What should I check about a mattress store’s return and exchange comfort-trial history?

A comfort trial turns every sale into a possible return, so the policy shapes the real profit. Start with the written terms customers receive. Then ask for the return and exchange log over several seasons. Look at reasons given, how long after delivery beds came back, and whether certain models or one maker account for most of them.

Next, follow the returned mattress. Is it resold, donated, sent back to the maker or discarded? Who pays for pickup and cleaning? If the maker credits the store, ask to see the credits arrive in the books. If the store carries the loss, check whether it is recorded as a cost or hidden inside sales.

Finally, ask about refunds still pending and trials still running at the date of sale. Those customers can still return a bed after closing, so your lawyer should say how they are handled in the purchase terms. A policy that is generous but poorly tracked is a warning sign. Ask the owner to walk you through one recent return from the customer’s call to the final disposal, so you see the real steps, the staff time involved and any cost the log leaves out.

Key takeaways

• Get the customer-facing trial terms and a multi-season log of returns and exchanges.
• Find out where returned mattresses go and who pays for pickup and disposal.
• Confirm that maker credits actually show up in the books.
• Ask how trials still running at closing will be handled.