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Hello all, Having recently visited a Dunlopillo store in Greece and tried out a few different latex mattresses, I settled on a “Fine Ivory” Talalay latex mattress which I liked for its combination of good support for the back and comfort for my aching hips and shoulders. I was told that the mattress contained only 70% natural latex but I could get a 99% natural latex mattress with a comparable degree of softness on special order for a couple of hundred Euros more, which I bought. Unfortunately, when the mattress arrived a few weeks later, I was dismayed to find that it was much, much firmer than the one I had tried in the store. In fact, the mattress was almost too hard to sleep on without feeling uncomfortable. On closer inspection, I discovered that the mattress (single, 21cm high) was made up of two layers of latex glued together; the one layer is softer to pressure (and indeed the mattress is slightly softer when I sleep on that side) but the texture is quite porous and more irregular in appearance. The other layer is smoother and creamier in appearance but it is VERY firm and the mattress feels firmer than I can tolerate when lying on that side. My first thought was that maybe I had received a Dunlop mattress instead of a Talalay one because I experienced a strong pushback from the mattress which hadn’t been the case in the store. I complained to the store owner who came to inspect the mattress together with a company rep. The rep was adamant that it was definitely Talalay and that there was nothing wrong with the mattress. He acknowledged that one side was firmer than the other but explained the disparity by saying that maybe the firmer side was from the bottom of the mold in which the latex had been cast. He also said that the mattress was a 100% natural product, with no chemical additives, and as such of necessity firmer than the 70% natural/30% synthetic variety. Yet, they are both described as medium by Dunlopillo (even though the one I tried in-store was really quite soft). He also insisted this was the best quality mattress Dunlopillo have. A week later, however, I received a call from the store manager who said I would be offered an exchange. I’m of course glad that I now have the option of getting the mattress exchanged, however I’m not at all sure the replacement mattress is actually going to be an improvement over the one I currently have. My confidence in this company has been shaken due to the inconsistency between what I was promised and what I finally received. Another thing that worries me is that the rep insisted the natural mattress was only available in one firmness; if I eventually receive a softer one, how do I know it’s natural (for which I’ve paid a premium) and not a natural/synthetic mix? I post two pictures of the mattress – I’d be very grateful if any of you could have a look and let me know what you think.
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sleeplikeadog, The following is from the Dunlopillo Greece site: http://www.dunlopillo.gr/products-list.php?lang=en&cat-id=17 It says clearly: "Multiple layers of natural talalay Latex's different densities provide whole body support and offer exceptional comfort and relaxation". And here's the link to the "100% natural talalay latex" mattress (though it's merely an entry on the catalogue and gives no information about the product whatsoever, unfortunately!) http://www.dunlopillo.gr/products-list.php?lang=en&cat-id=31 Finally, here's a section from the company history, which may (or may not) hold the key to the mystery: http://www.dunlopillo.gr/company.php?lang=en&id=14 2007: So Latex International has an exclusive partnership with Thalpos which owns the rights to the Dunlopillo brand for the Greek market. In June 2011, so quite recently, Latex International opened a new plant in Malaysia, which is said to be the only big production facility manufacturing both types of latex, Talalay and Dunlop. When I last spoke to him on the phone, the store owner (who is merely an authorised supplier of Dunlopillo products) speculated that someone in a warehouse might have got the wrong latex cores! Hmmm, I think I'll give the store owner a call tomorrow and see if he can deliver the mattress I ordered, and ask him for assurances that it will be of similar softness to the one I tried at the store. If not, I will ask for a natural/synthetic blend and request a refund of the premium I paid for the natural.
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