Adjustable bed

Iguana

'Welcome to the Disabled Living Foundation (DLF), a national charity that provides free, impartial advice about all types of disability equipment and mobility products for older and disabled people, their carers and families. From stairlifts to walk-in baths, jar openers to tap turners, bath seats to walking sticks, wheelchairs to scooters, hoists to beds, the DLF can help you find disabled equipment solutions that enable you to stay active and independent'

And no I don't work for them!

Tim_Deegan

Iguana wrote: »

'Welcome to the Disabled Living Foundation (DLF), a national charity that provides free, impartial advice about all types of disability equipment and mobility products for older and disabled people, their carers and families. From stairlifts to walk-in baths, jar openers to tap turners, bath seats to walking sticks, wheelchairs to scooters, hoists to beds, the DLF can help you find disabled equipment solutions that enable you to stay active and independent'

And no I don't work for them!

I wasn't implying that you worked for them. I was actually looking on there to see what advice they do give, and just found loads of sponsored links. In other words links to companies who have paid to advertise on there. These tend to be companies with large advertising budgets, and often high prices.

I'm sure I have seen a site somewhere with links to all suppliers that can be filtered down to your local area.

Savvy_Sue

Tim, I think you are being a bit hard on the DLF site. Yes, the bed factsheet is sponsored by one particular bed company, but the advice within the sheet appears to be impartial and unbiased once you've got past that. Yes, other companies have paid to advertise on the site. However the DLF itself WILL give impartial and unbiased advise. Somehow, that advice has to be paid for. Other charities have publications sponsored by manufacturers with a 'vested interest' in being linked to the charity: it doesn't mean that the charity will push their products to everyone.

Tim_Deegan

I'm not being hard. The site is being run more like a business than a charity that exists to help people. If the content was 100% impartial they would either list all stockists, or they wouldn't even mention them. By producing a guide that has a huge advert at the top, they are basically endorsing the company that advertises.

margaretclare

It is possible to get this type of bed in Dreams plc and no, I don't work for them!

A couple of years ago we decided we wanted a king-size. Similar to your parents, we like the extra space, and it would certainly be possible to use a bed-rest - one of those rests as you put it - in a king-size bed, without disturbing the other occupant.

Back in the 1980s I spent 3 weeks working as a maternity nurse for a Jewish family in north London. Now, they had twin beds that zipped together, for religious reasons. After childbirth and at TOTM it is necessary to sleep separately. So what they did was to unzip the beds and make them up with single sheets, then after they'd been to the mikvah and were all nicely cleansed again, they could re-zip the bed and use double sheets.

We have actually stayed in hotels where there was this kind of twin beds zipped together kind of arrangement. We always ask for a double bed whenever we go away, and this is sometimes what we've had. I don't like them and I would never choose to have one at home. I always seem to roll on to the hard bit in the middle, while reaching out for a warm hand in the night...With a king size, you have plenty of room to move about, towards one another or away from one another.

Dreams seem to have a permanent sale on, and we've had good service from them. For a £1200 king size we paid about £700 IIRC.

I see no need to buy from a salesman coming to the house - if you know what you want, go to Dreams or somewhere reputable like them, explain what you want, and they are in the business of selling beds to suit all requirements.

HTH

Tim_Deegan

margaretclare wrote: »

It is possible to get this type of bed in Dreams plc and no, I don't work for them!

A couple of years ago we decided we wanted a king-size. Similar to your parents, we like the extra space, and it would certainly be possible to use a bed-rest - one of those rests as you put it - in a king-size bed, without disturbing the other occupant.

Back in the 1980s I spent 3 weeks working as a maternity nurse for a Jewish family in north London. Now, they had twin beds that zipped together, for religious reasons. After childbirth and at TOTM it is necessary to sleep separately. So what they did was to unzip the beds and make them up with single sheets, then after they'd been to the mikvah and were all nicely cleansed again, they could re-zip the bed and use double sheets.

We have actually stayed in hotels where there was this kind of twin beds zipped together kind of arrangement. We always ask for a double bed whenever we go away, and this is sometimes what we've had. I don't like them and I would never choose to have one at home. I always seem to roll on to the hard bit in the middle, while reaching out for a warm hand in the night...With a king size, you have plenty of room to move about, towards one another or away from one another.

Dreams seem to have a permanent sale on, and we've had good service from them. For a £1200 king size we paid about £700 IIRC.

I see no need to buy from a salesman coming to the house - if you know what you want, go to Dreams or somewhere reputable like them, explain what you want, and they are in the business of selling beds to suit all requirements.

HTH

To be honest I wouldn't buy from any of the big high street chains. The bed industry is full of sales gimmicks, and sales reps in many of the big chains use most of the gimmicks to get a sale without any interest in what you actually need.

You summed it up in one when you said that they seem to have a permanent sale on. They actually only have to sell at their so called usual price for a couple of weeks per year. The rest of the year they tell you it is in the sale, but actually sell at a more realistic price.

Another tactic is that they have beds renamed, then give a price promise. Obviously you can't buy them anywhere else. They also have beds made to a lower standard, rename them, then try to tell the customer that it is the same as a far superior model by the same manufacturer.

I wouldn't buy from someone who calls to your house either. Have a look on line instead.

margaretclare

So the price we paid for our new king-size bed, supposedly 'sale price', was actually the real price? Well, that's fine by us. We got what we wanted. We went to the nearest Dreams sale-room which isn't in the high street, it's in the airport retail park, less than a mile from our house.

The mattress that we got is actually made by a 'big name' manufacturer, the label is stitched on, I don't see how they could 're-name' that (the one that advertises with the hippo in striped PJs). The mattress is really the most important part because it's what you sleep on.

Tim_Deegan

margaretclare wrote: »

The mattress that we got is actually made by a 'big name' manufacturer, the label is stitched on, I don't see how they could 're-name' that (the one that advertises with the hippo in striped PJs). The mattress is really the most important part because it's what you sleep on.

They have the buying power to get the manufacturer to re-name the beds just for them. This is a very common trick amongst the large bed chains.

If you are still within their comfort guarantee period, then I would try and change it for another brand. Otherwise you may find that you have to change it anyway in a year or so.

Have a look at this thread http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1026667 post number 7, by emweaver. It is just one of hundreds of similar comments that I hear on a regular basis.

margaretclare

If you are still within their comfort guarantee period, then I would try and change it for another brand. Otherwise you may find that you have to change it anyway in a year or so.

Why fix it if it ain't broke? We are quite happy with the mattress we have and the service we received from the retailer.

Tim_Deegan

margaretclare wrote: »

Why fix it if it ain't broke? We are quite happy with the mattress we have and the service we received from the retailer.

Because you have bought one of the most unreliable brands on the market. I have been told by hundreds of customers who have owned them before that they last on average one to two years max.

You would still have to use the same retailer as it is very unlikely that they would give you a refund.

I'm only trying to help you, I'm obviously not gaining anything by giving you this advice.