My wife has had SPMS for 25 years and is very particular when it comes to choosing a bed/mattress. She prefers firmer mattresses to soft ones as I do, and we have been mostly lucky with our choices. As years have passed she finds it more difficult to get in/out of bed so decided it was time to take the plunge and invest in an electric adjustable bed. Her OT agreed it was a good idea. The trouble we found is there are not many places you can go to ‘try before you buy’ and with the limited availability we were left with a short list of two places. Both are disability specialists who could supply a couple of beds and each had two beds in their shop. The first one we looked at had a bed made by Sherbourne but the bed sizes were 3ft 4ft and 5ft. Also a single drawer at the foot of the divan - we required 2 drawers at the sides. We also wanted a 4ft 6in double bed as my wife is a restless sleeper and the small double would not be suitable. Otherwise the bed she tried in the shop and the care and service from them (Choice Mobility) was faultless.
We then looked at the second option from Millercare. They offered a bed made by Kelcol. Pros; 4ft 6in, double side drawers on the divan. Cons; The bed in the shop had a divan that was a different make, the actual bed could only be viewed on Millercare’s website, the mattresses in the shop were medium (not firm) although you could order a firm mattress when purchasing a bed.
So because of the size and drawers this seemed to be the best option, and we ordered the bed. I don’t like ordering something which we haven’t seen or tested properly but I thought we would have the same protection as if we had ordered online. Not so. Before the bed was ordered the sales person rang us to say that because the divan was not the same as the one in the store the mattress ‘moves’ slightly when leaned against. However they offered to rectify this by placing metal brackets around the mattress. We agreed without seeing these or how they worked. We were told it would have a metal bed rail bolted to the side of the bed, again without sight of what it actually looked like. We agreed to this as we thought, they are Mobility Specialists who will know the needs of disabled people.
However when the bed arrived and was assembled by the engineers my wife felt the mattress and thought it was a little too firm. When we slept on it - or should I say I slept on it - my wife could not get comfortable as she didn’t expect it to be as firm as it was and ended up sleeping on her recliner chair.
So, next morning we visited the shop and explained the issue with the mattress. the sales person said “You ordered a firm mattress and that’s what you got!” Not the response I expected. After some discussion she called the manager over. The Manager’s attitude was much the same. “We can’t change your mattress as it has been used!” We were gobsmacked. The bed cost over £1500 and they weren’t prepared to offer a resolution to our plight. I pointed out that we purchased the mattress without trying it first and they said “It’s a firm mattress, that’s what you ordered.” My wife was really upset and stressed by the whole experience. We left the store but not before asking who we complain to. They gave me a contact email and i sent them a complaint as soon as we got home. My wife is furious as the Manager’s advice was “You will get used to it!” 
This is a Mobility Specialist FFS!
Apparently, their Returns Policy states ‘Goods may be returned UNUSED by 28 days.’ As the bed had been slept on for a couple of hours it was deemed used and “We wouldn’t expect Millercare to sell it on!” (Manager’s words!)
I am totally disgusted with their attitude and lack of empathy. They took our money and tough! Live with it.
It has left a sour taste in my mouth and if it can stress me out then God knows how my poor wife is coping given her condition.
Be very careful if you are thinking about buying an adjustable bed as there is very little room for error of judgement and it is a lottery as to what you may end up with.
We await a response from their Head Office.
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- UPDATE * * * *
We have just been contacted by the store manager. They have offered to replace the firm mattress with a medium Reflex foam mattress (Subject to trying the one in the shop - A one-off replacement only, so we need to make sure it is suitable!
Alternatively they can take the whole bed away and give us a full refund. Either way - Result!
- UPDATE * * * *
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