It may sound odd for a consumer advocate to ask a company to provide more fine print, but that is exactly what MrConsumer had hoped Costco would do. Costco has had Tempur-pedic memory foam mattresses on sale for the past several weeks, and seemingly only making them available on its website. It is hard enough making the right decision about a mattress when you can actually try out several in the store. Imagine trying to buy one online almost blindly. That’s why having detailed specifications can help the prospective buyer make a more informed decision. On Costco’s website, there are four different models of Tempur-pedic mattresses ranging in price from $1399 to $1899. MrConsumer wondered what the difference was between them. So might any purchaser, right? So he clicked the “compare” button on each to create a handy chart to find out. That was helpful, wasn’t it? Every column has the identical description. The product page for each does have more information, but is mostly marketing mumbo jumbo like “TEMPUR® support layer: A thick TEMPUR® support layer provides body aligning support,” and “millions of individually adjusting TEMPUR® cells that adapt and conform to your unique shape and body weight.”
And descriptions similar if not identical to this appear for all the mattresses. Memory foam mattress shoppers should be given easy access to details like the firmness, overall thickness, composition of each layer, and how thick and dense each one is. A memory foam mattress is not all memory foam. The bottom six or seven inches is often a high density foam that does not have the conforming qualities of memory foam. It is simply a base. That’s why knowing how thick the actual memory foam layers are is so important. Costco has buried some of this information or just not provided it. And wouldn’t it be nice if the product names could be referenced at the manufacturer’s website and at competitors’ stores. Incidentally, if you think that clicking the specifications tab will reveal everything you need to know, think again. All four beds just say this: So, Costco, if you are actually interested in selling mattresses, give us some real data to work with and not useless comparison charts.
This is an archived post. You won't be able to vote or comment.Any tips to get the most for my money? Is there a buying guide on /r/pf? (self.personalfinance)submitted by My wife and I are planning to buy a mattress this weekend. Are there places I should avoid? Is there a mattress buying guide you recommend? I read the one on consumer reports. edit: This sub is always so helpful. Thanks for all the replies! π Rendered by PID 74523 on app-782 at 2017-03-05 22:52:14.222683+00:00 running f3f09f7 country code: SG.Tips for mattress shopping? January 13, 2014 Subscribe My boyfriend and I are going mattress shopping. Right now he has a regular coil mattress with a pillow top, but it's too small for us and also has an indentation in the middle of it from years of him sleeping in the middle. So we're looking for a king-sized and something that's less "sinky." 2,626 posts, read 9,406,449 times 6,745 posts, read 7,242,953 times Originally Posted by titaniummd
A retail store will lower their price to make a deal with you. Plus the customer service will be better. What do you mean by mattress wholesale stores? Do you have a Direct Buy account? I believe the membership is $5000 initial fee plus $200/month for the next seven years. With DirectBuy, it will cost you a lot to save: Consumer Reports Home & Garden Blog Originally Posted by ozzie679 There are 'mattress discount stores'. I am a member of Direct Buy since 1999. I paid 1/2 of that and $100 annual renewal - must be a different contract that they have nowadays. I wouldn't pay at current prices. One of the few thing I know about is mattress retail. Most of the time "discount stores" are in name only. When shopping, people have to compare apples to apples. I would love to see what Direct Buy considers "wholesale" prices. Not every company has the same wholesale cost for like products. 5,187 posts, read 11,039,531 times Originally Posted by Ellwood For a bed for the cabin or spare room.
I have a Sams club member ship. There are two I was considering: Sam's Club - Serta® Summerlyn Low Profile Set - King Sam's Club - Serta® Grandis Super Pillowtop Set - King 26,399 posts, read 33,210,241 times Do not buy a pillow top under any circumstances. You will get big body impressions in the mattress. I am very familiar with the Serta Line. I would purchase a Vera Wang Latex mattress before I would buy anything else. gentlehearts is right, try to purchase from a specialty shop. The service will be much better if something goes wrong. Also, ask them for a discount. 48,527 posts, read 69,974,981 times Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.Is Costco’s Lifetime Return Policy a Scam? DoughRoller receives compensation from some companies issuing financial products, like credit cards and bank accounts, that appear on this site.
Unless a post is clearly marked "Sponsored", however, products mentioned in editorial articles and reviews are based on the author's subjective assessment of their value to readers, not compensation. Compensation may impact how and where products appear on non-editorial pages (e.g., comparison or "marketplace" pages). That said, our standard is that we will never accept advertising from a product which we wouldn't use ourselves. This article is about my experience with Costco’s purported lifetime return policy. But first let’s review. Last week Michael published an article about how he stole $45 from Costco. He felt terrible about what he had done and wanted readers’ views on the situation. Most people felt he did the wrong thing, myself included. But what was particularly surprising to me was the venom in a few of the comments. Here are two examples:I am unsubscribing from your blog because I will not seek financial advice from someone of questionable character. That’s what this is about.
Not whether or not Costco will miss the money. Not to whom you should donate the money to atone for your misdeed. Not how lucky you are for this “found” money. Knowing the truth, you intentionally deceived Costco in order to avoid paying for those goods. That was the point that you crossed the line. You can still make things right, but you are choosing not to do so because you are embarrassed. Your principles are compromised. . . . May the dishonesty you’ve demonstrated be returned upon you 1,000 times. As a senior manager it is very depressing to see your lack of anonymity towards the cashier and member service employee you embarrassed. I can not immagine how they must feel. The sad part is you knowingly walked out with unpaid merchandise and failed to make it right. To make matters worse we know who you are Every time you shop your card will be flagged (beware of possible theft). At no point will you be approached. Yet, we will be watching you from this point forward no matter which Costco you shop.
Thnak you for the heads up XXXXX So if a $45 error gets people this upset at Michael, then the story I’m about to tell will really upset them. Costco’s Lifetime Return Policy A little over two years ago we bought our son an electric piano from Costco. It cost about $1,300. Earlier this year he told me he wanted a different piano, and he asked if he could return the piano to Costco and buy a new one. When I explained that it had been nearly two years since we bought the piano from Costco, he told me they have a lifetime return policy. To be honest, I didn’t believe him. So I called Costco. Sure enough, with some exceptions Costco has a lifetime return guarantee. At least that’s what the Costco representative told me on the phone. to check out the return policy, and here’s what it says: Merchandise: We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell with a full refund. The following must be returned within 90 days of purchase for a refund: televisions, projectors, computers, cameras, camcorders, iPOD / MP3 players and cellular phones.
Sure enough, there is no time limit on returns except for a few electronics listed above. So the next day I called back to start the return process. The Costco representative pulled up my purchase, confirmed that it was eligible for return, and told me somebody would contact me in the next 7 to 10 days to schedule a pickup of the piano. Later that day we ordered his new electric piano from Amazon. And then I received the following e-mail: Costco is dedicated to offering the best products at the best prices to our members. We recognize that in rare instances there are defects in products that we sell, or a member may decide that they purchased the wrong item for their needs. Our return policy is the most lenient in the marketplace to accommodate our members in these instances. Several conditions are evaluated when considering a return of purchase; reason for return, membership history, return history, date of purchase and price of purchase. Recently, you contacted us to request a return for the item listed above.
We make every effort to accommodate the needs of our members, however based on your original purchase date and the reasons listed above, we will be unable to honor this request. I’ve left out the name of the Costco representative who signed the e-mail. The most interesting part of this e-mail is the following: “Several conditions are evaluated when considering a return of purchase; reason for return, membership history, return history, date of purchase and price of purchase.” Compare that sentence to Costco’s return policy and you’ll see a stark difference. I guess they tell you one thing when you are buying stuff from them and another thing when you are returning stuff to them. Quite annoyingly, no phone number was included in the e-mail so I have no way of calling the person who sent the message. So instead I call back the number used for returns. The Costco representative tells me that returns older than 2 years are not accepted. I pointed out that (1) that’s not what I was told when I first called to inquire about Costco’s return policy, (2) that’s not what I was told when the representative processed my return, (3) that’s not what Costco’s return policy says, and (4) the piano was purchased less than two years ago (by just a few days).