Dreams (Shop) > Reviews (15)

INTRODUCTION

Before I went to buy a new bed, I did a quick search on the review sites I'm on to see what the consensus regarding Dreams was, which is the nearest place I can buy from. It wasn't good! But then I noticed that the reviews were invariably from disgruntled customers, and that the total number of reviews wasn't enough to form a decent sample size to make any fair conclusion from. Could it be that buying a bed is one of those things that people forget as soon as they're got it safely delivered, but remember if it all goes wrong? I set out to find out (and get a nice new bed).

THE SHOP

My local Dreams is right at the edge of Guildford town centre, and for the location has quite a big showroom, with room for 20 or so beds. It's quite well laid out into rows, so you can peruse the various options at your leisure, as well as lie on the mattresses to try them out. I found the staff to be helpful but not overbearing, generally leaving you to it with the occasional discrete enquiry as to whether you needed assistance or not.

Without too much ado I managed to pick a bed I felt comfortable lying on, that had 100 quid knocked off the price (although like many furniture places, it seems to have a permanent sale on). The ordering process was pretty simple, just a case of the salesperson filling in a form with my details on and the product ordered. I was told how long the bed would take to be delivered (in this case, a couple of weeks). I was also given a free mattress protector. I arranged for my old bed to be disposed of, and it was made clear to me that it had to be wrapped in a special plastic covering that they provided.

THE DELIVERY

I was sent a text message several days earlier to confirm the delivery date as agreed, which I was impressed by.

On the day of delivery, they called just before 9 and gave a 2 hour timeslot, which was 10am - 12pm. They asked to confirm my address and that I'd packed the old bed to be collected in the green bag. The arrived at 11:30 am, so within the time slot as promised.

I found the green bag for the bed to be disposed in to be a bit flimsy, and it ripped in parts when I struggled to put the bed in it, as well as sealing it with the tiny roll if sticky tape I had, but the delivery men didn't make a big deal of this and took it away without any issues when delivering the new bed. In fact I found them to be very friendly and helpful. One minor quibble is that they weren't allowed to take the cardboard and plastic packaging the bed came in away. I could recycle the cardboard easily enough but not the plastic, so perhaps they need to look at this in the future.

They also tried to get me to sign when they arrived before doing anything. I don't think this is ever a good idea! I made sure they've delivered everything OK first, i.e. the correct bed without any damages to it.

CONCLUSION

Well everything went OK, and I've left this review for many months after it was delivered because, guess what, I'd forgotten about it as it went so smoothly!

The bed itself is very comfortable and I'm endeavouring to follow the after care instructions of turning the mattress every couple of weeks. The mattress protector isn't bad either, although it seems to rip very easily on the edges, a bit of a pain when the bed is really deep and so the sheet needs to be stretched. I can recommend Dreams and conclude that generally people have only reviewed them after a bad experience. I assume there are many more satisfied customers that form the silent majority.

I would however advise the following, based on previous unfavourable reviews. This would apply to any company delivering goods in fact:

- Check your order once you get home and make sure it's as expected.
- When the bed arrives, don't sign for anything until you're fully satisfied that it's what you want and that it's in an acceptable state
- If they're taking away your old bed, make sure you have good tape to seal the green bag with

One other thing to note is that some cashback sites offer a good percentage for buying from Dreams. Seeing as the shop has nothing to do with the process anyway after you've ordered, this would seem like a good option. Pick the bed instore, order online!

CONTACT DETAILS

Website : http://www.dreams.co.uk