Which mattress? (merged threads)

Tim_Deegan

Wendy_Ong wrote: »

Hello Tim, I am a new user to this forum. Have been looking through the first 40 pages of the thread, and I must say that the advices from you are extremely helpful. I have just ordered a Hyder Bali Ottoman Leather Double Bed from Morale Home Furnishing website on Friday, before coming across this forums, which is why I have made the fundamental error of buying the bedstead first before the mattress. As my flat is a tiny one, I will need to get an Ottoman bed for the extra storage. The mattress that I would prefer will be :
- Pocket Spring and part memory foam
- Turnable
- Hypo-allergenic
- Firm with Support but also comfortable cushion on top
I understand that you have the La Romantica Madrid bed, can I ask if this will be suitable for the bedstead that I bought. and if not please can you give any advise on what type of mattress i should go for, and the price I should be paying for it?

Many thanks (",)

It would be ok as long as the slats are no more than 3" apart, which being an ottoman base they would most likely be sprung slats and should be ok.

techmax76

Glad to read this thread. It gives me an idea if ever I have plans on buying this kind of mattress.

Tim_Deegan

Slinky_Malinky wrote: »

Hi Tim,

Please can I seek your advice about a mattress I have bought. I am sincerely hoping that you can reassure me that I am just being silly, as I have an awful gut feeling that I have been `had`.

Please bear with me , I will try to give a brief background. Having studied this thread I had decided that the right mattress for me would be 100% latex - as a very light sleeper who tosses and turns a lot I did not want any springs making noises nor did I want memory foam because my bedroom is cold and I also am approaching the age where I am likely to be getting rather hot in bed lol. I sleep on my side and tend to wake up stiff and aching every morning so I wanted a softer matress. Originally I had looked at the Dunlopillo Celeste or Abaca Organic latex mattress but was put off by the negative comments here (about Dunlopillo) and frankly the £1000 price tag was a bit too steep for me. I was delighted to find online a 100% latex mattress offered in medium/soft tension for only £435 - I won`t name the brand at this stage as if my fears are unfounded then it would be unfair to them but while not one of the big companies their products are offered on several websites so not completely obscure either.

The mattress arrived rolled up and boxed as many do these days - on taking the mattress out of the box I noticed that the label marked with the mattress size was also marked F-FR which I was worried may mean firm rated, plus the outer plastic wrapping was filthy. I emailed the company to ask if they had perhaps sent me a firm mattress by mistake and mentioned the dirt. They replied that they had definitely sent a med/soft mattress and that F-FR related to it being fire retardaent, plus the mattress inside the wrapping would be clean. I opened the plastic and let the mattress unfold and air ( had one grubby corner which was annoying but reckoned I could live with it) Now I haven`t yet slept on this mattress but to me it feels very firm, but I cannot prove if they have sent me the wrong mattress, out of curiosity I unzipped the cover to see the foam and look at the supposed 7 comfort zones exepecting to see a slab of milky white foam as shown on many website photos. The foam is covered in fabric - the papery sort that usually covers a very cheap duvet, and from what little I can see through this the foam looks grey and just has holes in it. I am also rather concerned that having paid for it over the phone I have not had any paperwork for my order whatsoever. Sorry that wasn`t a very brief background, was it?

Anyway, to get to the point.....Tim please can you confirm that a mattress is marked with F-FR relating to being fire retardent, rather than firmness and it is normal for a 100% latex mattress to be a grey colour and covered in this cheapy fabric? After spending £435 which is a lot of money to me I am sincerely hoping you will reassaure me and tell me I am a silly mare for doubting them as the alternative is that I have paid all that money for a piece of rubbish. I would rather look a fool by posting here than to have been ripped off. Either way I suspect I am stuck with it anyway due to their terms and conditions, so my last question is whether I could make this mattress more comfy with a very soft topper. Not memory foam as I use a woolly cover, not feather I had one before and got fed up of being stabbed by quills so all I am left with is the possibility of a very soft latex topper. I see Dunloplillo do one but it is £300 :eek: so if anyone can suggest where I could find a very very soft latex topper please let me know.

Thanks for your patience of you managed to wade through all this Tim, hoping you can help.

ETA, Tim I know it seems cheeky to ask your advice when I could/should have bought from you, but you don`t sell the sort of mattress I wanted.

As for the F-FR, that isn't a British Standard. What is the BS number shown on the label sewn into one end of the mattress?

Latex foam is sometimes grey, and does have holes in it. How deep is the mattress? Also does it feel like there are different layers of foam, or does it feel the same throughout the depth of the mattress.

You really do need to disclose the make, model, and retailer of the mattress for me to be able to give you any more advice.

Slinky_Malinky

Hi Tim,

This is the mattress and retailer (not allowed links)


It is 8 inches thick and feels like it is in one piece. The label says complies with BS7177: 1996

Hopefully then it is kosher, but I still think it feels very hard for a supposedly med/soft mattress ( just have this nagging doubt that FR was for firm rated)

Thanks for your reply Tim.

Tim_Deegan

Slinky_Malinky wrote: »

Hi Tim,

This is the mattress and retailer (not allowed links)
mattress - yanis premium latex mattress
retailer -yanis mattresses

It is 8 inches thick and feels like it is in one piece. The label says complies with BS7177: 1996

Hopefully then it is kosher, but I still think it feels very hard for a supposedly med/soft mattress ( just have this nagging doubt that FR was for firm rated)

Thanks for your reply Tim.

It says the mattress is medium, and not soft to medium. It doesn't give any other options.

Slinky_Malinky

I know - I had seen it offered on another website in either med/soft or firm, I emailed them and they told me they had med/soft available.....I stressed very much that I needed a soft mattress. I then paid for it over the phone. I think I will have to try sleeping on it and just accept that if it is too firm I`ll need to upgrade with a very soft topper. Hopefully I can find one less than £300 though.

Does latex have ratings similar to memory foam Tim? I have read with interest all the discussions on here about the various grades of memory foam but don`t know much about how latex is graded. The Dunlopillo topper is `luxury soft` so I guess that is probably as soft as I`ll get, but if I can find out what grade that is I would try to find a cheaper one with the same softness. I used to have a water bed and that was sooo comfy, maybe I just have to accept I will never be able to find that level of comfort in a standard bed.

Tim_Deegan

Slinky_Malinky wrote: »

I know - I had seen it offered on another website in either med/soft or firm, I emailed them and they told me they had med/soft available.....I stressed very much that I needed a soft mattress. I then paid for it over the phone. I think I will have to try sleeping on it and just accept that if it is too firm I`ll need to upgrade with a very soft topper. Hopefully I can find one less than £300 though.

Does latex have ratings similar to memory foam Tim? I have read with interest all the discussions on here about the various grades of memory foam but don`t know much about how latex is graded. The Dunlopillo topper is `luxury soft` so I guess that is probably as soft as I`ll get, but if I can find out what grade that is I would try to find a cheaper one with the same softness. I used to have a water bed and that was sooo comfy, maybe I just have to accept I will never be able to find that level of comfort in a standard bed.

If you ordered a soft to medium, and that's not what they supplied, then you have the right to return it. You shouldn't have to shell out for a topper because they sent the wrong mattress.

Slinky_Malinky

Thanks Tim, the only problems I have now are actually proving that the mattress is too firm. I had expected some label stating the rating as med/soft and I cannot help but suspect the FR was for firm rating and they lied to avoid having to exchange it but how on Earth I prove this is beyond me....having already questioned this and been told it is definitely a med/soft mattress they sent. If they are in the wrong I`d be happy to involve Trading Standards if need be for this amount of money but it seems very much a he says/she says situation...I consider it too firm to be fit for purpose, they disagree, neither is completely right or wrong as it is down to personal opinion. My worst case scenario before you posted was that it might not even have been latex. Their T&C have me over a barrel, they will only accept returns if sent back within 7 days without the plastic removed and suggest you try it before removing - how you can do that with a mattress rolled up like a sausage is beyond me! Plus it has now been a week and still no paperwork, no order number to quote etc.

Tim_Deegan

Slinky_Malinky wrote: »

Thanks Tim, the only problems I have now are actually proving that the mattress is too firm. I had expected some label stating the rating as med/soft and I cannot help but suspect the FR was for firm rating and they lied to avoid having to exchange it but how on Earth I prove this is beyond me....having already questioned this and been told it is definitely a med/soft mattress they sent. If they are in the wrong I`d be happy to involve Trading Standards if need be for this amount of money but it seems very much a he says/she says situation...I consider it too firm to be fit for purpose, they disagree, neither is completely right or wrong as it is down to personal opinion. My worst case scenario before you posted was that it might not even have been latex. Their T&C have me over a barrel, they will only accept returns if sent back within 7 days without the plastic removed and suggest you try it before removing - how you can do that with a mattress rolled up like a sausage is beyond me! Plus it has now been a week and still no paperwork, no order number to quote etc.

Ex husband helped me carry it up the stairs, he has poked and prodded it and agrees it is not soft.

This is a copy of their T&C
4. Refunds
We will provide a full refund (excluding delivery charges) if the product you have selected is found to be unsuitable or you are not totally satisfied with your purchase within 7 working days following delivery, providing the product is returned in it's original box, in 'as new' condition, unmarked and all polythene packaging unsealed. We can not accept returns if the original packaging has been removed and suggest you try the mattress out before taking it out of the plastic bag. Returns must be notified to us within 7 days of the purchase date. You may deliver the goods to our warehouse or alternatively we can arrange collection at a minimum cost of £50 which will be deducted from the refund. We will exchange free of charge any product that is faulty, please ensure you thoroughly check the goods before signing for them, in he unlikely event they are damaged on delivery please refuse the goods, we will in turn dispatch another item as soon as possible. Unfortunately we cannot accept refunds or exchanges on any items that have been unpacked, used or slept on, unless they are faulty. Once we have received any returned items and checked them we will refund your money less any shipping costs.
Returns procedure
Please contact us within 7 days to let us know you are returning any item. We will need to know your order reference, the model name and size of the model you are returning and the date you ordered. Please note this return policy does not apply to items that have been specially tailored to your requirements or special orders items. In the unlikely event you do have a warranty claim we request a photograph of the fault to forward to the manufacturers who can then authorise immediate action on your warranty claim.

If there is no indication on the packaging of the firmness, then how can they say they sent you the right one??

I presume you still have the original packaging?

You also said that it was dirty when you unpacked it. So on this alone you are entitled to return it at their cost under distance selling regs.

Inform trading standards, and send a letter to the seller (copy to trading standards), stating all you have told me. Trading standards should be able to get to the bottom of the firmness rating side of it.

Slinky_Malinky

Thanks Tim,

I think I`ll phone my local Trading Standards tomorrow. I do have all the original packaging so they will see how dirty it is. The dirt was on the plastic wrapping which was then placed inside a cardboard box before shipping so must have happened at their warehouse. A small tear in the plastic allowed a corner of the mattress to get a bit grubby - admittedly I am being very fussy as it is a faint mark but still I wouldn`t expect that on a £435 item - though I`d have lived with it if the firmness had been correct..

One huge snag is trying to get it back into the packaging though - there is no way it is going to roll back up and fit into either the plastic wrapping or box. I`m sure this is something TS have come accross before and will advise me.