Bed not fit for use

bea_and_harry_mum

I hope somebody can advise me on this problem

I purchased a Tesco Hayes Guest Bed (approx £380 so not cheap) for my daughter who was aged 3 at the time - it was to be her first bed in November 2009. Everything was fine with the bed.
Some 6 months later I noticed when reading her a story that you could feel the springs - I examined the bed further and it really was awful - you can feel the knots in the springs and if you sit on the bed just to brush her hair you leave a noticable dip after a few minutes. I contacted Tesco and agreed to a bed engineer to come to examine the bed. He came and agreed that the mattress was extremely poor quality.

Tesco replied:-

As discussed we have received the report submitted by the engineer who came to inspect the mattresses. Unfortunately he has concluded there was no fault with the them.

He has stated in his report "Technician has inspected the bed and finds that the mattresses are to specification, they are a low entry mattress. Technician is unable to offer any repair and cannot take any further action."

I am sorry you feel this is not acceptable however in this case we would agree with the engineers report and would be unable to take any further action.

So basically Tesco have sold me a sub standard bed (mattress) which is not fit for use and refuse to do anything about it they consider it is not faulty. I am using a mattress from a spare bed and I don't think that it is right that I have to buy a mattress for a bed that is just over a year old - I can't believe my daughter slept on it for so long an adult wouldn't have lasted a week. I wouldn't have accepted the bed if it was that quality when we bought it (on line paid via credit card). It was not advertised as a poor quality mattress.

Please help I feel totally frustrated at Tesco. The bed is no longer in their catalogue so they have stopped selling it

neilmcl

Did you not think why it is called a "guest" bed. Like Tesco state, it's a low-entry mattress, ie not made for regular, daily use.

If you don't agree with their engineer then you're fully entitled to get an independent report done.

bea_and_harry_mum

I assumed it was called a guest bed is because it is a divan type bed with a spare mattress underneath - it should be called hate your guest bed then!

Tim_Deegan

It is often the case that when mattresses with 'guest beds' are designed for occasional use, and are of a budget standard. This is also often the with mattresses supplied as a package with bedsteads or bunk beds. This is why I usually advise against buying a package that includes a mattress (unless it is a divan set).

As far as the term 'unfit for purpose' goes, it can't apply on this case, as although it is very uncomfortable, it can still be used as a mattress.

Just remember in future, that Tescos don't sell good quality mattresses.

grahamhorne

Hi Tim,

I am on the look out for a new mattress, I have tried John Lewis "special" at £599 it was ok, also a Harrison at an independant shop at £999, it was very comfortable. I am afraid I am of the understanding that dearer has to be better and that cheaper has to be inferior, end of story, I also find that a mattress is a very difficult item to compare unlike other items in life ie the workings are covered up. I would bow to your knowledge in the industry if you can convince me of similar materials being used but larger mark ups being fixed by the main names?

Thanks

bifold

I have had a Harrison bed for over ten years and its been fantastic,Sold mainly by independent shops in the upper end of the market.The only downside is you really need two people to turn the mattress.

mo786uk

Not unfit for purpose but possibly not of satisfactory quality

The problem is that so much time has passed

You can consider getting another engineers report and then aksing them again.

Tim_Deegan

grahamhorne wrote: »

Hi Tim,

I am on the look out for a new mattress, I have tried John Lewis "special" at £599 it was ok, also a Harrison at an independant shop at £999, it was very comfortable. I am afraid I am of the understanding that dearer has to be better and that cheaper has to be inferior, end of story, I also find that a mattress is a very difficult item to compare unlike other items in life ie the workings are covered up. I would bow to your knowledge in the industry if you can convince me of similar materials being used but larger mark ups being fixed by the main names?

Thanks

As a general rule you can get the equivalent quality and components for around half the price if not less if you stay away from big brand names and big chain stores.

In fact many of the big brand names have lowered their specifications and quality over recent years (probably to cut production costs) to such a low standard, that some of them are terrible quality.

Tim_Deegan

bifold wrote: »

I have had a Harrison bed for over ten years and its been fantastic,Sold mainly by independent shops in the upper end of the market.The only downside is you really need two people to turn the mattress.

Harrison are one of the better of the big brands. However even they have started introducing all sorts of gimmicks over recent years.

Tim_Deegan

mo786uk wrote: »

Not unfit for purpose but possibly not of satisfactory quality

The problem is that so much time has passed

You can consider getting another engineers report and then aksing them again.

If they advertised it as a guest mattress for occasional use, then the OP doesn't have a leg to stand on.

The OP could actually get a far better quality replacement mattress for the price it would cost to get an engineer out.

charlie792

bea_and_harry_mum wrote: »

I hope somebody can advise me on this problem

I purchased a Tesco Hayes Guest Bed (approx £380 so not cheap) for my daughter who was aged 3 at the time - it was to be her first bed in November 2009. Everything was fine with the bed.
Some 6 months later I noticed when reading her a story that you could feel the springs - I examined the bed further and it really was awful - you can feel the knots in the springs and if you sit on the bed just to brush her hair you leave a noticable dip after a few minutes. I contacted Tesco and agreed to a bed engineer to come to examine the bed. He came and agreed that the mattress was extremely poor quality.

Tesco replied:-

As discussed we have received the report submitted by the engineer who came to inspect the mattresses. Unfortunately he has concluded there was no fault with the them.

He has stated in his report "Technician has inspected the bed and finds that the mattresses are to specification, they are a low entry mattress. Technician is unable to offer any repair and cannot take any further action."

I am sorry you feel this is not acceptable however in this case we would agree with the engineers report and would be unable to take any further action.

So basically Tesco have sold me a sub standard bed (mattress) which is not fit for use and refuse to do anything about it they consider it is not faulty. I am using a mattress from a spare bed and I don't think that it is right that I have to buy a mattress for a bed that is just over a year old - I can't believe my daughter slept on it for so long an adult wouldn't have lasted a week. I wouldn't have accepted the bed if it was that quality when we bought it (on line paid via credit card). It was not advertised as a poor quality mattress.

Please help I feel totally frustrated at Tesco. The bed is no longer in their catalogue so they have stopped selling it

Unfortunately as you stated it is a guest bed, and it not designed for everyday use as a result Tesco really are unlikely to move on this one.

I was looking for a new bed + mattress this year and generally found anything that came with a mattress, the mattress was of terrible quality. In one shop, (the bed wasn't cheap either) we asked about the mattress included in the deal and we were horrified, it was about 3 inches thick and as soon as you sat on it you could feel the base.

I know you said that you don't really want to be buying a new one, and if the one you are using for now is suitable then I would stick to that but have a look around and take your daughter with you, get her to try some out mattresses. Personally I can't speak highly enough of IKEA mattresses (no I don't work there!) we bought ours from there, was one of the most comfortable ones around, 4 months later it still feels like brand new.
Prices start from about £30 for a single foam mattress (although Ive never tried that one) and a sprung one from £56.
The way I see it is a mattress is an investment, something that's going to last a good few years.