Dreams nightmares

annie206

Hi, we bought a bed from Dreams 2 years ago with a 10 yr guarantee, it cost £2000 and it was specifically for back problems. After a year it started to sag and by 2 years old it had almost collapsed. After inspection, Dreams informed us it was faulty and they no longer stocked this item due to it's faults. We were advised of our "like for like" which arrived a while later (after a lot of cancelled delivery dates and rude customer service but that's a different matter). After one night we knew this wasnt anything like our old bed, it was rock hard and both me and my partner woke with back ache. We were informed to keep it for 40 days for the comfort guarantee, so we used it for another week then had to sleep else where as it was too uncomfortable. When the 40 days were up we contacted customer service and were told to go and pick another. None of the beds in the store at the price we paid were any good so we had to choose a more expensive one costing us another £429. When we chose it it seemed ok in the store but after spending a week on it we are both having a terrible nights sleep and waking with back ache again. Unless we spend alot more money in store we are not going to get what we paid for in the beginning. Through no fault of our own we cant get a good nights sleep, the original bed was faulty and they have none that we find suitable. What are our rights now? Do we keep having to change our bed every 40 days and spend more and more money or are we now entitled to a refund?
I havent included the terrible, disrespectful customer service weve received as that's a personal issue and anyone who's had dealings with Dreams Beds will know what im referring to.
Any help and advice would be greatly received.
many thanks. x

Valli

If it were me I would now be contacting them formally, by letter, (save copies) and saying that as they have been unable to provide a suitable replacement under the terms of their 10 year guarantee, you now request a refund of the intitial sum (£2000) paid plus the £429 paid since they were unable to offer a like-for-like replacement when they were first contacted.

They will probably write back and refuse this; at which point I would send a letter before action repeating my request.

They may settle; they may not, they may offer a reduced refund for the first bed (say they divide the £2k by 10 (number of years you expected it to last) and subtract £400 for the 2 years use, thus offering £1600+the £429)

A very simple depreciation calculation.

They may refuse, in which case escalate to court. You will also be requesting, should this happen, that they pay the cost of the legal action.

save any and all paperwork; save a record of all dealings you have had, including date and times of phone calls, to whom you spoke and what was said.

The firmer you appear the more likely they are to settle without going to court - but having had no dealings with this company I'm not aware how they will respond.

You could try the CAB - up to you; I'd go for fighting this independently if it were me.

Chickabiddybex

I find it very hard to believe that you need to spend so much money for a good nights sleep! You should be able to find one you like without having to spend any more. But the thing is, if you find one you like in the showroom and then don't like it at home you're back to square one. And this part isn't Dreams fault so its difficult to make them take responsibility.

Do you know the specifications of your original mattress?

InsideInsurance

The sales of goods act gives the merchant the right to decide the mechanism of dealing with a fault. Even if a refund is given they are entitled to deduct from it the use you did receive before reporting it as faulty. As a crude mechanism of calculation (Initial price / number of years reasonable life) * number of years owned would be the discount (evidently the reasonable life element is debatable)

£2k is a reasonable sum to spend on a bed - was that for a divan + mattress, just a mattress or?? Who was the manufacturer? You could ask them what is an equiv model to what you used to have but the slight problem can be that the larger chains rename models (cynics would say as it makes their price promise empty) so even if you can find the name Dreams may not sell it under that name.

Chickabiddybex

I'm not saying its too much to spend I'm just saying you shouldnt HAVE to spend that much or more (which is what the OP has ended up doing) to get a mattress that does the job.

InsideInsurance

Chickabiddybex wrote: »

I'm not saying its too much to spend I'm just saying you shouldnt HAVE to spend that much or more (which is what the OP has ended up doing) to get a mattress that does the job.

Not sure who you think challenged you on this but seeing as you are picking it up..... how much should you HAVE to spend to get a mattress "that does the job"

Like "reasonable life" I suspect it is a very subjective item

Chickabiddybex

Sorry, I misunderstood your post - I thought you were implying 2k is typically how much a decent mattress costs.

To answer your question... It depends on the size. A double divan for example I would say spend £400-£700 (depending on your individual needs and preferences) and you can expect it to give you a good nights sleep.
But if you're shopping at overpriced dreams maybe you would expect to spend a little more.
But £2000? These mattresses should be fantastic quality. One would expect a fantastic level of comfort and support!

burtie

We had the same problem and were told that it was due to wear and tear etc. After a lot of faffing about and being fobbed off, we contacted [EMAIL="RachaelAinsworth@dreams.co.uk"]RachaelAinsworth@dreams.co.uk[/EMAIL], who is the Customer Service Manager and she was excellent. She arranged a partial refund, based on the amount of time we'd had the bed. Spent the money on a new base elsewhere, got a Tempur mattress and have slept like a log ever since. We even got the vat back, as my husband has a back condition - although this was only on a specific mattress.
It's worth pursuing this, as not getting a good night's sleep is detrimental to your health.
Please feel free to PM me, if you want any contact details etc.