robert of Lafayette, LA, writes:
I bought a mattress today... and I think I was screwed...
This is a "Royal Heritage" extra firm mattress. I laid on the bed in the showroom and it felt very comfortable and supportive. For comparable mattresses I had tried, this one felt really good and was considerably less money. It was $375, $430 w/ the box-springs. I got home and tried to do some research only to find NOTHING about this company. After hours of searching I believe this to be a Symbol Matress product that is re-labeled by PMD Furniture Direct and sold exclusively through their liquidators. The store I got it at is registered by the BBB as a "BBB accredited business", but I left without getting any warranty information and now I am feeling VERY leery about this purchase. It is not to be delivered from the warehouse for another several days. Should I try to contact them and see if I can cancel this order? (Even though I later saw on my receipt ALL SALES ARE FINAL)
Please help.. Is this a reputable mattress, or did I really screw up?
THANKS
Hi Robert. When you spend $5000 for a mattress that loses its shape in a couple of months, that's what I call, "really screwing up". Given the price and that it is an extra firm, you probably made out better than most. It doesn't sound like you've been fast talked by a slick salesman. I really wouldn't worry about it. It's likely that you'll be getting your money's worth. I gotta tell ya, that's a mighty fancy name for a mattress of that price.
My girlfriend and I just bought a Royal Heritage mattress yesterday. That night when we got home, we tried to look up information on the bed and couldn't find anything. They had put a post on Craigslist regarding a pillow top mattress for $150. It wasn't what we expected when we arrived. It was a regular mattress with a nonexistant pillow top and it had planets and spaceships on it. Everytime we tried to tell him that we're gonna shop around, he kept dropping the price. I got one of their nice queen size pillow top mattress sets for 50% off of their price which is supposedly already discounted. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how the mattress quality holds up. I read on other websites that they tend to sag only after 4 months. But that depends on what mattress of course. Also make sure that you have all your paper work on the warranty of the mattress. Apparently they've had problems with warranties and bad customer service. Just get as much info as possible. Good luck.
Posted by: Nikko | March 23, 2008 at 10:57 AM
My girlfriend and I just bought a Royal Heritage mattress set yesterday. That night when we got home, we tried to look up information on the bed and couldn't find anything. They had put a post on Craigslist regarding a pillow top mattress for $150. It wasn't what we expected when we arrived. It was a regular mattress with a nonexistant pillow top and it had planets and spaceships on it. Everytime we tried to tell him that we're gonna shop around, he kept dropping the price. I got one of their nice queen size pillow top mattress sets for 50% off of their price which is supposedly already discounted. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how the mattress quality holds up. I read on other websites that they tend to sag only after 4 months. But that depends on what mattress of course. Also make sure that you have all your paper work on the warranty of the mattress. Apparently they've had problems with warranties and bad customer service. Just get as much info as possible. Good luck.
Posted by: Nikko | March 23, 2008 at 11:05 AM
Yeah, you got screwed. Sorry to tell you but "Royal Heritage" is just a private label placed on mattress sets sold by dealers of PMD Furniture direct, a pyramid-marketing-scheme out of Ohio. The guy you bought this from paid too much money wholesale for that mattress, and then made more money on you than would a store. It probably cost $50 less in a store. No joke. The guy you bought it from doesn't have a "buddy who is a distributor" and he's not "clearing them out at 50-70% off". He's leading you in a on a piece of junk, looking at his fake pricelist, and figuring out how many hundreds of dollars he's gonna make on your high-pressure, appointment purchase because he knows you must think this is a good deal because it's in a warehouse. Your mattress was made by Symbol or Corsicana and is sold by probably 2-5 other retails in your area. It's a cheap, low-coil-count set with a wood foundation that will squeak in about 12-18 months. ...what? you asked...
Posted by: kenny | May 25, 2008 at 10:40 PM
Also, look for a posting within a couple weeks about how great "Royal heritage" or PMD furniture is. They pay their managers to post postive remarks refuting all the negative feedback online about their products & marketing schemes.
Posted by: kenny | May 25, 2008 at 10:50 PM
i have the same issue. i have recentlt put down 180$ on a 530$ queen size firm "Yorkshire" mattress set. i go and try to find reputation and can't find the mattress brand anywhere. at one point i noticed a link from the Yorkshire brand to the Royal Heritage brand and still to no prevail. All sales final sign on bottom of receipt. please let me know something!!!!!!
Posted by: tiffany | June 09, 2008 at 10:58 AM
i really need to know something about this "Yorkshire" mattress before i am out any more money. i have 3 children on my own and a lot of bills and really can't affort to lose the money. should i just try to exchange it for a piece of furniture from the same people?
Posted by: tiffany | June 09, 2008 at 11:05 AM
I just happened across this blog and happen to be sleeping on a Royal Heritage Sussex mattress set and have been for over 5 years. I've had no problems with my set.
Posted by: Pat | June 09, 2008 at 03:02 PM
Buyer beware!! The salesman will put pressure on you to buy today- He told my daughter that he had other people waiting,limited quantity, was giving her a great deal etc.
When she tried to leave he bargained on the price, but now she feels ripped off. Be careful.
Posted by: Jay | June 25, 2008 at 08:15 PM
Buyer beware!! The salesman will put pressure on you to buy today- He told my daughter that he had other people waiting,limited quantity, was giving her a great deal etc.
When she tried to leave he bargained on the price, but now she feels ripped off. Be careful.
Posted by: Jay | June 25, 2008 at 08:17 PM
I recently purchased a Royal Heritage Yorkshire mattress set after a high pressure sales pitch...paid $600 w/ Tax. I think I got screwed after reading this post. I've contacted Symbol mattress (the actual manufacturers) about the quality of the mattress and MSRP. I'll re-post when they get back to me. No refunds, No returns...should have walked away...oh well.
Thanks Rex. We look forward to the follow-up.
Pete
Posted by: Rex | July 05, 2008 at 10:46 PM
I'm glad I'm not alone here. I got the same warehouse line and the "my friend owns a store" line. We put down a deposit for a mattress that seemed great. He said that the mattress has a 7 year warranty and that Royal Heritage is just a mattress company that "doesn't spend a billion dollars a year on advertising." However, when we got home I couldn't find anything about it. It makes me really nervous. I've had a bad feeling about it ever since. I just hope we're not getting screwed out of our money or for a bad mattress.
Hi Amanda. I hope not too. Unfortunately, with these off brands, you're more likely to be dissatisfied than not. But keep your fingers crossed. You could be one of the happy ones.
Pete
Posted by: Amanda | July 08, 2008 at 11:28 AM
I've been sleeping on a Royal Heritage Beautiful Rest-o-pedic mattress for over a year and it is AWESOME. The people I dealt with were friendly, and I've referred a number of my friends/family to them. We haven't had any troubles, but I guess it might be different depending on who you deal with, but the products have been fine.
Janet, I'm happy for you. A good night's sleep is what it's all about.
Pete
Posted by: Janet | July 17, 2008 at 03:12 PM
I was a furniture dealer for 26 years that used to sell Symbol Mattress. Their product was on par with all the major brands for a lot less money. I have been sleeping on a Symbol Mattress for 8 years and it is still like new.
Thanks for the comment Kevin.
"Was" is the operative word here. I don't know how far back those 26 years were, but things have changed dramatically in the 26 I've been doing this....and as a whole, not for the better. I've seen the focus shift from quality to quantity, in much of what is now produced.
Pete
Posted by: Kevin | July 28, 2008 at 12:18 AM
Pete; I closed my operation in March of 2006. I had a 40,000 Sq. Ft. store. I sold Simmons Sealy And Symbol. I can tell you that they all have their 252 entry level coil units,and their upper level mutiple turn, mutiple coil heavy guage premium units. Bottom line is you get what you pay for. A 252 bonnell unit might have an attractive price, but won't last.I sold 80 to 100 pieces of Symbol a week, and had the same failure rate as the major brands, no more no less. Buyers need to do their homework, and ask about coil count, turns, guage, comfort layers, and warranty. Buyer Beware.
Kevin
Right you are, Kevin, and thanks again for your imput.
Pete
Posted by: Kevin | July 28, 2008 at 02:32 PM
I just bought a simmons royal heritage beautyrest queen for $900 a couple weeks ago from a warehouse like this. I was told it was 900 coils is this not true. Did i get ripped off ?
Another Simmons dealer in your area, would be better able to verify the specs for you.
Pete
Posted by: larry | August 15, 2008 at 10:31 PM
This is hilarious, i just called the scammers and talked about making a appointment to go to their warehouse. Thanks for posting on this scam.
Posted by: AdamRandall | January 07, 2009 at 03:42 PM
When Hurricane Katrina ripped through south Louisiana, we lost everything in our home. I replaced my entire household with furniture and mattresses from this same type of warehouse. I bought 4 mattress sets, 4 rooms of furniture, a living room set, and a dinette set all at well below what it would have cost in a store. I'm happy to say that 3 1/2 years later my mattresses are holding up better than the high priced mattress I bought pre-Katrina in a high priced mattress store. Let's face it people...you get what you paid for. I called on the $125 queen pillowtop mattress and it was exactly what I was expecting, a cheap mattress set. If you went expecting quality, then you really are living in a dreamland. I checked with the salesperson who sold my stuff to me. They are still in business (which I think is a testimony to how good a company is). It never seems to amaze me how some people are so negative about some things. If you saved money, got a good mattress set, etc., then what's the problem? Gosh, this is exactly what's wrong with the world today. People are so willing to slam other people.
Posted by: Lisa Michelle | January 26, 2009 at 10:13 AM
I found the add for a queen size mattress for $125.00 in the newspaper, so I called and got the EXACT same line. My buddy owns a mattress company and was liquidating and this guy has a warehouse that his buddy is storing the mattress. He is selling at 50-70% off. I asked what brand is it, "its a royal heritage". But I've only got a few left, I wanted to make an appt for tomorrow, but the guy wouldn't make it. Said I had to call tomorrow morning, and he'd tell me if he had any left. I so VERY glad I read all of the previous comments. I surely wont call or go there tomorrow! I'm tempted to call the paper and report this man. THANKS to all of you that have made comments!
Posted by: Sonja B. | January 29, 2009 at 01:13 PM
I've been sleeping on a Royal Heritage mattress for almost 5 years. I got it from a warehouse and was not scammed. I've seen similar mattresses in a store for more than twice what I paid. How is that a scam? I sleep better on my mattress than I do on beds in 5 star hotels. I recommend this to all my friends.
Posted by: Pat Benhoff | February 02, 2009 at 06:49 PM
I am pretty sure I found a scam similar to these listed above. My wife and I looked at mattresses in a warehouse with an individual who has a friend in the furniture business, who he says is, "One of the largest distributors in the WORLD". Also, the cheaper mattresses had planets and spaceships on them as others described. The individual never would tell me who his friend worked for. When I asked him the coil count of the mattresses he said, "I'm not sure, what difference does it make if it is comfortable." Needless to say, we left empty handed. Watch out for this in Bowling Green, Ky.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 23, 2009 at 07:18 PM
we bought a royal heritage and returned it 2 times to the warehouse. They told us we were getting the top of line Roayl Heritage Yorkshire. What crap. It is broken down and sagging and of course the so called discount warehouse is now out of business. I have done a search and am not able to find the real facotor of this product so lesson learned buy from a company you know has been in business for awhile and had a good reputation.
Posted by: becky gonzales | February 23, 2009 at 08:48 PM
Hi I just bought a "royal heritage mattress and the one i tried was totaly comfy. BUT the one that ended up in my truck looked the same but was rock hard. DO NOT BUY FROM THESE PEOPLE!!!!! They will not let you leave their WHAREHOUSE without buying VERY SCARY!!!
Posted by: Brianna | March 12, 2009 at 05:57 AM
Oh My!!! I just went to this warehouse yesterday and put 1/2 down on a Royal Heritage mattress set. I laid on the bed and it felt good but reading all of your stories makes my neck hurt. I just called the guy right now after reading all of your comments and he swears this is not a scam. The mattress I bought comes with a 5 year warranty and says that if I have any problems with the mattress, to return it. I am sooooo ready to call my back to stop payment on the check I wrote.
Posted by: Laura | March 14, 2009 at 11:42 AM
STOP PAYMENT IS OFFICIAL!! I FEEL BETTER ALREADY
Posted by: Laura | March 14, 2009 at 12:26 PM
Royal heritage - no warranty documentation - although advertised & promised. No quality documentation. No customer service or satisfaction guarantee. This is a cheap products retailer operation doing business as a liquidator (to justify "ALL SALES ARE FINAL" fine print) to avoid all the normal retailer support that you might be expecting. LET THE BUYER BEWARE - is not enough protection from a deceitful business engaging in predatory practices. When you see a classified add for low price mattress / furniture, run away - run away, it is too good to be true!! CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT ANYONE???
Posted by: Jeff | March 17, 2009 at 10:25 AM