Complaint Review: Sleepy's Herndon VA

Do not get caught in the scam by the Herndon Sleepy's store like I did. It's just a way for them to make more money.  First my experience and then 20 tips to avoid getting scammed like I did.

On 10/26/09 I went to the Herndon Sleepys to buy a mattress, box spring & frame.  I had never purchased a bed before, and I had not done any research prior so the salesperson saw me coming and took full advantage. 

It all went so easy and smoothly and I thought what a great experience.  I was WRONG!  What I later discovered is that the salesperson had ordered me the wrong bed and so the wrong mattress was delivered. And even after I realized within 10 minutes after delivery that it was the wrong bed I was stuck and had to pay over $300 to get the mattress exchanged & the right one delivered to me. In fact the color & texture of the firm mattress compared to the plush mattress was not the same so I knew very quickly upon visual inspection that I had the wrong bed but it was too late to avoid paying an exchange fee. So I ended up paying $839 to purchase & deliver and then an additional $330 to have the mattress exchanged & the correct one delivered.

Heres what you need to know - It doesnt matter what the salesperson says to you its all about what the salesperson enters into the computer and puts in the order.  Its all those numbers & letters that appear on your invoice that identify what mattress you are to receive.  That coding identifies the type of mattress, the brand, the firmness, etc. You cannot afford to just sign blindly at Sleepys Herndon.

In my case, even after the salesperson & I confirmed several times that I wanted the Plush mattress it turns out that he ordered me the Firm mattress.  I know that this was deliberate scam because of the numerous times we discussed about how plush the one I selected was and how soft and I discussed how the other mattress was too hard / firm.  The sales person could not even try to say he was too busy and made an error because this was in the evening and I was the only customer in the store the entire time.  Instead they act like I chose the wrong bed instead of the sales person entering / ordering the wrong bed.

The sales people know that the store can get more money out of you later if they order the wrong bed and then you later have to exchange the mattress & have it redelivered, so its to their advantage to order the wrong bed for you.

Plus the delivery people who delivered the bed were idiots. My husband was on the phone with these guys for 30 minutes first getting them to the right address, then to the correct apartment entrance, then into the complex. When Im paying almost $100 to have a bed delivered to my home (which is an outrageous fee since I only live a few blocks from the store) then I at least expect the delivery people to know how use a map to find the street, and to understand how to identify the main entrance (look for the big sign stupid) and to know how to dial-in on a phone at the gate for admittance to the apartment complex. 

We of course had to return the first mattress (firm) and order the correct mattress (plush) after agreeing to pay the additional $300+. Then once they brought in the mattress the delivery people wanted to rush us through and make us sign right away which we did not do because the invoice didnt look right. I insisted the delivery person call someone to explain this second invoice to me before I signed again.

BEWARE shop at Herndon Sleepys with your eyes wide open. Below are my TIPS on how I wish I had handled my shopping experience at this Sleepy's Herndon store. Learn from my mistakes so you dont get soaked for more money like I did. I will NEVER recommend Herndon Sleepys to anyone. Follow these tips so you do not get scammed by Sleepys like I did:

1 - when you find a mattress you like in the store, take the time to search around the sides of the bed for the actual label - do NOT just go by the wording on whatever marketing sign they have sitting near the bed. Look at the actual label attached to the specific mattress you want and write down the numbers that appear in the couple lines right near the bar code. Those numbers are critical for getting the right bed ordered.  Dont be embarrassed if the label cannot be easily seen just tell the salesperson to move the bed so you can see the label.  Insist on it. Not knowing exactly which bed you have selected and instead trusting that the salesperson will write it up correctly is a big mistake. You cannot trust the salesperson because he knows if you accept delivery / receipt of the wrong bed then they can make more money off of you later when you are forced to exchange.

2 - after the  sales person writes up your order and flashes it quickly in your face - insist on taking the time to see what order number has been typed on the order and make sure it matches the numbers you copied off the tag. Every single digit won't appear on the order but you should see enough similarity to know it's the right bed.

3 -  look at the paperwork the salesperson hands you before you sign anything. Be careful the salesperson can say the right information but instead type the wrong order number or firmness or brand into the computer for the order and you will not get the right bed, which means you will have to pay $300+ to get the bed exchanged later.  Be aware that the brand name on the sign by the bed may not match whats on the order. Ask & make them explain it to you

4 on the paperwork check for any 2 digit letter codes the salesperson  typed with the order number like FM or PL. Turns out that is how they indicate if Firm or Plush, etc. Insist on the salesperson telling you what those letters stand for on your order and be sure that's what you selected. Otherwise they will deliberately write the wrong code so that you will have to pay a fee to get the bed exchanged later.

5 - ask them how much is delivery going to cost as the salesperson may conveniently not tell you how high that fee runs.  You may in fact save money by arranging your own transportation to pick up the bed. (and if they deliver the wrong bed, you will have to pay a second delivery fee)

6 - don't just look at only the mattresses the sales person shows you in the store. In fact go to the Sleepy's website before you shop and see what is on sale & note the website pricing. In fact print off a page or two from the website and have in hand, so the salesperson will see that you are prepared. Otherwise they will not show you all the beds on sale. Plus when you visit the website before your shopping experience, sort the results you see by price or you may not realize there is a less expensive option available.

7 - be aware that if you don't make sure that the order is properly typed and submitted to match the bed you want - they will charge you almost $300 to make any changes after the bed is delivered. So don't be rushed and check the order carefully before you sign.

8 - as you are shopping (and before you say "I want this one") keep asking questions about each mattress you try - such as what is this - firm, plush, etc. Make sure you know what you are touching & seeing each time. Be very clear with the salesperson as to which firmness you want to buy.

9 - for the mattress you select - note the color of the fabric, the design of the fabric, etc. That will help when it's delivered for you to tell immediately if they've conveniently sent you the wrong mattress (as they know that for you to exchange later they can charge you more money)

10 - know that any "human error" (which is actually their deliberate scam strategy) that the sales person makes in placing your order will cost you money to exchange once they've delivered the bed. So do NOT trust that the salesperson is going to type up your order correctly.

11 - do not say things like "this is the first bed I purchased" or "I haven't bought a bed in a long time" etc. That's like telling the sales person you are ready to be taken for every dime they can get.  Instead do a little homework on the Internet before you go in and read some of the websites with "tips for buying a bed / mattress" so you can go shopping as an informed consumer.  Ask questions about the bed based on your research so the salesperson will not think you are a novice that can be sold anything

12 - when the sales person hands you the order invoice make him explain every charge on there. Don't just blindly sign the invoice like I did.

13 - ask the sales person his name BEFORE you close the sale so you know who to blame later.  And somewhere on the order should be the sales person's code - be sure you know which line that is so when you file a complaint later you can identify who ran the scam.  For example, on my invoice it says Sold by: EB211 which is assigned to that specific salesperson.

14 - do not be fooled by how nice or friendly the sales person may act. This person is not your friend - he's out to soak you for money. And don't let him distract you with idle chit-chat - stay focused on your bed buying.

15 - whatever bed the sales person shows you, ask "is there anything less expensive?"  Keep asking.  They will not show you all the beds on sale unless you already know from seeing an ad or looking at the store website. And the bed advertised as "on sale" may not be the least expensive one available - it's just the one they are promoting in the ads. By looking at the store's website in advance you will know which beds are the least expensive and what the beds should cost. You may actually find you can save money directly ordering from the Sleepys website than buying in the store.

16 when the bed is delivered or picked up look again for the tag attached to the mattress and find the numbers near the bar code.  Make sure the numbers on BOTH the order & on the piece of paper you wrote for yourself in the store match the mattress you received.  Look at the notes you wrote about the color & design of the bed you purchased and make sure it visually looks the same.  Look for the letters used to describe the bed firm (FM), plush (PL), etc to be sure its what you wanted. When the bed is delivered do all these comparisons BEFORE you sign off on delivery. The delivery person will try to rush you by repeatedly asking you to sign before you have confirmed just ignore him and dont sign until you are satisfied, 

17 - when delivered, if you have any doubt that this is not the mattress you ordered (doesnt look right; the order number doesnt match; wrong firmness) do NOT sign as thats saying you accept this bed as is. Insist on talking to someone about what you have been given and what you selected.  Be aware that once you take that bed away from the store (if you are picking up) or once you sign the delivery form if delivered you are stuck with that specific bed. And any changes required after that will cost you almost $300 to get the right one plus delivery charges!!! Exchanges are not done for free and they will charge you a second delivery fee even though they sent you the wrong bed!

18 - After purchasing your bed at the store, and before delivery or pick up of the bed, go to the Sleepys website and print off a picture of the bed you bought so you have in hand for delivery. It will show you what it should look like in some cases, and at the minimum it will give you the correct order numbering that is assigned to that bed so you can check the label attached to the bed when delivered. (if there's no picture on Sleepy's site, go to another mattress site to get a picture). 

19 - After purchasing your bed at the store, and before delivery or pick up of the bed, try this on the Sleepy's website pretend to buy the same bed on the Sleepy's website that you ordered in the store (but just dont do the final online purchase steps). Then you can be sure that what is on your written order matches what appears if you pretend to buy the same bed online.  . For example the written sign on the bed in the store which I bought said King Koil Comfort Solutions. But by going to the website afterwards I learned that what I bought was a Laura Ashely Home Inverness. So I could check the order to make sure the Ashely name & correct brand was on the order form.  Had I done the online visit prior to delivery I would have realized that I had been ordered a firm bed not a plush bed because of how different the order appeared online when I pretended to purchase.

20 - Do not expect any sympathy or caring when you figure out you have the wrong bed. At that point all Sleepys wants to do is make more money.  They will eventually exchange the bed for an additional $300 fee and an additional delivery fee.  Know that once you have the bed and have laid down on it - you have signed away your rights twice (once when you purchased & once when you received) and all they will do is tell you that theres a big sign in the store notifying customers that they charge this fee for any exchanges.  You can get as mad as you want over the situation but youve signed an agreement allowing them to scam you by sending you the wrong bed and then you end up paying them more money to correct their mistake. Thats why its so important that you get the information off the label attached to the bed in the store that you want and you keep checking that information throughout this process. Otherwise they can switch your order several places along the way, send you the wrong bed and then make you pay to get the right bed.

21 dont rush the delivery. and dont tell them to deliver the next morning. Give yourself a day to do the search on their website as Ive described above so you can be sure the order as appears when you pretend to buy the bed online matches the bed you selected & matches how the store order invoice appears.. If you can catch the error BEFORE you sign for delivery you will have time to change the order. But once the bed is in your place & youve touched it then they are going to take you on a ride for additional money to get to the right bed.