Why is a top mattress firm giving me a bumpy ride?

I bought a Simba mattress in March 2017, and at the beginning all was good and we were happy with it. However, within six months it developed a serious problem – a big ridge that runs from top to bottom in the middle. It is causing me bad back pain, and I have had to be treated by an osteopath. When I lie in bed with my two small children, I am higher than both of them, in the middle.

I contacted Simba, which sent what it said was an independent company, to assess the mattress. Without actually lying on it, the person concluded that the offending ridge is between 0-3 cm high and therefore it is deemed to be within the “acceptable tolerance”.

Since then, Simba has used this report to argue there is nothing it can do, so I have been forced to buy another mattress.

I notice from other online postings I am not alone in having this problem. How can I progress this situation?

HG, by email

Simba mattresses get rave reviews from customers – 91% rated the firm “excellent” on Trustpilot – which is a remarkable figure.

However, if you take a more detailed look at reviews, including those on the John Lewis website, there are a small, but significant, group of buyers complaining that their mattress has developed a problem several months after purchase.

The company offers a quibble-free return up to 100 days after delivery. It also has a 10-year guarantee, and says it is “no questions asked”. “If the mattress fails within that period, due to any manufacturing fault, we will exchange it for a brand new one. It’s that simple!” But buyers – you included – have found that the rhetoric didn’t match the reality. Last week, another buyer complained on Trustpilot of the same problem.

“After only a few months it has a ridge in the middle which makes you roll to the edges.

“We reported this, and it took them four weeks to reply. Someone came to have a look and suggested we sleep a different way! I’ve then had to email nearly five weeks after that for an update. They finally replied saying there is nothing they can do,” wrote Suzanne.

We pressed Simba about your case and we have good news. It says: “We usually experience very few issues with our mattresses, and are proud of the many five-star customer reviews we receive each week. This is certainly an unfortunate chain of events.

“We would like to rectify the situation immediately by offering HG a replacement mattress, or a full refund. For the inconvenience caused, we will also offer her two of our new hybrid pillows.”

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