When buying a memory foam mattress (or any mattress), you want to be able to ensure you find the right mattress. That is nearly impossible to do with just a store trial. In order to guarantee you find a mattress that is right for you, make sure you get at least a 90-day money-back trial with any mattress you buy. (We do a 365-day trial, but 90 days is the minimum we recommend.) Now, here is where it gets tricky sometimes. Many companies will offer what they call a “comfort guarantee.” A comfort guarantee is just a tricky way of saying “store credit.” In other words, if the mattress doesn’t work for you, you can exchange it for another mattress in the store. Many stores also allow you only one, maybe two exchanges which really makes this tough. Even if you do get any many exchanges as you want, if the store doesn’t have a mattress that is right for you, you are simply out of luck. We have heard stories like this from our customers and it is very frustration indeed. If you have a comfort guarantee, comfort exchange, or store credit and the store doesn’t have a mattress that you like, you could be out hundreds or perhaps even thousands of dollars and still not have a mattress you can comfortably use.
A true money-back guarantee means you can get your money back and shop elsewhere. This is what you want to look for when you buy a memory foam mattress (or any mattress). There may be a small return fee, but you do not want a money-back guarantee where you have to ship the mattress back either. This is simply a way to discourage a return because most people cannot or will not ship a mattress back. Companies that ask you to send a mattress back to do a return do not want to honor their money-back guarantee.
Bottom line: Only buy from memory foam mattress retailers that give you a true money-back guarantee (you can take your money and go elsewhere) and give you at least 90 days to try your mattress. Only then can you ensure you are going to find the mattress that is right for you.