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I've been reading this forum off-and-on for quite some time, and have really learned a lot, and realized how much there is yet to know. I went to a local store that has a couple of stores in the area and was advertising its final closing days - everything must go one particular weekend! I missed that sale, but happened to be passing by the following weekend and saw they were still closing it out. So I decided to stop by and just see what there was. I found a reasonably priced (cheap) mattress and box spring set on sale, laid down, thought it was very comfortable and decided to buy it. At that price, I could afford to replace it in a few years, I thought. A few red flags made me a little suspicious. First, the fact that the sale was still going on, after the final closing date....Second, that the saleswoman offered me a discount from the lowest price she said they could give me, without me even asking for it....Third, they wanted me to pay cash for a further discount....Fourth, they said they couldn't arrange for delivery -- it was all booked up, they said, but they happened to have a guy in the stockroom who would deliver for me, independently, without the company being involved per se. Well, I put it on my credit card (thank goodness) instead of paying cash to get the extra $5 off, and got the delivery guy's name and phone number (thank goodness). The delivery day and time arrived, and I got a call from the delivery guy. Lo and behold, he told me they had sold my bed to someone else! No more in stock in that store, alas, but he said they would get one from their other store across the valley and deliver it the next day, and he thought that was okay. I told him, no, that is not okay. I have already taken my bed apart, and it's ready to go, and you promised me my bed delivered today, and now you're telling me you took my money and then sold my bed to someone else? I refused his offer and told him I was going to cancel the sale. Although it was after business hours, he said and no managers were around that I could talk to, he said he would call me right back. About 5 minutes later he called me back and said they were going to upgrade me for free just to make me happy. I told him no, I picked the bed I wanted because that was the bed I wanted, not some other bed. I repeated I was going to cancel the sale. He then put me on with a manager who informed me that it was an "all sales final" contract. I told him I had put it on my credit card and I was not going to pay for it. I told him I would the charge in dispute, and he said they would dispute it. And I said, so will I. He told me my bed would be there at the store the next day, and I repeated I am cancelling the sale. Long story short, my credit card company backed me up, and it appears I am out of the contract, although they warned me to wait 90 more days to make sure there are no more issues. This has given me an additional 4 months to research mattresses and hopefully avoid any such shysters again. I was reading someone's post that manufacurers' labels vary from store to store so that customers can't compare the prices. My question is: why is the mattress market so full of scams and shams? Any ideas about that? Or what we the people can do about it?
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Willy, think you were lucky and got out of this deal relitively undamaged. Much due to the position/actions you took. I'm not sure why or how the retail mattress inductry has gotten the deserved bad reputation it has. I equate this industry right along with the used car industry. I think it is qute common in the household goods industries to do as you say, custom labeling with model names and numbers. Makes it all but impossible to do any comparison shopping and also makes it easy for some retailers to advertise "we will not be under sold" with small gattcha's like "same make and model" knowing full well the model numbrs are exclusive to their chain/store. As a consumer you have to be on your toes all the time. Make the best you can with the time you have. Get educated on the various construction designs, material used in the industry and who the good players are. Best of luck in your search. And visit store and give the various makes/model a short test drive so you can weed out the undesirables and how mattresses with different construction vary in their feel/support. One thing to keep in mind is, if you're now sleeping on bed that doesn't offer decent support, a mattress that provide decent support may not feel comfortable in the short term. |
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Thank you, Webfoot! I appreciate the point you made. I've been sleeping on the same old Beautyrest for probably 20 years now and a few more months on those pocket coils won't make much difference at this point. I wonder if more couldn't be done with labeling laws. At least, the labels should require an accurate description of the mattress components - or do they? I must admit, I haven't spent any time yet reading mattress labels. I do think I'm fortunate not to be out the $400 plus, thanks to the fact I put it on my credit card rather than cash - not a ton of money, but I don't want to throw away my hard-earned dollars either. I really appreciate this forum, and will continue to read, sort through and digest the many options and helpful opinions from list contributors like you! |
| It is good you were able to get out of the contract. There was a place near me that did this, but the prices were not very good. They ended up opening in a smaller store a mile down the highway. There is another local chain that did this a few times and now it seems like they went under for good (or are just renaming). I feel like people are accepting this because everyone wants a lower price to get more stuff. Look at all these bedroom sets with multiple peices for lower prices rather than less, solid wood pieces for the same price. With people buying places they cannot afford and then need to furnish all of the rooms. I believe/hope there will soon be a change in mindset and people will consider buying less, but better quality items, rather than trying to have more items than their neighbor, at cost of quality. |
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Good points, too, Pat. I guess I was feeling a little impatient after patiently searching this forum (mainly) and seeing so much information and how complicated it was turning out to be to just try to identify a "good" mattress that wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg to find out if it suited me or not. So a moment of deciding to cut it all short and just decide nearly cost me $400 for nothing, or a bait-and-switch scheme. Now I'd like that store to try to explain to me if they were willing to give me a free upgrade "just to keep me happy" why they weren't willing to give me my money back and cancel the sale just to keep me happy, too. I had read enough on this forum to realize that finding a comfortable mattress is a very individualistic decision. The one I tried out on the store room floor would have been just fine, for awhile anyway, but I have a funny feeling the "upgraded" one they proposed to replace it with would have been a nightmare they couldn't unload on anyone else. And once I had taken delivery, there would be no turning back. That was not a gamble I bargained for. It was hard enough to cancel the sale, as it was. It has been a real hassle to get my money back, but I wasn't about to cave in after I realized I being scammed. I agree completely quality is certainly key. I've also read some reviews on this forum which have proved that price isn't necessarily a guarantee of comfot either. And with manufacturers changing labels between stores, and no certainty about what is inside those covers, how do we really know what we are getting, unless we build it ourselves, like so many are resorting to doing on this list? It would be nice if components would be sold openly, separately, locally, so we could buy exactly what we want, know what we're getting, and switch things out if they don't work out for us, with our individual needs and preferences. In lieu of that, stores should really show us what we're getting inside those lovely covers, and guarantee that the one on the showroom floor we try out is actually the same one we get if we decide to purchase it. These are not cheap items, and you can't buy anything that probably affects you more on a personal daily basis than a bed. They're not really exchangeable, at least after a short time -- and they are difficult to move, dispose of, and replace. Hence, the need to make it easier for us to know what the choices are, and what we're getting for what we pay - to know its quality and that it will last. I'm actually quite up in arms about my situation. I put my purchase off for a good long while, trying to make an informed decison. Buying a mattress shouldn't be rocket science, but it seems pretty close to it! |
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After purchasing from the Original Mattress factory, the sales rep lead me on to beleive that many retails look for an edge in selling the ones they have. I thought about and when I purchased my memory foam topper online, the owner of the online retailer, expressed the same feelings. Both were clear that it is a rough industry. Find a good company, or retailer and you will clearly see the difference between a sales person and a business person. I found that both of the retailers I purchased from were not anything like used car salesman at all. They had a clear focus of their products as well as good idea about the industry they work in and did not want to be that way. Sometimes price leads to a ugly company and yucky salespeople, however, it doesn't have to. Between original mattress factory and driftawaymattress, I can atest to some quality people in the mattress trade. I think if you find people who work for the store that care help. They have something vested in it more then a pay check. |
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Thank you, Laketrout! So what do people think about this: There's a reputable furniture store here that has been here for a long time - a name company. I got a flier in the mail from them today. They are selling the following for $799.99: - queen bed - mattress set - dresser - mirror, -nightstand -23" LED HDTV ! Can this possibly be as great a deal as it seems to be? I mean, it's almost too good NOT to buy! TALK ME OUT OF IT! Best, Weewillywinky |
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weewillywinky wrote: Thank you, Laketrout! So what do people think about this: There's a reputable furniture store here that has been here for a long time - a name company. I got a flier in the mail from them today. They are selling the following for $799.99: - queen bed - mattress set - dresser - mirror, -nightstand -23" LED HDTV ! Can this possibly be as great a deal as it seems to be? I mean, it's almost too good NOT to buy! TALK ME OUT OF IT! Best, Weewillywinky |