Phoenix, you have truly been a life saver for mattress shopping.
The last mattress I purchased in 2004, an Eclipse Madison, was from a mom and pop outfit in Columbia, SC. They had everything in store: cut away of the interior, specifications, etc. Having had such a good experience, I assumed that 13 years later I’d find such a place in Arlington, VA.
Well…You know how that went.
Blindly, I stopped at the first place, Mattressland Outlet. Very reasonable prices in a cluttered store. I didn’t necessarily appreciate that every question I asked was answered in a hurried, “Ma’am, you should understand…”. However, I did find a mattress there, an Eastman House Seabreeze (cousin of Eclipse) that felt right. Granted the specifications weren’t in store, more on that in a moment. They weren’t on the website either. Sure, given days and calls I’m sure they could produce it (I believe you had a post on that), but that soon went out the window when I asked to see the warranty card for the mattress in question.
Their posted terms require the customer to review any warranty materials before purchase. I pointed that out to them and a comedy began. Nearly 30 minutes and several phone calls to determine where the cards even were!! When they finally produced one it wasn’t an exact match (same parent company, different licensee.) The warranty posted on sales sign stated the mattress had a 15 year (non-prorated) warranty. The warranty on the card and law label matched the 10 year prorated warranty. I did the Charleston two-step out the door.
I visited a Mattress Firm–in my defense it’s right across the street from where I live. Oh, oh dear–the lies that are told to make a sale.
Them - “It’s the best sale ever. Never a lower price.”
Me - “If I came in with cash on any day of the year you would certainly match that price.”
Them - “Why pay cash when you can get 0% financing.”
Me - “Oh, nothing is free. You increased the mattress cost to include the finance charge.”
Them – “No! Believe it or not, they take it out of our commission check when we use the zero percent financing offers.”
Me - “Why are you still working here then?”
And by the way, both stores, begrudgingly offer a 30 day EXCHANGE only policy. Hardly generous when you only like one bed in the store. And they make clear to let you know they are making an exception just this once. Gee, thanks.
With that, I went online to start researching other mattress brands and found this website. Your forums were helpful to steer me away from the bed in a box and back to retailers. Your buyer’s guide couldn’t be more clear. I found a post on mattress locations in Northern Virginia and decided to pay Urban Mattress a visit.
Night and day difference. There were coil sections on display, the specs printed on the ends of the each bed on a card and sales people willing to look them up if they weren’t. I explained my price range and what was most important to me. I was led to several mattresses that met my main requirement–must feel soft. I knew the support was covered based on the core materials and your website.
I found 5 that were options for my next bed. I was not pressured and was given the freedom to enjoy the bedding. I purchased the Harmony. The mattress will be delivered soon and I will update my post after I’ve slept on it for a month or so.
Regarding the warranty, I asked in store and online about sagging and support changes.
I was wowed again:
- 1" or more sagging? Covered. Here I was thinking that up to 2" was normal before your site.
- no sagging but mattress no longer supporting within 10 years? Covered.
- mattress pad purchased with the mattress? covered for 10 years too.
Thank you for this website.
