MORRIS COUNTY, New Jersey (WABC) -- Sleep experts say that the right mattress is vital to a good night's rest.
So, with that goal in mind, a Morris County couple made a major investment to upgrade their bed set up, but, ended up in a nightmare with a $3,000 base they couldn't exchange.
Buying a mattress is a lot like being Goldilocks, you got to find the one that's just right.
And for the Stella's it was certainly not. They were trying the split frame Tempur-Pedic and not only could they not get any sleep but they also couldn't get their money back.
They splurged on one of those split frame, motorized beds, investing in years of restful nights.
"The cat and the dogs, they, they'll be in with us, sometimes laying on the bed, and basically just be kind of wedged in there, although I would think that they probably like that, yeah, but I don't," Joe Stella said.
Joe did not expect a new bed to create a wedge between him and some sweet dreams.
"It's just really uncomfortable when we're sleeping on it. We get too close to the center. It just kind of feels like we're falling into the middle," he said.
He bought the $3,500 dollar king-sized adjustable, split mattress, along with these two bases for an additional $3,000.
After several sleepless nights, he bounced back to the shop for an exchange.
"So because I didn't want the split mattress, the split bases didn't make sense to have for a single mattress, so I wanted to just return everything and get a regular one-piece mattress," he said.
When the teacher spoke to the owner about exchanging, he got a wake-up call, the mattress was returnable, but the bases were not.
"And if they would have had something in fine print that I signed, I would totally respect that. But the problem was nobody ever told me about this as a policy," Joe said.
He said the owner showed him a paper stating that the bases are non-refundable.
"This is great. This is a nice piece of paper, but I never got it. I never saw it. I was never told anything about it," he said.
After two restless months and stuck in a $6,000 nightmare, the couple woke up and called 7 On Your Side.
When 7 On Your Side contacted the mattress store, the owner said, when the Joe placed the order over the phone, they "emailed his receipt" but, "neglected to attach the policy page."
Within 1 night's sleep the Stella's got their bed back.
"How do we like the new bed guys?" Nina Pineda asked.
"We love it," they said.
"We love it, it's super comfortable, easy to move around," she said.
"Thanks so much 7 On Your Side, thanks a lot Nina," Joe said.
- Check the refund, cancellation, and damage policies. Stores are required to post their refund policy and any conditions that may apply. If the policy is not posted, a refund must be made within 30 days of purchase.
- Get a receipt and save it. Stores are required to give you a receipt for purchases of $20 or more. All receipts must include the total amount paid, date, business name and address, and the make and model of the items you bought.
- Get a delivery date in writing and don't pay the full amount before delivery. Stores selling furniture (and major appliances), must give you a written estimated delivery date or a range of dates on your receipt or contract. A deposit of one-third to one-half before delivery is standard. Be suspicious of any retailer who demands full payment before delivery.