really was because pure gel is firmer and the 4 lb memory foam underneath it would probably be softer in many cases than higher density memory foam and would soften a little more quickly under higher weights. The softness/firmness of the deeper support layers is more difficult to test unless you specifically test for alignment in the showroom.
Most foam mattresses don’t have or need edge reinforcement although there are a few that have it for those that prefer it if they sleep on the outside couple of inches or use the mattress for sitting. You can read a bit more about this here and here. There are both pros and cons to edge reinforcement but it is generally used more with innerspring mattresses than foam mattresses. This wouldn’t have an effect on the inner part part of the mattress but only on the feel or firmness of the edge.
Overall my guess is that your issue may have to do with the design of the mattress and how well it “matched” your body type and sleeping style than the actual softening of the foam itself (although there would be some degree of foam softening when it was breaking in and more slowly over the months since) … although of course this is only an educated guess based on your feedback and in looking at the design of the mattress.
I think the most important part is what is next and some of the suggestions in post #4 here may be helpful.