More on Sleepy's...

Well, to make a long story short, they are picking up the whole thing and I owe nothing. It was damaged by drivers (noted on receipt) and before the redelivery of the new one, I decided this one wasn't the one for us (way too tall - run and jump into bed!!) sheets didn't fit it, and not as comfortable as the store model. This was a $3000+ mattress.
I started the ball rolling on picking a new one from the same store. Ran into difficulty, because the new one I wanted was quite a bit less. How do you 'exchange' for a same or higher mattress when it already costs over $3000??? After speaking with 2 salesman, 1 store manager, customer service (after a 35 minute wait which was supposed to be 4 min), and finally the district manager, we got this issue straightened out. Since it was damage that was done upon delivery and noted as such, I had a window of opportunity to change my mind completely. After all the hassle with this company, and not getting a straight answer from anyone for days, I was in a complete panic and totally stressed about the whole mattress buying situation. After much research on the Internet, I decided I didn't want to deal with this company AT ALL. I must give the district manager credit - he called me within 30 minutes of me finally getting through to customer service, and was willing to accommodate me considerably. But I still decided to just wipe the slate clean, take more time on deciding where and what. So this should all end on Tuesday. Whew!! I can't wait.
In the meantime, I spent hours on the Internet researching similar mattresses and companies, and came up with another local chain that sounded promising. 30 day money back guarantee! Wow!! Very nice people, helpful, accommodating. It should be delivered on Wednesday. Much cheaper mattress too, which I feel much better about.
So here's more of what I learned.
1)Comparison shop at least 3 places. I had purchased at the second place, mostly because of their financing options, proximity and selection. I read most people purchase within by the second place they visit. Maybe that's ok, but take your time and DO YOUR HOMEWORK.
2) Ask a million questions! Ok, maybe not that many, but ask away. 99% of the time, what you get is what you keep, so you better like it!
3) Read the fine print, ask about warranty (be clear on that) opinions on the mattresses, etc.
4)Go home, think about it, before you sign on the dotted line. We made an impulse purchase at the second store we visited. We thought we were well informed and knew what we wanted. But when we got home, I started to panic over the thought of paying for a mattress for 3 years!!! (stupid, I know - should have gone home FIRST and thought, Do I REALLY need this mattress at this price???)
5) Start with the LOWEST cost mattress you think you will be happy with. Trading up is no problem, trading down is nearly impossible.
6) If they act evasive when you ask questions, or reply with a noncommittal answer, go someplace else.
7) Try some mattresses you like. Note the specs on them, ask for copies of the spec sheet to take with you. (They can only say no, right?) Compare prices on similar mattresses to be sure it's in the same ball park and you are not over paying. Let me say this, you will likely over pay at the place I first bought my mattress, even though they dropped the price nearly a $1000 to start with and threw in the mattress pad.
8) This is so important: CHECK OUT THE EXCHANGE FEE!!!! If I was doing just a routine exchange, it would have cost me $400 for the king size!!! Plus redelivery of $80!!! And, the difference in mattress costs if I upgraded. Nuts, huh?
9) Check the company out with the Better Business Bureau. This last mattress I just ordered came from a company that didn't have ANY complaints for the last 3 years. The one noted above has over 300.
Enough said. Good luck on your mattress purchase and sleep well.