"hammock" problem; foam mattress, 2-1/2 yrs old. problem started almost immediately. serta has an answer for everything--even to the point of rewriting the laws of physics. 5-1/4 inch sag is "acceptable" and "normal."shoddy product, shoddy company. STAY AWAY. will not honor warranty; do not give these people your money. i have filed with consumer protection office. can provide details.

Re: stay away from serta
Reply #1 Today 3:32 pm Edit Quote


I was one of the fortunate ones who actually had a Serta rep. come out to my home when I complained of my mattress hammocking. AND, they checked the foundation and decided it wasn't built right, hence the mattress not performing well. I never did understand what was wrong or how it would even really affect my mattress. It looked fine to me. But, since my husband's side of the mattress wasn't performing poorly and he DID apparently have the correct box spring (foundation), maybe there was something to it. They contacted the store where I purchased it and I was able to exchange it for something else. This time I went with two XL Twins and have never gone back to one King mattress again.

And, actually the Full size mattress that still sits in my guest room, I purchased 20 years ago. It's a Serta Perfect Sleeper. Granted, after only a couple years of continual use, I married and put that one in the guest room---so it's not been slept on quite as much. But, my grown daughters have taken turns sleeping it for a year or so at a time. And my husband slept on it recently for 2 months after I had surgery. BUT, I think in the '80s they were made better. AND, it's not a pillow top.


moosie wrote:
"hammock" problem; foam mattress, 2-1/2 yrs old. problem started almost immediately. serta has an answer for everything--even to the point of rewriting the laws of physics. 5-1/4 inch sag is "acceptable" and "normal."shoddy product, shoddy company. STAY AWAY. will not honor warranty; do not give these people your money. i have filed with consumer protection office. can provide details.

after one inspector said the foundation was fine--sturdy slats, well-made bed, a serta guy said they were causing the sag. i asked him to look under the bed and see that there was no sag, but he said he just somehow couldn't see well enough. then he started pulling "reasons" out of his hat, none of which made any sense. they will say and do anything t get out of their oblation to their warranty. this is essentially a new mattress. it is performing "as expected." does anyone really "expect" a new mattress to sag 5-1/4 inches?? and have that be a "personal preference"?

Unfortunately it's not just Serta--it's virtually all innerspring mattresses made today, and the culprit is the prolific use of cheap, low density PU foam that softens and compresses in no time at all. 3 or 4 years is just about the maximum lifespan of these mattresses. And we all know what a joke warranties are. Either, as you discovered, the manufacturer will do anything to get out of honoring it or your cost on a prorated warranty is often just not worth it. 

The best thing you can do when shopping for a mattress is to get the least foam padding -- no pillow or Euro tops and the sturdiest innerspring unit you can find. Add your own toppers which can easily be replaced when necessary. Buy the mattress from a store that has a good reputation for customer service. One that will handle any warranty claim you make and will go to bat for you if the mattress fails prematurely. Inspectors are more likely to honor your claim if the store is backing you up. The manufacturer wants to maintain a good relationship with their sellers even if they don't give a damn about the consumer.

Considering that the cost of a warranty replacement on a prorated mattress is based on the retail price, not the price you actually paid for the thing, some people are opting not the replace the mattress at all--just the worn-out PU foam layers. Mattress reconstruction is a popular topic on this forum. Check out threads by Jimsocal which detail this process. You can probably save money and end up with a better and more comfortable product by replacing the PU foam with high quality HR foam, latex or visco. And it will last a lot longer. That's why a sturdy innerspring unit is the most important element of the mattress you buy. A high quality innerspring unit really will last at least 20 years and you have a solid foundation to build a customized mattress on after the PU foam fails.

For once I agree with cloud9.  I think the the S-brands are some of the worst offenders but indeed nearly all of the mass-produced innerspring mattresses are made like junk these days.  I had an S&F as a kid that in total lasted over 20 years.  The mattress I replaced it with (a Sealy or Simmons, can't recall) lasted 2 years.  The mattress after that (a Sealy) lasted 3 years.  Now I gave up on all of them and went another route.

cloud9 wrote:

ALL "S" brand mattresses are junk, in my humble opinion.

See my thread here about the cheap junk Sealy fills their mattresses with, and how to do surgery on your mattress, fill it with high quality HR Foam and/or latex.

http://tinyurl.com/4mnmx9