Tempur Pedic Matress Claim

WessexWyvern

Hi.

I bought a couple of Tempur matresses in 2011, one for my room, one for the spare room.

They were fantastic. I have degenerative disc disease and the morning aches and pains disappeared overnight.

After a couple of years though the aches and pains returned and I initially put this down to my condition worsening however I decided to give the rarely used spare mattress a try and hey presto - no morning aches and pains.

On inspection it's apparent that the mattress that has had normal regular use has lost it's support in the sleeping area and you can feel this when you compare the amount of support the corners have compared with the centre.

The mattress comes with a 25year warranty so I have called the shop where I bought it from and I'm waiting on a phone call to arrange for someone to come out and inspect it.

In the mean time I've decided to do a little research and found that this is a fairly common complaint but that when the people concerned have tried to claim on the warranty their claims are rejected.

It appears that the Tempur test for a faulty mattress is to put a straight edge across it and measure the amount of sag - anything less that 3/4" is deemed normal wear and tear and therefore anything less and the mattress is not eligible for replacement. Mine only sags around 1cm.

(I should note that the straight edge test has been confirmed by a salesman at a reputable furniture store, the 3/4" is internet hear say).

As the fact that the mattress no longer offers it's original support a valid claim on a warranty ? It's not something that is particularly difficult to test for - putting a heavy weight on it and comparing the sag with a new one would seem to be the logical method but as this isn't the Tempur approved method am I just wasting my time? I don't really want to write off a £1200 mattress after just 3 years use (btw I've got lighter rather than heavier during that time).

Any suggestions in approaching this problem if my claim is rejected would be appreciated. Thanks.

Pinkypants

Always a tough one with mattresses.

But lets compare it to carpet in a front room, after 3 years of use. If you compared the main carpet to that say under the sofa or television stand, it'll be noticeably different, both in terms of pile and colour. Would you say that was a fault or just wear and tear?

Mattress DO settle over time and it's normally a good sign, it's a sign that the mattress IS moulding around your body and giving you support. 1cm depression/settlement is not a great deal.

Having said that are you saying that the foundation or core of the mattress is not behaving in the same way as the rest of the mattress?

WessexWyvern

Essentially yes - the centre area that has been slept on is not behaving in the same way as the edges and corner areas which have retained more support.

The sag isn't really the issue. It would appear that some of the foam cells have broken down over time and that although the remaining cells are enough to support its own weight, they are sufficient to support the weight of a body sufficiently.

I understand your analogy of the carpet and that's what my concern is over trying to make a claim. However the matress has gone from

"responding to my body's unique,weight, shape an temperature. Automatically adapting to support my body so that whether I sleep on my back, side or stomach, the mattress conforms to me. Giving me the exact support my body needs"

to behaving like a cheap foam mattress in the space of 3 years.

When someone spends £1200 on a mattress with very high claims and a 25 year warranty (now reduced to 10 I notice), most people would expect it to live up to their claims for longer than 3 years (I'd imagine).

Fosterdog

How often do you flip the mattress? Do you just flip it one way or alternate so the whole thing gets even wear?

hollydays

These 25 year guarantees really need reading first they often have lots of conditions attached.if you sold a product that took a lot of use, would you offer 25 years guarentee ?

WessexWyvern

You aren't supposed to need to flip memory foam mattresses...however I was flipping it every month or so.

Re 25y warranties... Yes, I thought little of it when I bought it. It was a bed salesman in a reputable shop that told me about it a few days ago. It was he who suggested trying to get it replaced. 3 years from a £1200 bed though falls into the category of not lasting a reasonable length of time as far as I'm concerned. Personally I don't hold out much hope of getting it replaced But I'll give it a good try which is why I'm seeking advice here. I have nothing to loose except a little time, and potentially £1200 to gain.

If I fail, at least this post may serve as a warning to others about Tempur as we tend only to hear about how wonderful they are which for the first year or two they are but they don't last long. Another restful nights sleep on the spare bed last night has only served to reinforce my belief that there is no doubt the double bed I bought from the has worn out.

neilmcl

Is a Tempur mattress the right mattress for DDD? All memory foam type mattresses will lose shape and resilience over time, you need a mattress that's going to push back on your back, not one that will mold to your body. You may have been better off getting a firm or moderately firm standard mattress and adding a latex topper.

Before buying did you speak to a chiropractor for advice?

WessexWyvern

neilmcl wrote: »

Is a Tempur mattress the right mattress for DDD? All memory foam type mattresses will lose shape and resilience over time, you need a mattress that's going to push back on your back, not one that will mold to your body. You may have been better off getting a firm or moderately firm standard mattress and adding a latex topper.

Before buying did you speak to a chiropractor for advice?

It was suggested by my surgeon along with a variety of other pain management measures to postpone lower back surgery. I already had MF topper at the time.

When Tempur mattresses are new they are excellent for relief from the symptoms of DDD. I speak from very recent experience as I slept on last night in the spare room.

Does anyone know if I have a valid claim or how I can maximise my chances of a sucsessful claim?

Pinkypants

I think you best bet is to say about the lack of support, don't mention the dipping as the major factor.

If they do refuse any claim, then threaten with court action.