The Mattress Scam | How to Buy a Mattress

Will a Stain Really Void the Warranty?

In most cases, yes. This is a piece of information you most likely hear from the sales associate, and believe it or not it’s usually a truthful statement. Why would they tell you something bad about the product warranty? Because it will help them sell you something else, of course. This is where the mattress pad (or cover, topper, protector) sales pitch comes in. Unfortunately, if you value the warranty you will need to get a mattress pad so that slobber of drool or some other liquid substance does not put a small stain on the mattress and give the warranty inspector a reason to reject the claim.

You don’t, however, and shouldn’t, buy the pad from the same place you are buying the mattress. This is like buying electronic connectors from the place you bought the stereo store. It’s a common product that can be purchased much cheaper somewhere else, particularly in an online store. You’ll save about $20-$40 over the price at the mattress store and you’ll have a lot more choices.

We have put together a handy summary with prices and direct links to some great mattress cover/topper/protector deals online. Click Here or go to www.mattressscam.com/mattress_covers.htm

You can buy the cover/protector any time if you know the size you need. You don’t have to wait until the new bed is delivered.

If I Don’t Buy The Same Box spring in the Set, Will My Warranty Be Void?

In most cases the answer to this one is no. This was the number one sales-shark lie told by mattress sales associates in our interviews. An overwhelming majority simply said you need to buy the same box spring or else your warranty is void. Many of them pinned the blame on the manufacturer, stating that the manufacturer insists the box spring be the same brand as the mattress.

None of this is true. The long and short of it is that most major manufacturer’s warranties demand that you have a quality box spring that provides adequate support. It’s probably safe to say that if your bed set is very old, you should probably change the mattress and get a new box spring also. Some stores, such as Mattress Discounters in Virginia, offer separate pricing on all mattresses and box springs so you can spend what you need to be happy on the mattress, and then save some money on the box spring. Any modern box spring from a reputable brand should properly support a mattress of the same size.

King Koil says: “If your mattress is damaged due to an inappropriate foundation, which did not properly support the mattress, your warranty will be voided.”

You will find similar statements highlighted in the detail section below.

Does the Frame I use Play a Role in My Warranty?

Yes, particularly for Queen sizes and up. Most manufacturers specify the number of “slats” and demand a center support leg, some specify the material such as hard wood or metal. Without this proper frame support, the warranty could be voided.

The Select Comfort Sleep Number Bead Boasts a “20 year” Warranty, is this Twice as Good as the 10 Year on Competing Mattresses?

Not really. Since Select Comfort spends so much money paying actors to do fancy commercials in order to get the word out about their product, we thought they deserved their own question in the warranty section. Each of their commercials boasts a “20 year limited warranty.” How limited? You be the judge:

Years After Original Purchase Date	Original Purchaser's Cost
Up to 2 years	No Cost
2-20 years	20% plus 4% of price for each year from original purchase date

The mid-level and most popular sleep number bed costs about $2,000. So if the bed fails after less than half of the warranty life, say 8 years (remember, these things have electrical/mechanical components), the owner would need to fork over 20% of $2000=$400 plus 8 x 4% of $2000 = $640. Add shipping and the headache caused by a manufacturer’s defect of your bed and the additional $1,040 becomes real painful!

View a Matrix of the Typical Mattress Issues from Major Manufacturers HERE.