Mattress was no bed of roses for the Haigs
Margaret and Jim Haig are looking forward to a good night’s rest after sleeping on an inflatable mattress for three months following a stand-off with a national bed company.
In February the Haigs paid £554 for a new mattress from Bensons for Beds in Stirling.
It was recommended by a sales assistant as being suitable for disabled Margaret’s specific needs. The pensioner has had three hip replacements and a knee replacement.
When the mattress arrived, however, the couple, from Denny, near Falkirk, soon discovered they couldn’t use it. “When I put it on the base my mother couldn’t reach the top of the mattress to sit on it, but she could sit on the one in the store,” the couple’s son, Alan Haig, said.
“That night my father helped her into bed and the mattress seemed to rise up into the middle. During the night my mother turned over and dad had to grab her to stop her from rolling off the edge.
“They were both extremely shaken by this and had been unable to sleep on the mattress for fear my mother would fall off.”
Alan spent two months trying to get a more suitable replacement or a refund from Bensons for Beds but had no joy. The company told Alan they would not take the mattress back as it wasn’t damaged or faulty and his complaint was more of a “comfort issue”.
Alan turned to Raw Deal. We contacted the firm but at first they declined to replace the goods or offer a refund.
“Company process has been followed regarding the issues that were raised,” a spokeswoman said.
“I’m sure you appreciate we need to treat all our customers fairly and therefore can’t offer anything to customers that’s outside company policy.”
We persisted, and Benson for Beds finally agreed to give the Haigs a replacement mattress of their choice. The couple has now been back to the Stirling store and have chosen something more suitable.
“I felt as if we had been through the mill with this and it was very upsetting,” said Margaret, 75.
“I really want to thank Raw Deal for sorting it out and now Jim and I will be able to sleep easy at night again.”