Two more days left to exchange my Simmons Mattress (didn't like it)
Mar 2, 2010 6:18 AM
Joined: Feb 24, 2010
Points: 26
Some of you may have seen my first thread that explains my story:

So after months and months of researching, going from mattress store to mattress store, I finally made a promise to myself that for my new year's resolution I'd finally pick a new mattress.
I had been sleeping on a old, innerspring, sealy posturpedic hand me down from parents. That mattress is probably twenty yrs old

Never had any serious back issues though but that's probably because I'm still young (27) and workout (lift weights) religiously (5 days a week) and eat healthy foods.

So In my search of mattresses I narrowed down my options to Simmons beautyrest, Sealy posturpedic, and Serta perfect sleeper. My old boss whose a Chiropractor has a Simmons so he recommended that brand for me. I ended up going with the Simmons because of his recommendation and the price was great for a king, pillowtop ($800).

I've had the bed since Jan 3rd and I like the new mattress, but don't love it. I've had numerous nights where I toss and turn all night and can't fall asleep. I've also woken up with low, achey back pain that I've never experienced before. I am a stomach sleeper so I know that's bad for your back but I didn't use to feel this with my old, worn out, hand me down mattress.

I have a little over a week left of my 60 day exchange policy and I'm considering exchanging the mattress for a different one. I just get scared I'll choose another mattress and will not even like it as much as the Simmons and I'll be screwed lol! The other mattress I'm considering (went back into Sleep America where I bought the mattress and layed on more beds) is a Serta. This is supposedly there "higher end" model that has a 20 yr warranty and more supportive foam in the hip areas and what not. I think the label says Serta perfect day "morning sunrise" or something like that.

The sad thing is the serta is around $1600 so I'd have to pay  a lot more to switch to that mattress. It would be worth it though if I can sleep a lot better.

Just needing some opinions please to help with my decision. I'm stuck here :(

...............................................................................................................................................................................................

Ok, so by March 3rd, I have to choose my new mattress to exchange my Simmons with. The recommendation you guys gave me was to buy a firm mattress and put a latex topper on it.

For a king sized mattress around 1,000, I really only have a few choices. A Sealy non pillowtop, a serta perfect sleeper, and a Europa firm bed. I had never heard of Europa but the sales lady says they just don't advertise like the big "S" brands. She said there good beds though (individual pocketed coils, 10 yr warranties).

Which of these would be the smart pick? I'm deciding tomorrow so please help!

Thanks...
Re: Two more days left to exchange my Simmons Mattress (didn't like it)
Reply #7 Mar 3, 2010 10:35 AM
Joined: Jan 31, 2010
Points: 54
woofman81 wrote:
This is driving me nuts :(

Unfortunately I believe the root cause of why this is driving you nuts is because you are caught between a rock and hard place.  They have you roped into an inherently bad situation:  you must exchange your bad product for something else they have, and everything they have are also bad products.

Maybe you can push for an full-out refund and if you plead with them to ding you with a re-stocking fee for their trouble? I know it might not work, but perhaps it is worth a try.  For you to get a good solution to this, the best thing would be to not start out in the bad situation in which  they have you trapped. 

Re: Two more days left to exchange my Simmons Mattress (didn't like it)
Reply #8 Mar 3, 2010 11:29 AM
Joined: Oct 15, 2009
Points: 966
woofman81 wrote:
Yeah, that's the same site I found earlier as well but I couldn't even find the mattress I was laying on in the store.

Also, the Sealy that I liked had no pillowtop of course and was a Preferred. It was a tad "bouncy" compared to the Serta and the Europa though and you guys stressed "really" firm.

Like I mentioned, the Europa was the firmest.

The sales lady actually said the Europa had 7/8 of an inch of latex on top of it as well.

This is driving me nuts :(

I made a mistake, I meant to say in Sealy you should get the Signature or Reserve.  I tried a Signature once that was very firm.   I actually own a Reserve that I did mattress surgery on.  The springs themselves are pretty firm, but the foam inside was junk.  I would have hated the mattress without any surgergy.   The Signature and Reserve has the most coils in the Sealy line.

The Preferred I tried at the store was definitely not as firm as the Reserve, so I can see why you would not like that.   The Signature or Reserve might push you beyond your price point, especially if the store does not have good pricing.  The cheapest king Sealy Reserve at US-mattress is $1010, that includes delivery and tax (to most states). 

Also, you do NOT want a pillowtop.  That will breakdown and provide no support.  You are better creating your own comfort level by adding latex or possibly 1-2" of 5 lb. memory foam on top.

So, you are kind of stuck in a tough situation if you cannot return for a refuncd.  I still recommend the firmest as well, as long as you are willing to pay some more to add a topper.   The foam in the S brands is going to be junk.  Not sure about the Europa, but at that price I suspect it will have junk to.  If it has some latex and is pretty firm, it sounds like it might be better than the others.  Not sure how long it will last though.

This message was modified Mar 3, 2010 by sandman
Re: Two more days left to exchange my Simmons Mattress (didn't like it)
Reply #9 Mar 3, 2010 1:58 PM
Location: L.A. area
Joined: Jan 18, 2008
Points: 1161
woofman81 wrote:
Jimsocal,

Out of the Sealy, the Serta, and the Europa, the Europa mattress is the firmest. The sales lady says it has more coils too and has the individual pocketed coils which the sealy and serta do not.

The Europa is also just under a grand while the Sealy and Serta are around 1200.

Should I stick with the Sealy and spend more money to be safe or go with this Europa mattress? They do no marketing and I can't find much about them on the internet searching.

They "look" slick in person though. They have a tan, brown suede material around the border of the mattress that makes it appear really luxerious. Probably a marketing ploy, who knows.

I don't like the Individual pocket coils (great IDEA - usually not so well executed). I'd go with the Sealy - ask them to order you the firmest one available or get the firmest one they have (as long as it's at least "Firm") Budgy says the "offset coils" are pretty good. Get one with the most offset coils I guess.
This message was modified Mar 3, 2010 by jimsocal
Re: Two more days left to exchange my Simmons Mattress (didn't like it)
Reply #10 Mar 3, 2010 4:40 PM
Joined: Feb 24, 2010
Points: 26
Alright, I put my exchange order in yesterday for the Europa but the lady said I had the next few days to change it If I wanted.

So I'm going back to change it to the Sealy. Although I don't think it was a Signature or Reserve model. They didn't have a firm one of those available in a non pillowtop.

Anyone know if you can go to other Sleep America stores for the exchange. I'm sure not every Sleep America has the exact same selection but maybe I'm wrong.
Re: Two more days left to exchange my Simmons Mattress (didn't like it)
Reply #11 Mar 3, 2010 4:57 PM
Joined: Oct 15, 2009
Points: 966
In the end we are not trying the mattresses and we don't have to sleep on it.  So, you have to use your best judgement as to which will work best for you.  If you don't have the ability to get a firm Sealy Signature or Reserve without a pillowtop, then it is possible the Europa may be a better alternative.  The pocketed coil may or may not last as long, so that is the downside.   Can they special order a Sealy of your choice?

Yes, it is a tough call.  

Re: Two more days left to exchange my Simmons Mattress (didn't like it)
Reply #12 Mar 3, 2010 5:56 PM
Joined: May 3, 2008
Points: 827
I had a Europa a few years ago, it had memory foam over the top.  Ahem.... clearing throat, hated it.  Wasted money, can't say if they all are garbage, but a safe bet they use the same foams......
Re: Two more days left to exchange my Simmons Mattress (didn't like it)
Reply #13 Mar 3, 2010 6:02 PM
Location: L.A. area
Joined: Jan 18, 2008
Points: 1161
woofman81 wrote:
Anyone know if you can go to other Sleep America stores for the exchange. I'm sure not every Sleep America has the exact same selection but maybe I'm wrong.
Seems to me this is a question you should ask them, not us.

I was in your exact position years ago. Bought a mattress from a store and when I went to exchange it they had no GOOD mattresses to exchange it to.
I told the guy I'd give him a $50-100 restocking fee to PLEASE not make me buy a mattress here, I wanted to go with a latex mattress that he does not carry. He agreed, I was out $75 or so, and I was happy to have made my mistake , paid for it and NOT get stuck with a crappy mattress I didn't want.
Re: Two more days left to exchange my Simmons Mattress (didn't like it)
Reply #14 Mar 4, 2010 7:38 PM
Joined: Feb 24, 2010
Points: 26
Well guys, I did something totally different. I went to a completely different Sleep america store (found out I can exchange at any store).

Told the new salesmen my situation and told him I need a "firm" bed with no pillowtop in a King. Well I couldn't find a Sealy "firm" mattress in a signature or reserve either. I would have had to get the preferred which is the low end of Sealy.

He had me lay on  a Firm Stearns and Foster and I really liked it. I saw the price tag was 2 grand so I shyed away from it but the salesmen said he could do that mattress for 1196.00.

Like I said, it was firm and felt supportive and he told me it had more coils than the sealy, simmons, and serta.

So this is what I'm exchanging my Simmons with.

My other option (400 dollars more) was the Simmons natural latex bed. They have a firm one that felt nice. Both the latex and the S&F felt similar comfort wise so i went with the cheaper one obviously.

I hope I made the right decison....
Re: Two more days left to exchange my Simmons Mattress (didn't like it)
Reply #15 Mar 4, 2010 8:23 PM
Joined: Oct 15, 2009
Points: 966
Probably my favorite S brand that I tried was a luxury firm S&F estate (non-pillowtop).   The estate seemed a bit better than the regular S&F, but that was okay too.

Not sure how long it will last, but probably as good of a choice as any of the others.  Funny how much the price dropped when you complained about it...

Re: Two more days left to exchange my Simmons Mattress (didn't like it)
Reply #16 Mar 5, 2010 12:40 AM
Joined: Feb 24, 2010
Points: 26
sandman wrote:
Probably my favorite S brand that I tried was a luxury firm S&F estate (non-pillowtop).   The estate seemed a bit better than the regular S&F, but that was okay too.

Not sure how long it will last, but probably as good of a choice as any of the others.  Funny how much the price dropped when you complained about it...


Yeah I'm kinda pissed the lady at the original Sleep America never even showed me that S&F mattress. She obviously wasn't willing to go down on the price as much as this other guy at the other store.

The Simmons latex mattress was nice as well but it's dunlop latex which I read wasn't as good as the Talalay?

The lady wouldn't even go below 2 grand for that Simmons latex while this other would do 1593. Shows you just how bad these salesmen can play with pricing

Also, the S&F seemed almost comfortable enough that it might not need a topper. I'll probably sleep on it a night or two and see if I need to soften it up with the topper or not.

PS-I think it might be the luxury edition you're speaking of as well Sandman
This message was modified Mar 5, 2010 by woofman81

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