HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Promises of new mattresses and warranties were all unfulfilled, according to customers of Half Price Mattress in Hollywood who contacted Call Christina.
Rose Berl and her husband purchased two mattresses and two box springs from the store, but as soon as the mattresses arrived they knew something was wrong. The mattresses came in different sizes and appeared "used." One had a noticeable dip in the center and damaged springs.
"I want new mattresses, I want one that I could sleep on," said Berl, who repeatedly contacted the company seeking an exchange. "We called him and he said, 'Oh yeah, I'm looking into it.'"
But Berl said the dealer always seemed to have an excuse.
"'The storms last year -- he can't get the mattress, he's trying to get it, and blah, blah, blah,'" Berl said the dealer told her.
The receipt that the Berls received did not allow for a refund, so they were stuck with two mattresses that they could not use.
"It's (been) over a year already," Berl said.
Frank Barbucci lost $500 dealing with the the store. Barbucci said he believed he was purchasing a brand new Simmons mattress from Half Price Mattress.
"When the mattress arrived we were sinking inside," Barbucci said. "Really, it was terrible. And he wouldn't change anything, and he said, 'Do whatever you want to do.'"
Barbucci and the Berls' experiences are similar in nature to several other customer complaints filed with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. There have been reports of a broken bed frame the day after delivery, while another custumer found "two cuts on the mattress."
Half Price Mattress claimed to be an authorized Simmons dealer. Local 10 News consumer advocate Christina Vazquez contacted the manufacturer to check that claim. Simmons stated that half-price mattress was an authorized "as is" dealer.
"Simmons products carried by authorized 'as is' dealers are not new," a Simmons representative said. "They are products where most, if not all, are customer returns."
The Simmons statement to Local 10 News goes on to say:
- Half Price Mattress is an authorized "as is" dealer of Simmons products, which is NOT the same as an authorized Simmons retail dealer.
- Simmons products carried by authorized "as is" dealers are NOT new. They are products where most, if not all, are customer returns. These are NOT represented as new by Simmons to consumers or the authorized "as is" dealers.
- Each authorized "as is" dealer signs a dealer agreement with Simmons that does not allow for Simmons products carried by the dealer to be called "new." Dealers that represent the product as new is a misrepresentation of the product and a violation of its dealer agreement with Simmons.
- It is a Simmons dealer requirement and policy that all authorized "as is" dealers disclose the origin of its product to consumers.
- Each Simmons product sold to authorized "as is" dealers carry "customer return 'as is' no warranty" labels, marked in three places on the product.
There appears to be no mention of the origin of the products on the company's website.
Prominently displayed on the homepage is a logo for Serta. That mattress manufacturer told Local 10 News, "Serta Inc. has not conducted business with Half Price Mattress in Hollywood, Florida, since 2011. As such, we will be reaching out to them to discuss our logo usage on their site."
"We got jipped," said Barbucci