% Variances: Full at Home vs Queen in Showroom

Last week, I made the mistake of buying a mattress at Sl**pys in NYC. (I really wanted to buy from the one well-respected small retailer in the city but I had a horrible experience when I went to his showroom.)

I bought the Simmons Beautyrest World Class Recharge Shakespeare Collection Luxury Plush mattress in Full Size. It was meant to replace my Sealy’s Connelly mattress that I had bought 10 years ago and was sagging in the middle. The mattress delivered was horribly uncomfortable and more firm than in the store. I woke up the first morning with pain in my back and hips. Customer Service both on the phone and in the store gave me several excuses for why this would happen, including that a Queen would naturally have different materials from a Full. (Side note: when I called King Koil later in the week and they directed me to someone at the plant, the plant rep said that their %'s would never vary - amount of material would naturally change but the RATIO would always be the same.)

I’m attaching copies of the store tag vs my tag. Am I crazy that this is NOT the same bed? I just replied to another woman who posted about a similar issue and is considering going to the BBB and Atty General. I also just got off the phone with Sl***pys again, and the Atty General fraud threat doesn’t phase them. I have to play the game and accepted a free replacement of the same model, and if that is still too firm supposedly they will do another exchange at no fee and if I want a full return I’ll have to speak to the District Manager and Marketing & Sales Director.

Thoughts?

Wow, that is crazy!The percentages on the tag do seem different! And why would one size naturally have different materials from another??? Sorry that happened.; I hope it is resolved to your satisfaction. For what it’s worth, I’m having a terrible time w/my month-old Simmons Recharge pillowtop. Good luck–

While I was in the store last Sunday the salesperson supposedly called the Simmons rep who said this is normal. I don’t believe any of these people top to bottom - the Sleepy’s people, the Simmons people, even what I find online. How is this industry not regulated?

Hi suzan,

That’s unfortunate that you ended up at Sleepy’s. As you may know from your reading here I would generally suggest avoiding them along with all the major brands (see the guidelines here).

While it’s normal that a new mattress will feel a little firmer than a floor model for the first few weeks while the mattress is breaking in and you are adjusting to a new sleeping surface (see post #3 here) … and it’s also not that uncommon that a consumer chooses a mattress that isn’t a suitable match for them in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and they experience pain or discomfort and don’t sleep well on it in their bedroom in spite of the testing they did in the showroom … their comment that a queen would have different materials from a full size mattress is nonsense and the percentages on the law tag would be the same if it was the same mattress.

If the law tag is different then it’s not the same mattress … end of story.

[quote] I just replied to another woman who posted about a similar issue and is considering going to the BBB and Atty General. I also just got off the phone with Sl***pys again, and the Atty General fraud threat doesn’t phase them. I have to play the game and accepted a free replacement of the same model, and if that is still too firm supposedly they will do another exchange at no fee and if I want a full return I’ll have to speak to the District Manager and Marketing & Sales Director.

Thoughts?[/quote]

My suggestions would be the same as the suggestions I made to Andie in post #3 here who is in a similar situation.

In Andie’s case the Therapedic they tested in the showroom uses good quality materials but the Sealy you tested doesn’t so quite frankly you would be better off with a refund so you could start over again and choose a different mattress that uses better quality and more durable materials although they would be “within their rights” to correct their mistake and replace your mattress with the one that you intended to purchase in the first place.

If you are able to get a refund and start over again then the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the New York City area (subject to the quality/value guidelines here) are listed in post #2 here.

Like all industries in the US … there are a number of regulations that apply to the mattress industry both on a federal and state level that are monitored or enforced by the CSPC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) in the case of the fire regulations that apply to the industry, the FTC in the case of various claims that are made by manufacturers, by the state Attorneys General departments that enforces state consumer protection laws, and by other federal and state agencies as well but in many cases they are not well enforced and usually require a specific complaint to initiate an investigation rather than being monitored on an ongoing basis.

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix. I only discovered your website this morning - I had previously been reviewing Sleep Like the Dead. I didn’t want to end up at Sleepys, but I wanted to avoid the dept stores and was very unsatisfied with my visit to Craigs Beds and didn’t know where else to turn. I have already taken your advice and called my credit card company, so my account is notated that I may be calling back to dispute the charge. The replacement mattress is coming tomorrow, and I’m going to check the tag before they carry it upstairs - if it’s different I am going to photograph it and refuse the mattress, and then go to one of the other stores. I have already been to the Casper store. I appreciate what they are doing but the mattress wasn’t soft enough for me. I’ll have to look into some of the others. I am a side sleeper, over 40, and very heavy so I need something really soft. My beloved previous bed, a Sealy produced right before the company went public in 2005, was considered “Ultra Plush” and made out of the following materials: 53% Polyurethane Foam, 27% Latex / Polyurethane Foam, 14% Polyethylene Foam, and 6% Blended Silk/Wool / Polyester Fiber. Given that, if you could suggest how to find an appropriate replacement, I would appreciate it…Thanks!

Hi suzan,

The law tag only lists the percentage of each type of material based on their their weight and doesn’t provide any information about the thickness of any of the layers, the order of the layers, the quality/durability of the materials, the specifics of the innerspring in the mattress, or the design of the mattress so it isn’t possible to use the law tag to try and “match” one mattress to another one.

There is more about the different ways that one mattress can “match” another one in post #9 here but unless you can confirm that two mattresses have almost exactly the same design with the same type of materials and components that are layered in the same order, have the same layer thicknesses and firmness levels, and a functionally similar cover, there really isn’t any way to know how closely two mattresses will approximate each other for any particular person outside of your own personal testing or experience and in the case of major brand mattresses that have changed over the years you won’t be able to find out enough specific information to try and match one of their older mattresses to one of their newer ones based on specs anyway.

Your best chance of success would be to follow all the steps in the mattress shopping tutorial which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the most suitable, the most durable, and the best “value” choice that is currently available to you in your area (or online) … and will also help you know how and why to avoid the worst ones (including major brands).

Phoenix

Wanted to share my update: the equal swap replacement was to be delivered this morning, and instead of having the delivery carried up 5 flights of stairs, I went down to the truck. The law tag on the new mattress was exactly the same as what I already have, meaning, still very different from what is in the showroom. I took pictures, officially rejected the delivery and was called 10 min later by HQ. They still outright refuse a refund but are only now considering whether they have a QA problem. And if that’s the case with this mattress, who can say if any of their other deliveries are going to be right? I’m supposed to get a call from the District Mgr, at this point, likely tomorrow. Yes, I can write letters and dispute the claim with the credit card company…this whole thing is just so frustrating.

Hi suzan,

I can certainly understand your frustration and I hope that your conversation with the district manager will resolve your situation.

Phoenix