Sleep Number HQ — Local services in Minneapolis

My wife and I purchased a Sleep Number iLE Queen size mattress. We were so excited to receive the mattress because we both suffer from severe sleeping issues and were assured that a Sleep Number mattress would be right for us. The mattress was installed, and it was horrible to say the least. This mattress was extremely uncomfortable to sleep on: 1) there was no support in the middle, 2) the SleepIQ did not work half the time, 3) it felt like we were sleeping on an expensive air mattress, and 4) the mattress did not provide the support or relief that we were told it would.

I spoke with a representative via phone call to their returns department to discuss return options because our sleeping worsened since beginning to sleep on this mattress. I was told that they would send someone out to install a foam center piece and reconfigure the SleepIQ at no cost. I told the representative that even though I am optimistic about this fixing the dreaded “trenching” of the mattress, it is still a very uncomfortable bed, therefore I would like to go ahead and process a return. The representative told me that a different mattress would solve all of my problems, the p5. I expressed my concern with all of the fees associated with exchanging the mattress for another and potentially returning the new one. I made it very clear that I did not want to pay another shipping fee for this mattress because I was not certain the issue would be resolved. The representative assured me I would not be charged the shipping fee for the exchanged mattress. With this in mind, I approved the exchange because I wanted to give Sleep Number another chance. I received a refund for the difference in price of the two mattresses and was assured that I was not charged for the new shipping/exchange.

The iLE mattress was removed from our home and the p5 was installed the same day. Within a couple of weeks we decided to return the p5 mattress. We were experiencing the exact same issues: no center support, SleepIQ did not work, it felt like an expensive air mattress, and it did not provide assured support or relief. The representative processed my return and I expected to see a large refund on my Synchrony (financing for Sleep Number) account; however, when I checked my account a few days later, I saw a balance of $645. With the already-made payment of $121 during the month of March 2020, this tells me that Sleep Number is charging me $785 for a mattress that I do not even have.

I want to also point out that during my time of initial purchase, the delivery fee I saw on their website said $199, but I was charged $249.

I was charged $249 on three separate occasions, then somehow charged an additional $11 for no reason (total $785) because I was trying to give Sleep Number a chance to make this right. When I told the representative that I was assured I would not be charged for the exchange delivery, they told me it was policy and there is nothing they could do about it.

We are extremely disappointed in how we have been treated by Sleep Number, especially since we have sleep health issues and that we are facing unprecedented times with COVID-19. We are facing financial hardship and to be treated like this during this time is absolutely ruthless. We have been taken advantage of so they can make $785 off of a mattress that we do not even have anymore. It is abhorrent and overall criminal to 1) sell products with false advertisement saying that this bed will provide however much support and relief, 2) to assure a customer that they will not have to pay for something then charge them anyways and 3) to have policies that make the customer responsible for paying shipping/deliver/exchange fees for giving this company a chance based on their advertisements AND taking representative advice to try out multiple mattresses.

Sleep Number has contributed to a large amount of distress and unhealthy sleep, which is directly contradictory to their advertised statements. DO NOT PURCHASE A SLEEP NUMBER. There are plenty of other...

To: Sleep Number President/CEO, Shelly Ibach

Good afternoon, Shelly,

I wished to inform you of a couple of experiences I had with one of your contact center representatives, Kristiana Griffin as well as two of your delivery drivers, Carl and Obie, today, March 22, 2022.

I was having an extremely rough day today and on the verge of experiencing a complete anxiety attack. I had been up all night with cold sweats and was not feeling well at all (not COVID related, tested negative for that). I had been suffering for weeks with intense back pain and I didn't need anything else to go wrong. My new Sleep Number bed that I had just recently ordered via chat was going to be delivered and I was awaiting for something good to finally occur.

When the Sleep Number bed arrived, it was discovered that only the mattress was ordered and not the complete bed as I had originally requested. The delivery personnel, Carl and Obie (who are ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL and FANTASTICALLY PROFESSIONAL, by the way), described the situation and informed me of what had happened. They helped me understand and informed me I would need to contact Sleep Number to order the rest of the bed. They sincerely apologized and tried to cheer me up by making me laugh, ensuring me that everything was going to be ok, and petting/playing with my dogs (which are my heart, pride, and joy). They clearly and calmly explained to me what exactly it was that I needed to do next to ensure I received what I had originally wanted.

I contacted Sleep Number (via chat again) to ask for my remaining request to be fulfilled when I was told that I would have to pay an additional $250 delivery fee, which couldn't be waived, to receive the rest of my bed. I was beyond infuriated. On top of this, there was an immense miscommunication between myself and the representative via chat which caused even more frustration and confusion as well. I decided at this point I was going to call Sleep Number instead to get things done since I hadn't had much luck via chat.

When I made the call, my heart was racing and my breaths became short. I could feel the anxiety begin to build and my adrenaline on the verge of shooting through the roof. I thought to myself "I'm NEVER dealing with Sleep Number after this.". I prepared in my mind my defenses I would utilize to come against this bad experience and prepare for the worst. All of this dissipated instantly as soon as I heard Kristiana Griffin's tone of voice. She was so calm. She listened empathetically to ALL of my frustrations and concerns. She gave me peace and understood why I was so upset. Through Kristiana's calm and assuring attitude, she silenced my fears and caused me to have hope, once again, in Sleep Number. She made me feel safe and comfortable and even helped me mentally relax my mind. She was admirable and I appreciated every word of empathy that came from her mouth. It's not easy being a Contact Center representative, having to deal with all the negativity day after day, but Kristiana does it with ease.

Most importantly, Kristiana was able to order me the rest of my bed with no additional delivery fee!

Shelly, I ask that you, please, recognize these employees for how significantly they changed my day from a very bad one, into a very positive one. Especially, Kristiana since  she made VERY certain to "put the icing on the cake". I wish every service representative was just like her.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Kristiana, and thank you Carl and Obie.

P.S. Carl, I'll ensure to continue to have those yummy cookies at my house the next time you stop by! 😜

Sincerely, and...

Warning to tall people on the Comfort 360 Sleep Number split king mattress. Try it physically yourself before you buy it. I did not, and at 6’8”, my feet hung off the bed even after 90 days of ‘settling out’.

We currently own other sleep number beds and have purchased around five other sleep number mattresses that we were obviously very happy with. But unlike the others, this one does not measure up as expected.

I really wanted to like the Comfort 360. But at my 80 inch height, my feet stuck off the end of this mattress uncomfortably around 2 inches. The store we bought it from was very helpful and suggested it would settle out as the foam expanded over the hundred day trial period, but after about 90 days that had not really happened. Too, I went into another Sleep Number store after I bought this one, (admittedly, sight unseen) and tested a mattress on their floor to see if perhaps the one we had received was somehow defective—my feet hung off similarly on that floor model too.

The staff at the store in Mt. Juliet, TN where we purchased the mattress entirely in a phone transaction, were kind, professional and very helpful throughout, even texting several times during the trial period to ascertain how we were doing and when we finally decided to return the mattress, helping to walk us through the return process that is apparently handled (not so well) on the central office side.

It is disappointing that a company that I have trusted and done business with for so many years has produced a product that no longer fits my 80 inch frame and that I was not able to discern this in advance relying on the company’s representations regarding the size of the mattress. I incorrectly assumed it would fit as all the others had. Had I tried it first physically myself, I would have saved time, money and frustration. That said, the majority of my past purchases were also sight unseen and direct from the company and relied on the report of standard sizes without issue.

While ultimately a small matter, I write this because I have searched and have not seen this issue reported, so I felt an obligation to make a note of it. Perhaps other similarly situated tall people will be apprised.

The company has not suggested that there is any particular flaw in the product that they sent me or that a one time or temporary manufacturing error occurred that a replacement might fix. Their best answer was to have me return the mattress within the 100 day trial period. This we did. It was not a friction-free process and the Sleep Number central office returns side, as opposed to the local store sales side, was more difficult to work with, less responsive and slower and harder to reach. There is an opportunity for improvement there also.

We had also unfortunately already given away our old comfy Sleep Number mattress with expectations of this being an upgrade. Note also that the technical aspects of the bed, in our limited 90 experience, heating/cooling/movement worked well. That said, I think there’s a drawback to having to work with a screen or remote each night to customize one’s experience. Our existing Sleep Number Beds maintain their inflation numbers for extended periods, a more ‘set and forget’ experience. Overall, not great value for money. These factors and especially the size issue and poor corporate responsiveness prompts this very poor rating. Be advised taller friends. Sleep Number, you have done much better in the past, please think about improving this or making it much clearer in...