Internet Reviews

Just a quick vent today.  I was out on the Internet earlier.  I like to see the competitive landscape, since we are in the mattress business, we need to know we are aggressively competitive in the market place.  I ran in to a similar product to what we sell.  And like most in our particular end of the mattress universe, this was another air adjustable bed site, which I only briefly explored earlier.  This particular site had a YouTube video on how to assemble their mattress, and I thought it would show insight in to how their beds were made.  And it did.

Have you ever noticed how at the end of a YouTube video, there are always options that show tie ins to the video you just watched?  This one did too.  I clicked on a random video, and up pops a review, actually a second review by the same person, of Sleep Number Beds.  As some or all of you may know, I am not a fan of Sleep Number Inc., they are my largest competitor, and they seem to be able to suck up a vast majority of sales.  And my attitude has always been:  good for them, and I explore to see if there is anything that might help us.  Before I go any further, let me just state, Sleep Number makes a great mattress.  And, the mattresses we sell are made by the second largest name in the industry, Comfortaire.  There are similarities between the 2, I believe the Comfortaire product is just a little better in materials and value. 

This reviewer starts out by saying he doesn't like Sleep Number, he doesn't like Tempurpedic, he doesn't like iComfort by Serta, he doesn't like "cheap" spring beds, and he doesn't like water beds.  Ladies and gentleman, that leaves only one technology he does like, and that is springs.  He does admit that you have to buy high end springs at about "$4,000 to $10,000" to find a bed he does like.  And while we think better beds is a good idea, they do not have to cost that much.  He lists off a litany of complaints against Sleep number.  And frankly it sounds like most of his problems were of his own doing.  One he mentioned twice was a broken screen on the remote, and it can happen, but usually there is some force involved.  We only wish that his complaints were true, it might help our business. 



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Rather, often when I hear complaints like these, one of two things is going on.  Either he works for a high end spring maker, or he is mad at Sleep Number and in his own way is trying to damage their business.  And honestly, like most of us, they are not perfect.  It reminds me, and this is the point of this article, that always read with a grain of salt anything on the Internet.  Having said that, there are several good sources to look to about all beds, the BBB and SleepLikeTheDead.com.  Both of these have legitimate reviews good and bad of the beds, as well as, in the BBB's case, letter grades.  Both these sites look at the industry, not from what they like or don't but rather how the company treats their customers.  Does Sleep Number have complaints?  Yes they do, and they tend to have more than #2 Comfortaire, probably because they sell more.  There is not a spring maker that comes even close to the rating of either Sleep Number or Comfortaire, in fact Mattress Firm, who sells primarily springs and foam has an F with the BBB, compare that to Comfortaire's A+, or the fact that our store has never had a complaint lodged with the BBB.

Our industry has some public relations to do, there is a little apprehension from customers and they generally think of us like a used car salesman, but at least we're above politicians!  There are some very fine beds out there, and they don't cost $10,000.  In fact most chiropractors would recommend air or foam products over springs when it comes to keeping your posture in a good position, and eliminating pressure points.  There is clinical research to back that up.  And most importantly, there are a lot of people out there who are pleased with their air adjustable bed.

So save money, and consider air technology to...

Sleep Well!