Mistreated by Dreams

Jennie-1987

Sorry its long but so was the experience! Ans Im not sure its in the right place and if someone wants to move it please do.

Last August I went to a local Dreams store and my mum paid for a new Divan and Mattress for me, after a couple of weeks it arrived and there was a noticable dip in the mattress. There was nowhere on this mattress (horizontally, vertically, diagonally) that was flat, everywhere pulled you into the dip. A few days later with it having had the thumbs down from 4 people I called the customer service line and waited for half an hour to be connected. The third party assessor was arranged for a few weeks time and concluded that it was unfit for purpose, a week later Dreams agreed to replace it. (this may be my now suspicious mind but we were offed a returned version of my mattress at the store at a discounted price but refused as it had a big dip, the new one was supposed to take 4-6 weeks to arrive, could my 2 week speedy delivery with the same problem have been a naughty switch?)

The second latex-topped mattress arrived in October and again you could see that it wasnt level so the following week I called the customer services for an assessor who would again take a few weeks to visit. This time the assessor remembered me and agreed again that the same problem applied but to turn the mattress (not flip as it had a topper) every 2 weeks and ensure that i constantly slept in different places (which i already did and told him so). A week or so later i called Dreams as they hadnt followed up and they said the report stated no fault with the mattress and that it was my fault for not turning it - i vehemently disputed this and stated several times what the assessor had told me and that i had seen him write down that it was faulty. Eventually the patronising staff member said they could send a senior assessor to view the mattress which i agreed to. I later phoned them again for a copy of the report which they said they would send, until they phoned back saying that actually it would cost £20 if i wanted it to which i rejected as it was extortionate and the new assessor would easily see the lack of spring support. Weeks later i was called the day before the assessor meeting and asked to rearrange which wouldnt be for another couple of weeks. This assessor agreed immediately that it was as if the springs had fallen on their side (an apparently common symptom in latex topped mattresses) at this time i was recommended by someone to leave those with latex in the mattress or topped alone as they constantly have problems.

10 days later (the end of the period when Dreams should call after a review) it was a Friday and i phoned to ask about the report, to which they said they couldnt understand it and would have to call the assessor and return my call on Monday. Monday came and went and I called them on Tuesday, again they hadnt called him but would put it as urgent on their admin time for that day and call me. Wednesday they said they didnt have time and so i made them call the assessor there and then (all of these calls having taken half hour+ to get through) who informed them the mattress was again unfit for purpose. This time we asked to choose a different mattress so it wouldnt have latex and hopefully wouldnt have problems. A week or so later we called back and ordered a 'normal' mattress which was booked for 29th December but didnt arrive until 30th.

Each time I called I said my back had been so messed up by the mattresses that i could barely sleep and had to see a chiropractor weekly or twice weekly (£31 each time) and that i wanted compensation. Each time the customer services staff said they had to wait until the matter was resolved as they had to give a cost relevant to the timeline. Today i called Dreams as although my back is still so bad i cant really feel the new mattress i know it is flat and i am sleeping better so want to keep it, get the difference between it and the original and the compensation. The customer services attendant said they needed to get authorisation from their manager and 5 minutes later said they could refund the difference but only a maximum of 10% of the value of the final mattress (£50) or double in Dreams vouchers (why would i need to shop there again?). Surely all those before this call could have told me their policy is maximum 10% of the mattress?! each time i explained about all the trouble i was having and money i was forking out for the chiropractor and they just said well the amount cant be calculated until the end. After much frustrated back and forth we took the most she could give (£50 and the same in vouchers). So now Im out hundreds, still aching and outraged.


Is there any way to get more compensation for the chiropractor bills? or have i settled myself out of anything more? i was just worried if i refused this i may get nothing and probably not even any response from head office.

Thank you!!!

Errata

Being pragmatic. It was your choice to use a chiropractor rather than consult your GP and be diagnosed and offered appropriate free NHS treatment. I know this sounds harsh, but this may be the line that Dreams take.

Tim_Deegan

To start with, what they told you about it being a common problem with latex topped mattresses is complete rubbish, and was actually a blatant lie.

What you should have done was as soon as the asessor said it was unfit for purpose, then you should have insisted on a refund as you would have been entitled to.

I would contact CAB to ask what you are entitled to now.

Jennie-1987

Tim_Deegan wrote: »

To start with, what they told you about it being a common problem with latex topped mattresses is complete rubbish, and was actually a blatant lie.

What you should have done was as soon as the asessor said it was unfit for purpose, then you should have insisted on a refund as you would have been entitled to.

I would contact CAB to ask what you are entitled to now.

It wasnt Dreams that told me this about latex tipped mattresses it was someone else in the bed business who said they often found a problem with the springs being pushed and bending sideways thus losing the support.
But i didnt want a refund i wanted a different mattress - which i got twice and i received a refund of the difference in price.
And who/what is/are CAB? Customer Advice Bureau?

Jennie-1987

Errata wrote: »

Being pragmatic. It was your choice to use a chiropractor rather than consult your GP and be diagnosed and offered appropriate free NHS treatment. I know this sounds harsh, but this may be the line that Dreams take.

Ive been to my gp and so have relatives about back problems and they never refer for treatment. And they havent said anything about policies incl. any type of treatment for associated problems all they say is that their total policy for compensation is 10% of the product price.

Errata

Perhaps the people who weren't referred for treatment didn't need to be referred ?
If you want compensating for the cash you spent on a chiropractor you'll need to prove without doubt that you didn't have a pre-existing back problem and that treatment by a chiropractor was necessary for the back problem caused by your mattres. To be honest, I think you'll find that pretty difficult.

Tim_Deegan

Jennie-1987 wrote: »

It wasnt Dreams that told me this about latex tipped mattresses it was someone else in the bed business who said they often found a problem with the springs being pushed and bending sideways thus losing the support.
But i didnt want a refund i wanted a different mattress - which i got twice and i received a refund of the difference in price.
And who/what is/are CAB? Customer Advice Bureau?

Well whoever told you that they were wrong. It is more likely that it is a problem with a particular model mattress that happens to contain latex.

If you had received a refund then you could have bought from someone who isn't as over priced as Dreams, and doesn't mess you about with returns.

ormus

i was talking to a wholesaler last week, and he said that he wont even deal with Dreams.
so they even have a terrible reputation with their own suppliers.

Tim_Deegan

ormus wrote: »

i was talking to a wholesaler last week, and he said that he wont even deal with Dreams.
so they even have a terrible reputation with their own suppliers.

They are a prime example of a big company with a huge advertising budget, who think they can do what they want and get away with it.

Jennie-1987

Tim_Deegan wrote: »

Well whoever told you that they were wrong. It is more likely that it is a problem with a particular model mattress that happens to contain latex.

If you had received a refund then you could have bout from someone who isn't as over priced as Dreams, and doesn't mess you about with returns.

I see what youre saying (having read similar plights to my own) but my sister bought the same model a few months before and had no problems so we thought wed be alright and that it was a one off. We also dont have really anywhere else to look, bensons for beds was deemed not as good and other places are all buying sight unseen (Argos, Homebase etc.)

Tim_Deegan

Jennie-1987 wrote: »

I see what youre saying (having read similar plights to my own) but my sister bought the same model a few months before and had no problems so we thought wed be alright and that it was a one off. We also dont have really anywhere else to look, bensons for beds was deemed not as good and other places are all buying sight unseen (Argos, Homebase etc.)

What was the make and model?

Most of the big retailers are as bad as each other. You only have to search MSE to see this.

I know it is a bit late to say this. Many people have the same view as you (that you want to try out a mattress before you buy). However this only gives you a very rough idea, as you only spend up to 10 minutes laying on your back fully clothed. To really know for sure you need to be able to sleep on a mattress. This is why I say to people that they should buy on line (to keep the price down), and stay away from big brands (if you want good quality), and to buy from a seller who gives a proper satisfaction guarantee that allows you to actually unpack and sleep on the mattress (most sellers don't). Then it would be in the sellers interest to make sure that you get the right mattress the first time, otherwise it will cost them money.