Thank you for this informative site!
Only wish I had the knowledge I gained in a short amount of time (a few days) – prior to purchasing my current mattress. But, unfortunately, I am desperately short on time to resolve my current situation to become a real mattress expert. Hence, this hearfelt plea for HELP.
By way of background, I purchased my King sized mattress from Sleepy’s almost a year ago. I decided to go with a GS Stearns CFPT (SF9332). At the time, it “seemed” to be a “better quality” choice compared to the other choices at the store; which, in my opinion, weren’t all that great. I was “sold” (as you correctly pointed out in another post) on the marketing of their product (silk, wool, cashmere, hand tufted outer quilt, Talalay Latex, Mongolian Horsehair, wrapped titanium coils, liquid injected foam edge). When I tried the mattress in the store, it felt really good, comfortable. I made sure to try it on several occasions/locations and by laying on it for a good 15-30 minutes each time. So, $3150 later, the mattress was now mine.
I’m not entirely sure what went wrong. It didn’t start right away. Everything seemed fine. What I do know is that I have not been able to sleep on this mattress for the Past 3 months, as I was waking up (in the morning and in the middle of the night) with major hip and lower back pain. I knew it was the mattress when I was walking around fine (with no discomfort) after leaving the bed. I also started to notice that my sleeping area was starting to give out under me (if that makes sense) and not as pliable as the other side (which doesn’t get as much use). I am a side sleeper (with a tendency to hug the edges) and I am not a lightweight (heavier in the hips/butt). Instead, I’ve been sleeping on a $70 self-inflatable mattress with a 2-3" foam topper; and sleeping more comfortably than when I was on the $3,150 mattress.
I have two theories. First, I mistakenly gave the store the wrong model number when ordering the mattress; instead ordering the more firm model; as I now know there are two types of pillow tops (Cushion Firm European Pillow Top and Luxury Firm European Pillow Top). I know, sounds crazy, but perhaps might explain why I was in such pain (from being too firm?). I remember the first night sleeping on my mattress noticing how much more “firm” it felt. But, then explained it away as being new and probably needed to be “broken in”. Second theory is that the mattress (whether the correct model or not) is defective. Also, I didn’t realize until reading some of the posts here that I was supposed to rotate the mattress every few months. Could be another theory for the mattress failing?
In any event, here I am. I went back to Sleepy’s and they are graciously willing to let me buy insurance (an offer they had for a while and which has since expired since purchasing my mattress), for a mere cost of $250, (which also includes old mattress removal and delivery of the new one) to replace my existing mattress for a FULL $3150 credit towards getting a new mattress from them. This offer is only good up to a full year of my original mattress delivery, which is approximately 10 days from now. No pressure!!! There is a small part of me that just wants to try and fix my problem (either by topping my mattress with something to make it good again), rather than having to go through this excrutiating process all over again!!
So, in the very short time I’ve been reading some of the posts here, I now know that buying a cookie-cutter mattress from a national retailer is a BIG NO-NO, as you pay for what you don’t get!! Hindsight is indeed 20/20. But this is my conundrum – if I go elsewhere, starting over, I will be $3150 out-of pocket – not chump change. Also I just don’t have the funds to now buy another, better quality mattress (even if I know ultimately it will be a better investment in the long run). If I take the offer from Sleepy’s, I know I am left with choosing between several hyped-up, inferior mattresses.
In one of your (many) posts, I thought I saw something to the effect of narrowing the choices between good and good. Given that I now know my choices are between less inferior and more inferior, I want to make sure I have the lesser of the two evils, if you know what I mean. The choices are pretty slim for me (I’ve looked at the mattresses at Sleepy’s in the NY/NJ area). As much I want to, I don’t like the feel of Tempurpedic. Even the softest one, feels like concrete. I find a lot of Sleepy’s stock to be comprised of either Tempurpedic or memory foam mattresses. There are very few “conventional” (innerspring) choices and even those are “infused” somehow with foam, etc.
So, here are the three I’ve narrowed down, based on feel and comfort. To test comfort, one of the salespeople told me to lie on my right side – which is not my sleeping side (smack in middle of the bed) with my ankles touching, my knees up and forward, and my right shoulder pressed against the mattress. I was advised by the salesperson that if I can “endure” this test, without feeling any major discomfort, the mattress would be a good fit for me. So, that’s what I did. The “best” choice so far based on all the above: Simmons (YIKES …I know quintessential “cookie cutter”) Beautyrest Legend Plush (SI3197). Spent a good 45 minutes lounging lying on it and another 15 min. (at another location) in the 'test position" above. Second choice, GS Stearns Luxury Plush (SF9341). I know you may be thinking, why would you go back to the same brand you’re replacing? Again, I’m not entirely sure what went wrong. Also, this model is not a pillow top. Another salesperson told me that pillow tops are made for very, very, very thin people. He said pillow top mattresses only offer a minimal amount of comfort (roughly 2") between you and the beginning of the support portion. Also, I do need to try the “test” on this mattress again, as I may have started to feel some tingling in my fingers and a twinge in my lower back when I tried it the first time. Third choice (which really isn’t much of a choice), is the Simmons ComforPedic Phenom. I only tested this mattress briefly, as the store was closing. However, if I “had to choose” a foam mattress – this seemed really comfortable. However, interestingly enough, yet another salesperson told me that their company is gearing themselves towards selling these foam-type of mattress in the foreseeable future. Then, he laughed saying these type of mattress are simply “oversized sponges”. So, I’m not sure the quality in these foam-type of mattresses is worthy of my $3150 credit. I’m pretty sure they are made in china. I checked to see if they have any latex (the crowd favorite in your forum), but they don’t have any except maybe 1 or 2 that (even) they “can’t sell”. The first two choice are around the price range I initially paid, as I’m trying not to get “suckered” into shelling out any more $$ for mattresses that are definitely not worth it. However, if there is some other product I’m missing, that is a little bit more, I wouldn’t mind the extra cost, as long as I knew the quality was better than what I have to work with at the moment.
I thought I should point out that each salesperson I encountered, since reading this forum, could not tell me foam density and layer make-up in any of these mattresses. I wanted to laugh out loud, because your posts were right on the money, when you described how their eyes would be shifting from side to side. That’s exactly what happened
Well, that’s it, in a very long-winded nutshell! I know your credo is not telling people what to do but, merely guide them along in making the correct decision that is best for them. So, I would appreciate any and all information and thoughts you have regarding my dilemma and in assisting me in choosing the “best of the worst” from the only store option I have!
Looking forward to your thoughts,
B