Mattress Firm

Several months ago, my daughter and youngest son both needed new box springs and mattresses. After checking several places online, my daughter and I headed off to one of the local Mattress Firm stores.

There are two stores in Pinellas Park, Florida, that are basically across the street from each other. We went into the store located at the Shoppes at Park Place (formerly Pinellas Square Mall and Parkside Mall), as opposed to the location at 7101 U.S 19 North.

Note: Years ago, I had bought a mattress at another store located within a block of both stores, as well as buying furniture at a local Rooms To Go, both of which had excellent service. I really should have gone to either of those places for the new mattress.

After spending between 30 to 60 minutes testing mattresses, my daughter picked one mattress and and two box springs, as well as a bed frame; I bought the same model mattress and box spring for my son. (The reason my daughter was getting two boxsprings was that a second one was needed under the mattress in a second bedroom.)

After arranging to have the mattress, box springs and bed frame to be delivered to two different locations (my daughter doesn't live with me; my son does), we paid for the merchandise. My daughter used her credit card to put $100 toward the purchase, while I paid the majority of the bill (more than $1,000, including delivery).

And then the fun began.

The delivery was to include: bringing the bedding (mattress, boxspring, bed frame) into the house and to the room where the bedding was supposed to be set up, removing the old bedding, and setting up the beds (including bed frame). Also, the delivery people had been touted as having shoe covers over their shoes so that they would not track any dirt into the house.

But promises and reality are frequently two different things. The first delivery was at my house between 10:00 a.m. and noon, while the second delivery at my daughter's place, was to take place two days later during a two-hour time-frame; both were to involve the aforementioned delivery inclusions.

I had been out early the morning of the next day's delivery, but arrived home at 10:02. (Yes, two minutes past the delivery time.) However, my adult son, whom the mattress and one box spring were for, was home. The delivery people arrived at approximately 9:45. When they brought in the mattress and boxspring, they were not wearing shoe covers, and tracked dirt into the living room, where the front door is located. They also left the bedding propped up against the couch right inside the front door, did not remove the old mattress and boxspring, nor did they set up the new bed or move it to the room that the bed was supposed to be. My son and I had to first muscle the old mattress and boxspring outside and to the side of the road for the next garbage pickup, then muscle the new mattress and boxspring in.

When my daughter's mattress, two boxsprings, and bed frame arrived two days later, it was the exact same scenario: no shoe covers, dirt tracked into her place, the bedding left inside the front hall (not brought to the two different bedrooms). She had to move the old bedding from one room by herself, put the bed frame together by herself, muscle one of the boxsprings and the mattress onto the bed frame by herself, then drag the second boxspring into the second bedroom and put it under the mattress in the bedroom.

Had any of us - my son, my daughter, or I - had any medical issues making it difficult to move out the old bedding or in the new bedding, we would have had a major problem. As it was, I had paid $60 per delivery (for $120, total) to have the old bedding removed and the new stuff put together correctly.

When I called the store to complain, I was told that the manager was out for a few days and would "call me back." When I asked if there was an assistant who could take my complaint, the man answering finally consented (grudgingly) to listen to my complaint. "But the manager will have to take care of the problem."

When I didn't hear back in a few days, I had to call a second time. The manager apologized, telling me that they'd subcontracted with a new carrier.

I pointed out the $60 a piece for delivery, removal, set up, shoe covers, he assured me that they would refund the money immediately, and that I should see a charge-back in a matter of days. When I asked which card (my daughter had chipped in $100), I was assured it was the one that had paid out the most for the order.

A week later, I called again: there had been no charge-back on my card or my daughter's card. After a third call to the store, they finally refunded the delivery charge - to my daughter. (Fortunately, she's honest and handed over the money, after informing me that they'd sent her the refund.)

Also, we were told when we bought the mattress and boxspring that if we were unsatisfied after a week, we could exchange them. At the appropriate time, we swung by the store, and were told Nope, so sorry, we'd have to wait a minimum of 30 days of testing it. She still has the mattress and boxspring.

Okay, the punchline: our experience at Mattress Firm was mixed. Using a scale of 1 (for horrible) to 10 (exceptionally great), I would break it down as follows:

* The initial buying experience: 9

* Delivery: 2 (no removal of old bedding, no setting up of new bedding, left the bedding just inside the front door, no shoe covers, tracked dirt inside)

* Refund of the delivery: 5 - 6 (it took three phone calls, and the money was deposited to the wrong person)

* Follow-up customer service: 6 - 7 (changing from exchanging in a week to having to wait 30 days).

That was our experience. Next time, I'll probably go back to Rooms To Go or another comparable store.