Check online reviews before buying a mattress
Let’s face it: the mattress industry is as scummy as the used car industry. Mattress companies market every model under a different name for every store to make price comparison virtually impossible. They charge ridiculous prices for special features that really don’t make a difference, or only help a small percentage of customers with particular difficulties. Loads of customers report mattresses failing well within the warranty period, but the company always swears you must’ve had an elephant bouncing on it or something, therefore it’s your fault, therefore no warranty coverage for you.
Of course they’re not all that bad. There are good mattresses out there at decent prices. But it is a purchase where you have to be very savvy, or you’re almost sure to spend more than you needed to on something you’re not very pleased with.
Internet consumer reviews
Before buying a particular mattress, or even narrowing your choice to a particular brand, check for online reviews of the brand. You may think this is a waste of time because different bodies will have different experiences; some of the “reviewers” might be corporate employees lying about how great the mattress is (or competitor’s employees lying about how bad it is); and someone giving a mattress three stars doesn’t really tell you anything. But reviews are a lot more helpful than you might think.
- Most reviewers of high-end stuff are pretty passionate (they just spent considerable money and are concerned about getting their money’s worth), so they often give lengthy, detailed reviews describing precisely what did and didn’t work for them about the mattress or the manufacturer’s customer service or warranty service.
- Many reviewers include information about their body type so you have some idea whether the person complaining has a vastly different build than you have, which could make all the difference in what mattress you and that person would like.
- Reviewers bring up points you may never have thought of or couldn’t easily find out for yourself, such as: conflicting information they got from two different stores, inside information they got from one of the good mattress salespeople that actually do exist (i.e., how to recognize a particular model from one store to the next), etc.
Reviews will not necessarily answer every question you need to get answered, but they will make you a much better informed shopper.
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