SAN ANTONIO — Cornelius Parham has suffered from back paid ever since he fell when stepping off of an elevator. He bought a bed from Mattress Firm fire years ago, and while it initially helped, Parham said it soon started to sink and didn't support his back.
"When I wake up my back is stiff and it hurts," Parham said.
Parham said he later found out his warranty was likely still valid so he made a claim hoping to recover at least some of the cost of a new bed.
"I thought maybe I would have to pay the difference towards a new bed." Parham said. "I didn't want anything free."
Unfortunately, Parham ran into the same warranty issue that other mattress buyers have discovered the hard way: His mattress did have some stains and stains can easily void a warranty from a manufacturer or retailer. Mattress Firm initially denied his claim for that reason.
As Mattress Firm explained in a statement, "Stains void the manufacturer's warranty on all mattresses, regardless of the manufacturer or retailer, because liquid penetration degrades the mattress's interior and performance. Furthermore, stained mattresses are considered unsanitary and legally unfit for transportation and storage in warehouses. To issue a credit for a defective item, the defective mattress must be returned to the manufacturer. Since the mattress is stained, this typically is not possible."
Mattress Firm said buyers need to use a liquid-proof stain protector if they want to preserve their warranty.
Still, after KENS 5 sent Mattress Firm pictures indicating the mattress no longer held up weight evenly, the company decided to help Mr. Parham after all.
Less than a week after KENS 5 contacted the company, Mattress Firm sent Parham another response which said they were accepting his warranty and they worked with Parham to get him another mattress.
Mattress Firm told KENS 5 via email, "The warranty claim case was resolved and approved as an accommodation and the guest was sent the approved credit warranty letter via email. This resolution was confirmed with the guest and no further action is needed."
Parham said Mattress Firm made sure they got everything taken care of when he later got to the store.
"It worked out a whole lot better after KENS 5 contacted them," Parham said. "It wall all downhill from there. It was positive."
While Mattress Firm decided to help Mr. Parham, they also outlined the requirements that customers need to be aware of if they want their warranty to stay valid:
- NEVER remove the "law tag" from your mattress. This serves as proof of your warranty.
- Use a mattress protector from the first night of use to prevent any stains.
- Claims must be made by the original purchaser of the product.
- Claims will not be honored if the bed is damaged from an improper bed frame or support system.
- Claims will not be honored for "body impressions," or "sagging" in the mattress that measure less than manufacturer's standards. (Again, read the warranty information on the mattress.)
- Mattresses cannot be stained by food or bodily fluids, cannot have burn damage, and cannot have any insect infestations.
If you have a problem like this, we want to help you fix it! In our series, Call KENS, we do our best to solve problems for our viewers. The number to call is 210-470-KENS, or fill out the form on this page.