Defective Mattress and Unfair Replacement Costs

I purchased a bed and mattress from Bed Doctor in March 2023, but only took delivery in September 2023 due to moving into a new home.

On delivery, I immediately noticed that the mattress was damaged. After engaging with Bed Doctor, the mattress was eventually replaced. Unfortunately, the replacement mattress has also proven to be problematic.

After approximately one year of actual use (averaging around 4 hours per day), the mattress has developed serious issues. The edges have sagged and collapsed, despite the mattress being sold as a “no break edge” mattress. In addition, the bed makes excessive noise during normal use, which directly contradicts the “no disturb” claims made at the time of purchase.

I contacted Bed Doctor again, and an accessor was sent out. It was only during this visit that my household and I were properly informed about how the mattress supposedly works and its limitations — information that was never explained at the point of sale. This matter was then escalated to head office.

Bed Doctor’s proposed resolutions were:

Replacing the mattress with a different model at an additional cost of R5,000, or

Providing another mattress if I paid R2,000 upfront.

I find this extremely unfair. The mattress has failed under normal, reasonable use and well within what should be an acceptable lifespan for a product of this nature. There has been no misuse or negligence on my part. The issues experienced are clearly related to product quality, not consumer behaviour.

I do not believe it is reasonable for a customer to be asked to pay extra to replace a product that is defective and does not meet the performance standards it was sold under.

I am sharing this experience to highlight concerns around product quality, transparency at point of sale, and after-sales support. I am still seeking a fair resolution that does not require me to pay for a defective product.