New member,... some questions
Aug 17, 2009 1:49 AM
Joined: Aug 17, 2009
Points: 542
Hello everyone. I am a new member and I have a couple of questions.

I have been sleeping on a water bed for over 20 years now. The most recent bed is now 10 years old and the floatation material seems to be wearing out as it wants to bunch up on one side. It is a California King and I sleep in it alone, mostly I am a side sleeper. I am 6'2" tall and weighed 210 pounds.

I have been thinking about all natural, organic latex mattress. I have been reading quite a few of the online retailers websites. I have pretty well narrowed it down to two companies. Sleep Ez, primarily because of all the good posts on this site regarding them, and also Savvy Rest because they have gotten other reviews on other sites that were good. I have talked with Savvy Rest by phone and they were very helpful and courteous. However their pricing compared to Sleep EZ is quite a bit higher. The one thing that does concern me about Sleep EZ is the fact that they seem to believe that blended Talalay is not only as good as natural organic Talalay but in some ways superior. This makes me wonder if I were to purchase an all natural Talalay mattress from them, would I actually get a mattress that would have a great deal of synthetic material in it.

Savvy Rest is very adamant about the fact that their mattresses are natural organic latex, whether it is Dunlop or Talalay processed. I have been quite impressed with their customer service department and was leaning towards them until I found this site and all of the great references to Sleep EZ.

Can those members of this forum who have used one or the other of these companies post their experiences regarding the concerns that I have listed? I would appreciate it very much, because as you all know these mattresses are quite expensive and those of us who are living on Social Security just cannot afford to make a mistake. Savvy Rest does not have a return policy for the whole bed only a 90 day exchange policy for a layer of latex. It seems that Sleep EZ is more liberal. Any and all recommendations would be welcome.

Thank you

Don
What a responsive board.
Reply #2 Aug 20, 2009 11:54 PM
Joined: Aug 17, 2009
Points: 542
Boy Oh Boy! What a responsive board. No wonder you all don't get more traffic.
Re: New member,... some questions
Reply #3 Aug 21, 2009 4:07 PM
Location: L.A. area
Joined: Jan 18, 2008
Points: 1161
As I told someone else who asked a similar question, I recommend flobeds because if you hate it you can return it for a refund minus shipping and it gives you the chance to try out various firmnesses of latex and/or memory foam.
Re: New member,... some questions
Reply #4 Aug 21, 2009 5:01 PM
Joined: Aug 17, 2009
Points: 542
jimsocal wrote:
As I told someone else who asked a similar question, I recommend flobeds because if you hate it you can return it for a refund minus shipping and it gives you the chance to try out various firmnesses of latex and/or memory foam.

Jim, thank you so much for responding, it had been several days since my initial post and the only response I had received was from myself, until your post.

I agree with you about FlowBeds. They seem to be a very nice family run business and one of the few companies with a return policy. I am waiting to receive some samples from them that Dewey has sent to me. I have some samples from Savvy Rest, and the fact that they do sell Dunlop interests me. The Dunlop just seems to be a more natural feeling latex as opposed to Talalay. It's a shame that FlowBeds do not offer it. Savvy Rest on the other hand has both kinds. Unfortunately Savvy Rest does not have a return policy. The pricing from both companies is quite similar. Also Savvy Rest charges more freight costs when returning a layer of latex that you do not care for, during the 90 day testing period.

Again Jim, thank you for responding.
Re: New member,... some questions
Reply #5 Aug 22, 2009 9:13 AM
Joined: Nov 19, 2008
Points: 53
I have no experience with any of the companies you mentioned, but a search on this forum will yield dozens of discussions about Sleepez, Flobeds and Savvy Rest. Considering the budget issue, you may also want to check into organic mattresses made by foamorder.com.  Their Natural Sense mattress is dunlop. I think they're less expensive than the others, but I'm not sure about their return policy. I don't think any of the companies match Flobeds return policy. Foamorder also has a clearance section with good prices. The web site is confusing, so I'd suggest you call them to discuss your needs. By the way, I have no connection to them, but spent alot of time researching their site before finally deciding to order from FBM because of my own budget issues. The web site is:  http://www.foamorder.com/organic-mattress.html
Re: New member,... some questions
Reply #6 Aug 22, 2009 1:31 PM
Joined: Aug 17, 2009
Points: 542
Beanie wrote:
I have no experience with any of the companies you mentioned, but a search on this forum will yield dozens of discussions about Sleepez, Flobeds and Savvy Rest. Considering the budget issue, you may also want to check into organic mattresses made by foamorder.com.  Their Natural Sense mattress is dunlop. I think they're less expensive than the others, but I'm not sure about their return policy. I don't think any of the companies match Flobeds return policy. Foamorder also has a clearance section with good prices. The web site is confusing, so I'd suggest you call them to discuss your needs. By the way, I have no connection to them, but spent alot of time researching their site before finally deciding to order from FBM because of my own budget issues. The web site is:  http://www.foamorder.com/organic-mattress.html

Beanie: Thank you for responding.

I checked out foamorder.com as you suggested. Their prices are certainly the least expensive by about half compared to the prices charged by both Savvy Rest and FlowBeds. SleepEZ is between the bottom and the top two with their pricing.

At FlowBeds you can only get talalay while at SleepEZ and Savvy Rest you can get dunlop and talalay.

However the better business bureau's rating for foamorder.com is not nearly as good as the other three. In the last thirty-six months foamorder.com has had eleven complaints filed against them. While FlowBeds has had none in the last seven years. And Savvy Rest, if memory serves, has only had one in the last thirty-six months. I believe SleepEZ has had one or two. Everyone should check the Better Business Bureau for themselves.

I am heavily leaning towards either Savvy Rest or FloBeds. I believe they have the most straightforward and legitimate operation of all of the websites I have investigated, with a price that is anywhere near reasonable. You can find all kinds of websites, but some of the prices are absolutely outrageous. FlowBeds seems to have by far the best return policy. However they only handle Talalay latex. Unfortunately where I live I cannot lay down on a sample and check it out for myself. So I am going to actually drive out of state Monday to a company that handles Savvy Rest products and see for myself. The idea of having to mail layers back and forth does not appeal to me. And Savvy Rest, unlike FloBeds does not have a return policy only an exchange of latex layers for 90 days.

Foamorder.com has a restocking fee of thirty-five percent on their cover that you put the latex foam in. They have no restocking fee for the latex itself if you're dissatisfied and return it. And they claim to have free shipping on the original order. They do allow an exchange of layers where you pay the shipping charges.

But they're somewhat liberal policies on exchanges and returns have to be questioned in light of 11 complaints that the better business bureau have been filed against them in the last thirty-six months.

I am sure others, who have used them, have a much more extensive and accurate picture of what this very low price foam ordering company has actually been like for them.
This message was modified Aug 22, 2009 by eagle2
Re: New member,... some questions
Reply #7 Aug 22, 2009 4:25 PM
Joined: Nov 19, 2008
Points: 53
eagle2,

Thanks for the additional information about foamorder.  I understand why you're traveling out of state to try out a mattress. I almost did the same, since I live in an area where latex mattresses are not available, certainly not organic. I took a risk with FBM, but luckily it worked out for me because there's no way I could have repacked the mattress or topper and shipped them back. Good luck and please report back to us.

Ilene

Re: New member,... some questions
Reply #8 Aug 22, 2009 5:21 PM
Joined: Aug 17, 2009
Points: 542
Beanie wrote:
eagle2,

Thanks for the additional information about foamorder.  I understand why you're traveling out of state to try out a mattress. I almost did the same, since I live in an area where latex mattresses are not available, certainly not organic. I took a risk with FBM, but luckily it worked out for me because there's no way I could have repacked the mattress or topper and shipped them back. Good luck and please report back to us.

Ilene


IIene: Is FBM the same as foamorder.com? Or is this the abbreviation for "Flow Bed Mattresses."?

I just received the sample talalay from Flowbeds. The samples of talalay from Flowbeds seem to be the same as the talalay samples from Savvy Rest. I assume they both use Latex International. Savvy Rest uses COCOLatex from India for there dunlop.

At this point in time I am quite torn between the two companies. Both companies are excellent natural 100 percent organic suppliers of latex mattresses, it seems to me. But FloBed's does not use anything but talalay. But they have the very best return policy and seem like a company that does everything they can to take care of their customers and make them satisfied. Their cost for returning a layer of latex is quite a bit less expensive than savvy rest. They also have a 90 day period in which you can return the mattress and get your money back without any restocking fees. Savvy rest does not have a return policy and their exchange policy gets expensive due to their freight charges. But Savvy Rest has Dunlop!!

A most perplexing situation. I absolutely need to get to a dealer and try out the various types of latex and firmness layers to make a truly informed decision. I should know quite a bit more by the middle of next week. I will be sure to report back and give you all my impressions.
This message was modified Aug 22, 2009 by eagle2
Re: New member,... some questions
Reply #9 Aug 23, 2009 8:08 PM
Joined: Nov 19, 2008
Points: 53
Sorry for the abbreviation. FBM is foambymail.com,  not foamorder. FBM carries the least expensive latex mattresses and many folks on this board have had good results ordering from them. However, many other people have not been happy with the quality of the latex because of apparent irregularities in the product (i.e., irregular holes, ILDs, etc.) The web site is pretty cheesy and the company doesn't seem to be straightforward about the source of the latex. Having said that, once the latex is inside the terry cover (an upgrade) with perhaps a separate mattress cover on top (I have the Cuddle Bed), it is very attractive with no indication of any imperfections. Their range of ILDs is more limited than the other companies you are considering. And they don't offer organic. Hope this helps.
Re: New member,... some questions
Reply #10 Aug 23, 2009 10:44 PM
Joined: Aug 17, 2009
Points: 542
Beanie wrote:
Sorry for the abbreviation. FBM is foambymail.com,  not foamorder. FBM carries the least expensive latex mattresses and many folks on this board have had good results ordering from them. However, many other people have not been happy with the quality of the latex because of apparent irregularities in the product (i.e., irregular holes, ILDs, etc.) The web site is pretty cheesy and the company doesn't seem to be straightforward about the source of the latex. Having said that, once the latex is inside the terry cover (an upgrade) with perhaps a separate mattress cover on top (I have the Cuddle Bed), it is very attractive with no indication of any imperfections. Their range of ILDs is more limited than the other companies you are considering. And they don't offer organic. Hope this helps.

Beanie: Thank you for the response. When you indicate that they do not offer organic, what do you mean?

This company claims to be selling Talalay latex foam from Europe. Is it a blended latex foam? Part synthetic and part natural rubber?

This is the problem with so much of the mattress marketing today. It is so difficult to really find out what the actual product is. I have lived my life around synthetic latex without any problems. But I have never owned a bed that was purely a synthetic bed. The problem with synthetic latex is that the quality can be all over the place due to the fact that there are no government regulations stating what the product must be. This business about the "organic latex" I believe is over hyped. They are selling a great deal against synthetics. In the end what is really important is the quality of the latex. How does it feel to sleep on? Does it indent prematurely? How long will it last? And last but not least, how much does it cost?

This company, foambymail.com,  claims to sell you a piece of six inch Talalay California King size for 609 dollars and 99 cents with free shipping and handling. Therefore a bed of two pieces six inches thick would give you 12 inches at a cost of 1,219 dollars 98 cents

Comparing this to FlowBeds, Savvy Rest, and SleepEZ and they are cheaper by a minimum of 1000 dollars to 1500 dollars less money. Something does not seem right somewhere.

By the way this company has had 13 complaints to the BBB in the last 36 mo. All resolved. However, Flowbeds has not had a complaint in over 7 years and savvy rest has only had one I believe, while, if my recall is correct, SleepEZ has had two or three. Just a thought. Everyone should check out the BBB for themselves.

But like I am so fond of saying, "If it works for you, where's the beef?" And we can throw this one in for good measure."If you're happy, you're happy!" "If you're not, you're not!"
This message was modified Aug 23, 2009 by eagle2
Re: New member,... some questions
Reply #11 Aug 24, 2009 5:55 PM
Joined: Nov 19, 2008
Points: 53
eagle2 wrote:
Beanie: Thank you for the response. When you indicate that they do not offer organic, what do you mean?

This company claims to be selling Talalay latex foam from Europe. Is it a blended latex foam? Part synthetic and part natural rubber?

This is the problem with so much of the mattress marketing today. It is so difficult to really find out what the actual product is. I have lived my life around synthetic latex without any problems. But I have never owned a bed that was purely a synthetic bed. The problem with synthetic latex is that the quality can be all over the place due to the fact that there are no government regulations stating what the product must be. This business about the "organic latex" I believe is over hyped. They are selling a great deal against synthetics. In the end what is really important is the quality of the latex. How does it feel to sleep on? Does it indent prematurely? How long will it last? And last but not least, how much does it cost?

This company, foambymail.com,  claims to sell you a piece of six inch Talalay California King size for 609 dollars and 99 cents with free shipping and handling. Therefore a bed of two pieces six inches thick would give you 12 inches at a cost of 1,219 dollars 98 cents

Comparing this to FlowBeds, Savvy Rest, and SleepEZ and they are cheaper by a minimum of 1000 dollars to 1500 dollars less money. Something does not seem right somewhere.

By the way this company has had 13 complaints to the BBB in the last 36 mo. All resolved. However, Flowbeds has not had a complaint in over 7 years and savvy rest has only had one I believe, while, if my recall is correct, SleepEZ has had two or three. Just a thought. Everyone should check out the BBB for themselves.

But like I am so fond of saying, "If it works for you, where's the beef?" And we can throw this one in for good measure."If you're happy, you're happy!" "If you're not, you're not!"

eagle2... I mentioned organic only because your original post suggested that's what you are looking for. Maybe I misunderstood. FBM claims to sell Talalay latex and they say it's all "natural" (not organic), but they do not provide any certifications or source information and the quality is suspect from a visual point of view. They may buy "seconds" although they don't say so.  I didn't really care about any of that when I made my purchase.  I've had my mattress for about six months and it is exactly the same today as on day one, no indentations or anything like that. But I have no idea how long it will last.  If I recall, the warranty isn't as long as warranties from other companies (10 years vs. 25.) The drastic price differences are due to quality of the latex (maybe just visual but hard to ascertain), return policies, customer service (or lack thereof), quality of packing/shipping materials (see older posts about FBM's packaging), and web site. Compare Flobeds web site with FBM; er, a substantial investment vs. pennies.  Regarding BBB complaints, frankly I never check this even though many people swear by it.  While it's great that Flobeds has a perfect record, I don't view FBM's 13 complaints in 36 months as a negative because (1) the complaints were resolved and (2) it says nothing about how many have been sold to satisfied customers (13 out of how many? 13 million? .... there's always a complainer in the crowd). Anywho, that's just my two cents. I really don't have any long-term experience with latex like some of the other folks here, so maybe someone else can chime in. Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.
This message was modified Aug 24, 2009 by Beanie