Is Archers Sleepcentre any good for beds?

CookieKing7

I am in the market for a standard double bed (divan base) and mattress. 

I have only bought 2 beds in my lifetime, both the same type as above - the first was £100 from ebay (which was obviously awful!) and the second was about £400 from dreams (which I was very happy with).

I was going to get my next one from Dreams (£250 for the base with 2 drawers + £250 for the mattress) but thought I'd look at alternative shops and Archers (which I've never used before) have a few beds that match what I want, priced between £250 and £280 - including the mattress. So Archers seems to be half the price of Dreams and I am just wondering if there is a reason for that (i.e. poor quality) or if Dreams is just over priced.

Does anyone have experience of buying divan beds and mattresses from both Dreams and Archers? I know I will be happy with the quality from Dreams...but Archers being half the price is very tempting...but I can't afford to make a mistake here! I don't want to buy a bed that was as bad as my first one from ebay!

I know one of the drawbacks on Archers is that there free delivery option only goes to your front door as opposed to your room of choice, but that is not a problem for me.

So yeah - any advice / feedback about Archers would be appreciated thanks.

HampshireH

No experience of Archers but I would consider your mattress requirements seperate to your bed rather than just buying a cheap bundle.

We ended up spending out for a tempur mattress (best buy ever) and getting an ottoman bed from an online store and it's worked out very well.

Nothing worse than a nice bed and uncomfortable mattress

CookieKing7

HampshireH said:

Nothing worse than a nice bed and uncomfortable mattress

Yes, this was the main problem with my £100 bed from ebay!

Last time I went for one of the cheapest mattress from Dreams and it was much better quality, so I am not too worried about it - I would probably be happy with any mattress from Dreams. But I am not so sure about Archers as I have never used them before. Can't really get to one of their show rooms either as none near me.

Dreams sell the base and mattress separately, whereas Archers do a bundle, which looks ok from the pictures and pretty much the same as what I'd get from Dreams. It's just the fact they are 50% cheaper which is putting me off...but maybe Dreams are just ripping people off as opposed to Archers being too cheap to believe / bad quality?

Veteransaver

Cheap mattresses are generally of the cage sprung type which are generally awful.
I'd definitely just consider buying base and mattress separate.
A base is literally just a base, the only consideration really is whether you want divan with drawers, ottoman type or just a frame really.
We've always gone with memory foam type and i think they are great and we've had ours for years.
Some people find them too warm though, but I've found you do adjust to it after a few nights.

patlawlor45

I bought a full system from Archers Kingsize. The mattress was reduced to £800 so not cheap. Started to hollow within couple of months. I called within the 90 days and was told I have to turn the mattress every 2 wks as per the small print in their. documents which as only issues POST SALE. I would never have bought a mattress that needed turned every 2 wks. so beware

MysteryMe

There are far more bricks and mortar retailers selling mattresses then Dreams and Archers. I am not familiar with Archers, but Dreams sell a range of mattresses from different manufacturers. Some will be cheaper than others.  Mattress preference is such a personal thing, some people like memory foam, others don't, some like a firm mattress others don't. So you really do need to lie down on them in store to see what suits you best, even if you may feel a bit self conscious doing so. You don't need to buy the base and mattress together.  If you went in a store and found you like a Joe Bloggs mattress model xyz you can always do some research and see if you can buy it cheaper online.

The_bed_guy14

It is always a risk going for a company that isn't a high street brand (Could be argued it's a risk going for the high street brand too) but with due diligence you can iron out the good companies and bad companies.

Reading reviews is always the best course of action, however be sure to read the bad reviews carefully as some customer might have a  grudge to bear.

I understand Archers to be fantastic on marketing so they will appear high on everyone's google searches, but they do buy in their stock from other companies. Meaning that you may find the same bed cheaper elsewhere.

Do not always consider high prices from the likes of Dreams to mean 'great quality'. Again, they use wholesalers or suppliers in the UK meaning the same products might be cheaper elsewhere. 

ALWAYS BUY BASED ON SPECIFICATIONS, not the name of the company (within reason). 

Furious_Product

My experience with Archers has been dismal. I have a back problem that needs an Extra Firm Mattress so choosing from that grouping was a must. There are no other groups above this one with Five below it, so firmness should be guaranteed !
After a few weeks the Mattress began to sag where my back was positioned. The attached picture shows a four foot length of finished timber lying across the sink hole and that is a Barclays Credit Card Reader under the timber to give some scale.
I thought that after reading the advice on their page to try out the mattress for 42 Nights before contacting them on their "60 Night Guarantee" i would be covered, only to be told i had purchased the incorrect Mattress Protector and was not eligible.  

 

 

I said look at the pictures as this is not fit for purpose or of any use to me. 
 They then fobbed me off with some box ticker  from "Emmiera Group" who was  short of hearing, honesty and totally oblivious to Archers Policies resulting in the blank expressions whilst attempting to explain policies to said person.
So after being lulled into a false sense of security and giving away my 31 day Right of Return i was told that the above was "no manufacturing fault found and settlement levels to be normal"
The word "Bandits" comes to Mind. 

twopenny

A friend said to me ,,'you spend half your life on your feet, half in your bed so always get good shoes and mattresses '

My last good mattress lasted 30yrs.
The bed base is still excellent, the mattress a couple of hundred over what you're paying but a longer life.

Furious , look at Relyon, their back mattress is one at a lower price point and really works.

EssexExile

Furious_Product said:

My experience with Archers has been dismal. I have a back problem that needs an Extra Firm Mattress so choosing from that grouping was a must. There are no other groups above this one with Five below it, so firmness should be guaranteed !
After a few weeks the Mattress began to sag where my back was positioned. The attached picture shows a four foot length of finished timber lying across the sink hole and that is a Barclays Credit Card Reader under the timber to give some scale.
I thought that after reading the advice on their page to try out the mattress for 42 Nights before contacting them on their "60 Night Guarantee" i would be covered, only to be told i had purchased the incorrect Mattress Protector and was not eligible.  

The first thing I'd in your situation is check with your medical people that you need a super firm mattress, it's extremely rare for that advice to be given nowadays. If you've already done that then I apologise for interfering, having had back problems for 40 years I know well meaning but useless advice can be annoying.