Symbol Mattress review: Misleading and / or fraudulent warranty 80

The 200 lb mattress is permanently indented even with being regularly turned.
The covered box frame that holds it up has broken/collapsed in on one side.
I have been an out-patient for multiple steroid injections in my neck, hip and lower back due to 60% loss of mobility because of this Symbol mattress and box frame disaster. I thought I had Bone Cancer but it turns out I have been robbed by a long time defective Symbol product.

I sure wish I had read this page before my Symbol purchase. We purchased our first, and last, Symbol mattress about a year ago, and were quickly displeased with it after about 6 months of use. Same complaints as everyone else about the sagging, back pain, hip pain, etc. My husband says it's so bad that if you laid a dead body on it, it would get up and walk away. We were handed a small pamphlet of instructions, which refers warranty complaints to the dealer who sold it to us. Our store was Mattress Corner in Lexington Park, MD, which has been in business there for a long time. I now question their reputability and won't deal with them again. I was told they sold a lot of these mattresses and never had any complaints. I was also told it had a 10 year warranty. The warranty schedule says to refer to the law tag on the mattress for the warranty code. The schedule says the 10 year warranty applies to N2. Nowhere on our mattress does that code appear, nor can we match any of the other "N" numbers to anything on the label. Were we the victims of bait and switch? Maybe. Will we purchase another Symbol? Never! I'm not going to fight a losing battle with a pack of shysters for weeks or months while our backs suffer. I've already ordered my Serta from Sears and will just eat the $$$ I spent for the Symbol, which is going to be hauled away when the new one is delivered. I don't care what they do with it. Lesson learned.

By the way, I'm a mattress assembler.

I've been in the mattress business for 23 years now, and have worked for companies including Sealy, King Koil, Spring Air, and of course, Symbol Mattress. The reasons for the body impressions are POOR quality and a lack of really thinking over the assembly of the product. The last company I worked for, my brother and I made 95% of the bedding. Time after time we complained about the panels being to large. For those of you that don't know, the panel is what you lay on, and when assembled, they should be tight to help any foam or other materials work as they should. For those of you selling bedding, I STRONGLY suggest checking for loose panels when you get you next delivery. The last company I mentioned is the only one I've worked for were I've experienced this problem. I love the company and miss my job there, and I also love the business. Sleep is very important to GOOD health and if your sleeping on a Symbol mattress, then your probably waking in the morning with a sore back. And for the dealer who said foam isn't concrete, well your right, but, the panels play such an important role in the mattresses comfort, they should fit correctly. The bottom line is this, if you can pull up on a mattress panel, then it is no good. It should be tight so it holds up when it stretches.

I must say the Symbol Elogance set was a great choice for a memory foam. This bed is designed just like the Tempurpedic Cloud and offers 4-5 inches of visco memory foam. We are a smaller retailer here, but the Symbol Elogance along with the Symbol Response are our top 2 beds in the store. The Symbol Response we have sold ever since before it was redesigned with an organic bamboo/microfiber suede cover, when it used to be called the HTKO, and in 6 1/2 yrs, we have never had one single return or complaint. We have recently started carrying the Symbol Elogance, and I'm confident that you will not have any issues out of this bed. Personally, I will be sleeping on this bed very soon. Also, $1100 is a good deal, and if you are happy so far, with this mattress, you will only get happier over the years. Good choice! Check out the comparision vs. the Tempurpedic Cloud.(which all you are paying for is the name)

I did my homework before I bought our first memory foam mattress and knew there were (4) main things I needed to look for. I just purchased a Symbol Elegant Response mattress yesterday from a reputable dealer but after reading several of these posts I'm concerned as to whether I'm going to be happy with it over the long term and wondering now if I should have paid the extra for the Serta i-comfort. I tried to email the company to see if they had a picture of the cutaway to my mattress but the email address I sent it to came back as no good. I'm going to try again and see if I can find something concrete to let me know I have made the correct choice or I will probably return mine and go with the i-comfort. I'm a little leery of tossig $1100 down the drain. As of this mornin', our first night on the new mattress was great and I have no complaints, other than it's a little too warm, but they say that's nothing a mattress pad won't cure so...

I have a pillow top and I hate it. It has a impression in the middle and it is killing my back. I want this mattress replace; I would not buy another pillow top mattress from anyone. Trying to find s0meone to talk to about this uncomfortable bedding is hard. Before I got the pillow top I had a mattress that was flat and it could be flipped; it last for over 20 years and never go a indent in it. I upgraded to a queen size and a pillow top, I like the size put I hate the pillow top. I want the warrenty to replace this nightmare. Symbol is not a bad mattress company the pillow top is just bad. M. Dashield~ Salisbury

One thing alot of people don't realize anymore is the difference between a "Body Impression" and a "Sag". Most people are used to beds they have had over the years and have had a long time because until the last decade or 2, many mattress sets were not built with all of the premeire luxury comfort foams as they are today. Many older mattresses used thinner foam pads that were a little more dense giving a hard feel. In today's market, most of all generic foams whether it be a "Comfort" or "Support" foam, eventually will begin to break in and start forming body impresssions. This is absolutely normal. Most people think because a small body impression is beginning to form that its a sagging issue when it really is not. Also @ JerryIn VA : I happen to be the dealer that sold you the mattress that you had issues with. Just so that everyone knows and to be fair to Symbol, the mattress you bought was not a Symbol product, however, we did eventually get you taken care of with an upgrade to the Symbol Response 10 inch Memory Foam Set and it seems to me that I haven't heard from you ever since that its working well for you now?

We have carried the Symbol Response memory foam set for 6 years and over that time, Symbol has upgraded the covers and such, but in that time, we have never received one single complaint about it. In fact, have had many come back and buy a second Symbol Response for children and guest bedrooms because they loved theirs so much. I once had a guy buy one of my midgrade beds from another manufacturer that we carried, however, this guy weighed 450+ pounds and was like 6 1/2 feet tall. We explained that this medium grade realistically might not hold up as well, but he bought it anyways because of the price. (also, his girlfriend was probably around 300+ pounds) Within 2 months, they had crushed this bed( we are talking at least 700+ pounds sleeping on it everynight) We got his bed Warrantied for him, and upgraded him to the Symbol Response 10 in memory foam, and 10 months later, he is loving his bed with no dips, sags, or body impressions. If you want a quality memory foam mattress, look into the Symbol Response, because #1, the price is at least half or more less than a Tempurpedic, #2 it will hold up for the duration of the 10 yr non prorated guarantee, (if not, another 10 more on top of that) #3, its actually alot more comfortable the the basic tempurpedic models.

Purchased a Brighton Back Sense pillowtop mattress from a furniture store in Winthrop, NY less than 8 mths ago...Piece of crap!..Started sagging within a month...Talked to the salesman & he asked for pictures..we sent that now he wants more pictures w measurments (which are meaningless because we sink another 2-3 inches while on mattress) and pictures of frame and so on..I will never purchase another product from this mattress company or this store again..i was told this was a top of the line model and would help my already aching back..whats even more wonderful is Im 5 months pregnant now and having to sleep in recliner so my hip, shoulder and back dont throb all day...when my fiance and I are lying side by side in bed on our backs our bodys form a U...So if sleeping at a slant is a problem dont purchase this mattress...j from upstate ny

Don't know yet...just purchased one "Contour Classic" today. After reading this...I am wondering about the warrenty. I know we were told about the staining and did purchase the protective cover...but since it was a floor model I believe it may have had some shoe marks on it...how is this going to affect the warrenty. They never address this, now I'm wondering?

Amy C from Wisconsin

I got a Symbol Staford queen pillow top 3 months ago...WHAT A $450 PIECE OF JUNK! I'm 185 pounds and 6 'tall, have turned my mattress 3 times and in just 3 months it is sagging worse that the 20 year old mattress it replaced! It sags so bad in the middle that my 12 pound cat can leave a 4" deep depression! I lay in it and it's like laying in a water bed! You roll to the middle and sink! I should have spent more money and got another Simmons beauty rest

We bought our mattress just two weeks ago and it is already starting to sage in towards the middle . I turned it like It said to . I am going to contact the company about this . I hope it will not be a hassel to get it replaced .

honestly, what idiots would buy a mattress out of some guys storage unit? c'mon people, are you serious?

Symbol's warranty and customer service are a sham. I bought a Symbol Elite set in April of 2007. We are not big people, and it feels like we are sleeping in a hammock. The support is so bad, you can't roll over. You have to sit up to turn over because the "body indentation" is so deep. The cover is coming off because the edge stitching was faulty.
I have been working on a warranty claim with my local store (which has stopped selling Symbol) for 4 months and all I get are stall tactics. I mailed my warranty claim with return electronic receipt required, and Symbol just refused to pick it up at the PO. I faxed a second set of papers, and they've ignored them. Of course, I've done a little online research and discovered that Symbol's supplier and manufacturer is Foshan Shunde Longjiang Yikang Furniture Factory from, guess where - mainland China. So, what can we expect?

I am also a Symbol Mattress dealer, and though I have only been in business for one and a half years, I have never had a complaint or problem about a Symbol mattress I sold. I tell all of my customers that the warranty will be void if there is a stain on the mattress, and the best thing they can do is purchase a waterproof mattress protector before they ever sleep on the bed. Every mattress manufacturer has the same policy with their warranties--not just Symbol. Regarding the impression in the foam under 2 inches not being covered: again, that is every mattress manufacturer, not just Symbol. Your retailers should be explaining to you that good mattresses cost money, and if you are looking for a cheap fix, that is exactly what you will get. Every mattress manufacturer offers low-end options as well as medium and high-end options. This is so that they can meet the immediate needs of all customers, no matter their income level. If you purchase a cheap mattress, you can expect to replace it much sooner than a higher end, more expensive mattress. Think about it: We typically spend 1/3 of our lives on our mattress...isn't it worth the investment?

Hi All - You'll want to read this. I am the sales rep for Symbol Mattress in TN. There are different mattresses built certain ways at different prices. Here is the best info you will ever receive. The Leading Consumer Reporting magazine says it correctly, " most sagging ocurrs in the padding materials...look for more resilient foams. " Symbol has a few great sets at much better prices than the big national brands, utilizing " sofa cushion grade foam." This means these mattresses will be the best at keeping their shape. The following are all foam mattresses that you could choose from. Ask for Kensington or Conover or Westminster with Latex or Symbol Response all foam with memory foam. Soon Symbol will have 2 new mattress sets with all " sofa cushion grade foam" in a plush and medium firm. Should be ready Februaury 2011 and called Symbol Royale Plush and Symbol Royale Ortho 11. Both you will find at retail in a queen set between $599 - $999. If you want a lower priced option that will hold up better ask for Symbol Royale Elite Pillow Top or Chiro Firm or the 2 sided beds called Chiro Built Deluxe Comfort.

Hi PhillipM,

I am a retailer for Symbol Mattress.

What you've experienced is not good, it's very bad in fact. The same thing happened to one of my friends shortly before I got into selling mattresses retail. The bed they purchased wasn't made by Symbol though.

All mattress manufacturers have that policy, not just Symbol. They have to take apart mattresses that go bad to figure out how to make them better in the future, and they can't do that with mattresses with stains because of the health risk to their employees. They don't know what the stains are. Think of the lawsuits for them if their employees get STDs from bad mattresses. Not likely maybe, but it's a risk. So they all, every single major mattress manufacturer out there, put that in their warranty agreement, that they won't warranty a mattress if it's stained.

The people you should be complaining about is the retailer who sold you the mattress, for not explaining the conditions of warranty. I tell every one of my customers that a stain will void the warranty, and they need to purchase a water-proof, stain-proof mattress protector from me or somewhere else if they care about the warranty.

Symbol provides a warranty agreement with care instructions in the plastic with every mattress.

Respectfully,
Jesse

I am sorry that you are having trouble with your Symbol Mattress. According to the Symbol Mattress warranty card, "The following items are NOT covered: 1)Beds that are stained, solied or burned." Unfortunately, the waranty would be voided by the stains you have on your son's mattress regardless if there is a manufacturer's defect present. Further, every mattress manufacturer has the same exclusion in their warranty as well. In order to protect your warranty on future mattresss purchases, I would suggest that you purchase a stainproof waterproof mattress protector.

Hello to all,
I am from Va., and I purchased a Willamsburg Mattress, on April 28, 2010, I have serever back pain with hardware in my back, before purchasing I ask the store manager about there warranty and he said you won't have a problem. Guess what this Williamsburg now has a sag with the body impression, I only weight about 190lbs., I called the store two days ago and spoke to the store manager and told him what you told me would'nt happened, has happen, now he is trying to trade my Mattress to a Bamboo Covered Memory Foam called the Symbol Response 10 inch memory bed with bamboo covering, When I logged on to symbolmattress.com they have no informatiion on that bed so now I am worrying, to be honest the older mattresses should come back out because I never experience this before, now I am in more pain than usual, the price for this Williamsburg was $800 they charged me $500, now the memory is going for $1200, I told him for that u give me back my money and I will get a brand new Forestor Matress because I heard that they are the best. I will let you know the final outcome, I am proudly to say that I helped out at Ground Zero (The World Trade Center) when the towers collapse I stood on site for two 1/2 weeks, I was given a Badge from the Mayor's Office because the site was off limits, shorty after that I had an accident at the job and had a spinal stabalization. I don't need these problems I just keep getting up on the hour through out the night now. God Bless To All. Jerry

WOWWW THIS SOUNDS SO MUCH LIKE THE DORMIA JUNK PEOPLE BUY FROM SLEEPYS, ABED, SOMNIS & ALL THOSE OTHER LOUSEY STORES. I BET THIS IS MADE FROM DORMIA. THEY ARE THE LEADER IN PRODUCING INFERIOR BEDDING.

I am a Symbol dealer, I have had other Major S brands in the past. They were more expensive
than symbol and had more complaints. Also thier service to the consumer was similar to steaming labels off of wine bottles and filling out rebate forms in triplicate and still not getting your rebate or any satisfaction. My friend sleeps on a king size symbol set, double sided that is 13 years old
and he still loves it. yes it has body impressions, but he sells bedding for a living and realizes foam is not concrete and will indent over time and use. I sell symbol foam encased 22inch queen pillowtop sets for $288 for the money they can't be beat. Try seeing what you get from the big S brands for that
price range.

Also, to the Lady who mentioned her son getting cut by the staples from the mattress his grandmother purchased for him...I paid $1, 500 (sale price) for my King sized Symbol Contour Classic - Brighton Mattress and I have NO regrets. Originally mine was well over 2 grand.

I have owned my Contour Classic Symbol Mattress for 5 years now and I wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING! This is THEE BEST mattress that I've ever had in my entire life. Whenever my friends sleep over and crash in my bed (I have a King), they never want to leave it. I call it my Cloud 9 Bed. I have Skoleosis and I've never slept better with my crooked spine before this bed. Whenever I go out of town and have to stay in either hotel beds or friends beds, my back is in SO much pain when I wake up. I LOVE my Symbol Mattress and am very glad I purchased it :)

To those that have bought from people in storage units: Are they really storage units, or are they businesses set up in a warehouse? There is a difference. I run a legitimate business from a warehouse, and I find that people often confuse the two. All of my products are NEW and still in the ORIGINAL manufacturer's packaging. I also have all of my packing slips from the factory, and if you look at Symbol's tag, there is a manufacturing date on them. I don't check every label, but the ones I have happened to look at all have recent manufacturing dates on them.

I am an authorized Simmons, Serta and Symbol Dealer. With ANY company, if you purchase low-end mattresses, they are not going to last. I always make sure to tell my customers that if they are looking for a long-term mattress for every night sleeping, they should not buy an inexpensive mattress. As somebody stated above, "you get what you pay for" and that goes for any brand! Every company has a quality product and a value product. This is so that they can reach all levels of consumers. Remember, many people want something inexpensive to use for a spare bedroom or cottage/cabin. Many times, customers assume that a dealer is just trying to get them to spend more money, and they opt for a lower-price option anyways. After all, "a mattress is a mattress, right?" Think again.

Phone numbers for Symbol:

Midwestern Customers: [protected]
Eastern & Southwestern Customers: [protected]

Please don't abuse these numbers. Be respectful and reasonable, and you'll find them to be quite helpful and concerned about their customers.

Thanks,
Jesse

Is there a phone number for this company? I have looked on site no number or contact information.

Cheryl, I'm going to do some research and see if I can help you.

Jesse

Jesse, I was told that the people that I bought from (out of a storage unit) were authorized dealers. Very strange! I learned my lesson. The mattress was brand new.

TO THE ORIGINAL POSTER: I am a Symbol Dealer. Several suggestions:

1. All mattress companies have a policy of 2" or more of sag before it is considered a manufacturing defect. It's not just Symbol.

2. Your warranty/care card also recommends rotating your mattress every 2 weeks for the first 3 months, then every 2 months after that. Waiting till there are body impressions is too late. Please don't ignore the care instructions and then claim it's a warranty issue.

3. Symbol warranties are non-prorated. If it's really a 1.5" sag in 5 months, wait several months longer till it's a 2" sag, then ask for warranty.

4. Symbol's products are great quality, for half the price of other companies. (Because they don't advertise.) This means you can get a higher quality mattress from Symbol for the same price as a low-end mattress from another company. Or you can buy the cheapest Symbol mattress you can find, but it won't hold up as well.

TO EVERYBODY ELSE:

Please buy from authorized Symbol dealers, not people in storage units. Like someone said, people often re-cover used mattresses and put a name on them. How do you know it's really a Symbol?

Respectfully,
Jesse

My son received a Symbol Contour Classic - Lexington Matress Set from his grandparents. He has had it for two years. About six months ago he complained "something hurt me in my bed" then it went for a while without complaint, then again. I just investigated this week after he compained again and I saw a six inch scratch on his leg that had bled and scabbed up. He is 16 years old and a little thicker skinned that a younger child. I went in to look and it felt like the point of a nail. This is on the side of the matress, not the bottom frame. I went on got some pliers and after pusing in just a small bit a point emerged and I used the pliers to pull it out. It was a 2 inch long opened staple that was poking out as he would get out of the bed. The scarey thing is after my son and I went all around the matress we found that the top and bottom sides did not apear to have any pointy things. However, we pulled out 24 of those 2 inch long open staples. This to me is unbelievable. Has anyone else experienced this? It was my understanding when she gave it to my son that she bought it at a store brand new and it was a deal, I believe the company was going out of business and that it cost around $200. That did seem like a deal. I gently said something to her the other day when I first relized what it was and after talking to her she said no, tht it was eithere $700-900, and that it was originally a $2000 matress. When I heard that I told her she got ripped off. Can anyone tell me if they have purchased this matress and how much they paid?

I really wish I would have read these comments about Symbol Mattresses so I wouldn't have wasted my time with one! Instead, I did buy one because of the warranty. What a great deal, right? And mattresses take so long to get a "body impression", so what do I have to lose? My sanity, for one! I am now trying to get a new one but it seems I can't contact the rep for symbol and all the other numbers are not helpul, as "symbol is not sold here anymore so we can't help you.. call this number" and so on and on. I keep getting pushed around and no one can give me answers or help. I wish I would've checked up on this sorry excuse of a mattress before I spent my well earned money! And I've only had it for 1 year 4 months!

For the people that would buy a mattress from someone out of a container. You can't expect that mattress set to last. That's just like buying something off the street corner from someone. That's just crazy. You don't know if that matress is used or new, anyone can rewrap a matress set. Next time u need to buy from a company that is well know in ur community. Just remember you get what u pay for. If you go cheap you will get cheap

I too have a Symbol mattress, and it has developed a depression in it. It has been replaced once under warranty, and I am beginning to experience a bulging disc in my lower back due to the bed. Symbol has stated that they will not replace it a second time under warranty, even though the layers inside the mattress are separating and the mattress has a very defined 'crater' in the center of it. My mate and I are both having trouble with our backs and hips that are attributed to this mattress. If Symbol doesn't do something about this, I am planning on contacting a lawyer. There is no sense in spending $1500 for a mattress set only to have to replace it again at your own cost in less than a year. I think next time I'm going with Serta.

We have had a negative experience with a Symbol Mattress. Very disappointing. After only a few years (& and with regular rotating etc), it has become very uncomfortable. We too purchased it from a couple who sold mattresses out of a storage unit near Hershey PA. I have emailed the company but unfortunately have not received a response.

FOR THE LADY THAT WROTE THAT COMMENT, I AM AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR SEALY, SIMMONS, SERTA, SYMBOL, KING KOIL, ETC AND ALL OF THE HAS THIS SAME PILICY OF 1 1/5 INCHES, CALLED BODY IMPRESSIONS!EDUCATE YOURSELF

Most mattresses contain a spring system for support and layers of foam for comfort. In order to keep prices down, cheaper mattresses are made with lower quality foams and spring systems. As a result a cheaper mattress will not last as long a better quality mattress. You get what you pay for. Symbol makes cheap mattresses and high quality mattresses, just like most other companies. If you bought a cheap Simmons, Serta, Sealy etc. you would have the same problems. If you what a good nights sleep buy a better quality mattress and don't buy a plush one, buy one that is medium firm to firm, but not extra firm (those will hurt your hips and shoulder bones).

We bought a Symbol Mattress from a guy (in a storage unit as an office) for $500. (Easy Rest). He ran an ad. Now we both have pain in our hips & legs. every day.

we bought a Symbol Mattress from a guy( in a storage unit as an office) for $500. (Easy Rest). He ran an ad in the paper. Now we both have pain in our hips every day

I bought a plush top set 3 year ago and it is still doing fine. I upgraded to a pillow top, Franklin I think and it is one of the best beds I have slept in. Maybe I got lucky? I don't know, I love the two I have.

I have had 3 symbol mattressesover the last year. The first( Sept 2008) was a latex and supposedly the best. After 3 months there was a crater on my side not my husbands and I am not an overweight individual. The store I purchased the mattress from replaced i tin Dec '08 and the same thing happened after about 6 months. They again gave us a new coil spring a month ago( Dec '9) and the depressions on both sides are 3 inches. Our backs are killing us. We have to sleep either on the edge or take turns on the middle hump. Also the mattress appears to be shorter than most major brands. Symbol mattresses are just not built well. I wrote to the company and received no response.