Thursday, February 4, 2016

FREE MATTRESSES, Get Them While You Can at Amazon

UPDATE II:  Still no update, somebody didn't like my review.

I hope Jeff understands that I was just trying to be helpful.

As Costco found out, some people take advantage of return policies.

And I do love Amazon, usually, so I don't want them to go out of business as the result of  dishonest customers, who would abuse Amazon's friendly policy.

I'm still happy to pay for the mattress which I sold to my neighbor. Although to avoid the trouble of trying to box wrap the mattress for return, I did give him a slight discount. 

Maybe Amazon would agree to refund the difference between the price I paid and what my neighbor paid.

How about it Jeff?

UPDATE:  Update II was never published for my review.

Wonder why?  Does someone not want you to get a free mattress? ;-)

So I tried again, making slight changes. This was my original post, beginning at 'Pros':

My actual Amazon mattress review (see it here)

(FYI, Update II hasn't been posed yet):

Best Price Mattress 10-Inch Memory Foam Mattress, Queen

First post (01/26/16)

Pros:

I really like the concept, order a mattress and it is delivered. And it was, in less than two days, just before Christmas.  It was raining, and the box had been sitting on an open trailer for a time (it was UPS I think, and during the holidays they were delivering boxes using a golf cart and the open trailer).  But the compressed mattress was wrapped in layers of plastic, well protected and perfectly dry.

Other reviews describe the process pretty well, open it up, let it sit for two days, voilà, a full size 10" queen mattress.  The slight smell was gone also.

Cons:  This is my personal opinion, shared by my wife, the mattress was too firm.

We wanted a mattress with medium firmness, not too hard, not too soft, but Goldilocks just right.  The Product Information didn't address the mattress firmness, but the reviews seem to indicate it was medium firm.  We don't agree.

Amazon, I love ya, so I suggest the following:  develop some sort of standardized firmness scale.

TBD:  Amazon accepted the return, with a UPS pickup.  Can't wait to see how this goes.


UPDATE (01/29/16):

So, after much effort to find a page to send an email to a person, on 01/26/16 I wrote Amazon:

"I am returning the mattress.  It was shipped to me  compressed. Please be advised that I can't return it in that manner.  Does the return shipper, UPS, know what to do?"

Before I got an answer, UPS was at my door to pickup the mattress. The driver was nice but said that the mattress could be damaged if it was not properly prepared for shipment. He did not know how the mattress could be returned in the box it was shipped in because of course it couldn't be.  The driver said in another case the buyer wrapped the mattress with cardboard from various small boxes using duct tape.  It must have taken a lot of boxes and duct tape.

The reply from Amazon was a non-answer:

"I'm sorry your item didn't work out.  To return the item, go to our Online Returns Center: www.amazon.com/returns  The Online Returns Center will guide you through the process and give you a printable return mailing label. If a pre-paid label isn't available for your return, the Online Returns Center will provide other options for getting the item back to us.  For more information on returns, please go to our Help pages:  http://www.amazon.com/help/returns  I hope this helps! We look forward to seeing you again soon.  We'd appreciate your feedback. Please use the links below to tell us about your experience today."

The reply did not help.

So always looking for an easier way to achieve the best possible outcome, I thought, who would pay me for the mattress. (FYI, most thrift store won't even take a mattress given to them, bedbug and stuff I guess.)

To make a long story short, one of my neighbor was thinking of buying a new mattress, and he preferred a firm one.  He gave it a try and I sold it at cost.  He has since told me it is an "incredibly comfortable mattress." (Actual quote from a text message.)  His girlfriend could not believe the cost, she thought it would have cost $1-2k.  (Maybe I'll open a mattress store.)  In any case, happy ending.

And, on behalf of my neighbor, I now give it 5-stars, if you like a firm mattress.

P.S.

I asked Amazon:  "Do I get a commission for saving the sale for, and the cost of returning an item that could probably not be resold by, Amazon?"

I'll let you know if I get one.  (If there is no update, you know the answer.)


UPDATE II (02/02/16):  Surprise, surprise, surprise.  Amazon gave me the mattress. Here was their response [my comments will be in brackets]:

"I'm sorry to hear about the condition in which your 'Best Price Mattress' arrived. [Did I complain about the condition of the mattress on delivery?  The box was wet, but the mattress was fine.]

Upon checking, I can confirm that a refund of $277.34 was issued to your (credit) card for order #xxx-xxxxxxx-xxxxxxx  on January 28, 2016. The refund is processing and should complete within three business days. [The mattress was delivered on December 22, just two days after I ordered it.  During the Christmas retail frenzy, I was amazed. Maybe Jeff should change the name to Amazing.] . . .

[Two immaterial sentences deleted.]

Further, there's no need to return the mattress. Please dispose of it at your convenience.  [I did, I sold it to my neighbor, who loves it.  See above.]

Rest assured, you'll not be charged any amount towards this mattress.  [That's not what I asked for, but Jeff has more money than I, so thanks Jeff.]

Your patience and understanding in this regard is highly appreciated. We look forward to seeing you again soon. [You will, I could become rich running a scam and selling mattresses.  Easier yet, I think I'll set up a donate page and explain how others can get a free mattress.]

We'd appreciate your feedback. [Please sent me more mattresses to sell.]  Please use the links below to tell us about your experience today. . .


Did I solve your problem?
Yes No [No comment.]

Your feedback is helping us build Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company. [You may be a 'Customer-Centric Company' but you'll never make a profit if this gets out.]
Thank you. [No, let me thank Jeff for the free mattress.]"

I post this comment because while I appreciate the concept of free mattresses, I love Amazon and I'd hate to see them go bankrupt.

Jeff, I just thought you'd like to know.

[Listen to the Johnny Cash song of the same title, my new ode, as amended, to Amazon:
I just thought you'd like to know
Since you'd made your plans to go (bankrupt)
It's gonna hurt me so to see you go (bankrupt).]

FREE MATTRESSES, get them while you can.

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