Mattress delivery damage creates headaches for southern Alberta customer

Mellissa Schmid and her husband purchased a new mattress from Sleep Country Canada late last year, but when a third-party service delivered the mattress and its base in November 2022, a trail of damage was left behind.

“They scuffed up the walls, they chipped the closet doors and they punched rings into the footboard of my bed,” Schmid said.

Or particular concern is the footboard, which Schmid describes as irreplaceable.

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“It was a gift from my husband,” Schmid said.

On top of the interior damage, the delivery truck also broke down in their driveway, spilling diesel on the asphalt.

All told, the repair costs are quoted at more than $6,000.

In early March, after months of back-and-forth, Sleep Country sent an agreement offering to cover the repairs, reimbursing the couple after they paid the costs up front.

“That’s a lot of money for negligence their company cost,” Schmid said.

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According to Schmid, the company changed its tune on Monday, sending an updated agreement once the company learned she had reached out to Global News.

“Then it’s like, ‘Oh, just a minute, we’re actually willing to pay a contractor up front for the work,'” Schmid said.

Monday’s agreement says the couple has the option to have Sleep Country pay the contractor(s) directly for the repairs.

Global News asked the company why, after more than four months, it finally agreed to pay the costs directly.

“Our team at Sleep Country prides ourselves on delivering an exceptional customer experience with an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction,” the company said in a statement. “In the rare instance where this commitment is not met, we work directly with our customer to address their concerns, which in this case we have actively been doing since November 2022, at the pace of the customer and as repair quotes have been shared.”

The company noted it agreed to pay all property damages and offered to pay the contractor directly.

” Lastly, to express our sincerest apologies, we provided a gift card for this unsatisfactory customer experience.”

Schmid remains frustrated at the months-long process.

“Why do you have to make it so difficult?” Schmid said. “You proved the property damage, I did the leg work and got the quotes. It’s an unbiased company that provided it. Why can’t they just issue the cheque?”

Schmid said at this point, she doesn’t know when any of the repairs will be completed.