I was prepared to purchase the Astoria mattress at Christeli. When I went to the website and their price had doubled. I sent an email asking why and received a reply to wait. I waited a week and when I went back the price was lower than I had ever seen. I took a test they have which tells you which mattresses to consider. The Astoria always came up, but know even if I changed my selections I never saw the Astoria.as a selection. I sent another email to find out what was going on. I was told to call and speak with Vincent. I sent Vincent an email and explained after my experience with WCW,Inc owners of Natural Forms, Satbed and emattress, I told him I will only deal in emails so that there are no problems about what was said… I also asked why their return policy had changed. Now only one exchange and no cash back and that could change. .I have decide to forget about a company that if you are lucky and get them when they offer cash back, fine. Why would a company keep changing a return policy, have crazy prices that change and then on a questionnaire to help you get the right mattress, now never come up with the one that was always included. Instead, now the Astoria gone from the list to much higher priced mattresses.
Hi cinn,
I’m not clear what you are referring to here since I haven’t seen a price that was double their current price (although I certainly could have missed it if it was only there for a few days) but at least they had the integrity to suggest that you wait. If you look at the wayback machine here you can see some examples of the price of the Astoria over time (along with the different sales that were in effect at the time which can also affect the value of a mattress purchase) and for a queen size they have ranged from a low of $757.08 in June, 2013 to $792.08 through the middle of 2015 to $899 in the last part of 2015. Their current price is $799.08 which is lower than it has been for quite some time.
Your own careful testing and/or your actual personal experience is the most reliable way to know whether any mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP or how closely it “matches” another mattress but when you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
I would also tend to avoid online mattress selectors or emails when you are dealing with more complex questions such as “which mattress would be best for me” and talk with online retailers or manufacturers on the phone instead (see post #4 here).
As you can see my earlier reply to you in post #4 here (which I updated) their return/exchange policies have changed on a number of occasions over the years.
Like any company their prices, their sales and any bonuses they offer, and other terms and conditions of a purchase can change from time to time and this is up to the discretion of the manufacturer or retailer and how they respond to changing conditions in the market that they compete in. As long as you are clear about the price, return/exchange options, and the benefits of any current sale they are offering at the time of a purchase then I’m not sure why there would be an issue since all of these would just be part of the “value” of a mattress purchase that you would be comparing to other options that are available to you at the time you make a purchase.
I would also keep in mind that return/exchange policies are built in to the cost of a mattress as a hidden cost and consumers that don’t return or exchange a mattress are the ones that pay for the ones that do. There is more information about return and exchange policies in post #25 here and in post #3 here). While they aren’t as important with a local mattress purchase that you can test in person … with an online purchase they can certainly lower the risk of buying a mattress that may not turn out as well as you hoped for and a return/exchange policy can certainly be an important part of the “value” of an online purchase and each person’s personal value equation.
There is also more information about the 3 most important parts of “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here 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 suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
While I can’t speak to how any mattress will “feel” for someone else in terms of firmness, “comfort”, or PPP because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances … outside of “comfort” and PPP the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress always depends on knowing the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you can find out the information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links that would be a cause for concern or compromise the durability and useful life of a mattress you are considering before making any purchase.
All of the Christeli mattresses use high quality materials and there are no lower quality/density materials or “weak links” in any of their mattress that would compromise the durability or useful life of their mattresses so from a quality/durability perspective any of their mattresses would certainly be well worth considering.
While the price of a mattress is certainly one of the more important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase … there are many other parts to the “value” of a mattress purchase as well and unfortunately there isn’t a “formula” that can be used to assess or “calculate” value because there are so many different variables and criteria involved that may be more or less important to different people. In other words … the “value” of a mattress purchase is always relative to how it compares to the other finalists you are considering or to the other mattresses that are available to you in your area or online (if you are also looking at online options) in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences), the quality and durability of the materials, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you at the time you make your purchase. There are many reasons that a mattress that may be “good value” for one person may not be worth considering for someone else.
Phoenix
PS: I amalgamated all three of your topics about Christeli into a single topic