SleepEz.com - If it seems too good to be true, it probably is

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
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SleepEz seemed to be a sure thing (as sure as buying an untested mattress online can be), and their prices, especially for Californians, seemed like a no brainer - who wants to pay the onerous California sales tax and all the other undisclosed taxes built into the price of a mattress? And their return policy is touted as being the best.

SleepEz sold me their 13" organic latex mattress and shipped it out for free, and it arrived faster than expected.
All’s well that ends well, right?

Almost.

Like I said, SleepEz prides itself on its generous policy of allowing you to try your new latex mattress for 90 days and if you’re not happy with your purchase…a FULL refund minus $99.00…NO questions asked. I returned my latex mattress after a month, it was unopened, totally unopened, as in I hadn’t even decompressed the mattresses. I was given my money back in full (minus the $99.00)- so far so good - however, when I went to reorder a SleepEZ mattress whose specs were more to my liking, they said it’s their policy not to sell to a “returner” ever again. You can neither exchange, nor return a mattress and hope to purchase from them again. Keep that in mind when doing business with SleepEZ. I even told them I would forgo their free sheets and pillows (which wreak) on my second purchase. NOPE. Another purchase form SleepEZ wasn’t going to happen; as far as they are concerned, I’m person non grata for having used their much ballyhooed return policy. Please Keep this in mind when purchasing an untested mattress from SleepEZ. They provide zero information on their website regarding this consequence.

Incidentally, the reason for my return was as follows: I was told by Jeremy (Head Salesman) that if you don’t open your latex mattress in a month’s time it would lose some of its lift and become creased and basically would not come back to it’s original form, His words. No where on their site does it say this. I was told this much by other latex companies, but PHOENIX had the most detailed and best explanation as to why this isn’t exactly so,

However, it was after my return that I saw the Mattress Underground site. SleepEZ “chat” salesman, Sterling, assured me that at my weight I should go with Dunlop because Talalay breaks down more quickly under a much heavier person; however, I was told countless times (pre-purchase) by other SleepEZ staff, that Talalay and Dunlop were the same regarding their durability, regardless of the sleeper’s weight, and that it’s merely a matter of preference. I also queried Mattress To Go regarding whether or not latex would be the right material for a person of my size and they gave me an honest and well measured response as opposed to SleepEZ .

“Regarding your latex question, I would have no possible way of knowing if that combination would work for you. It would depend upon your opinion of that level of comfort using those particular layers. Latex is certainly a durable material, but choosing or predicting if a particular mattress or combination would “be your best alternative” isn’t something I could honestly and intelligently answer for you via an email.”

At least Mattress To Go admits that selecting and buying an untested latex mattress is a difficult proposition at best.

As to SleepEZ’s layer for layer swap out, that option does not apply to my situation

So much conflicting information… and SleepEZ blackballs you when you have to return one of their mattresses?!! Such crap!

1 Like
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Hi HeavySleeper11,

There are many companies that limit the number of returns that they allow their customers and personally I think it’s a very fair and reasonable policy.

Mattress returns are very costly to a business and just like consumers … mattress companies also need to manage their risks and the costs involved with return and exchange policies and if a customer returns one of their mattresses the risk of a second return may be much too high to sell them another mattress. Don’t forget that return and exchange policies are built into the cost of a mattress and customers that don’t return a mattress are the ones that pay for the ones that do so it would hardly be fair to the majority of their customers that will never return a mattress to have a return policy that doesn’t have any restrictions. There are even some companies that will firmly suggest that a customer purchase a mattress somewhere else and won’t sell a mattress to a customer if they don’t believe that their mattress will fit the needs and preferences of a particular customer and that the risk of a return is too high. I consider this a sign of a reputable company that isn’t just trying to sell you anything they can convince you to buy.

It also wouldn’t be reasonable for a website to include every detail about every possibility or uncommon set of circumstances that may come up with one of their customers because even if they list hundreds of specifics … somebody will always find something that they missed and complain about it…

While I can understand your frustration … there are other similar component mattresses that are available to you and I think their policy is very fair and reasonable to the large majority of their customers even though a very small minority of people may not like it or fully realize or agree with the reason that it exists.

Any mattress layers that are compressed for an extended length of time will lose some of its firmness over time and if the mattress is folded rather than rolled it may also develop a virtual or visible crease where it is folded. There is no specific “drop dead” length of time where this will happen because it can depend on several variables but most companies will take a “better safe than sorry” approach with the information they provide their customers so that the risk of an unhappy customer is reduced. I’m not sure why you are looking to criticize them for this when there is just as much truth in what they told you as there is in my earlier reply to you (where you also didn’t mention that the latex was folded or provide a context for your question). These types of questions don’t generally have “black and white” answers and different people will have different opinions about what is “safe” and what isn’t…

This was probably the result of the inexperience of a new customer service rep and it’s unfortunate that you received some incorrect information but I don’t think anyone is immune from making mistakes from time to time and at least you received correct information from their other staff so you were aware that the information wasn’t correct. There are many people in a heavier weight range that may prefer Dunlop in the deeper layers vs Talalay layers with the same firmness because it has a higher compression modulus than Talalay (which means that it gets firmer faster with deeper compression) which can translate into more support and this may be why he was making the suggestion but I agree that this doesn’t mean that it would be less durable and the choice between them is really more of a preference than a “better/worse” choice.

Again I realize that you may not like their policy because you are in a very small minority that it affects directly but I think you are being somewhat unfair and overly critical because every business has the right to set policies and conduct business in a way that they believe is in the overall best interests of the business, their larger customer base, and the people that the business supports, even if a few people aren’t happy with the decisions that they make. These decisions and policies aren’t personal … they are just part of “good business”.

.Phoenix

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Hi Phoenix,

Sure it’s fair policy, but only if their exclusionary action is written into their return policy, It is not.

They can manage their costs and risks, but they need to apprise their customers of such a drastic, terminating action for anyone brash enough to take them up on their 90 Day Return Deal. I mean really, It’s absurd to take that tact with a customer who has purchased something sight unseen and untested. Assess a penalty or impose a non-return policy on the second mattress purchase, but to summarily dismiss someone is bad business, and frankly, what you’d expect at a big brick and mortar “S” mattress sales place.

Phoenix, there is a $99.00 penalty or “restriction” for returning the mattress. Like I said, my mattress was unopened. SleepEZ’s decisions for dismissal of customers should be made on a case by case basis.

Jeremy and Sterling assured me that this mattress would fit my needs and indeed SleepEZ has a swap out option. I could’ve swapped out all layers for a nominal charge (instead I chose to return the entire mattress in one fell swoop) . Had I known I was going to be blackballed I would’ve gone that route.
I’m surprised you weren’t aware of their swap out policy.

As for it being unreasonable to expect a company to include every detail about every possibility…LOL…it’s incumbent upon a business to lay out the facts when it pertains to specific policies they offer. Of course SleepEZ can’t cover all aspects or every set of circumstances, but letting a customer know that you will be persona non grata if you dare take SleepEZ up on their vaunted 90-Day Return policy is just common sense.

As to why I have chosen to criticize SleepEZ over their answer regarding extended latex compression:

There is no where on SleepEZ’s site that explains when the latex layers need to be taken out of their cocoon like compressed state. I realize there isn’t a “drop dead” date for compressed latex, but the misinformation given to me from Jeremy regarding this matter was shockingly different than yours. Jeremy said that after 3 weeks these layers would not come back to their original state and that their would be permanent creases and that these creases would compromise the integrity of the mattress. SleepEZ needs to state as much up front in the damn shipping section of their website. SleepEZ ships their latex mattresses rolled (not folded) and then vacuum compressed in a thick plastic bag.

Just for fun and comparison, here are you answers regarding extended latex compression:

“Talalay latex is very durable and will hold up very well to compression over even much longer periods of time than a month so while there may be a slight reduction in firmness (which would also be the case with shorter term compression as well) I would have no concerns in terms of durability or the integrity of the latex.”
Phoenix

“There is no specific “drop dead” length of time where this will happen because it can depend on several variables but most companies will take a “better safe than sorry” approach with the information they provide their customers so that the risk of an unhappy customer is reduced. I’m not sure why you are looking to criticize them for this when there is just as much truth in what they told you as there is in my earlier reply to you (where you also didn’t mention that the latex was folded or provide a context for your question).”

You can plainly see that you two aren’t on the same page regarding what happens to the latex layers if they are left for extended periods.

Look, I could go on refuting this desperate defense of SleepEz and their hidden policy practice and their dearth of onsite information regarding their products, but why bother when people can see for themselves now and not get get duped.

You provide a valuable service, Phoenix. People come to the Mattress Underground and get educated because the online mattress people don’t know enough or don’t care enough to provide the information that can found here. SleepEZ happens to be one of those low info sites.

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You’re on point. From what I’ve seen, the common policy with online sellers is you get one return at no charge, and can purchase again without the possibility of a return. Which protects everybody - they only eat the cost of one return, you get an opportunity to make an adjustment based on trying one of their products. There’s some risk in buying again, but at least by that point you have more information to go on. And while your return/second purchase might cancel each other out from a profit standpoint (or close to it), they get someone using their product, telling other people about it, and if you’re happy making repeat purchases over the years.

Locking people out just leads to posts like yours. It doesn’t make any sense.

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HeavySleeper11 wrote:

HeavySleeper11, I believe you are taking some liberties with my comments from another conversation to try and reinforce your comments in this thread.

You requested a quote from me for a particular innerspring mattress, and then in the comments section of the quote, you wrote:

“P.S. i’d also be interested in knowing if you think a 13” all latex mattress would be my best alternative to an innerspring at my weight (core 2 layers of Dunlop 46ILD, one layer of 44ILD and top layer of 36 ILD Talalay)"

My answer to you question was quite specific, and accurate as it relates to me and the query you posted to me. I’m not a component latex supplier or online-only retailer. I specialize in assisting people here in my brick and mortar store and shipping those products across the country. My expertise is not in assisting people pick component latex products via an email. Relating my comments to the latex component mattress industry in general isn’t accurate - there certainly are many people with decades of experience in successfully assisting people with mattress component systems. But that’s not my specialty.

I wanted to reply to your post here because I don’t agree with this particular interpretation of my comments to you in an email that wasn’t related to this thread, as people may read that one paragraph and assume that I have that particular position, which in fact I don’t.

Thanks!

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Hi HeavySleeper,

I am aware of their policy and I have mentioned it probably hundreds of times on the forum although you probably know that already and are just making somewhat sarcastic comments for the sake of effect. They allow you to swap a single layer for another one for a subsidized charge of $30 and swap additional layers if necessary for the full cost of shipping during their 90 day trial. You were also the one that chose to return the whole mattress for a refund instead of opening it and sleeping on it after it had been compressed for a little less than 30 days which is when you asked your original question. This would have been the reasonable thing to do and your choice to return it makes no sense to me (outside of my comments in the next paragraph).

Reading through some of your previous comments including your comment about “reordering a SleepEZ mattress whose specs were more to my liking” leads me to suspect that there is more to your story than you are letting on and that the real reason you returned your mattress (and that you are upset) was that you were trying to “game” or abuse their exchange and return policy and that your “strategy” was unsuccessful so now you are criticizing them because your “plan” didn’t work and you are looking for “payback”. In other words … I don’t think you were acting in good faith.

Given the circumstances … if I was in SleepEZ’s position I also wouldn’t sell you a second mattress or take the risk that you would find some reason to return the second mattress as well (regardless of what my return policy may have been) and I would have suspected that I was dealing with a high risk customer that probably had an agenda and that may be acting in bad faith.

You were well aware of all the parts of their return policy that applied to your purchase and outside of my previous comments it seems very strange to me that you are complaining about anything when you returned the mattress for a refund which you received (less the $99 which is stated in their policy). I don’t know how you could expect more than that or how any reasonable person could complain when they have met the terms of their policy. It seems to me that the only reason you are upset and have become so “reactive” and overly critical is that they won’t sell you a second mattress which is well within the rights of any business as I explained in my previous reply. Your whole narrative and commentary and “looking for additional reasons to complain” seems very odd to me which once again leads me to suspect that there is more to your story than you are letting on.

I think that common sense can answer many questions (or at least lead to asking a question when you are uncertain) when you have unusual circumstances that aren’t specifically addressed on a website. It would be reasonable to expect that a customer would open their mattress shortly after they received it or they wouldn’t normally order it in the first place and if something changed that they were concerned about that they would ask a question (as you did). It’s impossible for a business to answer every unanticipated question on a website that they normally wouldn’t even encounter and that could be asked in an email or phone call if it came up. This is another example that seems to show you are looking for reasons to criticize them regardless of whether the reasons are reasonable or not.

I also don’t believe that Jeremy told you what you are claiming he told you and I believe that you are revising some of the facts to suit your narrative and “agenda” … all of which appears to be based on being upset that they won’t sell you another mattress when you had just finished abusing their return policy and didn’t even try the mattress. Instead of taking responsibility for your choice to return the mattress for a refund (which you promptly received), you appear to believe that they should do whatever you want them to do regardless of whether your choices are reasonable or how much it may cost them or put them at risk or whether you are acting in good faith. Businesses don’t stay in business for very long if they cater to the unreasonable “demands” or agendas of their customers and I think your actions and commentary here only go to show that they were probably wise to choose not to do any further business with you when it seems very clear that you would likely be an unhappy customer that was prone to criticize them no matter what they did.

My goodness … you bought a mattress … returned it for a refund before you even tried it for reasons that were questionable and deceptive at best … received your refund as promised … and you are still unhappy and finding reasons to criticize them? Wow!

Again … I don’t see any discrepancy between the answers. My original reply (which of course I read before I replied to you in this topic) was meant to reassure you that opening your mattress and sleeping on it after it was compressed for a little less than 30 days would be fine (and in spite of what you are claiming they told you they would agree with this) and the second answer was to explain why a business may give you a different answer or have a different opinion if the context of the question or the time frame involved was different (such as if you asked them if it would be OK for a longer period of time in which case they may have taken a “better safe than sorry” approach). Instead I believe you decided to return it instead of opening it as part of a strategy to abuse their return/exchange policy.

In other words the “page” someone is on can change with the context of a question or the reasons you are asking it. Again … I think you are just trying to find additional reasons to criticize them as part of a “payback” because they wouldn’t sell you a second mattress.

I would agree that any reasonable person that reads your comments and my replies will be able to decide on the legitimacy of your comments and actions and on whether you were (and are) acting in good faith for themselves.

I’m glad that the information here has been helpful to you but hopefully part of the “education” you are referring to that will also help others are my replies to you so that other members won’t make the same mistakes and will take more responsibility for their actions and act in better faith than you have instead of trying to abuse the return policies and harm the reputation of a long term, reputable, and reliable business that has been providing good information and selling great quality/value mattresses to their customers for many years.

Once again … given what I believe are the real reasons for your actions and criticisms … I don’t expect you to agree with me so we will end this topic by agreeing to disagree and since we have both made our points I have locked the topic for any further discussion.

Phoenix