Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

What happens to a mail-order mattress after you return it

fivethirtyeight.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 320 posts

Re: What happens to a mail-order mattress after you return it

#91

Post by Johnny555 »

bsanr wrote: post #30

I'd thought I'd get around the madness of mattress shopping by using just the technique mentioned in the article here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22377160 At least, until I found something I liked. I purchased a Purple 3, thinking that if I loved it, I'd just stick with it. I did love it, but I couldn't justify spending $2k on a twin(!). I returned it, and purchased from another company for ~$700. I didn't…

I purchased a Purple 3, thinking that if I loved it, I'd just stick with it. I did love it, but I couldn't justify spending $2k on a twin

I don't understand this -- you loved the mattress and you knew the price when you ordered, so what other outcome did you expect if you couldn't justify the price to yourself even if you loved it? It seems that you'd have been better off going with a more affordably priced mattress from the beginning like a Leesa or Casper?

Otherwise you're just guaranteeing yourself a lot of hassle to send back a mattress that you know you don't want to pay for. Plus, now you know there's a more comfortable mattress out there that's out of your price range. It's kind of like test driving an $80K Acura when all you can afford is a $30K Honda, sure you may love the Acura, but if you can't afford it anyway, why bother?

Re: What happens to a mail-order mattress after you return it

#92

Post by dbg31415 »

Returns on bulky items are a mess.

I ordered a fridge and dishwasher from Costco. They were scuffed up during delivery.

Costco asked me to bear with them... send pictures... write up a report...

Once Costco was able to stick the delivery company for the bill, they sent me a new set. They didn't care about the original set.

At one point a guy showed up in a pickup. No uniform. Not in a delivery van, or truck. Just a guy with a dolly and a beat-up F150. He said, "I'm here for the old fridge."

When he saw they were new appliances, he was like, "Yeah, {the original delivery company} told me to take them to the dump... let me sell them, I'll come back with a U-Haul." And he kept texting and setting times and not showing. I had a Fridge and Dishwasher in my living room for over a month.

I asked Costco what was up... I asked them to get it take care of ASAP... they were like, "Uh... I mean, I guess we can... or you can just sell them..."

In the end I sold them to a neighbor, for half what I paid... he called the brand repair place and ordered a new door. Which is all I was expecting anyone to do in the first place.

Re: What happens to a mail-order mattress after you return it

#93

Post by Johnny555 »

mech1234 wrote: post #53

Get a firm or very firm innerspring mattress from IKEA. You can do this for less than $300 and it will fit in the back of a sedan in it's roll-up-package. Sleep on it for a bit. If you don't like the feel, which you probably won't, add a memory foam mattress topper for ~$50. Use a thicker or thinner topper to suit your needs. Congrats! Because your mattress is firm, its foam will not break down for a long, long time.…

I tried some Ikea mattresses when I was mattress shopping, and none of them felt comfortable even in a short test period in the store.

I ended up buying a Leesa and have been very satisfied with it over the past 5 years.

Re: What happens to a mail-order mattress after you return it

#94

Post by floatrock »

morelisp wrote: post #65
fwip wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's risky for the charity. For instance, if the mattress has bedbugs, it stands a good chance of contaminating everything they've got in storage, requiring them to purge their entire inventory, sanitize, and build up from scratch again.

Wouldn't this apply to any bedding, or even clothing?

Depends. Clothing you can wash. In my state, outdoor outfitters aren't allowed to sell used sleeping bags because of hygiene concerns.

Re: What happens to a mail-order mattress after you return it

#95

Post by simonsarris »

Johnny555 wrote: post #91
bsanr wrote: post #30

I'd thought I'd get around the madness of mattress shopping by using just the technique mentioned in the article here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22377160 At least, until I found something I liked. I purchased a Purple 3, thinking that if I loved it, I'd just stick with it. I did love it, but I couldn't justify spending $2k on a twin(!). I returned it, and purchased from another company for ~$700. I didn't…

I purchased a Purple 3, thinking that if I loved it, I'd just stick with it. I did love it, but I couldn't justify spending $2k on a twin I don't understand this -- you loved the mattress and you knew the price when you ordered, so what other outcome did you expect if you couldn't justify the price to yourself even if you loved it? It seems that you'd have been better off going with a more affordably priced mattress…

1. Testing cars you can't afford is awesome. Knowing the full range of experience in a good can be very enlightening. How much better is a $10,000 camera from a $1,000 camera, or $400 wine from $4? I used to run a tasting group which is basically a way to pool money and try liquors that are vastly out of our individual price range and I highly recommend it. You can try expensive cars and mattresses for free, that's even better!

2. What's wrong with thinking "Well it is great, but its not $2000 great." You aren't beholden to the thoughts you had about how worth-it it might be before you tried it.

Re: What happens to a mail-order mattress after you return it

#96

Post by post_break »

bsanr wrote: post #30

I'd thought I'd get around the madness of mattress shopping by using just the technique mentioned in the article here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22377160 At least, until I found something I liked. I purchased a Purple 3, thinking that if I loved it, I'd just stick with it. I did love it, but I couldn't justify spending $2k on a twin(!). I returned it, and purchased from another company for ~$700. I didn't…

Which mattress did you end up liking? I have an OG purple and love it, but need one for my spare bedroom.

Re: What happens to a mail-order mattress after you return it

#97

Post by joegahona »

whalesalad wrote: post #80

FWIW I had a Leesa and ended up returning it. That went fine and dandy, everything worked as they promised with no frills. What I actually want to share with you all here is to go to a mom-n-pop mattress store in your local area. Find your local mattress NERD and buy a bed from them. They're going to have all kinds of wild stuff you can try and will do a great job of selling you the right bed for you (and your partne…

I have a Leesa and don't love it, but I've had it over a year now, so can't return it. I didn't realize "mom-n-pop mattress stores" existed -- how would one find one?

I ended up with an online-mattress purchase because of a poor experience with both a Mattress Firm store (pushy salespeople) and most obnoxiously with a specific manufacturer, Simmons. I stayed at an AirBnB in SF years ago and the bed was noticeably the most comfortable bed I've ever slept on. I messaged the host _years_ later and asked him what type of bed it was, and to my surprise and delight, he messaged me back with text and images of the tags on the mattress. When I tried contacting Simmons by phone, email, and even Facebook Message, telling them I would BUY that mattress, no matter the cost, if they could point me in the right direction, I got nowhere and was made to feel like I was a bother. So while it's easy for me to believe that these online mattress companies are marketing companies glueing foam together, maybe this is what we needed to make an outdated industry improve.

Re: What happens to a mail-order mattress after you return it

#98

Post by on_and_off »

bsanr wrote: post #30

I'd thought I'd get around the madness of mattress shopping by using just the technique mentioned in the article here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22377160 At least, until I found something I liked. I purchased a Purple 3, thinking that if I loved it, I'd just stick with it. I did love it, but I couldn't justify spending $2k on a twin(!). I returned it, and purchased from another company for ~$700. I didn't…

old (2017) but good link on the mattress madness : https://www.fastcompany.com/3065928/sleepopolis-casper-blogg...

yes, mattresses are pretty much a racket.

Re: What happens to a mail-order mattress after you return it

#99

Post by twunde »

jmpz wrote: post #88
135792468 wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn’t read the article but I’ve worked for one of these companies that was a startup and have a local mattress company as a client. So a little perspective. These companies are all marketing companies. There is no “science” they literally get rolls of foam from foam makers, throw them on in layers and try to find the right combo. I was there, I’ve done it myself. The companies that end up winning have fantastic ma…

It's worth reading the article to get context before commenting. What experience do you have to assert "These companies are all marketing companies. There is no “science” they literally get rolls of foam from foam makers, throw them on in layers and try to find the right combo. I was there, I’ve done it myself."

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/18/there-are-now-175-online-mat... mentions that most of the online companies outsource their design and production to one of 4 producers.

Re: What happens to a mail-order mattress after you return it

#100

Post by svieira »

PopeDotNinja wrote: post #33
Yhippa wrote: post #24

I bought one of these over a decade ago from Costco. It had a defect in it but I never really pursued returning it. I had no clue how I'd get it out of my house by myself. Use a chainsaw or machete to cut it into blocks and then toss it out the window and then take it to the dump? It was really heavy. Much heavier than normal mattresses. At least it seemed much more flexible to bend around corners.

I once had a loveseat that I couldn't get out of a studio apartment without moving almost everything. Since I was a bit bored at the time, I slowly carved up the entire thing with a Swiss Army knife w/ the saw & scissors extensions. Was actually kind of fun.

I once tore up a recliner sofa with a crowbar and tossed the pieces out of a third story window (I didn't get it in, and there was no way it was going out the door in its then-present configuration).
Post reply on HN