The big shipping problem is in the warranty (i.e. if you find a defect after the 100 day (or whatever) trial period) - you generally have to pay return shipping to make a warranty claim, and it costs somewhere between $400 - $800 to ship a queen mattress across the country. [1] Even shipping to the next state can cost $100 - $200.
And assuming they agree that it deserves a replacement, you have to pay shipping costs for them to ship the replacement.
So.... you can either pay $500 to ship an $800 mattress back to the factory and hope that they agree that it's defective enough to deserve a warranty replacement.... or you can just buy a new mattress.
Makes the 10 year warranty pretty meaningless if you pay more in shipping costs to make a claim than the mattress is worth.
"Purple will cover the shipping or pickup charges for returns and exchanges, except when there are extenuating circumstances. You will be informed beforehand if extra charges will apply."
which is consistent with what I was saying, which is that you don't have to pay return shipping.
But I think you are right that shipping costs dominate; from what I hear, the reputable brands will give you a refund and send someone local to haul off the mattress for free.
That's only during their initial 100 day refund period ("comfort trial", etc) -- if a year later you find that the mattress has developed a human sized permanent depression, then you pay for return shipping yourself as well as the costs of shipping a replacement (or repaired) mattress back to you.
From their warranty page:
Any to-or-from transportation handling and costs and inspection costs associated with repairs or replacements are the responsibility of purchaser
So basically, don't count on that 10 year warranty for any of these mattresses unless you can truck it to the factory yourself.
> if a year later you find that the mattress has developed a human sized permanent depression //
Minimum warranty period in EU is 2 years.
Under the UK Sale of Goods Act products have to be free from defect, there's no official time limit, it's based on expectations in part. A mattress should last much longer, so that would be a defect in manufacturing and the _seller_ has to make good (repair or replace at their cost).
And assuming they agree that it deserves a replacement, you have to pay shipping costs for them to ship the replacement.
So.... you can either pay $500 to ship an $800 mattress back to the factory and hope that they agree that it's defective enough to deserve a warranty replacement.... or you can just buy a new mattress.
Makes the 10 year warranty pretty meaningless if you pay more in shipping costs to make a claim than the mattress is worth.
[1] https://www.uship.com