Some 'S' brands fare poorly in ratings
“It’s an indictment of the ‘S’ brands,” the bedding insider said.
He was talking about the much-discussed Consumer Reports rating of mattress brands. That rating begins with a “T” brand - Tempur-Pedic - followed by, in order, Original Mattress Factory, Select Comfort, Denver Mattress and Simmons. The brand ratings are based on owner satisfaction, Consumer Reports said.
Four of the five brands on the bottom end of the list are “S” brands. Kingsdown ranks No. 6, followed by, Serta, Sealy, Stearns & Foster and Spring Air.
So two “S” brands are in the top half of the list, while four others are in the bottom half of the list.
It’s hard to argue with the bedding insider who shared his views with us the other day. Several of the industry’s best-known brands fared poorly, relatively speaking, in the ratings. While I’ve heard a few in the industry question the validity of the brand ratings, the fact remains that many consumers hold Consumer Reports in high regard. And the fact remains that Serta, Sealy, Stearns & Foster and Spring Air bring up the rear of the list. That’s not a showing that can please any of those brands.
Dee Ham commented:
with over 37 years experience in the mattress industry(my family has over 97) I am amazed as usual at the comments from retailers. All are still selling rectangles instead of sleep. If these guys would realize that comfort is the issue
not price but also that salespeople is NOT a DIRTY WORD,maybe the industry would wake up. By the way isn't it interesting that five of the top six vendors in consumer reports spend a ton of money on marketing???
mattman commented:
During times of economical struggle complaints seem to come out of the wood work. complaints are many but in reality 99% of these complaints are not actual defects. Consumers love to blame their poor nights sleep on their mattress when when they simply have a bad back. It is unbelievable that consumers are so lazy that they won't even rotate their no flip mattress as suggested.
MATTRESS MAN commented:
Why would C.R. list regional or local manufacturer/retailers in their listings at all where national consumers have no opportunity to have access to those brands? It is not fair to those manufacturers whos brands are NOT listed and sell on a national basis, i.e.: King Koil, Ther-A-Pedic, Restonic, Gold Bond, etc. It's time for C.R. to re-evaluate what a nationally sold brand is and treat regional and direct to consumer manufacturers perhaps in a sidebar.
mattress commented:
Comparing a t or sc brand bed to the much lower price points offered by other brands is misleading to say the least. I sell an s brand and get customers thanking me weeks and months, and years later with helping them with there purchase. Putting them in the right bed creates satisfaction, regardless of the brand. Still, this article will help some brands for a time. However, many customers do not have $2000 or more to purchase a t or sc brand nor are original mattress factory, denver, and kingsdown available in many markets. I'm still very confident in my s brand and prospects for my future with my brand.
FmrMattFan commented:
A product living up to its basic warranty is not over promising. Does anyone know of someone being as happy with a current version of their S brand as they were 10 years ago? 5 years ago? The fact is the products are not built as well, they are not holding up and customers have had enough. If the S brands were as good as before, the T brand probably wouldn't have taken such a hold.....
John F commented:
This particular report is not at all astonishing. Put the customer in the right product you win. The wrong product you lose. Customer focused selling is alive and well
XMattressguy commented:
Really...how much of this is due to "Over-promising"
Commissioned sales people with the right training are still the number one factor in making satisfied customers...more so than brand.
Give me a crew of the above, and we can make any brand well received by customers and they will be ultimately delighted!!!!
Warren Littrell commented:
Victor Pedraz is right on he mark. Understanding the products and asking the right questions is the key to a satisfied client. Believe it or not some clients find a $799 queen better suited to their needs rather than a $1599 set. We all want to sell better bedding for the selfish reason that it puts more cash in our pockets. More money in our pockets does not insure a satisfied client. For retailers is is simple, TRAINING, TRAINING AND MORE TRAINING.
cosmo512 commented:
The level of dissatisfaction that consumers have with their mattress purchase is alarming. As a former big "S" brand retailer, it is clear that trading on one's name rather than improving quality, maximizing profit rather than providing quality sleep products rules the day. There are simply no customers pleased with any "S" brand purchases made with in the past 10 years.
Jerod Lazan commented:
We have a medium high end store in Los Angeles, Mortise@Tenon Most of our clients base their decisions on time frame to complete a job over brand. They seem to think if the mattress is $1000 to $1500 it's o.k. and that determines their choice more then brand. The other end of our cliental spends amounts I cant imagine for ultra high end brands. This client wants a Mercedes whether or not they are really getting one.
Joe commented:
With the popularity of the internet, brand is becoming more and more irrelevant. T and SC are reporting double digit losses and their stocks are taking a beating. S brands are doing the same. Alternative companies are making great gains.
Victor Pedraz commented:
A blog is meant to initiate and promote discussion. Why are our remarks not appearing?
Victor Pedraz commented:
What the bedding insiders fail to grasp is that the report from Consumer Reports also includes customer reaction from the inception of the sale. That is, the ambience in bedding stores and bedding departments is nasty. This goes back to uniformed, aggresive, commissioned sales people who give promises of quality based on no actual knowledge of the product. The end result is a very dissatisfied customer who ends up buying a brand or model recommended by a salesman who has no clue. If this resonates with some retailers then get on the stick and engage and educate your employees to the facts. The customer will come back if, God forbid, they have a decent nights sleep!
