Addressing Common GhostBed Mattress Complaints

Disclosure: By clicking on the product links in this article, Mattress Nerd may receive a commission fee at no cost to you, the reader. Read full disclosure statement.

GhostBed is one of the top bed-in-a-box online mattress companies in the United States. They sell four beds—two foam and two hybrid—with varying special features and price points. All GhostBed mattresses are sold with generous policies that include free shipping, free returns, a 101-night sleep trial, and a 20- to 25-year warranty.

However, no mattress company or product is perfect, and customers sometimes take issue with GhostBed products and the GhostBed buying experience. In this article, we reveal the most common complaints about the GhostBed Original mattress and the GhostBed mattress line as a whole, share whether we think they’re valid, and offer solutions in cases where we do.

Common GhostBed Complaints:

1. Misleading Warranty Coverage
2. Untrue Claims about Motion Transfer
3. Sleeps Hot
4. Strictly Enforced Return Policy

Top GhostBed Mattress Complaints

Misleading Warranty Coverage

GhostBed’s warranties provide anywhere from 20 to 25 years of coverage, which is at least twice the average warranty period length in the mattress industry (most are 10 years). Customers on Amazon, BBB.org, and Consumer Affairs complain that the GhostBed website is misleading, advertising that the coverage lasts 20 years when, in reality, the mattress is only thoroughly covered for 10 years.

One reviewer writes, “I realized that after 11 years you pay 55% of the mattress cost to replace it, and that number goes up by 5% every year. So, if you have 1” body indentations after 19 years, you have to pay 95% of the mattress cost to replace it. I’m just upset it wasn’t more clear on their website.”

Verdict

• GhostBed does prominently advertise the length of its warranties on its website and social media channels, using 20- and 25-year warranties as a selling point for its products. Coverage is provided for years 11 and beyond, but the cost to the consumer is so high that the greatest value of the warranty is in the first 10 years. That being said, experts recommend replacing your mattress every 7 to 10 years, so GhostBed thoroughly protects your purchase for the time period during which it’s healthy to keep the mattress.

Solution

• Thoroughly read GhostBed’s warranty policies, especially for the bed you are considering. These policies are easy to find on GhostBed.com. Be sure to reach out to GhostBed’s customer service team via phone or email with any questions that will help you clarify what is and isn’t covered prior to purchase.

Untrue Claims About Motion Transfer

When it comes to whether or not the GhostBed successfully isolates motion for couples, opinions are mixed. Some reviewers write that their partner doesn’t feel  feeling any movement, while others say they wish there was less motion distribution. The Original GhostBed’s mixed-foam construction includes latex in the top comfort layer, which makes it a little more responsive than foam beds with memory foam or polyfoam at the top.Nonetheless, some customers seem aren’t satisfied in this performance category. One reviewer writes, “The claims about ‘motion transfer’ are also not true. I can still feel when my partner gets out of bed. It is better than a spring mattress but still noticeable.”

Verdict

•  A high-quality, well-made bed should do something to isolate motion, especially if it’s all-foam. That being said, GhostBed doesn’t make any bold claim about how well the Original will distill motion on its website, so customers who are dissatisfied with how well the bed performs here may have a very sensitive partner or be overweight.

Solution

• If your purchase the GhostBed and find it too responsive, consider a memory foam or pillow topper, which may help the bed absorb more motion than average

Mattresses That Isolate Motion Well for Couples:

See our full Leesa Hybrid Mattress Review to learn more. 

See our full Layla Mattress Review to learn more. 

Sleeps Hot

GhostBed prides itself on offering cool sleep with all its mattresses, promising that the GhostBed Original, Flex, Luxe, and 3D Matrix all offer cool sleep. However, some customers complain that the beds sleep not even temperature neutral but uncomfortably warm.

“The bed was extremely hot. Trappings of body heat woke me up every night,” wrote one reviewer, “I called to return their ‘toastbed’ and the refund process was a nightmare.”

Verdict

• Larger sleepers and couples most frequently cite issues with the GhostBed’s heat retention. The Original GhostBed technically isn’t supportive enough for heavyweight sleepers, but if reviewers are complaining about the GhostBed Luxe, GhostBed Flex, or GhostBed 3D Matrix, all of which have dedicated cooling features, GhostBed may have some work to do here with regard to the effectiveness of its cooling technology.

Solution

• Heavyweight sleepers should consider firmer mattresses which, by design, will sleep cooler. Heat tends to get trapped less the denser that a foam is, so a firmer mattress can both provide better support and help heavy sleepers stay cool.
• If you sleep hot, the best option of GhostBed’s inventory will be the GhostBed 3D Matrix. It has a hybrid design for better airflow, features cooling materials, and can be supportive enough for heavyweight sleepers. It is, however, the most expensive GhostBed mattress.

Mattresses That Sleep Cool: 

Read our full Bear Hybrid Mattress Review to learn more.

Read our full Cocoon by Sealy Mattress Review to learn more.

Strictly Enforced Return Policy

GhostBed gives customers over three months—101 nights to be exact—to try out their new GhostBed mattress with the option to return it to the company for a full refund. It’s not uncommon for mattress companies to require that customers sleep on their beds for a minimum number of nights prior to initiating a return, and GhostBed is one of them.

As a result, customers complain in GhostBed reviews that even though they’ve decided they don’t want the mattress within the first 30 days, they’re required to keep it around in their house until the 30th night has passed. This can create a frustrating scenario for customers who want to return it and begin their search for a new mattress or are simply eager to get their money back for the purchase.

Verdict

• GhostBed is clear on its website about the return policies, stating multiple times that returns can be processed after a GhostBed has been in the home for 30 days. Break-in periods are designed to help customers’ bodies adjust to the mattress prior to making a decision, but it’s understandable that quick decision-makers are frustrated by this policy.

Solution

• Before purchasing any mattress, thoroughly read the trial and return policy. For GhostBed in particular, don’t invest in one of their mattresses without ensuring you have a comfortable alternate sleeping surface to rest on if it doesn’t work out.

What’s Great About the GhostBed Mattress?

GhostBed is one of the largest online mattress retailers and started in 2015 as a division of Nature’s Sleep. The company is known for providing high-quality mattresses and good customer service that competes with top-notch household names like Casper, Leesa and Purple.

The GhostBed Original is the company’s flagship and best-selling mattress. It has a three-layer construction and a medium-firm setting (6/10 on the firmness scale) that makes it appropriate for all sleeping positions (side sleepers, back sleepers, and stomach sleepers) as well as lightweight and average weight body types. 

The top layer of foam in the GhostBed is low-density latex foam, which gives it a bouncy feel for  people who like a slightly more responsive foam bed. The gel memory foam layer adds pressure relief for painful pressure points to encourage a comfortable night’s sleep, and the high-density support foam base is supportive enough to encourage spinal alignment and give the bed better edge support than a memory foam mattress. The viscose blend cover also feels nice to the touch and is easy to spot-clean.

Customers also enjoy GhostBed’s generous policies, which include a 101-night sleep trial (even if the break-in period is 30 nights), a 20-year warranty, and free shipping in the contiguous USA (all GhostBeds ship as a bed-in-a-box). GhostBed is also relatively affordable considering its quality. All sizes, from Twin through California King, cost less than $1,500.

Sleepers who are more interested in motion isolation should consider the GhostBed Luxe, and GhostBed also offers two hybrid mattress options for people who need an even cooler night’s sleep.

The Bottom Line

In our opinion, GhostBed provides quality mattresses with considerable customer service and decent policies. Most of the common customer complaints have to do with issues with the finer details of GhostBed’s policies (the 30-day break-in period) and issues with the feel (firmness and general feel) of the mattress, neither of which are too much of a red flag. 

If you’re considering purchasing a GhostBed, be sure to thoroughly read through the descriptions of each mattress as well as the company’s policies so that you’re not blindsided by the fine print.