In October of 2003, we purchased a bedding ensemble from The Bedding Experts in Vernon Hills. It included a new mattress with a 10 year warranty. Less than 2 years after the purchase, we began experiencing a "collapsing" of the mattress on the sides and it's so pitched that it's now like sleeping on the roof of a house.

In February of 2005, we contacted The Bedding Experts and let them know about the problem. They dispatched an inspector at that time who measured the pitch in the mattress but took the measurement when no one was in the bed. The pitch or setting occurs when I get into the bed, but it isn't apparent when the bed is empty. The inspector claimed that there wasn't a severe enough problem to do anything about it, but did offer us a discount toward the purchase of a new mattress.

In April of 2005, I wrote Stearns & Foster, the mattress' manufacturer, who deferred back to the store.

Much time has gone by, and it's gotten worse, so I contacted The Bedding Experts again today, 2/9/08, and they indicated that in order for them to do an inspection, there is now a $99 transportation fee that we have to pay regardless of the outcome of the inspection.

Both the retailer and the manufacturer seem to be hiding behind a technicality of the measurement of the empty bed. And although the representative at the store was very apologetic and respectful, they're unwilling to acknowledge that the problem exists or even test for it without me paying a non-refundable fee and since the test they want to administer won't reveal the true problem, it's like a "Catch 22" Even if the product isn't defective enough to be considered a warranty claim by the store or by Stearns and Foster, it doesn't meet the basic standard of merchantability or reasonableness - it's impossible to sleep comfortably on it.

I don't want something for nothing. I just want a comfortable mattress that doesn't make me feel like I'm falling out of bed or need to hang on to the headboard! I'm not an obese person, and we have not abused the bed. It just failed and they don't want to own up to it.

We're not obese or heavy people and the bed was never abused.