Dishonest Mattress Salesman Tricks to Watch Out For

Concerning mattress warranties, I bought two mattresses for my kids when I moved into a new house. I purchased one full and one queen at a very low price from Sit and Sleep. My kids (teenagers) started to complain about the comfort of the mattress within in a year or two. Being a busy mom, it took me a while to call the company and have someone come out out and evaluate the mattresses. They had developed dips in the center. A guy came out with measuring devices (felt a bit like an old traveling circus snake oil show) and deemed that my son's mattress (queen) would have been in need of replacement if it weren't "dirty." Why that affected a wear and tear tear claim, I have no idea. My daughter's wear and tear was not considered significant, but her mattress was princess sparkly. So two crummy mattresses were still in my possession. Be sure to keep a mattress cover on the bed, especially if you have a gross teen-aged boy. Don't be surprised if the warranty does you absolutely no good. It's all on the manufacturer, not the store to honor the waranty, and only on their terms. Good luck. I'm searching for a new queen-sized mattress and would really just rather clean toilets. Ugh.

That all depends on your risk tolerance. There is maybe a ~1/40 chance that there is some kind of manufacturer's defect, and in which case there's not much you can do. But generally, floor models are great.

Interesting articles. Thank you for the information. I was offered a discounted price on a floor model Beauty Rest mattress made for Mattress Firm while I was shopping in the showroom. The list price for this mattress bought brand new was around $3400, and the final cost of the floor model mattress with a mattress protector and sales tax etc is about $1000. There is no warranty and no trial period with this mattress. Is it worth it? Thank you, Audrey

In general, the mattress will outlast the topper. If you're happy with the topper, the key would be to get a supportive mattress underneath, and don't worry too much about the foam built into the top of the mattress since you'll be using your own.

We already have a 4" memory foam topper but want a new mattress when we move. Is a good mattress just as important considering the topper?

1) Warranties come with the mattress. I've never seen a warranty "sold separately." 2) An old boxspring from a different brand does NOT generally void the warranty unless the boxspring is in bad shape or is a different type. Read the fine print of a warranty some time. This blog is updated regularly, and I am not giving a "partial answer to the truth." I don't just "seem" like an expert on mattresses. I AM one. I've been in the mattress business for over 10 years now.

The way you made it sound is as though anytime a mattress salesman offers a warranty they shouldn't buy it, or that they shouldn't have to buy a box spring. MOST customers actually try to use an old box spring from a different brand which DOES void there warranty. I think this blog needs a little updating. You are only giving a partial story to make yourself seem like an expert on mattresses, but are only giving a partial answer to the truth.

I haven't heard that before. Generally, hotel mattresses will be similar to the retail versions, but just a little simpler. For example, they don't need to look pretty to get you to buy them in a store, so they'll look a little more plain. Instead of a "true pillowtop" many will use a "euro-top" design. Things like that. It's very possible that they also sacrifice quality in the layers of foam, but I can't verify that myself.

I am thinking about buying a king bed from the Four Seasons Hotel. I have read in one or two places that the hotel beds are made to be extremely comfort, but not to last as long. i have no idea if that is true. do you have any opinions on both the four seasons bed itself, and whether it would be true that a hotel bed (such as the four seasons one) would be made more cheaply and not last as long? thanks!

I just know that they're fairly basic mattresses. They tend to be lower quality, but have a lower price that is roughly in line with the quality.

What do you know about IKEA mattresses?

President's Day also has good sales, and there are some other holidays like Columbus Day and 4th of July which are also good, but maybe not quite as good as, say, Black Friday. In my experience, Grand Opening sales aren't a big deal, especially of just a new store in a chain. The time to get the absolute best deals is when a company is going out of business, but that's exceedingly rare.

Thank you for a well written article, it is sound advice and much appreciated as I shop for a new mattress for a spare bedroom- I'm not in a hurry. My question is, besides Labor Day and Black Friday, is there a "best time" to make a mattress purchase? I have a Sears Mattress opening near me- do they generally have some spectacular grand opening sales? thanks for any advice.

That's not a terrible deal. US Mattress still has that one, and it's currently at 878 with a frame (and free delivery, don't know if that was included in Mattress Firm's number). Of course you could've gotten a better deal during Labor Day, but next opportunity like that is in 2 months for Black Friday.

Just bought a Beautyrest twin with box springs at Mattress Firm "after" Labor Day sale. The 50% sale was over, but they offered 40% off the mattress; and I paid $100 for the box springs (was free over Labor Day). With a $39.00 bed frame, my total was $836. The bed is a BAY Spring FPT MATT PRIME, which was introduced in 2015. Over Labor Day, the Queen was $649.99 with a free Box Spring. Am now home but thinking I overpaid. Delivery date is set for Sept. 23, 2017; and I was told I can get a refund anytime before the bed is delivered. What do you think?

Companies need to focus on being more than a place to just walk in and make a purchase these days. For example, I'm a big board gaming nerd, and a lot of Friendly Local Gaming Scores are struggling to keep up with Amazon's prices. That's why we're seeing the rise of board game cafes. I don't know exactly what that will look like in the mattress world. Maybe somebody needs to come up with an overnight mattress store where each mattress is in a separate little room, and you can actually sleep on the beds or something crazy like that (I can think of about a dozen different reasons that specific idea might be bad, but it's just a random thought for an example). But, I think mom and pop mattress stores will have to come up with some kind of an angle, not only to compete with online stores, but also to compete with the Mattress Firm behemoth.

You said, "I still maintain it’s best to go into a showroom to try out the mattresses for support and comfort. But, once you find the right mattress, if the salesman creeps you out, don’t be afraid to make the purchase online. Conversely, if you get an honest salesperson, don’t be afraid to give him or her your business and tell your friends." That's the best advice. I always shop where I can handle the item, then often go online to actually buy. I know this harms the retailers and if enough people do it, will eventually cause them to go out of business; so when I find a salesperson who is honest and provides me with real, actionable information that I didn't have before, and the price is not significantly higher, I always reward them with a purchase. Ultimately though I feel like the Internet will kill specialty retailers. Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Costco will survive, but Ted's Beds is dead.

Thanks for the reply!

It's tough to say. It's weird that they "didn't have any more" but still said you could buy one at retail pricing. We generally sold floor models when an item was discontinued altogether. So, it's possible you could've bought a floor model at a great deal, but it is a little weird that they'd offer a floor model if it's still an active SKU.

My wife and I were offered one of these great deals at a furniture store where the salesman dropped the price after we inquired because he said they didn't actually have any more there and we would need to either by the floor model for a huge discount or order one at just about their "retail" pricing. I'm not sure what the mattress was but is something like this usual? We didn't buy it but I always wondered if that was a trick or were we really getting a great deal.

Cheryl Frushon , which mattress did you buy and do you like it ow , I am just beginning my mattress research for price and quality on a Queen memory foam, thanks for your reply ! jdhart1@aol.com

The world needs more mattress salesmen like you. I worked for a store that did the same thing. They'd keep advertising 50% off, but it was off of the "list price," which the mattress was never sold at. In fact, even if we tried selling it for the "list price," the computer wouldn't even let us because it was too high.

I work for Sears mattress shop and I can tell you that the prices on that sign are total BS. I would never tell a customer that that "regular" price was legitimate. It offends me that those signs even exist. We need to start treating consumers like they have some intelligence.

Loved your information! We are on our way to buy a mattress! Wish us LUCK! I will let you now how we did!