Saturday, May 09, 2009

Sleepy?

So remember that fabulous mattress I bought last summer? The one that made my bed look like a contender for the bed in the Princess and the Pea? Well, like the princess in that story, turns out this mattress has been ruining my sleep. And my back. I'm hoping this story will have a happy ending. It's not shaping up that way yet.

The first three months of the mattress were great, and when I had my surgery and needed all sorts of pillows and stuff to keep me from moving around in my sleep, I thought it was wonderful. Plus, I was in so much pain for other reasons that I didn't notice the growing dent in the pillowtop. After I started to really heal, though, I noticed that I was waking up with back pain again. Given that this was why I had replaced the mattress in the first place, this didn't seem too good. But it wasn't bad back pain. Maybe I was making it up?

After Christmas I moved to the downstairs guest bedroom so I wouldn't have to heat the whole house, and I slept delightfully well on the mattress down there for three months. By the time I moved back upstairs, the dented mattress had un-dented itself, and I managed to sleep well on it for a week or so, and then the dent reappeared and the pain came back. I was definitely not imagining it. One morning I woke up with a crick in my neck so bad that it gave me a near-migraine, and Thursday at midnight I woke up with a charlie horse in, of all places, the front of my leg, next to my shin-bone. It was excruciating. Also--that is a very difficult muscle to stretch out, I discovered. I crawled out of bed and tried flexing my foot, but it could barely move. So I tried massaging it, and was hit with such a sharp stabbing pain and overwhelming wave of nausea that I gave up and climbed back in bed. Not that I wanted to be there.

Today I finally succeeded in convincing Sleepy's, the illustrious company from whom I bought this piece of nightly torture, to send out an inspector at some point, but it turns out that they do not honour warrantees for back problems, only for manufacturing defects. The first customer service person I talked to tried to talk me into saying that there wasn't a dent (which I must have actually said, because I tend to cower in situations like this--but that was foolish, because it made things difficult for me later on) and that really I just wanted a new mattress.

Well, I do want a new mattress. I do think this one is defective, but the fact is that even if it isn't, I want a mattress--that does not have a pillowtop--that is just a normal mattress--that doesn't make me afraid to go to bed at night--that doesn't leave me crippled the next day. And I don't think I should have to buy a brand-new mattress myself (even at a discount) when the one provided for me (at the suggestion of the sales people whose diagnostic computer swears up and down that I need a soft, cushiony bed; I don't think so!), defective or not, has been causing me pain that could require extra expenditures on my part at a chiropractor's or something. I don't really care what is or isn't wrong with the mattress. I haven't had it a year, and I think I should be given a credit regardless.

But customer service does what they're told, and Sleepy's just wants to sell mattresses, and so that dent better still be in the bed when the inspector comes . . . sometime within the next month. Because until I get something better, I'm sleeping in the guest room.

8 comments:

jeff said...

If I were you, and I weren't sleeping on the thing nightly, I'd try and simulate my own body weight on it with stuff that's about your height and weight.
If the dent popped out before, it'll pop out again. And you want the inspector to see the bed in the state it would be if you're actually using it.
(I'm not saying be dishonest and try and mess it up; I'm saying simulate the real world situation.)

Elizabeth said...

I had friends that got an expensive Thermarest that was supposed to help their back problems, and it made their worse as well! Thankfully they got a warranty through the manufacturers and got a refund (or a new mattress... I don't remember.) I hope your mattress situation rectifies itself! I LOVE my pillow if you'd like a pillow recommendation. =)

revjas said...

You may need to contact the local Better Business Bureau if you don't get some satisfaction from Sleepy's. It's outrageous that they would accept no responsibility for a mattress that ruins your back!

The Sixes said...

You'd do well here...there seem to be two mattress types, firm and rock hard. Thankfully, we found one we like with at least a bit of softness (my hips were literally bruised after four nights in a hotel bed when we first arrived) but when we return to the US, I suspect any mattress will seem too soft.

This comment doesn't help your situation at all, but I wanted you know I care, and I know how important a good mattress is!

Annelise said...

I think Jeff has a good suggestion--and I'd say that Sleepy's doesn't sound like a very good place to go when I need a new mattress!

Tina said...

I am with you - Pillow TOP - no THANK YOU... we got a KING from Sleepy's as recommended by their sleep specialists - and now are stuck with a dent in the middle that we both roll to - and you can't flip it to even it out because there is no other side. We couldn't return it without a $250 stocking fee - which at this point we probably should have just eaten because now we are stuck with this. Life is too short for a miserable bed.

Mary Anne said...

Definitely do what Jeff said! MAKE a dent appear!! Like you said, it would be there if you were sleeping on it, so it's not dishonest.

And if that doesn't work...try sending a strongly worded, threatening ("I will never buy a mattress from you again and will tell everyone I know not to either)" letter to their corporate headquarters. Corporate headquarters seem to really respond to complaints.

Office Depot recently sold me a brand new laptop for $400 instead of $750 because I complained about something at corporate headquarters after no luck with the store management first!

Jennwith2ns said...

Wise (and funny!) comments, all. Thanks for the advice. At this writing, the mattress saga is on hold until I get back from vacation. We shall see what happens next . . . eventually.