Review of Vivetique Organic Innerspring Mattress
Back in January or so, we bought a Vivetique Organic Innerspring Mattress from the The Organic Mattress Store. We spent a good deal of time researching mattresses (at least a month), etc. and finally settled on the organic cotton innerspring mattress because my wife gets pretty nasty migraines from a lot of things like perfumes, etc. and the stuff they put in conventional mattresses. We were pretty excited about the purchase, as it has been a number of years since we last bought a mattress and we were due for a new one. Additionally, we liked the thought it was organic and were thus willing to pay a little bit of a premium.
So, I guess you could say we were surprised when we got the mattress and it had a pretty bad smell to it. Kind of a rubbery smell, but not completely. Needless to say, it gave my wife a migraine that night we slept on it. We called the Organic Mattress Store and said it had a bad smell. They said either give it more time or we can ship it back (at our expense) and if they (Vivetique) smell it, they will refund our money. Note, the shipping expenses are around $400. We decided to give it more time. They called back a few weeks later and we said the smell was still there. They said give it some more time. They told my wife in one conversation that sometimes it takes 3-4 months. In a separate conversation, I was told it can be up to 5-6 months and that I should go get myself a good HEPA filter (we already have one) or an ionizer. In other words, we should throw more money at the problem. So, we waited. In the meantime, I slept on it. Over time, I realized I didn’t exactly like the firmness anymore (it is not as firm as I would like) and when my wife has tried to sleep on it (i.e. when we have company), she says it isn’t firm enough either and the smell is still there.
Finally, today, I called back the store. They heard my complaint. My basic argument was that we lodged the smell complaint early on and were told to wait. We waited and it still hasn’t dissipated and now we don’t like the firmness either. They say they only will exchange within 30 days, tops 60 days for comfort. I, of course, argued this, since it was impossible for us to decide if we both liked the comfort since the smell prevented my wife from sleeping on it. The owner said he would check w/ Vivetique to see what options we had. He thought the smell might be from the wool. I’m not sure. Also, note, in fairness, the Organic Mattress Store claims they would never tell anyone to wait that long (3-6 months). I will tell you both my wife and I were told the same thing by separate people at the company, so you decide.
Finally, the store called back later today after consulting with Vivetique, who, surprise!, said there was nothing that can be done. As a consolation, the store said I could purchase any other bed they have at cost plus shipping. Even if Vivetique were to take it back, we’d have to pay $400+ in shipping.
So, now my wife and I are put in the spot of deciding if we should throw good money after bad, or if we should just cut our losses and try to figure something else out. I think we will try to sell the bed on Craigslist or something. After all, it is a brand new bed and there is nothing physically wrong with it other than a smell that someone who is sensitive to might not like and it wasn’t to our firmness liking, but that part is subjective anyway. I know we both tend to like really firm mattresses. Beyond that, I’m not sure what to do.
The sad part of it is, this type of bed is specifically marketed to people, like my wife, who have sensitivities to perfumes, chemical smells, etc. If we can’t buy an organic mattress made from pure cotton and pure wool, what can we buy? Note, she doesn’t have a problem with our older, “conventional” bed.
At any rate, I know I will never buy a mattress over the Internet again. Let’s call a spade a spade, too: A guarantee isn’t worth much if you have to spend $400-$500 in order to invoke the guarantee (i.e. by paying the shipping costs). And, that is what Vivetique counts on with it’s guarantee; that people like me aren’t going to call ‘em on it because of the shipping costs. Of course, I’m not trying to be the victim here. I knew about the 30 day guarantee going in and still chose to buy it. I guess I figured, though, that after we were told to wait for the smell to dissipate that we could still exchange it. I should have gotten that in writing (not that it was ever promised by the Organic Mattress Store). Note, also that the Organic Mattress Store has been handling this fairly well and trying to make us happy, to some extent, although it is short of what we really want, which is our money back. Vivetique, on the other hand, basically washes their hands of it.
So, in the end, buyer beware, I guess. I can’t recommend buying from Vivetique given their return policies and the associated cost. As for the Organic Mattress Store, I’m still undecided. I’ll keep you posted on how it works out. In the meantime, I’d love to hear some other options.
June 29th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
I can’t believe they told you to wait and then they said it’s too late to take it back!
I’ve been thinking of getting an organic mattress so I’ll be sure to smell it before purchasing, after reading what you have to say about yours.
June 30th, 2008 at 7:50 am
I guess I would just make sure you try it out before hand. The smell does dissipate over time, but it took longer than 30 days. There is still a hint of it now, but not much. I guess it can depend on when the wool is harvested, so not all mattresses may turn out that way.
July 13th, 2008 at 3:59 am
Oh no! I am having the exact same problem. EXACT. I ordered the Vivetique cotton organic mattress. Two actually for two beds from a local store. Of course they are custom made and come from Vivetique straight to us. They were delivered and had the strongest, foulest smell. I have been in tears daily over this for weeks as I am at a loss on what to do. I am a single mom who provides childcare to be able to stay home with my kids while providing for us. It took years to save enough to buy mattresses that would be healthier for us. But my eyes water and throat burns when I walk in the room with them. We have been sleeping on our conventional couch for weeks (note - without problems). We have waited 6 weeks and the smell is still there. I have contacted the store we bought from - local non chain - and the owner said he’d come by our house later in the week and smell it himself and then see if there is some way he can help us (does not sound promising). I am scheduled to call Vivetique Monday but am now not hopeful of help from them. I do not want another mattress from them. I want my money back. I expected an organic coton mattress to have no smell. This one had a MD note - it contains no wool or borate - just cotton and innersprings. So what should smell? I am really concerned about what it could be. Reallllllly stressed about this.
I have contacted others who have gotten Vivetiques and they say theirs has no smell at all. Which makes me think this is NOT normal. I am afriad if I were to get the money to order organic from another company for fear of something similar. But I am concerned about getting a conventional mattress due to the chemicals known to be of harm.
-Pulling my hair out
July 13th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Tamara,
I’m incredibly sorry. I can tell you I believe the smell will go away, but it can take 3 or 4 months. If you can, try to keep your windows open as much as possible and even put the bed up on it’s side so more of it is exposed.
As for Vivetique, now that there are at least two complaints, I know it isn’t just us, anymore, and I think that changes the game a bit. Sooner or later, someone at the store will do a Google search for Vivetique and realize that this post is in the top 5 results and do the math to realize how many people are seeing it and then maybe, just maybe, they’ll be a little more motivated on the quality control side of things. Maybe.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Hi Grant,
We are a very small manufacturer of mattresses and in the past have made mattresses for people with chemical sensitivities. We have found washing the fabric in a detergent like BioKleen can help eliminate a lot of problem. You may be able to find a small manufacturer in your area who is willing to do this for you.
As you have learned, comfort is personal thing and you should always try out your mattress before buying it. If you buy another mattress, go to a store and try it out. The Better Sleep Council and Consumer Reports have some great tips on how to select a mattress. Even with a comfort guarantee, you will be stuck paying restocking fees and redelivery charges.
Good luck with your mattress.
Anonymous
July 22nd, 2008 at 7:15 am
Hi,
We make organic mattresses in the UK (Abaca Organic) and I’m really sorry to be hearing the poor customer service that is being offered to you! We also sell direct over the internet, but our Trading Standards state that we have to accept any returns within 7days with a full refund regardless of reason. If Abaca suggest that you try it for longer then that is our responsibility and we should and will accept the ‘return’.
We often suggest that we post material samples to the customers before making the mattresses to make sure any smells are flagged before we accept the order.
All that said we couldn’t offer this to an export order!
In a nutshell; by selling mattresses on the net you save the massive overheads of a real showroom (rent/staff/etc) so if it means you have to accept the odd mattress returned; so be it! Hope you’re able to resolve your situation.
Regards
July 28th, 2008 at 4:15 am
Hi Grant (and Tamara),
So sorry to hear about your troubles. I just wanted to give you both a HUGE thank you for posting about your organic/Vivetique mattress issues. I’ve been researching and was almost ready to order the PureWool mattress and now will find an organic mattress that I can actually sit on and try out.
That said, years ago I worked for Earthsake which carried/ies Vivetiques - they did not have a weird smell, so perhaps it is a few isolated incidents?
On that note, I am still in the process of returning/exchanging a Cisco Brothers organic wool sofa that I ordered and was broken by the delivery people, I suspect. I ordered it sight unseen and unsat on, as well, which I won’t do again although it does look just fine. There IS an odor coming from the sofa but I suspect that it’s the slipcover, but maybe it’s the same wool odor you all have. It made my eyes water and after 3 weeks, is finally getting milder (or I can tolerate it now?)
This is just so frustrating - thinking we’re getting something healthy that technically might be fine except for the smelly wool batch here and there? Ugh.
Hope you all get some resolution and that the manufacturer has something to say soon!
Best,
Cate
Marin County, California
July 28th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Yeah, it probably is a few isolated incidents. I hope for Vivetique’s sake, it is. Also note, that most beds don’t smell in the showroom. They’ve been out in a large, well-ventilated room for a good deal of time and have already out-gassed.
From what the sales guy said, apparently, the wool smell (if that is what it was) can vary depending on when the wool is harvested.
Bottom line: even in this day and age of the Internet, some things are still better purchased locally.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Hi,
After weeks of internet fact finding causing me to change my mind on a daily basis from pocket sprung to memory foam to pocket with memory foam then finally to organic pocket spring, I thought i’d finally come to a logical conclusion. I was going to order a King size organic mattress and couldn’t wait for its arrival. I couldn’t believe how little sleep I’d been getting due to worrying about which mattress to buy to give me a good nights sleep :-). However on the day I was going to order a King size organic mattress I unfortunately read this site and was thrown back into a state of confusion due to the “organic smell”. I contacted Abaca for their point of view on this issue and had an email whizzing back to me within 24 hours. Here is my email and their reply……
>
> comments: Hi, I have been looking to buy a new kingsize mattress over
the last few weeks and have spent a fair amount of time researching on
the internet. The conclusion I have reached was that an organic
mattress was the way forward. However today, I have found an article on
a website forum regarding the issue of smell from an organic mattress,
which seems to stem from the wool inside. This article was for a
different manufacturer in the US but it has set alarm bells ringing. I
realize smell is a personal judgement and i imagine a mattress will
smell a little for a few weeks until aired properly. However I am now
worried that if I bought a new mattress, in 6 months time I will still
feel like I am sleeping in a sheep pen due to the smell :-). Can you
offer me any advise on this subject.RegardsJason
>
Hi Jason,
I have also seen pieces on the internet about smells from organic
mattresses …. mostly about cotton rather than wool, and have been
puzzled by how extreme the descriptions are. All natural materials have
their own smell …. our wool certainly has a ‘woolly’ smell, but it is
not strong or unpleasant and seemms to dissipate within a few weeks of
the mattress being delivered. I am going to send you some samples of the
cotton and wool, reasonable size pieces that have come off the rolls
today so that they are ‘fresh’ so to speak! If you still have concerns
after receiving the samples, then it’s possible for us to cut enough
wool off a roll to make your mattress, then ‘air’ it for a few weeks
until the woolly smell has all but disapeared.
Hope that helps
Best Wishes
Rhiannon
In the next few days I am moving house and the level of customer service I have had to endure from estate agents to broadband supplier to van hire etc has had me pulling my hair out with contempt and frustration. I wonder how certain company’s can possibly stay in business and no doubt the coming recession will sort them out.
I am very very impressed with the reply from Abaca and even feel obliged to order now due to their obvious care for potential customers. I’ll let you know how I get on….
August 4th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
I’m really frustrated with the entire mattress industry. I have purchased 4 mattresses in the past 2 years. I’ve had trouble with every single one. I even went and recently purchased 2 mattresses off the floor of the showroom floor to avoid all the off gassing. The problem is they fume for 6 months or more these days. I learned from one salesperson that mattresses are sprayed with fire retardant that can cause long term fumes. He said to look for teflon in the thread instead of fire retardant for less fumes. It does seem like any form of latex fumes for a long time. I was at an organic mattress store in the denver area and the organic latex smelled like old tires to me. The salesperson said they put vanilla in the latex to help mask the smell. I also heard form a different organic store that they can’t truly tell you what real organic rubber is because of internal laws and the fact the rubber comes from Asia. I don’t remember this being so hard 10 years ago. I really feel sick from new mattresses…even the box springs.
I get sore joints, sore throat and headaches. I wonder if there are recent laws that make all new mattresses get sprayed for fire hazards and in the process we will all get exposed to cancer chemicals…. all for the mere chance there is a fire in our houses. I mean seriously, the chemicals probably cause more harm.
I found this online:
http://www.peopleforcleanbeds.org/
August 5th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Also note, some people have had success with the smells using these blankets: http://nontoxic.com/activatedcarbonblanket/activatedcarbonblanket.htm
We haven’t tried them yet, but they basically act like a carbon/charcoal water filter does, I guess.
August 8th, 2008 at 12:26 am
Does anyone have a good- no, excellent - organic latex/wool/cotton mattress to recommend? Thanks for all of this info.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I have had horrible problems with my Aurora mattress from Vivetique. Not only did it smell for a long time (smell does go away eventually!) but it sags to the left. Basically, the construction of this mattress is not well thought-out. It has pocketed coils, which are supposed to move independently to cushion you. However, the coils are covered by 2″ of heavy latex, plus wool and cotton, so by the time any pressure gets down to the coils, it’s already spread out across a wide area, rendingering the pocketed coils useless. I’m getting rid of this thing, and probably going to eat the $2000 I spent on it. Sucks.