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Adjustable bed

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13

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  • I bought my "Silentnight" from the local Co-Op. If it is needed because of health problems then you do not pay VAT, which is a big help.
  • Tim_Deegan
    Tim_Deegan Posts: 6,027 Forumite
    I bought my "Silentnight" from the local Co-Op. If it is needed because of health problems then you do not pay VAT, which is a big help.

    This only applies if you are registerd disabled and the bed will help with your disability. If customs & excise decide at a later date that you bought the bed as a luxury item rather than an aid, then you could be liable to pay the VAT.

    Some retailers are all too ready to use that VAT exemption as a discount just to get a sale. I have heard of a sales rep more or less asking a customer to say that they woke up with back ache that morning jut to get the VAT knocked off. They could be dropping you right in it becuase it is the buyer who fills in the exemption form.
  • OMR
    OMR Posts: 29 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    In reply to the bit about sheets, we use single fitted sheets; it isn't difficult to tuck them in between the mattresses & it works fine. We LOVE our bed.
    Incidentally, it's a foam mattress with a layer of memory foam on top of that & neither of us have had a bad back since we got the bed last October. Previously, on our 'orthopaedic' mattress, we suffered regularly.
    Highly recommend them.
  • Idiophreak
    Idiophreak Posts: 12,024 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Depends how adjustable you need the bed to be, obviously, but ikea sell a replacement slat set that lifts your upper body into a more upright position. iirc the slat set is something like £100, but then you can use any ikea bed you fancy - will probably work out very cheap...

    I presume you could use one adjustable one and one regular one to make a double size, might be worth looking into anyway, if you're on a really tight budget...

    Obviously not a lot of help if you require more adjustability than that, though :)
  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 47,309 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I see the retailers mentioning the VAT exemption as a positive thing. As you say, it's the buyer who fills out the exemption form. So the buyer clearly knows if they are registered disabled or not.....However how many registered disabled people are aware of the exemption? I know of one person who did not for a while.
    the problem is that there is no longer a register of disabled people! Used to be that you could register yourself with your local authority. Not any more. I think you just have to self-declare - which is where the problems described by Tim can start!
    Signature removed for peace of mind
  • Tim_Deegan
    Tim_Deegan Posts: 6,027 Forumite
    I see the retailers mentioning the VAT exemption as a positive thing. As you say, it's the buyer who fills out the exemption form. So the buyer clearly knows if they are registered disabled or not.....However how many registered disabled people are aware of the exemption? I know of one person who did not for a while.

    I agree that more people should be made aware if they do qualify. Although many retailers are telling people that they do qualify when they don't. This is then only highlited if Customs & Excise do a visit an comb through all the paperwork.
  • Tim_Deegan
    Tim_Deegan Posts: 6,027 Forumite
    Savvy_Sue wrote: »
    the problem is that there is no longer a register of disabled people! Used to be that you could register yourself with your local authority. Not any more. I think you just have to self-declare - which is where the problems described by Tim can start!

    Isn't there a register of DLA claimants?
  • hollydays
    hollydays Posts: 19,812 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 28 February 2011 at 2:06PM
    Tim_Deegan wrote: »
    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.

    And by the same token,Tim,who runs a business for profit and is not a charity,
    would presumably not have spent the last few years endorsing his business through himself.......via this site..talk about pot kettle and black..

    Edit-feb 2011
    TIMDEEGAN now PPR'D-posting priveliges removed
  • Errata
    Errata Posts: 38,230 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Tim_Deegan wrote: »
    Isn't there a register of DLA claimants?

    Not everyone who is disabled claims a benefit.
    .................:)....I'm smiling because I have no idea what's going on ...:)
  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 47,309 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Tim_Deegan wrote: »
    Isn't there a register of DLA claimants?
    I didn't think you had to be a DLA claimant to be able to take advantage of the VAT thing.

    For example, I know you can take advantage of the VAT thing if you are buying certain hearing devices, and in most cases you wouldn't be getting DLA for a hearing loss. Likewise special vacuum cleaners and hypo-allergenic bedding - possible to get DLA for severe eczema, but not common. So I don't think that's foolproof.
    Signature removed for peace of mind
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