Mattress Warranties: What You Should Know

Mattresses aren’t cheap. For this reason, knowing what type of warranty comes with your purchase is an important first step when considering buying a new mattress. Like any large purchase, buying a new mattress is an investment. While choosing a mattress that provides you with the best physical support is a crucial part of the decision-making process when purchasing a new bed, the mattress’s warranty should also serve as an influential factor during the buying process.

What Does a Mattress Warranty Cover?

Mattress warranties exist to protect consumers, and depending on the type of warranty, they range in their protections for mattress buyers. Some warranties only cover product defects, such as broken coils, bunched up foam, and broken seams. Other warranties will cover these product defects, and also the wear and tear accrued from prolonged mattress use, including mattress sagging. Knowing what, specifically, your warranty covers is a smart move before purchasing your new bed.

Additionally, most warranties are voided when a mattress is transferred to a new owner, so this is something to consider when purchasing a mattress for a friend or family member, or if you plan to sell your mattress at some point after you’ve purchased it.

How Long Does a Warranty Last?

While many shoppers might expect a mattress warranty to last the lifespan of the mattress itself, this is often not true. However, many mattresses often give out long before the warranty has come to an end, making mattress warranties an essential part of the purchasing process. Along with knowing what your mattress warranty covers, you should also be sure to find out how long your warranty will last once you’ve purchased a mattress.

Mattress warranties can widely range in their length. The shortest warranties tend to be around five years, while some companies provide full lifetime warranties. However, the most common range for mattress warranties is somewhere between 10 and 20 years.

Related: Best Firm Mattress

Longer warranties often have a catch, meaning that they don’t provide free product replacement after a certain number of years, but instead require the consumer to pay for a percentage of the product replacement. For this reason, be certain to read the fine print of any warranty included with your mattress purchase.

What Can Void a Warranty?

There are some situations that can void your mattress warranty. While consumers are free to remove their mattress tags after purchase, this can potentially lead to a voided warranty. The reasoning for this is because the tag proves that the mattress is the same one you originally purchased. Once the tag is removed, it’s difficult to know whether or not the mattress is the same one that is linked to the warranty.

Stains can be another problem when it comes to maintaining a mattress warranty. Because stains can wear down the materials used to make the mattress, companies can argue that the substance that created the stain has caused the product to deteriorate more quickly than it would have if it wasn’t stained. Furthermore, stained mattresses are considered to be unsanitary, making it more difficult to return them for warranty claim. One way to protect your mattress from stains is investing in a waterproof mattress protector.

Finally, a warranty may be voided if there is not proper support provided for your mattress. This can mean using an old boxspring or not using a boxspring at all. If you’re unable to purchase a matching boxspring for your mattress, consider putting your mattress on a solid-surface bed frame or a bed frame with closely-spaced slats.

Are Warranties Free?

While many mattress warranties are included with the purchase of a new mattress, there are some fees that can arise later down the line if you need to cash in on your warranty. The first step in claiming a warranty often consists of an inspector coming to your home to look at your mattress and determine whether or not or the mattress is eligible for warranty coverage. There can often be a fee associated with this inspection. Additionally, some warranties will require you to pay a percentage of the replacement fee when claimed.

To sum it up, there are no hard and fast rules that apply across the board to all mattress warranties, which is why it’s important to closely examine the warranty policy that you’re offered with your next mattress purchase.

Resources— The Mattress NerdSleep Like the DeadSleep Help

About The Author