What are my rights? Help please.

coxinio

My partner and I have bought a 'medium-firm' mattress from Tesco Direct on the good faith that it was actually a medium-firm, we got the product delivered to us, unpackaged it and tried it out. The mattress was far from medium firm and more like medium soft at best. As a result of this we contacted Tesco to arrange a return. Tesco, however will not accept the return as it is unpackaged and has been used.

The issue we have is that it is has been sold to us as a medium-firm mattress, when it is medium-soft, at best. Tesco are telling us that this is due to a comfort issue on our part and not a fault on the part of Tesco i.e. it is medium firm just not to our taste and as such cannot be returned on this basis due to hygeine reasons. The website clearly lists the product as medium-firm.

This goes on top of the already problematic experience we have had with Tesco direct and the rest of our order. Including a damaged table top, the wrong sofa being delivered and our bedframe being delivered with missing parts.

Can anyone advise my rights on the mattress issue or maybe point me in the direction of information on such matters? Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks,

Matt

Fonz_2

I think they're largely right. It is a comfort issue - your medium firm is someone else's soft or firm.

I guess the rule is always try before you buy with items like this.

tattybye

Dont want to come across as having a pop, but why did you unwrap it to try it?
maybe its just me but id kinda leave the plastic wrap on before deciding if its right or not.

coxinio

Thanks for your comments Fonz however this doesn't offer us any help. Mine and my partner's taste is for a medium firm mattress and as we have tried and owned this type of mattress previously, from experience it is clear that this mattress is not as sold.

With regards, to trying before you buy, this isn't possible ordering over the internet with Tesco Direct so as such we have to put blind faith in the fact that Tesco are supplying what they are listing on their website.

coxinio

Once again, thanks for the reply, but we are looking for some advice on what we can do now, not what we should have done. We unwrapped it as it was a thick plastic cover and it was hard to decide if we were happy with it.

McKneff

Like another poster says, your medium firm is someone's elses medium soft.

When you say 'tried it out' do you mean just laid on it or have you actually slept on it.

Dont think yu can do much about it if Tesco have said its a medium firm mattress then thats what it is in their benchmark.

Fonz_2

Appreciate you're looking for someone to jump in here and cry out that Tesco have fallen foul of the firm mattress act of 1652 section A but there's not a great deal you can do.

Tesco won't be obliged to take it back.

Blackpool_Saver

I'm sorry but it is rather subjective.

Pollycat

As someone who had laid on an awful lot of beds over the last week or so (trying to find a mattress to suit us), I'd agree that 'firmness' differs between manufacturers.

Was the mattress you bought the same composition as your old one i.e was it miracoil type or pocket sprung or memory foam?

What type of base have you put it on?
We were told that a mattress will feel slightly softer on a sprung divan than a platform top (obvious really).

There's a guy who posts on here who sells beds (Tim Deegan) who may offer a more objective view on the firmness (or not) of mattresses.

Hope you get it sorted but if Tesco says 'no' you may be struggling.

coxinio

Thanks for the further comments. The mattress has been unpackaged and tried but not slept on. The bed is a solid bed frame with a slatted base. The mattress is open coil construction.

I think my earlier posts may have been misunderstood, I'm not looking for poeple to jump in and cry that Tesco have fallen foul. What I'm looking for is advice on the fact that I beleive I have been missold something, which was impossible to try before purchase as it was an internet sale. Tesco are calling me back in the morning and I want to be as prepared as possible when I speak to them. Any genuine advice which can be offered or if anyone knows a web resource which may help me find out information on the subject, this would be very much appreciated.

Fonz_2

I think you may be misunderstanding people's responses here.

What people are trying to say is:

• The fact that you could not try the mattress is not Tesco's fault. If you have a particular, specific firmness requirement you should have visited a specialist store to find a product which was suitable.
• The firmness or softness of any matress is subjective and open to interpretation.
• You haven't been missold anything.

Sorry I can't offer any more positive advice. You'll notice from the forum that people here love a good consumer victory when the consumer is in the right. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be one of those cases.