Sleep Country Canada warranty success! Tips

Or,

What I Learned Getting My Mattress Warranty-Replaced Successfully

Let me share a few tips, now that I've actually received my replacement mattress – after 3 tries. This will likely take patience and determination to win. Don't be screwed by them just because they're more willing than you to hold the line!

The below only works if your mattress defect is actually covered under the manufacturer's warranty, if the warranty is still valid, etc. (Mine was a 1.5-2" sag in the centre.) But hey, even if it's not, try anyway, esp if it could be a judgment call.

1. Try again and again.

I called Sleep Country Canada, pissed, after every fail and asked what the hell was wrong. They told me that every warranty claim needs to be approved by the manufacturer to be processed.

If the pictures aren't exactly what the manufacturer needs to see, they'll reject it with a vague response. I got "this sag is just normal wear and tear" twice. They have to choose from a dropdown list, so no one is actually helping you figure it out.

The main factor, I deduced later, was that the way the pictures were framed didn't prove beyond a doubt that the sag really was there and that it really was that deep. In the end, I had to get a friend to take a pic of me holding the mop and measuring tape against the sag.

Ask your Sleep Country customer service person why they think it was rejected and how they suggest, based on their experience, you can do the pictures better.

2. The photo requirements are very strict.

You're gonna want to do them as close as possible to how they want them done. I used a mop handle laid across the bed, and measuring tape. A ruler would be fine. They don't want the measurement in a stitching groove where it naturally sinks in; they need it on the plushy part. This is all in the warranty instructions.

3. If your mattress is too stained, you have no chance.

As they told me multiple times, if the stains are more than just mild, they don't take it back. Get a carpet cleaner with upholstery attachment and lift especially darker / more saturated-looking stains. This will take multiple tries and be sweaty physical labor. The better it looks when you finally take the pictures, the better your chances.

If they accept it, they will require a professional cleaning (better that than having to buy a new mattress!).

4. Tips on booking cleaning:

They just need to see a receipt with your name & address, proving that the cleaning was done. Therefore, choose the lowest-cost cleaning service that you trust to enter your home.

Ask about the TOTAL you'll be charged, including everything & taxes, rather than "how much to clean just one mattress?". This is the mistake I made. The company charged $79 for a queen mattress (the exact answer to my question), but that was only the itemized price, as part of a multi-room cleaning job (I don't mean a discounted package deal). To clean just that mattress, their minimum fee to even travel to your house is $129. Then there was a $19 environmental fee, which I didn't know about either. The business isn't gonna volunteer that info if you don't ask. :/

5. I should've just had a mattress protector.

Doing it again, I would've made sure I had the thing covered with mattress protectors this whole time. Protectors break and wear out, so make sure you don't spend too much. You'll need to replace them.

I bought an expensive one years after the mattress, with a strong warranty. Got it warranty replaced once, but I dunno that they'll replace it again even though it's a 10-year warranty. How do they expect 2 protectors to last 10 years? They don't.

For the price of just the cleaning, I could've had 3 inexpensive protectors – and they would've kept my bed looking new.

One thing a mattress salesperson told me as well, which – DUH – is this: your body oils & sweat will break the mattress material down. With all the food you're depositing onto your mattress, the dust mites living in it ALSO contribute to breaking it down. I presume these 2 things were part of the problem.

If you're buying a brand new mattress, DON'T SKIMP ON MATTRESS PROTECTORS! Lesson learned.

Hope this helps! Good luck.