Yahoo Finance ‘We bought a Simba mattress, but we’re sleeping on the sofa’
Simba claims its mattresses are the stuff of dreams – the most five-star reviewed mattresses in the world – and come with a simple 10-year guarantee promising a replacement if it fails in that time.
So why then are so many Simba customers contacting Guardian Money and going online to complain that their initially loved mattress has developed a ridge down the middle or significant depressions, leaving the owners with sleepless nights?
And the most frustrating bit, they allege, is that the company refuses to honour its guarantee, using “independent inspectors” that it pays £30 a go to visit the customer’s home and declare that the defects are not significant enough to require replacement.
The company said this week it would review this process in the light of Money’s concerns. It also pledged to review all the complaints.
Simba mattresses are not cheap – it’s best selling kingsize costs £600 – and its marketing blurb does not lie, the online reviews are indeed amazing. However, look a little closer and a different picture soon emerges. Buyers are offered the chance to win back the cost of the mattress if they leave a quick post-purchase review – meaning most are written before any problems that may emerge much later.
James Gwinnutt is one of those who contacted Money saying that he feels he’s been treated poorly by Simba. He and his wife, who live in Tunbridge Wells, paid £599 (reduced from £799 as part of a bundle deal) for their superking-sized mattress. Eleven months later he says the mattress developed a ridge down the middle, and depressions either side, that he says have forced him into the spare room to get a decent night’s sleep.
Following his complaint, Simba sent an inspector from Homeserve Furniture Repairs who told him that because the depressions were less than 3cm (1 inch) deep, the mattress would not be replaced.
“He laid a piece of string across the mattress and concluded that the ridge and the depressions are deemed to be within “acceptable tolerances”. Simba has used this report to deny our claim on the 10-year guarantee and leaving us with a year old bed that is next to useless,” he says.
Lucinda Pestana, from Woking, is currently sleeping on her sofa as her £600 Simba mattress of less than a year old has, she says, become impossible to sleep on.
“Initially we were very happy with it but within a couple of months, and despite rotating it monthly, as advised, it developed a huge ridge or lump lengthways across the middle, meaning that when we lie on it, we are constantly being tilted outwards, as if sleeping on a slope. We have never had any back issues or pain before, but in the last few months the back pain has becoming so bad that it wakes us up constantly, so I now actually sleep on the sofa to try and get some rest.”
She says the Homeserve inspector who was sent by Simba to inspect her mattress admitted it was higher and firmer in the middle but that was not part of the official test. Having gone through a similar process as Gwinnutt, the inspector concluded there was no manufacturer’s fault. Simba refused a refund.
Guardian Money receives a complaint about a Simba mattress every month to six weeks. Simba says it will now review all these. To be fair to Simba, it has sold 350,000 mattresses so this may be an issue only affecting a small number of customers.
Complaints about dips and ridges developing in the mattresses have also appeared elsewhere. A recent review on the John Lewis website said: “We loved this mattress when we first got it, it was so comfortable. But unfortunately, over time it has become more and more uncomfortable and there are big dips in it after only five months. One side appears to be collapsing altogether,” one buyer wrote.
Simba said in a statement that it takes quality-control and manufacturing governance “very seriously” and its priority is to ensure its customers get the best night’s sleep possible.
“To date, we have sold over 350,000 mattresses worldwide and are incredibly proud that we have the lowest return rate on our products in comparison to competitor brands and have received thousands of five-star reviews from happy customers.
“Consistent with any brand in the mattress sector it is of course possible for a customer to experience some product related issues; hence we work with HomeServe – a reputable and independent home repairs specialist. However it’s clear this process needs to be reviewed to ensure all customers are fully satisfied with the outcome of each and every home visit. In relation to the specific complaints to the Guardian, we will be more than happy to offer a full refund or replacement and would like to sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused,” it said.
Homeserve Furniture told Money that it inspects thousands of mattresses a year and it recommends that 45% of them are replaced. A spokesman declined to say what proportion of Simba mattresses were replaced following a visit, citing client confidentiality. He said Simba set it tolerances and his inspectors worked to those figures.
