My better half needed an extra firm mattress and started doing online shopping…read more
She sees what appears to be a nice offering at Mattress Firm and decides to pay the store a visit. The mattress was originally, give or take, $1,000 marked down to $771 =/-.
And that's when things get interesting.
First off, the store didn't have that mattress in stock nor did they have any on display. I guess they assumed she would order it on blind faith and just hoped it fit her needs.
Secondly, she read the fine print that included:
* $99.99 delivery and take away fee. That's about standard, no dings there.
* It was hinted, but never confirmed, that there might be an additional charge for extra firm. I say it wasn't confirmed because she walked out of the store before finding out.
* 6+ weeks for delivery was the quote. Really? The one we eventually ordered, from another company, took a whopping 6 days (not weeks) for delivery. Weird thing is, this other company makes their own furniture versus Mattress Firm that gets it from who knows where.
* Care to return it under their "try it" policy? No problem except for the $99.99 pickup fee and another $99.99 restocking fee. I can understand the return fee, but a restocking fee? Although they will give you a store credit or refund of the purchase price, it's diminished by nearly $200 because of these fees.
* They also offer a 12 month lease to own option. Well, that adds another $300 or so to the price in various fees and (my guess) interest. Those are some pretty hefty fees but, again, about par for the course on lease to own options (which are best avoided).
So, she left the store and went to All American Furniture and Mattress who not only sold her an extra firm mattress for just under $400, they even sold her a recliner for a grand total of around $800 (for both). Add $99 for delivery and she was still ahead of the game.
Might explain why nobody else was in the store (Mattress Firm) while she was looking around.