An Insider’s Guide to Purchasing in a Tough Economy
Everyone knows that the economy is pretty tough right now, but that doesn’t mean you have to hold off on purchasing your memory foam mattress. It does mean you need to do your homework and arm yourself with a plan before choosing and purchasing your mattress. Here’s an insider’s guide to help you find a great mattress at an affordable price.
Think Outside the “Leading Brand” Box
If you are even thinking about a memory foam mattress, you undoubtedly know what the famous “leading brand” is. Is it the best mattress for your money? Only if it is important to you to pay for “leading brand’s” advertising! Much of “leading brand’s” pricing goes to their very expensive advertising and name branding. Is this what you want your money to pay for? Of course not! You don’t need to buy a poor quality mattress to save money (although there are plenty of those out there too). Think outside the “leading brand” box and look at other high quality memory foam mattresses that don’t spend millions of dollars on advertising. This is a great way to get a high quality mattress without spending more than you need to.
Only Buy from Retailers that Offer a True Money-Back Guarantee
This is one that catches many people off-guard. Many retailers offer what is called a “comfort guarantee.” This is just a tricky way of saying you are getting a store credit. A comfort guarantee or store credit means that if you get your mattress home and find it doesn’t work for you, you can bring it back, but you have to choose another mattress from that particular store. Since most places only have a couple of memory foam mattress that you may be interested in, you could be out of luck with a comfort guarantee.
Out of luck meaning no mattress you like, and no money back either. This is a dreadful situation I hear about over and over again. This is why is it so important to buy only from a retailer that offers a true money-back guarantee of at least 90 days. This allows you to try your mattress in your own home for an extended period to make sure it really works for you. No matter how great a memory foam mattress feels when you try it in a store, the only way you are really going to know if it is the right mattress for you is to really use it in your own home.
Look for a 20-Year Warranty
A warranty of 20 years is one way that you can gauge the durability of a mattress and how much its manufacturer is willing to back up its product. At least 10 years of that 20-year warranty should be non-prorated, meaning you will get 100% of the repair or replacement taken care of for the first 10 years of the warranty. A prorated warranty means that after a designated number of years, the manufacturer will pay a portion of the mattress replacement or repair. A 20-year warranty that has 10 years non-prorated and 10 years prorated means that for the first 10 years, you are covered 100%. For the second 10 years, you will pay a predetermined portion of the replacement or repair. For any warranty, make sure you read all the details and fine print and stay away from any memory foam mattress that has less than a 20-year warranty.
Look for Retailers that are Monitored by Third-Party Organizations
When choosing a retailer, look for one that is a member of, and monitored by, third party organizations like the Better Business Bureau and Shopping.com. Having a third party organization gather data about a retailer allows you to see the retailer clearly and completely, without the filtered testimonials that many put in their own literature and on their web sites. A retailer cannot pick and choose which testimonials and ratings you see on Shopping.com like they can when they publish their own testimonials. You get to see everything the customers write, not just the stuff the retailer wants you to see. You can also see how the retailer deals with the people who don’t keep their product, including how they handle things like returns and money-back guarantees. This is very important in feeling comfortable about your memory foam mattress purchase.
The Better Business Bureau is the granddaddy of all business credibility organizations. I do not purchase any significant product or service from any business that is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau. Look for it (and check out the retailer’s rating) before purchasing your mattress.
Save With Free Shipping
Depending on where you live and what size mattress you purchase, you can save a nice chunk of money buying from a retailer that offers free shipping. You can save an estimated $75 to $200 when you don’t pay shipping charges for your mattress. How’s that for feeling good in a tough economy?
Save By Using Your Existing Foundation
For the last 10 – 15 years, most mattresses have been sold with what is now called a foundation, not the previous standard box springs. A contemporary foundation is basically a rigid platform that your mattress sits on top of. Most people do not need to purchase a new foundation for their memory foam mattress. To test your foundation, remove the mattress and press it in a few places. As long as it remains firm and there are no dips or excessive wear, it should work with a quality mattress. Save some money by using your existing foundation with your new mattress. Take that, tough economy!
Look Into Buying From an Online Retailer
Online retailers are great places to save money on a quality mattress. Online retailers have lower overheads than bricks and mortar stores and can pass that savings onto you. They may also be able to save you money with no sales tax, and you can look for one that offers free shipping too. When choosing an online retailer, look for one that is a member of the Better Business Bureau and has a third party organization gathering ratings and testimonials about them. This will allow you to check into the online retailer without the rose-colored glasses and filtered testimonials that may be provided on their own web site. An online retailer that is willing to be carefully monitored and scrutinized by third party organizations is telling you, the consumer, that they are not afraid to have their product and customer service freely and openly analyzed by all their customers. This speaks volumes about the retailer and their product.
The Bottom Line
It’s true that the economy may not be the rosiest right now; but by arming yourself with a few important things to look for and focus on when buying a memory foam mattress, you can find quality at the right price and be comfortable that you made the best mattress choice possible.
Reprint Rights
This article may be reprinted as long as it is reprinted in its entirety, without alterations, additions, or deletions, and includes the complete author bio along with it.
Copyright 2009 Healthy Foundations. All Rights Reserved.
David Rosenberg is the founder of Healthy Foundations, The Memory Foam Specialists, and the leading Internet dealer specializing in memory foam.
David is an expert on memory foam products, and provides a wealth of information on choosing and buying memory foam mattresses, memory foam toppers, and memory foam pillows on his website. His goal is to provide good information so that visitors to his site are well-informed about memory foam, no matter where they choose to make their memory foam purchase.
Everyone knows that the economy is pretty tough right now, but that doesn’t mean you have to hold off on purchasing your memory foam mattress. It does mean you need to do your homework and arm yourself with a plan before choosing and purchasing your mattress. Here’s an insider’s guide to help you find a great mattress at an affordable price.
Think Outside the “Leading Brand” Box
If you are even thinking about a memory foam mattress, you undoubtedly know what the famous “leading brand” is. Is it the best mattress for your money? Only if it is important to you to pay for “leading brand’s” advertising! Much of “leading brand’s” pricing goes to their very expensive advertising and name branding. Is this what you want your money to pay for? Of course not! You don’t need to buy a poor quality mattress to save money (although there are plenty of those out there too). Think outside the “leading brand” box and look at other high quality memory foam mattresses that don’t spend millions of dollars on advertising. This is a great way to get a high quality mattress without spending more than you need to.
Only Buy from Retailers that Offer a True Money-Back Guarantee
This is one that catches many people off-guard. Many retailers offer what is called a “comfort guarantee.” This is just a tricky way of saying you are getting a store credit. A comfort guarantee or store credit means that if you get your mattress home and find it doesn’t work for you, you can bring it back, but you have to choose another mattress from that particular store. Since most places only have a couple of memory foam mattress that you may be interested in, you could be out of luck with a comfort guarantee.
Out of luck meaning no mattress you like, and no money back either. This is a dreadful situation I hear about over and over again. This is why is it so important to buy only from a retailer that offers a true money-back guarantee of at least 90 days. This allows you to try your mattress in your own home for an extended period to make sure it really works for you. No matter how great a memory foam mattress feels when you try it in a store, the only way you are really going to know if it is the right mattress for you is to really use it in your own home.
Look for a 20-Year Warranty
A warranty of 20 years is one way that you can gauge the durability of a mattress and how much its manufacturer is willing to back up its product. At least 10 years of that 20-year warranty should be non-prorated, meaning you will get 100% of the repair or replacement taken care of for the first 10 years of the warranty. A prorated warranty means that after a designated number of years, the manufacturer will pay a portion of the mattress replacement or repair. A 20-year warranty that has 10 years non-prorated and 10 years prorated means that for the first 10 years, you are covered 100%. For the second 10 years, you will pay a predetermined portion of the replacement or repair. For any warranty, make sure you read all the details and fine print and stay away from any memory foam mattress that has less than a 20-year warranty.
Look for Retailers that are Monitored by Third-Party Organizations
When choosing a retailer, look for one that is a member of, and monitored by, third party organizations like the Better Business Bureau and Shopping.com. Having a third party organization gather data about a retailer allows you to see the retailer clearly and completely, without the filtered testimonials that many put in their own literature and on their web sites. A retailer cannot pick and choose which testimonials and ratings you see on Shopping.com like they can when they publish their own testimonials. You get to see everything the customers write, not just the stuff the retailer wants you to see. You can also see how the retailer deals with the people who don’t keep their product, including how they handle things like returns and money-back guarantees. This is very important in feeling comfortable about your memory foam mattress purchase.
The Better Business Bureau is the granddaddy of all business credibility organizations. I do not purchase any significant product or service from any business that is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau. Look for it (and check out the retailer’s rating) before purchasing your mattress.
Save With Free Shipping
Depending on where you live and what size mattress you purchase, you can save a nice chunk of money buying from a retailer that offers free shipping. You can save an estimated $75 to $200 when you don’t pay shipping charges for your mattress. How’s that for feeling good in a tough economy?
Save By Using Your Existing Foundation
For the last 10 – 15 years, most mattresses have been sold with what is now called a foundation, not the previous standard box springs. A contemporary foundation is basically a rigid platform that your mattress sits on top of. Most people do not need to purchase a new foundation for their memory foam mattress. To test your foundation, remove the mattress and press it in a few places. As long as it remains firm and there are no dips or excessive wear, it should work with a quality mattress. Save some money by using your existing foundation with your new mattress. Take that, tough economy!
Look Into Buying From an Online Retailer
Online retailers are great places to save money on a quality mattress. Online retailers have lower overheads than bricks and mortar stores and can pass that savings onto you. They may also be able to save you money with no sales tax, and you can look for one that offers free shipping too. When choosing an online retailer, look for one that is a member of the Better Business Bureau and has a third party organization gathering ratings and testimonials about them. This will allow you to check into the online retailer without the rose-colored glasses and filtered testimonials that may be provided on their own web site. An online retailer that is willing to be carefully monitored and scrutinized by third party organizations is telling you, the consumer, that they are not afraid to have their product and customer service freely and openly analyzed by all their customers. This speaks volumes about the retailer and their product.
The Bottom Line
It’s true that the economy may not be the rosiest right now; but by arming yourself with a few important things to look for and focus on when buying a memory foam mattress, you can find quality at the right price and be comfortable that you made the best mattress choice possible.
Reprint Rights
This article may be reprinted as long as it is reprinted in its entirety, without alterations, additions, or deletions, and includes the complete author bio along with it.
Copyright 2009 Healthy Foundations. All Rights Reserved.
David Rosenberg is the founder of Healthy Foundations, The Memory Foam Specialists, and the leading Internet dealer specializing in memory foam.
David is an expert on memory foam products, and provides a wealth of information on choosing and buying memory foam mattresses, memory foam toppers, and memory foam pillows on his website. His goal is to provide good information so that visitors to his site are well-informed about memory foam, no matter where they choose to make their memory foam purchase.
