BAD, BAD, BAD!!! SAM Mattress
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT buy anything from this company! If you want to determine which reviews to believe, look at the details. The good reviews are very general, the bad reviews are explicitly detailed. I am embarrassed that I put myself into this position. Below is a copy of the letter that I sent to my credit card company.
On October 9, 2003, I purchased a King sized adjustable mattress from Comfort Direct. I was told that I would have 90 days to try the mattress to make sure that I liked it. If I didn’t like it, then I would be able to return it for a full refund, they would even pay for the return shipping. I was told to give the bed at least 3 weeks and if I wasn’t happy, then they could send out different components to try and custom fit the bed.
I received the mattress on October 15, 2003. After sleeping on the bed for 30 days, I called and spoke with Sharkey to let him know that the bed wasn’t comfortable and it was hurting my back. He told me to change the settings on the mattress and that he would send out a new foam topper. I received the foam topper and was still uncomfortable with a sore back.
On 12/31/03, 78 days after I first received the bed, I called and spoke with the owner of the company, Kevin Dyevich. (At that time, I did not know that he was the owner of the company.) I told him my experience with the bed and told him that I wanted to return the bed. He stated that he would send out another device that might help make the bed more comfortable and he asked that I give it another try. I told him that there was only 12 days left in the 90 day trial period and, since his own company requests that you sleep on the bed for 3 weeks, there wasn’t enough time to give the new changes a chance. He told me not to worry about the 90 days. He said that since the new device would arrive around January 15, 2004, he would give me an additional 30 days past that date. I told him that I just wanted to return the bed and he insisted that I give it another try. I reluctantly agreed.
I received the new device and was still uncomfortable. By this time, my wife was starting to develop a sore back. I have had back problems in the past, but my wife has never had a problem. So when she starting to get a sore back I decided enough was enough.
On February 11, 2004, 120 days after first receiving the bed and 28 days into the 30 day extension period, I called to return the bed. I did not note who I spoke with, but I was told that someone would call me back with a return authorization number. The next day on February 12, 2004, I called again since no one returned my call. I spoke with Kevin Dyevich and he told me that I was past my 90-day trial period. I reminded him of our conversation on 12/31/03 and he said that he needed to check with someone and would get back to me by the next week. (Although I didn’t know it until later, I thought it was very odd that the owner of the company would have to check with someone in order to authorize a return.)
On February 19, 2004, after not receiving any calls from Comfort Direct, I called and spoke with Steve at 8:16 am. I told him the entire story and asked him for a return authorization number. He told me that Kevin was the owner of the company and that only Kevin could give that number. I then asked to speak with Kevin. Steve told me that Kevin was busy helping someone else and told me to call back later. At 10:21 am, I called back and spoke with Sharkey. He told me that Kevin was on vacation until Wednesday February 25, 2004 and asked that I call back then. By this time I felt like I was being lied to and getting the run around. At 11:00 am, I called again asking for Kevin and was told that he was on vacation until Monday February 23, 2004, not Wednesday.
I immediately called the New Jersey Better Business Bureau and lodged a complaint. They stated that they would send me a complaint form. I was really starting to get concerned that Comfort Direct wasn’t going to allow me to return the bed. However, I felt that I should continue to try and resolve the issue with them.
On February 23, 2004 at 7:56 am, I called Comfort Direct and asked for Kevin. I was put on hold for 15 minutes and no one answered the phone. I called again at 9:42 am and was told that Kevin would be in the office in about an hour and that I should call back then. At 11:18 am, I called yet again asking for Kevin. I was told that he was on the phone. I told the gentleman that I was speaking with about the trouble that I was having and I asked him for the return authorization number. He told me only Kevin could give that out. He then put me on hold so that he could get Kevin. I was on hold for another 15 minutes and again, no one ever picked up.
At this point, I did an internet search for the name Kevin Dyevich. The results turned up a web site called epinions.com. This site allows users to give their opinions on various products or services. There were 8 extremely bad reviews of Comfort Direct. (I have included a copy of the 8 reviews to help illustrate the pattern of evasion and denial.) Each of the bad reviews described the exact same problems that I was having with this company. There was also some disturbing events described in the reviews. One fellow returned the bed to the factory himself. When Kevin confronted the customer, Kevin got physically aggressive and the customer feared for his life. The customer even had the events videotaped just in case something bad were to happen. After reading the reviews I was more concerned than ever that I would not be able to resolve this issue with the company. I was told by Comfort Direct that they would not accept a returned mattress unless it had a return authorization number on it. I did not want to spend $200.00 shipping the mattress back only to have Comfort Direct refuse the shipment.
There was one review that identified an attorney in New Jersey that was working on a class action lawsuit against Comfort Direct. His name is Howard Gutman 973/257-9400. I called him and described my situation. He suggested that I contact my credit card company and try to resolve the issue that way. He stated that he has not yet filed the class action lawsuit, but told me to call him back if I was unable to get the issue resolved.
After speaking with Howard, I immediately contacted my credit card company. On February 23, 2004, I spoke with a lady named ******. I told her about the problem and she informed me that she would issue a provisional credit. She recommended that I try returning the bed even though I don’t have a return authorization number.
I called Comfort Direct as soon as I got off the phone with ******. A fellow named Dan answered the phone. I told him that I needed the address where I should send the mattress. I told him that I was no longer looking for a return authorization number and that I was going to return the bed regardless. He would not give me the address. He transferred me to another person. I told this next guy the same thing. I asked him for the address and for his name. He was extremely reluctant to give me either piece of information. After asking him repeatedly, he finally gave me his name and the address. His name was Sharkey.
As you read this, the bed is on its way back to Comfort Direct. I am unable to give you a receipt or confirmation that Comfort Direct received the bed because I was running out of time to get this letter returned in a timely fashion. Should you need that information, I am more than happy to provide it once I get it. I also took pictures of the bed as I was boxing it up. I did this to show that the bed was in a like new condition. I did not want to give Comfort Direct any reason to not accept the bed because of any damage to the mattress.
One other point of interest regarding Comfort Direct. On their web site, they have an endorsement from Christopher Reeve. I thought that it was odd for someone of Mr. Reeve’s stature to endorse such a poorly run business. So, I called the Christopher Reeve Foundation and asked them if Mr. Reeve did authorize such an endorsement. The person that I spoke with told me that they were not aware of any endorsement and that they would have their attorneys look into the matter.
In closing, I followed Comfort Direct’s policy for returning the bed. I tried my best to get the situation resolved within their timeframes and without involving other people. Their own reluctance, avoidance and stonewalling have brought us to this point. I ask that you please credit my account for the full amount of the purchase. I don’t see any way to get the return shipping reimbursed, even though Comfort Direct told me they would pay for the return shipping