Complain about a product or service

Craftmatic Beds

Carolyn of Chamblee, GA December 4, 2009

This the letter I wrote to Contour Bed, I’m writing this letter in attempt to return the uncomfortable Contour Adjustable bed that was delivered to my house November 19th. I had a presentation November 17th, of the Contour bed at my home by salesperson Mr. Jeff B. He showed me the advantages of your bed and how it can improve my sleep. I explained to him about my insomnia and the discomfort I experience from my current bed.

Mr. B, proceeded with an impressive 2 ½ hour presentation, he showed me a DVD, presented a brochure and showed me the massage mechanism; the actual bed was never present. Afterwards, he told me the cost of Contour bed. I informed him that the price wasn’t in my budget and that I wasn’t interested in purchasing the bed. Mr. B continually reduced the price, I persistently told him “no”. He called his supervisor Mr. Scott D twice to authorize the price reduction. Mr. B came up with an affordable monthly price and I discussed the price with my daughter and she asked Mr. B is there anyway I could try out the bed before purchasing. He said that they didn’t have any retail locations and all their services were done by personal presentations. He called Mr. D and informed him that I did not want to purchase the bed without trying it out first. Then I spoke with Mr. D about my concerns, and he said I could try out the bed for 30 days and if I wasn’t satisfied they would pick up the bed and refund my deposit, and not to have sex on the bed which I felt was unprofessional. Mr. B concurred, and my daughter witnessed the verbal agreement. I agreed upon those terms.

Mr. B went only over the monthly cost and told me where to initial. He informed me since I had a 30 day trial, the 5 days cancellation clause wasn’t effective. In retrospect, I realized that Mr. B only discussed the monthly cost of the contract and not the cancellation policy. After initialing the contract he packaged it up into the envelope and said “put it in a safe place”. Mr. B asked me when I wanted the bed to be delivered. I said I wanted the bed to be delivered after the December 4th, when I return from my trip. I informed him that I would be out of town November 20th thru December 4th. He said to inform the delivery department.

The delivery department called me 30 minutes after Mr. B left my house. They said that they could deliver the bed the next day, November 18th because they would be in the area. I said “no”, because I wanted it to be delivered after December 4th when I return from my trip. Delivery called again and said that they could deliver it on the November 19th, and I would be their 1st delivery. I decided to agree since I had a 30 day trial.

I tried the bed out, the night of November 19th. The bed was to firm for me. Given that I had an early flight the next day, I decided when I return I’ll see what the comfort of the bed is at that time. I returned the night of November 29th rather than December 4th. I slept on the bed that night; I was very uncomfortable and woke up with numbness in both of my hands. I called the sales toll-free number the next day, November 30th to speak with Mr. B. I was informed he was out in the field and was asked if they could assist me, I stated how I was dissatisfied with the bed, I was told to call customer service and they would be able to help me.

I called customer service, expressed that the bed was to firm and that I didn’t sleep well. I told the representative about the 30 day trial, she explained that they didn’t have a 30 day trial and the contract showed that I had a right to inspect on the day of delivery and the 5 day cancellation wouldn’t be enforced. At that moment, I looked at the contract and noticed the special instructions which I don’t recall being there at the time I initialed the contract and it was never discussed. I explained to her about the 30 day trial that Mr. D and Mr. B offered. She went into detail and said that I had the “right to inspect at time of delivery, and the contract speaks for itself.” I disagreed with her and said, that’s not what I was told and requested that the bed to be picked up, and that I wasn’t going to pay for it”. The representative informed me I would go into arbitration.

At this time, I’m upset and decided to call your sales department again to get in contact with Mr. B or Mr. D. When I called Mr. B was conveniently out in the field, subsequently asked for Mr. D. I told him I was dissatisfied with the bed and unhappy with the comfort. He recommended an egg shell pad and to call customer service to request it. I called customer service and spoke with the same rude representative. At this point, I felt I was getting the run around.

I decided to call sales dept back December 1st to contact either Mr. B or Mr. D. Neither of them was available, I was transferred to Mr. Jason S, Mr. D supervisor. I discussed my dilemma; he also said that they didn’t offer a 30 day trial and t I needed to speak with Ms. Diane T in customer relations because she would be able to help me because it was out of his hands.

I called her, and explained the situation; she asked me why I called her because she couldn’t handle it. I told her Mr. S told me to call her. Ms.T informed me that she understood the principle of the matter but the contract states otherwise. I asked if a conference call could be setup with Mr. D and Mr. B about the cancellation discrepancy. She said she would call me after 4pm with the conference call when Mr. D comes to work. After waiting until 6pm that evening I decided to call the sales department, Mr. D answers the phone. I expressed who I was, and that Ms. T was to setup a conference call which he had no knowledge of. I told Mr. D about the 30 day trial he offered and the only stipulation was for me to not have sex during the trial period. He denied he said that and would never offer that to a customer.

Taking all this into account I felt I was conned. The verbal agreement doesn’t match the written agreement and notes on the contract were made without my knowledge. The contract has a conflict of interest. It has 2 cancellation clauses. The special instructions override the 5 business day cancellation. I was told I didn’t have to sign the 5 day separate cancellation documentation since I had 30 day trial offer. I noticed the same 5 day clause is on the contract that has the special instructions regarding, the right to inspect, refund would be given if not satisfied at the time of delivery. Additionally the contract has the bed to be delivered asap but the time of the delivery the documentation, scheduled delivery documentation has special instructions stating I would be out of town November 20th thru December 1st. Based on the discrepancies and the run around I’ve stated in this letter, I’m asking for my deposit to be refunded, and for bed to be picked up. If the calls were recorded this could be prevented.

Unfortunately, I didn’t read over the contract after Mr. B leaving my home and taking him and Mr. D's word. This ordeal is a lesson learned and I’m concerned for other potential customers that may run into the same issue as me. Attached, are the contract and delivery documentation and also my flight information. If this issue is not resolved within the next business days, I will be contacting a lawyer about the verbal and written contract discrepancies. Furthermore, I will be forwarding this letter to Customer Affairs and Better Business Bureau to ensure know one else have to endure the deception of your sales department.

BARBARA of RENTON, WA December 3, 2009

We were told our bed had a lifetime warranty. I have tried to phone and send emails and recieve no response. The hand controls do not work properly and the wheel locks do not hold. I am 77 years old and am afraid that if I happen to lean on the bed and it rolls I will fall and become injured. How can I receive a response from them?

David of Deltona, FL October 15, 2009

We purchased a bed from them because of my spinal stenosis we purchased it on 9-6-06 the mattress is so uncomfortable, the mattress is sagging in the middle, can not sleep good at all. I was told that we had a 15 year warranty on this mattress but to replace it, it would cost 400 We paid over 3000.00 for this bed and I do not think we should pay for a replacement when there is a warranty.

Patricia of Gulfport, FL October 13, 2009

I also purchased bed due to hernia and cevical injuries. Within 6 months the remote broke they brought a new one and said normally this would cost you alot. They took 2 days of different scheduling to get them out. Now the bed in caveing in in the middle of the mattress and is very uncomfortable. I still have all my paper work but don't need the stress to see about another mattress that won't cost me a fortune I don't have but my massage still works. They came out but it was like begging them for it.

H. Elaine of WENDELL, NC August 26, 2009

We bought our bed in 2005. We only had the bed a short time when we had to have the hand control replaced. All the hype about the good of owning a Craftmatic bed went out the window shortly after purchasing it. I even email all the people who I gave as maybe wanting one and advised against it. It has never releived my back pain, as I was assured it would.

About 2 years ago, the control or something went out and the bed has been in a rised position ever since because it would cost over 100's just to have someone step into our house to check it out, not counting the cost of fixing or replacing whatever the cause.

When the man first came in he said we would be entered into a sweepstakes for a free bed, when I questioned him on this he just laughed. I don't believe there was any sort of sweepstaked going on, it too, was just a come on for us to let him into the house to give us all the lies he could to sell us on the bed.

Margie of Jasper, IN August 25, 2009

We purchased a Monaco Craftmatic Adjustable with the massage & heat in 2003. Not cheap - more than I ever thought I would pay for a bed, but we were really impressed by the sales pitch & warranty. The mattress binding has come unsewn & our warranty paperwork states that the Monaco has a lifetime warranty on the mattress. The company says they do not honor that.

How can they get away with that. I have it in writing, which they asked me to fax to them to verify, but still said they wouldn't honor the warranty. They said our only option would be to PURCHASE a new mattress.

The kicker is that we have the bed in our spare bedroom for guests because we found it extremely uncomfortable but couldn't bear to get rid of it because we paid so much for it. We new we couldn't possibly recoop the amount paid for the piece. It gets used very seldom. Imagine if it got used on a nightly basis. I shudder to think what kind of shape it would be in. I wouldn't recommend one to anybody.

Carolyn of Kosciusko, MS August 14, 2009

We purchased a King size Craftmatic bed with a life time warranty in 2004. the remote motor went out about a year ago and we called and were told Contour had bought them out so they sent out 2 nice young men that had a special tool that fixed it in 2 seconds and charged us 165.00 for the service call. but told us it was supposed to cost alot more but they would make up somthing so we only had to pay the 165.00. Now both sides have gone out and I cannot even get a new # for them.

Michelle of Battle Creek, MI August 11, 2009

My Mother invested in a craftmatic bed and has been unable to sleep in it since the purchase, the mattress was too hard and the bed too short. When she contacted the company for a refund she was told they cannot refund the beds. I think this is a load of crap, she sleeps in a lift chair and still here sits this bed nothing but an eye sore.

charlie of pasadena, TX August 7, 2009

I called and got Adjustable Beds instead. Craftmatic is out of biz and they want a 125.00 plus tax and handling for a simple featured remote. The bed has a serious problem on closing up at both ends at any given time without notice. I asked a question this and got a frank... almost rude reply.... " A service charge is 150.00 plus parts and 100.00 per hour labor." I hung up and will trash this one for a certified hospital bed for my mom.

nikki of malabar, FL July 29, 2009

86 year old woman that i look after and love like a mother,, bought a bed in or around 03 prior to the 04 hurricanes in fl. she is on a fixed income , thank god has military ins. but whatever she gets the first of the month goes to bills etc, and by the middle of the month she has no left for food ,, this is just how she is,,, i wish i were able to help her more , i just cant,,, any way her bed and her home were destroyed in the hurricanes of 04 , so after that she then could afford things even less, so now she recently got a phone call claiming to be a lawyer .. (clearly it was from a collection agency ,, this guy told her if she did not make arragements ,, that they could take her house,, she is 86,,, she is believing this,,she is scared to death that this could happen .so she gave him her checking account # and agreed for them to take out monthly to pay this off.

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.

Follow us on Twitter.

Back to the top |

Terms of Use Your use of this site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use

Advertisements on this site are placed and controlled by outside advertising networks. ConsumerAffairs.com does not evaluate or endorse the products and services advertised. See the FAQ for more information.

Company Response Welcome If complaints about your company appear on our site, we welcome your response. Please see the Response Form for more information.

For more information, see the FAQ and privacy policy. The information on this Web site is general in nature and is not intended as a substitute for competent legal advice.  ConsumerAffairs.com Inc. makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information herein provided and assumes no liability for any damages or loss arising from the use thereof. 

Copyright © 2010 ConsumerAffairs.com Inc.  All Rights Reserved.    The contents of this site may not be republished, reprinted, rewritten or recirculated without written permission.