Back in February, MrConsumer told you about his decision to buy a $2,000 Tempu-Pedic Supreme mattress sight-unseen from Costco.com after trying the hardest to learn its specs and test the most similar model in a retail store. This was contrary to his long-held belief and counsel to never buy a mattress mail order. (See original story.)
The mattress and foundation arrived on a cold day in mid-February. The delivery people warned me that it was frozen because it had been in the truck for a long time. And yep, it was literally hard as a rock.
Once it came to room temperature, it still felt very hard despite the fact this was a “medium” firmness mattress, not a “firm” one. Jumping into bed that night felt like hopping onto a board. I am quite familiar with memory foam mattresses having had one for over 10 years, where you only slowly sink into it (and then have to climb out of that hole to roll over). And I was aware that memory foam tends to become firmer when in a cooler environment.
The next day, I decided to heat it with an electric blanket hours before bed to try to soften it up. That worked only slightly, but am I really going to have to use an electric blanket on it even in the summer? I keep my bedroom at 65 degrees year-round, which is right in the optimal temperature range (65° – 75°) for their mattresses according to the Tempur-Pedic website.
I called the dedicated Costco-Tempur-Pedic hotline and was advised to walk on it, to speed up the breaking in process. So for four days in a row, I paced back and forth on every inch of it 15 minutes at a time. It did not make one bit of difference.
To demonstrate how hard the mattress felt even after having it for a week, I made a video showing me knocking and pounding on it like a door and even being able to bounce a half-dead tennis ball off it.
*MOUSE PRINT:
Needless to say, I called Costco-Tempur-Pedic to take back the mattress. And they did so without any pickup fees or hassle (part of the reason I felt protected buying from them in the first place). A few weeks later, I got a full refund.
Lesson learned.
Edgar, I love your mattress. This is not firm, anything but. The video is great. I wonder if you received a lemon. Hard to believe this was manufactured so someone could sleep on it. Pretty much resembles my wood floor. Did you try some of that brand in stores to try to find something in their selection similar?
Chet… Based on what I learned from Tempu-Pedic and the mattress buyer at Costco, I tried the closest retail version of the mattress I ordered. It was definitely very firm, but not literally like a board.
Was it supposed to be like that? Holy moly, that’s one HARD mattress!
It was a “medium” mattress. I did not order the firm version which was also offered.
love the video.. that’s crazy! I suspect it was damaged by the freezing weather. I bet someone at Temper-pedic gets back to you based on the video! Glad the return went well.
I bought a Saatva memory foam (king) two years ago.
We love it.
Ten yrs ago we bought the “original” Casper mattress, and it is still great. They have so many models now it’s hard to decide what is what.
Something is definitely wrong with yours.
We bought an out of the box mattress from IKEA that seemed fine in the store, but it too was pretty firm when we got it home. It’s for the guest room, so we put a topper on it and it’s fine.
I believe most mattresses sold have a good return policy, but I know you can’t beat Costco’s return policy.
That’s the way the ball SHOULDN’T bounce…
We bought a Temper Pedic mattress from a local furniture store last October. We told the salesman that we wanted a medium firmness. When it was delivered 2 weeks later it was a soft firmness. We had a 90 day trial period and if we weren’t satisfied, they would replace it. Store policy was no refunds, exchange allowed 1 time. We exchanged it for the medium, and after using it for 6 weeks it’s as soft as the first mattress. We also had to purchase a mattress cover for $50 in order for the 10-year warranty to be affective. We aren’t happy with the mattress but can’t afford to buy a different one. I learned that when a mattress is returned it is inspected, and vacuumed and sold in the clearance warehouse.
Only buy a mattress in the summer time…
We purchased our last mattress from Jordan’s furniture after using BridgIT and were offered three mattresses. We decided on PRANA and never looked back. Was not cheap but so worth it. Gotta try before u buy! Hope you kept the old one just in case.
I too, am in the market for a new mattress. I will be looking forward to more updates and what you finally decide upon.
Mary… There is no one answer of the “best” mattress. It all depends on what you feel comfortable on and one that properly supports your spine so you don’t wake up with pains. On top of that, reviews of mattresses will give you a clue to manufacturing issues such as when some complain that the bed is sinking early on.
I was going to say that walking on the bed night after night to break it up sounded difficult and potentially dangerous for someone with poor balance, but seeing as you clearly bought a park bench masquerading as a bed, I don’t imagine it was that hard haha!
Joel, actually, if walking quickly, it was rather easy. But if I allowed my foot to sink into the memory foam for say 10 or 15 seconds, it was likely trying walk in quick sand. Very difficult.
Okay – where can I get that mattress? For me, nobody sells one firm enough and even when they promise it is extra firm it feels, to me, like a marshmallow. I blame the time I spent on a ship sleeping on what was basically a piece of plywood with a blanket on top – I got used to it and now I need it. 🙂