Serta Mattress (Claim #25513)

Good day,

Thank you in advance for reading this email.

Last year we noticed steel coils starting to protrude from the side of our 6 year old MASTERPIECE mattress. Knowing we had a 10 year warranty we contacted SERTA and started a claim.

We paid our $35 inspection fee (even though we were told later an inspector could not come to our home -we followed the SERTA guidelines; took the necessary photos and accurate description and we were told we would get a $35 credit toward our transportation charges later on). Serta told us the mattress could not be repaired but they would replace it. We knew MASTERPIECE mattresses (a division of SERTA selling high end luxury mattresses) no longer existed... but in a letter dated March 16th 2007 Serta assured us : "In accordance with the terms of our warranty, we reserved the right to substitute a product of equal quality if identical materials are no longer available. This means the new item may not be the same color, fabric, quilting pattern etc. as the item being replaced. Be assured the replacement chosen will be the same quality and level of bedding that was originally purchased. Our warranty covers repairs or replacement and no credits or refunds will be offered at any time."

After happily agreeing to this we paid the $149 transportation charge (which by the way was never credited the $35 since we had to do our own inspection) and we waited for our mattress. I called in late March to be assured by a customer service agent that indeed we would be getting a new mattress and to wait the 6 to 8 weeks for a phone call. By middle of May I decided I had been patient enough and called back. Turns out our mattress had been shipped out mid April and was sitting at the docks of some shipping company who never received proper documentation from SERTA. After several phone calls with a ill mannered SERTA customer service representative, I finally received my new mattress this morning!

After the delivery men hauled away my old (beautiful) broken mattress I inspected the new one and was instantly appalled. I took a deep breath and researched this new mattresses value and specs online.

SERTA replaced my $5000 (value as of year 2000) MASTERPIECE king sized luxury mattress (with 8 way hand tied craftsmanship and over 1100 coils for back support, and 21 inch thick mattress, etc.) with a $1500 not-even-close-to-comparable, Vera Wang pillow top mattress!?!?!?!?! SERTA has higher end, comparable mattresses they could have easily substituted but I feel that instead they tried to "pass one over me" and I am deeply insulted.

It would be one thing if SERTA's warranty to me had stated something to the effect of "Masterpiece no longer exists ...we reserve the right to give you whatever we want" ....from there I could have chosen to proceed with the claim or not. And to be perfectly honest I would have been irritated but probably would have gone through with it anyways. But at least I would have known what I was getting. But false promises are wrong and I will not let this go without making a statement to that effect. I want this rectified. I want what was promised and stated in SERTA's letter to me on March 16th. I want another top of the line, high end mattress.

I spoke to a customer service representative today by the name of Diane Bolling at the Landover MD offices and she was very sympathetic as she told me she would forward my displeasure to "corporate". I also left a voice mail for a manager: Jeff Regner, but have not heard back (800-638-0520). I have tried to contact someone who is "higher up" without any success.

SERTA's claim of "We Make The World's Best Mattress" might be true ...but do they give the world best (honest) customer service? is yet be to shown.

I hope this letter finds it's way into the right hands.

Thank you,

Julie

Lewisberry, PA

17339

CLAIM 25513