Tempur-Pedic president complains of "unfair competition"
Says other producers are making misleading claims
David Perry -- Furniture Today, April 24, 2008
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Decrying “unfair competition” in the memory foam category, Tempur-Pedic’s president has written a strongly worded letter to dealers defending Tempur-Pedic’s products and their track record in the marketplace.
“We can not sit idle at this time,” said Rick Anderson, president of Tempur-Pedic North America. “Our product and brand are being subjected to unfair competition and we have to defend ourselves by giving you the facts about our product. We support an open selling floor that promotes competition based on accurate information. It’s when the competition steps over the line that we have to set the record straight and get the facts out.”
He said he believes competitors have stepped over the line.
“Recently,” he wrote, “a number of mattress companies have made claims (through industry magazines, store training and point-of-purchase literature) about such things as ‘faster recovery,’ ‘heat dissipation,’ and ‘next technology.’ These claims are being used to actively divert consumers away from Tempur-Pedic by making comparisons to Tempur-Pedic that are misleading, and in some cases, simply not true. Our complaint is not about your salespeople; they have been very supportive of our brand and products. Our complaint is with competitors who put out inaccurate information that pervades the retail environment.”
Inaccurate claims “are bad for business generally,” Anderson continued. “If consumers are told something that doesn’t seem right to them, they will walk from the store and postpone their purchase.”
Anderson wrote the letter on April 4, a few weeks before Tempur-Pedic reported a 16% decline in domestic net sales for the first quarter. Company officials said they believe many consumers are deferring high-end mattress purchases.
Asked by Furniture/Today if Tempur-Pedic was singling out any company for making inaccurate claims, Anderson said the examples in his letter “are descriptive only and not intended to indicate one competitor over another.”
In his letter, he urged retailers to present consumers with “the facts concerning our company and its products.” Among them:
* “Tempur-Pedic does not make conventional memory foam. We have invested heavily to perfect our proprietary formulation and manufacturing processes, separating our product science and performance from conventional memory foam. Comparing Tempur-Pedic to conventional memory foam is like comparing a major leaguer to a little leaguer — same basic game, totally different level.”
* “Some innerspring, conventional and memory foam companies claim that their products recover faster than Tempur-Pedic, indicating that it is in some way better because of this. They are attempting to make a negative into a positive with this spin. In fact, faster recovery actually indicates inferior pressure relief as the product will ‘push back’ all night long, possibly creating painful pressure points.”
* “Unlike many memory and conventional foam mattresses, Tempur material (the company’s proprietary material) is an open-cell formulation, which ensures air flow throughout the mattress. Our advanced formulation dissipates heat away from the body while still adjusting to the individual’s weight and body temperature.”
Anderson also wrote that Tempur-Pedic has “extremely high” consumer satisfaction and low return rates. “Based on our consumer-response data,” he said, “over 95% of our owners are completely or very satisfied with their mattress. Importantly, once it’s sold, a Tempur-Pedic is one of the least likely mattresses to get returned.”
Talkback
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Tempurpedic is losing marketshare because consumers are finding alternatives, not because of...
- 2008-05-02 11:13:00 -
Tempur-Pedic is a great company who not only makes beds, but creates an amazing sleep...
- 2008-04-30 22:12:52 -
Has anyone noticed that Tempur-pedic has taken all references to their "Temperature...
- 2008-04-29 15:19:25
