Never Buy a Sealy Mattress

Having spent over $2500 on a Sealy mattress with a 10 year warranty,  I thought I had bought a great  product. After all, any product with a warranty of 10 years must be good right? Otherwise the manufacturer wouldn't offer such a warranty.

From the CHOICE magazine site, here are three case studies regarding the company SEALY.

CASE STUDIES

In September 2006, CHOICE members Owen and Tricia Gerke bought a Sealy mattress. By January 2007, the mattress was sagging, with visible body indentations and a ridge. Sealy customer service told them sagging was “normal”. After two inspections and some repairs, the Gerkes are still dissatisfied. Sealy insists this is a “comfort choice issue” rather than a manufacturing defect and offered to repair it if it sags by 32mm. “The mattress had sagged by 20mm in just two months and is very uncomfortable,” says Owen. “This is unacceptable.”

Sealy spokesman Matthew Thomas tells CHOICE the body indentations on the Gerkes’ mattress are normal, as Sealy mattresses are designed to conform to body contours. “The most significant amount of height loss occurs in the first six months of use due to compression and adjustment in the comfort layers,” he argues. “When you sit in a padded lounge chair, you leave an impression and over time the seat may not be as high as when you bought it. It does not mean the chair will be uncomfortable.” Sealy resolved the Gerkes’ situation by replacing the mattress.

A similar case was reported to CHOICE last year when member Richard Levine and his wife developed back pains from sleeping on their Sealy mattress. Body impressions had also formed on his foam pillow-top spring mattress. David Jones, the retailer from whom he bought the bed, told him it can take time to get accustomed to a new mattress . The store manager also told them to call the manufacturer, Sealy. A Sealy staff told the Levines they had to rotate it every two weeks for three months to allow the pillow top to conform to their body contours. The Levines did so without success. Upon inspection, Sealy said Richard’s pre-existing non-Sealy spring base was the problem. Richard argued that he should not be liable for the problem because he was not told he needed to have or buy a matching Sealy base. David Jones refunded Richard's money in the end.

In my case, I called the company and after agreeing to pay $50 for a home visit, two reps turned up to tell me there was nothing wrong with my mattress. Don't forget this is mattress that is well within the 10 year warranty. Why did I have to pay $50? No choice really, take it or leave it.

My complaint specified two faults with the mattress.
1. The mattress sagged where it should have given support. I was told this was normal and not a fault of the mattress.
2. The mattress is too hot because of the added on pillow layer retains body heat. I was quoted $473 for the company to take away and remove the offending pillow layer.

I wouldn't recommend anyone buying a Sealy mattress no matter what the advertising claims may say and especially don't be fooled into thinking the warranty is worth anything at all. They don't honor it.